Hoodlums

Asshats participating in asshattery. That's all I can say about last night's episode. Well, I guess there's more. Kelsey and I went to the gym last night. As we're coming home in the craptastic weather, we see someone running in front of our house. Turns out it's a neighbor, who says, "I think someone just broke your window." Literally two minutes before we get home. Cops come over, examine the damage, give me the report. It's not much damage, just the storm window, but it's the principle of it.

The pictures are hard to see, but the broken pane is there. Notice that neat tear in the screen? Yeah, they threw the gutter downspout thru the window. Also notice the Protection One sticker. Didn't do much now, did it?Fortunately the local hardware store was able to put in new glass. Unfortunately, they're not that good at it...

An Ode to Brett

As you all know, Brett Favre retired this spring from the Green Bay Packers. Here is a poem someone wrote, and it's way too long.

Deep in the south in '69
On an early October morn
Unbeknownst to anyone at the time
A legend there was born

Nothing remarkable about him
Nothing special, no not yet
He was part French and Choctaw
They named the baby Brett

His beginnings were quite humble
No thoughts of future fame
But as the boy grew older
You could tell the kid had game

Even with his father as the coach
His full talents were still unknown
Because the high school ran an offense
They called the old wishbone

In college they wanted him to play
As a rangy defensive back
But Brett was resolute, insisting
That he would play quarterback

He was buried as a freshman
Far down on the team's depth chart
But by the very third game that year
He got a chance to start

He led the team to victory
His waiting now was over
And his reputation also grew
He had played with a hangover

In the summer before his senior year
A car wreck, contusions, cuts
They took out part of his intestine
But he still had plenty of guts

For six weeks later he took the field
Against the storied team from Alabama
Led his team to a comeback win
His first larger-than-life panorama

The Falcons took him in the second round
But his abilities were not brought forth
And after just a year with them
He was traded to the frozen north

And there it was, in Green Bay
Where this legend would be carved
For sixteen years the terms synonymous
Green Bay Packers and Brett Favre

It was not long before he started
Amidst some boos and cheers
It would be the start of a very special streak
That would last for sixteen years

He had a rocket for an arm
And that aw-shucks southern drawl
Every game he played with zest
You know he had a ball

The Packer fans soon fell in love
Where did we get this ringer
Green Bay didn't have a new sheriff in town
No, they had a new gunslinger

He was a blue-collar hero
Hard-working, rugged, tough
No fur coats or limousines
Or any of that fancy stuff

He did not act like royalty
Before whom all must kneel
But in a way he was a king
His castle, Lambeau Field

Some players are not likable
Some engender fear
But Brett was the type of player
With whom you'd like to share a beer

He was a fierce competitor
But he played the game with joy
Although he was a man among the men
You saw inside a little boy

Who after throwing a touchdown pass
Would jump and scream and yell
And when faced with triple coverage
He'd fling it, what the hell

He made plays that were impossible
That no human could explain
He played through much adversity
Some sorrow and some pain

He was a most valuable player
He achieved record-setting goals
And the ultimate victory
Winning one of two Super Bowls

But perhaps the greatest game he ever played
That showed what he had inside
Was when he played a football game
The day after his father died

Four touchdown passes in the first half
A 41-7 victory
His performance an inspiration
For the entire world to see

You saw an athlete par excellence
And a son so filled with love
He played the game of his career
For his father up above


Packer fans already adored him
They could not love him more
But on that cold December night
He was loved from shore to shore

He played football for a living
What appealed to us, the mob
Was that he never made it seem
Like to him it was just a job

He had that competitive spirit
He played it clean and hard
He'd play the same in the Superdome
As he would in your back yard

And just like every one of us
He was imperfect, with some flaws
But his striving for perfection
Was what garnered our applause

And at the twilight of his career
Many thought it was time to go
He came back for another year
And man was it a show

The gray-bearded grizzled veteran
Led an inexperienced crew
But once again he showed us all
The amazing things that he could do

Against all of their enemies
He led the charge attack
He reminded everyone again
He was leader of the Pack

They exceeded all expectations
The season was a charm
And most of the team's good fortunes
Rested on ol' Brett's arm

Calendar said he was thirty-eight
But he played like twenty-one
That ever-infectious grin of his
Showed he was having so much fun

And with the old gunslinger
Fans hopes they were a'raisin'
They knew he would not go down
Without both guns a'blazin'

We wished for a Cinderella story
A happy ending of that sort
But though they came so awfully close
The Packers fell just short

And perhaps it was meant to be
Though it makes one almost cry
That his career would come to an end
On a pass that went awry


So now he's said it's time for him
To move on with his life
To devote more time to things he's missed
Like his children and his wife

We greet this with mixed emotions
For he is deserving of a rest
But selfishly we wonder how
We'll get along without the best

Our heads say we're overreacting
After all, football's just a game
But our hearts know with Brett not there
It will just not be the same

So we bid goodbye to the gunslinger
As a warrior, none were braver
We thank you for the joy you brought us
And for all the memories we will savor

We can picture you enjoying retirement
With perhaps but one small hitch
Every Sunday come September
The fingers will start to twitch

And when your time on Earth is done
And you're at the pearly gate
We see St. Peter toss you the ball
And say "Brett, it's 3rd and eight"

If you can complete this one last pass
This final game you'll win
If you can score a touchdown
Into heaven we'll let you in

And Brett drops back so comfortably
One more time the ball he flings
Right through the seraphim and cherubim
Just beyond their outstretched wings

And into a waiting angel's arms
The pass so pure and sweet
Even among the angelic crowd
No one can believe this feat

Heavenly trumpets blare the sound
Angels cheer and laugh
God instructs His assistant
To get Brett's autograph

So while on earth all football fans
His passing they will weep
Brett will enter the Eternal Football League
With, of course, a Lambeau leap!!

San Diego

So last week I had to go to sunny San Diego, California for a work conference. It's tough, let me tell you. Gotta get up at 7am, attend meetings until 10pm, then hit the bars for "networking." Anyways, Kelsey and her friend Stephanie came down on Thursday so I stayed the extra weekend.

Friday afternoon was the good stuff, heading over to Balboa Park and the Zoo. I know very little about the park, but it was pretty cool. Almost like it was someone's mansion back in the day.Here was a little tourist trap with cool painted tiles.
Of course, the thing to see in Balboa Park is the San Diego Zoo. It's well known for being one of the largest zoos in the US.We got there pretty late, so only had about two hours to wander around. First we hit up a bus tour, which gave us a heads up on what places we would like to go back to. What all did we see?

Camels.
Little brown bears.
Elephants.
Lazy koalas.
I was able to get much better pictures than the last time I was at a zoo.
I don't believe these distances are correct. But I think they're supposed to be somewhere in Thailand, given that Rangoon is in Myanmar and Angkor Wat is in Cambodia.
Ah, the Footsie Wootsie. I just thought it was a funny name for a machine. It doesn't look like it gives a very good massage.
A couple of black bears wrestling.
YES! It only took me 2 years, but I have FINALLY pictured a Giant Panda Bear. No more Red Pandas haunting my dreams. In fact, I saw THREE Pandas. Take that, China!
They're almost as lazy as the koalas. Except pandas do more eating.
Now back to your regularly scheduled animals.
Flamingos. I like this picture cause I was really far away, and it turned out pretty good.
For some reason, the zebras were just showing off their ass all day. None wanted their pictures taken.
Hi, my name is Aaron, and I've got the mind of a 4th grader. I still laugh at this.
Polar bear. San Diego isn't really the right climate for this guy.
To finish, we took the skycar across the park.
Saturday we didn't do much, but I did make it to the In-N-Out Burger. The secret to In-N-Out is the secret menu. Did that sentence make sense?
I stuck to the regular 2x2, although I did get the Neopolitan shake. The fries, while fresh, weren't quite what I was expecting. Maybe I'd get them well done. Although the burger was very tasty.

Two More Down

On Friday, Josh Dwuznik and Polly Czech had the dry run for their wedding on Saturday. Afterwards, we went to Mancini's for dinner. Mancini's would be termed a supper club in Wisconsin. In St. Paul, it's where the mobsters hang out. Josh's uncle actually owns the place, after Nick Mancini passed away last year.

Unfortunately for Kelsey, they had nothing for her to eat. Fortunately, Burger King carries the BKVeggie.
Our table was the place to be! Here's Alicia and MikeThe couple of honor, Josh and Polly.
Josh's brother, Paul. If you look close, Paul was looking a little rough. It seems that the gathering of the previous weekend had taken it's toll on Paul. He's not sure how he ended up with a black eye, or at least he's not telling!
The next day was the wedding itself. As were weren't allowed to loosen up inside a place of worship, we headed to the corner of Fernwood and Draper. Jeff (Wee), Mike and Todd all hangin out. Mike's got the birthday cake.
No pictures of the wedding, as I was actually standing in it. Suffice to say it was short and sweet.

Afterwards we headed to the Dellwood Hills Golf Club for the reception. Swanky place, for sure. Mr Aaron Zimmerman and Mrs Erin Zimmerman made it out for the party!
Shawn and Cierra made the trip as well.
The head table. To the right are Josh's brothers Aaron and Paul.
Jeff, Todd, Scott and Mike. One of these four is not like the others. One of these four just doesn't belong.
The old Apartment 4, whatever that means. I think it means these 7 guys lived in one apartment together. I'm sure hijinks ensued, with hilarious consequences!

Assassin Cat!

So I've been a little out of touch lately. As some of you know, it's been a pretty rough couple of weeks, ever since I was in LaCrosse on the 3rd of February. Short version: my parent's cat is an assassin and tried to kill my dad. Longer version (in less words): dad has Pasteurella Multicida (or Multocida). It seems he came down with some sort of flu or cold in the waning days of January. When I saw him on the 2nd and 3rd, he was pretty sick, enough to go to the Urgent Care clinic on Sunday. His tests came back relatively normal, and so they didn't think anything too bad. Well, on Tuesday (the 5th) he was really bad, and so went to the emergency room. They thought he had appendicitis, so did an immediate exploratory surgery, but didn't find anything. He was really fighting the infection at that point, so they kept him sedated on Tuesday and Wednesday. They weren't able to identify the specific bacteria that had gotten into his blood until this week. P. multocida is carried by something like 90% of cats, and it's in their saliva and feces.

My friend Josh (more on him later this week), who's finishing up veterinary school, says that it really only affects people with weakened immune systems. In any case, however he got it, it really did a number. I was down there last night (the 14th), and he might be in the hospital for another week or more, possibly up to three, depending on his recovery.

So there's the update for the handful of people reading. Thanks for all your thoughts, I'm sure my dad appreciates them!

Peggy and Kevin Tie The Knot

Saturday morning Kelsey and I drove down to La Crosse for my friend Kevin Miller's wedding. It was a great chance to see some friends from back in the day.

Here's the groom's side of the party. Ricky (far left), Tony (third from left), and Kevin (far right) all graduated from Onalaska in 1997.Here's the beautiful bride, Peggy.
After the ceremony, there was some time to kill, so we went to Del's for a bloody mary, and then to the Cavalier for a little bit. Mike, Alicia, Rob, and Jen, all enjoying the affordable drinks in La Crosse. $2.25 for a pint!!
Even more people showed up for the reception. Here are Matt and Becky. Congratulations to the both of them, expecting another little one in August!
The wedding DJ was pretty crazy. Here's just one of the hats he sported during the night.
Melissa Marconi and Tony Ferries.
Mike and Melissa.
The fellas. Jon's wedding is the end cap to summer this year.
More fun!
A fun wedding all around. It was great to see so many people that I hadn't seen in years.

Steve Marks a Score and Eight

Steve celebrated his 28th birthday on Friday, so we commemorated it with a trip to Fat Lorenzo's for pizza and then some beer pong at his place. Fat Lorenzo's is absolutely tiny, so our party of ten took up like half the place.The beer pong was fun, and Cameron and Steve were nearly unstoppable, winning every match they played. I only played one match, but managed to sink four in a row. Unfortunately, my partner sank none, and so we lost.