Happy New Year!

We wish all of you a Happy New Year!

As we ring in 2009, we are feeling blessed that no one was injured and no other structures were damaged in a fire that destroyed my sister's SUV in my parents' driveway in the middle of the night.

Merry Christmas!

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRIAN!

Happy Birthday, Brian!

Hope you had a special day.

5-9; 9-5

Should I even ask how many games have been lost by fewer than seven points?

How many games has defense lost? How many games has offense lost? How many games have, in essence, ended by an INT? Dare I say, TOO MANY!

Had we wanted INT endings, we should have kept Favre, at least the Packers might be seeing a football field in January, not a golf course.

Speaking of stinkers...notice who's in the last "Struggliscious" bracket? Yes, yours truly. It hasn't been the best of seasons for the Cheese. Struggling just a little less than the Packers at 6-8, the Cheese finds itself holding a slight lead in today's battle against Smell the Coffee. Barring a huge fourth quarter explosion in Sunday night's game, both teams have one more player in Monday Night Football to determine Week 16. Come back Tuesday for an update.

Mrs. Grinch

Well, it all started with a "discussion" on why we should/shouldn't get a Christmas tree. We have this discussion every year. Because we often travel around Christmas, my reasoning is that if we don't get a tree during Thanksgiving weekend, we shouldn't get one. I know, I'm Mrs. Grinch! You should have extreme empathy for Brian.

It made me think about my MBTI® personality type.

The purpose of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI) personality inventory is to make the theory of psychological types described by C. G. Jung understandable and useful in people’s lives. The essence of the theory is that much seemingly random variation in the behavior is actually quite orderly and consistent, being due to basic differences in the ways individuals prefer to use their perception and judgment.
Read more

I am an ISTJ:

Quiet, serious, earn success by thoroughness and dependability. Practical, matter-of-fact, realistic, and responsible. Decide logically what should be done and work toward it steadily, regardless of distractions. Take pleasure in making everything orderly and organized – their work, their home, their life. Value traditions and loyalty. (Here's another ISTJ description.)
See other MBTI® personality types

However, here is a "funny" description of the types. Perhaps, there's some truth. :-)

ISTJ: "Bean Counter"
Like the ESTJ* but with less vision.

*ESTJ:
"Stuffed Shirt" - No imagination, no flexibility, no common sense, no capacity for tolerance of others with different priorities.
Read more

What's your MBTI® type? Check it out at www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/the-16-mbti-types.asp. (If nothing else, leave a condolence comment for Brian!)

Christmas at Luther

"Christmas at Luther: Night of Glory, Dawn of Peace," the 27th annual Luther College Christmas concert, was this weekend. The five performances were sold out.

Granted so much has changed since I graduated in 19...never mind that's not the important part! :-) Here are some fond memories from my participation in Juletide Fest (now Christmas at Luther):

• Driving back to Luther from Thanksgiving with family at home in order to be on time for Sunday evening dress rehearsal
• All of the logistics and choreography involved to make the concert look seamless
• Our freshman year when then Pike Kor (now Aurora) opened the concert with "Before the Marvel of This Night;" I still get chills
• When we were at Luther, I think we only had two or three performances of Christmas at Luther; however, we also performed Handel's Messiah once or twice
• Performing Silent Night in a candlelit auditorium
• A finale composed by John Rutter that we learn from a faxed copy
• The absolutely indescribable sound of singing with a mass choir of more than 500 voices

Luther is a very special community. I have rarely heard anyone else talk with such fondness about their college experience, the friends they made and those they still stay in contact with, than I have with other fellow Luther alums. Thanks for letting me reminisce!

Here's information about this year's Christmas at Luther. Perhaps you can catch this year's broadcast on one of the many public television station:

More than 600 Luther student musicians present traditional holiday carols and sacred Christmas choral anthems, performing in one of the nation's top college concert halls, the Luther Center for Faith and Life.

The concert includes performances by Nordic Choir under the direction of Craig Arnold, Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Daniel Baldwin, Cantorei under the direction of Linda Martin, Christmas Brass and Percussion Ensemble under the direction of Frederick Nyline, Cathedral Choir and Aurora under the direction of Sandra Peter, Collegiate Chorale and Norsemen under the direction of Timothy Peter, Luther Ringers under the direction of Gregory Peterson, and the Christmas Flutes.

Organist is Gregory Peterson, and faculty accompanists include Du Huang and Xiao Hu, piano; Juan Tony Guzman, guitar; and Jacquelyn Venter Ridder, harp. Ann Sponberg Petersion is the narrator, and the narration was written by Carol Gilbertson.

Each year, more than 6,500 people attend the Christmas at Luther performances on the Luther campus. The concert has been broadcast on almost 100 public television stations in 25 states, and it is broadcast annually on public radio.
Read more

"Pearl"man

Part of my birthday present this year was a subscription to several concerts at The Kennedy Center. Last night's concert was National Symphony Orchestra: Itzhak Perlman, conductor & violin. They performed J. S. Bach's Violin Concerto in A minor. He also conducted Mozart's "Haffner" Symphony and Tchaikovsky's "Pathétique" Symphony.

It was quite amazing. I had not seen Perlman in live concert before, so I didn't realize that he had lost the use of his legs after he contracted Polio at the age of four. He performs and conducts while sitting down. Nevertheless, he does nearly magical things with his Stradivarius.

Well, it might not be Perlman, but if you haven't been to a symphony concert recently, you really must go. If you're in a bigger city, you'll obviously have options; however, even if you're in a smaller college town, go to a concert! Every time I go, I realize how much you miss the nuances from just a recording.

iPWSG

What Crackberry? Less than a week after Brian was forced to get a new iPhone 3G, he's not looked back at his what? BlackBerry.

It all started when somebody tried to borrow his BlackBerry without his permission. Later he was disappointed by the return of said borrowed BlackBerry.
[It was obvious he had enabled this loan.]

And then, mere days later, of all the crazy things, the return key on his BlackBerry went missing! Gone. Kaput. In its place was a sad, little vacant space where a small, but vital key was no longer.
[Insert squeaking...prying...ping...uh oh, what's that little piece of plastic flying through the air...wheee]

Conveniently, a couple of days later, we were in the Apple Store for a travel charger for Ellie's new Nano, when all of a sudden an iPhone jumped into Brian's hands and hasn't left them since.

His first iPhone email was to a fellow iPhone owner: "I no longer covet your iPhone. However, I am having impulse control issues. Sent from my iPhone."

Of course, one of the main iPhone features is the ability to download applications, such as Urbanspoon.


Five musical instruments, four news aggregators, multiple restaurant locaters, apps to find apps, now fifty or more apps later, the lure of still more apps continues to call...Brian, download me...

In this spirit, I have started the iPhone Widows Support Group.

Ladies, join me. iPWs ban together!

You're in for a treat when . . .

...the menu is the placemat.

Happy Thanksgiving

I'm thankful for dear family and friends.

I'm thankful for my job; please keep in your thoughts and prayers, my 7,000 colleagues that lost their jobs and for many others facing the same challenge.

I'm thankful for our new church.

I'm thankful for those that are fighting for our country and who will be missing their families and friends this Thanksgiving.

I'm thankful for the many blessings I've been given and don't deserve.

The City that Never Sleeps

We flew to New York on Friday evening. Even at 9pm, there was a line out the door for soup dumplings at Joe's Shanghai. Nevertheless, after a brief wait, our reason for New York was complete. (kidding)

On Saturday, we visited J&R (every imaginable electronic device you could imagine). There was browsing; no purchasing. In between eating our way through New York, breakfast at the Soda Shop and lunch at Mon Petit Café (recommend the La Soupe a L'Onion Gratinee and Le Croque Monsieur), we visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Of course on the way to see "White Christmas" on Broadway, and despite temperatures in the 20's (and wind chills even cooler) I couldn't pass up the Pomegranate Paradise at Jamba Juice.


We went to church at Redeemer Presbyterian with our closest 2500 friends at one of their five services. Truly amazing. Dr. Keller is doing a series, Bible: The Whole Story - Creation and Fall, which includes passages from Genesis, Romans and Revelation. We walked by Rockefeller Center, and saw the ice skating rink and huge Christmas tree, but no lit lights yet. We arrived at B&H, which can only be described as a photographer's heaven. Brian found a new tripod and camera bag. With new tripod in hand, he took some fabulous photos of the World Trade Center construction area from the hotel, which looks directly over the site and Times Square. We closed out the evening by seeing Stomp (go on-line to see/hear clips). What an entertaining show and well worth seeing!

Happy Anniversary!

Our Anniversary dinner was at Marcel's. It's a very lovely, French Belgian restaurant that we had not been to before, but had heard rave reviews. We splurged on the 7-course tasting menu. This time, there was no spoon confusion!

They have a pre-theater menu, which includes 3-courses and will be perfect when we are on the way to the Kennedy Center.

The "amuse-bouche" was a small demitasse cup of a velvety corn chowder soup.

• lobster bisque en croute, lobster salad
• pan seared la belle farm foie gras served with toasted bread
• Marcel's boudin blanc, red wine essence (probably our favorite)
• pan seared sea bass with a light sauce
• Australian venison, sauteed spinach and pureed root vegetable; Brian had bison, potato
• cheese course described like this (brillat savarin, candied walnuts, honey humoldt fog, roasted apricot & vanilla mimolette, medjool date epoisses, quince, marcona almonds)
• hazelnut souffle with a chocolate sauce and pistachio ice cream; Brian had a triple chocolate creation (both were yummy!)

A small plate of five different sweets and a coffee topped the evening

Our dessert plates had a beautiful scroll of Happy 11th Anniversary written in chocolate. It was a real treat.

A New Hallelujah

Two of my favorite artists are Michael W. Smith and Steven Curtis Chapman. Tonight, we got to see both for the price of one! They both sang a lot of their classics, and Michael W. Smith sung several new ones from A New Hallelujah. It was so much fun. I took a couple of pictures. Of course Brian took some fabulous ones!



This is for my best friend, Special K Mom!

Surfin' USA...or at least California

We were in Laguna Beach, CA for the Public Affairs Council board meeting (or as Brian called it, my "scam"). I appreciated the humor; however, I'm not sure my fellow board members did. He had a point, it was really two half days of meetings.

My favorite speaker was David Ignatius, a columnist on global politics, economics and international affairs for The Washington Post, and the author of six books including, "Body of Lies" that was made into a movie and currently in theaters. He really had a fascinating background and experience with Middle East countries.

Of course there was some free time, hence the label "scam." We played golf (horribly) at the Monarch Beach Golf Links. The setting was indeed beautiful, there were a couple of holes that look over the ocean.

The meeting was over on Friday and we stayed the weekend. We toured around the area and went down to Dana Point, we explored the downtown of Laguna Beach, lots of picture taking for Brian, watching surfers and sand volleyball, driving up to Balboa Island.

One of my favorite little stores in Laguna Beach is the Candy Baron www.thecandybaron.com. They have all the old fashioned candy. Remember Bottle Caps, Fun Dip, Pop Rocks, Pixie Stix, candy necklaces and cigarettes? They have it all.

Recommend:
Penguin Cafe - great diner for breakfast
Cafe Zoolu www.cafezoolu.com

• Blackened Raw Ahi (Sashimi)
  Avocado, grapefruit and Thai-ginger horseradish sauce.
• Alaskan Halibut
  Mild, thick filet, topped with white wine, herb-onion-mushroom-shrimp sauce, with garlic mashed potatoes.
• Swordfish Sampler (3-Way)
  Mesquite broiled & topped with lemon-caper butter OR macadamia nut butter.
  Blackened with Cajun spices and topped with tomatillo sauce and corn salsa.

Take a pass:
Coyote Grill

Only a few pictures.

In Memory of Linda Franklin

The New York Times
By SARAH KERSHAW
Published: October 16, 2002

It was a tumultuous year for Linda Franklin. But hers were not just the stresses of working for the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the time of terror, or the reflexive motherly worries about her children and the health of a first grandchild about to be born.

A year ago, at 46, Ms. Franklin, an analyst for the F.B.I., had faced the prospect of her own death: a diagnosis of breast cancer and tests showing the disease so advanced that she had to have a double mastectomy, relatives said. Then, late in August, they said, her 18-year-old niece was killed in a car accident, and there was a funeral, a wrenching family gathering that turned out to be the last time she saw her parents.

Despite all that, there were to be cheerful things ahead as Ms. Franklin made her way on Monday night with her husband to Home Depot.

There was the first grandchild, of course, and Ms. Franklin had recently received a clean bill of health from her doctors and was making good progress in her physical therapy. She was adored at her job at the F.B.I.'s National Infrastructure Protection Center, where she had worked for four years as an intelligence operations specialist in the cyberdivision and was considered a keen analyst, colleagues said.

She and her husband, Ted Franklin, a network engineer for a Washington technology company, had recently bought a penthouse apartment in Arlington. It was bigger than their red-brick, two-bedroom, one-bathroom condominium on South Wakefield Street, which had accommodated so many relatives in need of a place to stay and stray animals that Ms. Franklin had taken in.

Their condo, along a tidy row of town houses on a gentle street in this Washington suburb, was virtually all packed up; moving vans had already carted away boxes and furniture.

It was the new penthouse apartment -- and all the planned repairs and tinkering they planned to do after moving in on Friday -- that drew the Franklins to Home Depot, for what was their last errand together, friends and relatives said. As the couple loaded up their red convertible, Ms. Franklin became the suburban sniper's ninth kill.

''She was the most giving person I know, ''said Paul Hulseberg, who worked with her
and remained a close friend after he left the bureau. ''There were times when there were six adults living in this two-bedroom town house. Because if anybody in the family needed anything they came here.''

Ms. Franklin, 47, had begun her career as a teacher. Her father, Charles Moore, who lives with his wife, Mary Ann, in Gainesville, Fla., said she was bent on teaching and interested in community service from a young age. She spent part of her childhood in Indiana, but the family moved to Florida while she was in middle school, Mr. Moore said. She studied education at the University of Florida and then spent years working overseas -- in Guatemala, Honduras, Germany, Okinawa and Belgium -- as a high school English teacher employed by the Department of Defense. She raised two children, a son and daughter, as a single mother, before marrying Mr. Franklin eight years ago. She also raised a second niece, Mr. Hulseberg said.

''She was tough, she went through a lot,'' Mr. Moore said.

He said that after years of teaching she got ''burned out,'' and when she heard the F.B.I. had jobs available she applied and ''the F.B.I. snapped her right up.''

Mr. Moore said he and his wife were planning to go to Arlington next week to visit their daughter, something they did three or four times a year. ''I don't think we'll ever go there again,'' he said flatly.

Robert S. Mueller III, the F.B.I. director, issued a statement today, saying, "Tragically, a member of the F.B.I. family last night became the latest victim of the Washington, D.C., area sniper killer.''

Mr. Mueller continued, ''The employees who worked with Linda -- and all of us -- are deeply shocked and angry over this tragedy.''

Outside the Franklin home today, an F.B.I. colleague of hers read a statement from the family expressing devastation and appealing to the public for help in catching the killer.

Mr. Moore's voice was devoid of emotion as he listed his daughter's accomplishments and described her life in a numb monotone. ''It hasn't sunk in yet,'' he said.

At the Home Depot where Ms. Franklin was killed, a memorial was set up this afternoon in the parking space on the lower level of the parking garage where she was shot, and Arlington residents drifted over to the spot, some weeping, to stare or leave something behind. The spot was surrounded by four orange cones. Inside the cones, there was a pot of white chrysanthemums, with three American flags stuck into the soil. There was also a statue of an angel, a stuffed red heart, four candles and a bouquet of carnations tied with a red, white and blue ribbon.

A neighbor of Ms. Franklin's, Verena Mueller, who did not know the latest victim, stood on the sidewalk near her home today sobbing uncontrollably as she recounted her plans for Monday evening: a trip to the same Home Depot, a few miles away in Falls Church, at roughly the same time Ms. Franklin went, to buy Plexiglas and wood to fortify her greenhouse for the winter. By 8:30 p.m. on Monday, Ms. Mueller said,
she realized that she had not finished the measurements, so at the last minute she postponed the errand.

''We all go shopping there,'' she said, referring to Seven Corners on Arlington Boulevard, near where the shooting occurred. ''That's my mall, that's my Home Depot.''

Gold Status

In the Milwaukee airport, we were right behind Garrett Weber-Gale in the security line.

Who is Garrett Weber-Gale, you ask?

He won two Olympic gold medals as part of the U.S. 4 X 100 relay team (the awesome relay race where Michael Phelps, Weber-Gale, Cullen Jones and Jason Lezak bested the French) and the 4 X 100 medley. And, he's from Milwaukee!
www.gwgswims.com
http://swimming.teamusa.org/athlete/athlete/922
www.garrettwebergale.blogspot.com

To be honest, I didn't recognize him until the TSA agent was inspecting his two gold medals. On the flight, we sat in the row right in front of him. We didn't ask for his autograph, because you never really want to bother someone who must get bothered all the time!

Six Of One, A Half Dozen Of The Other

On Saturday, we went to see the Richard Avedon: Portraits of Power at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. It was interesting photography (slight warning to parents: not all photos rated-G!).

Richard Avedon (1923–2004), America’s pre-eminent portraitist and fashion photographer, photographed the faces of politics throughout his career. As the country enters the next presidential election season, the Corcoran will bring together Avedon’s political portraits for the first time. Juxtaposing images of elite government, media, and labor officials with counter-cultural activists and ordinary citizens caught up in national debates, this exhibition will explore a five-decade taxonomy of politics and power by one of our best-known artists.

And you thought this post was going to focus on Aaron Rodgers' shoulder injury, Green Bay's loss, Brett Favre's record-breaking six touchdown and Jets' win. Alas, I know you're disappointed.

Did I mention Favre had six touchdowns?
http://www.nfl.com/videos?videoId=09000d5d80b2d31e

What Are We Reading?

Brian is reading:
Robert Ludlum's (TM) The Bourne Sanction by Eric Van Lustbader

Ellie is reading:
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

A Thirteen Hour Tour

Friends from Minnesota came to visit! Yes, they're Vikings fans. I know, we still let them stay. Of course, we did provide some appropriate reading material. :-)

It was really great to see them. I've known them my whole life. One of the friends was my 4-year old Sunday School teacher. They arrived late Friday and left Sunday morning, so we only had Saturday to see everything you can see in DC! Here's what we were able to see: the Netherland Carillon, Iwo Jima, Pentagon, Arlington National Cemetery, Washington Monument, saw Bob Dole at the World War II Memorial, Korean Memorial, Lincoln Monument, found our friend's cousin's name at the Vietnam Memorial, White House, Old Post Office Pavilion tower, FBI building, Archives, Navy Memorial, my office!, found our friend's father's police partner's name at the Law Enforcement Memorial, Building Museum, St. Matthew's, Mayflower Hotel, Capitol, Supreme Court, Library of Congress, Union Station and FDR Memorial. All in about 13 hours! It was 93 degrees with 92 percent humidity. It was hot, but we all had fun.

We also finished re-doing our guest rooms. This is how they look. The yellow room needs a few wall decorations and maybe a chair or bench, but it's just about done.

The middle room with the new futon, needs to be painted a new color, curtains/valance, wall decorations. So, it's still a work in progress, but we've come a long way since we started!

What do you think?

I Remember

Photo by Bill O'Leary / Washington Post

I remember that it is was a Tuesday. It seemed like any other Tuesday. But it wasn't. It was a day that would change the world.

I remember the crisp, cloudless, crystal, bright blue sky that morning.

I remember watching the unbelievable scenes on TV with colleagues.

I remember finally reaching my family because the phones weren't working right away.

I remember the eerie three plus hour drive to get home.

I remember the voice of my best friend when I finally reached her.

I remember thinking that we would know people who had lost loved ones.

I remember we had just moved in to our house the weekend before.

I remember watching TV the rest of the day with friends.

I remember the scenes on TV from the Pentagon and Shanksville, PA.

I remember watching the head of Cantor Fitzgerald weep over the loss of so many employees and friends.

I remember seeing on TV the signs posted on lamp posts seeking news on loved ones lost.

I remember every time I visit our headquarters that is right across from where the World Trade Center Towers stood.

I remember the 11 employees I never knew, but were lost that day.

To all the families who were impacted on that day, seven years ago, I remember.

Also see Eleven Tears and In Remembrance

The New Packer Era

Are you ready for some football?

It's true, I'm still smarting from the Favre trade. I am a Packer fan. Nearly my entire football watching life has been with one quarterback. He never missed a start. He played when he was hurt. He played when he was healthy. He just always played. It was never even really a question. You never wondered on a Sunday if he was going play.

But tonight, on Monday, September 8, 2008, the Packers start a new era with quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Offense started out with about 2813764912837649128736598213 yards of penalties, but after they got it going, they had a couple of really nice drives. Although they lacked a little consistency throughout 60 minutes of play, all that counts is the 24-19 W at the end!

The offensive line needs to give Rodgers a little more time, but Rodgers also proved he can scramble.

The running game was adequate. Grant had a nice 57 yard TD run.

Receivers had their moments. It was a shame that a 68 yard bomb to Driver was called back because of an ineligible receiver down field.

Special teams was special as Blackmon had a 76 yard punt return for a TD.

Did I mention defense was defending Adrian Peterson, I mean the Vikings? Kampman had a nice sack.

Aaron's Lambeau Leap: B+

#4 Throws #1 (and #2)

Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images

Yep, that's what it looked like. Favre threw the first of two Jet touchdowns. The first was a 56-yard pass to Jerricho Cotchery.

Speaking of which, I'm sure you're all dying to know about my "Cheeseheads" fantasy football team. Here are today's starters:

QB • Donovan McNabb • PHI
RB • Frank Gore • SF
RB • Larry Johnson • KC
WR • Randy Moss • NE
WR • Wes Welker • NE
WR • Jerricho Cotchery • NYJ
TE • Tony Gonzalez • KC
PK • Nick Folk • DAL
Def • New York Giants • NYG

So far, I'm beating Hairy-backed Marys, but he's got two players yet, and I'm done with a 38 fantasy point spread...we'll see if that holds!

Come and Visit!

As I mentioned in the last post, we've been re-doing our guest room, or the "yellow" room as we often call it. We decided on the Porto frame from Crate and Barrel. In addition to the the room being yellow, it has a floral ceiling border that has yellow, blue, green, beige tones. I chose the striped duvet and blue polka dot sheets.

This afternoon, I'm on the way to Targét (la boutique de France) to look for possible bed side tables, lamp and window treatment options.

In the room at the top of the stairs, or the "middle" room, we decided on queen size futon. This is the style, ignore the unattractive futon cover in the picture. We went with a neutral tan color that looks nice with the wood finish.

Curb Alert

You post; they come.

It's the beauty of craigslist.com. It becomes a little addictive. Is it gone yet? Do I have a new email? Is it gone? Do I have a new email? You get the idea.

This weekend, we've been working on our guest rooms. Along with making sure we're doing our part for the U.S. economy, we've been doing a little purge. On Friday, we posted a double mattress/box spring/frame AND a single box spring (not really sure how we have only a single box spring, but that's a different story) for pick up Saturday. It became a game of F5 (website refresh) to see if there was a new message. We were afraid to do a straight out curb alert, first-come-first-served because the afternoon called for isolated thunderstorms. Within five minutes, I had 8-10 new emails. We responded to the first and scheduled a time on Saturday. Unfortunatley, they had misjudged the size of the double for the size of their room, so they only took the single box spring. Hmmmm. A double mattress/box spring/frame sitting in our kitchen was not going to work. Back to the drawing board, aka craigslist.com. Once again, we posted. Response was minutely slower, but sure enough within a half an hour, we had arranged pick up and a new home for our old bed.

Today, it was an old desk. With the weather looking gorgeous, we posted:

Curb Alert - Desk

First come first serve. Pick up at (location). Will take down this post when it's gone.

A few minutes ago, I saw someone loading the desk into their vehicle and drive away. Good bye old desk. We hope you enjoy your new home.

The First Step is to Admit You Have a Problem!

Brian is laughing at me. I am switching between the Redskins vs. Jets game and the Olympics on TV, and have the Packers vs. 49ers game on Sirius radio, NFL.com, and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Packers blog.

It only gets worse in September as pre-season hockey starts!

Hi, my name is Ellie, and I'm a sport-aholic.

Yep, That's What it Looks Like

Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images

Legg Mason Tennis

Playing a little hooky to watch tennis! Not really, they're company tickets because of our sponsorship. It was a beautiful day for tennis: a bit overcast with a rain sprinkle and a light breeze to keep us comfortable.

A Bagel Save

With a few extra minutes on the way to La Guardia today, I stopped at Ess-a-Bagel to pick up bagels. Mmmmmm

I have a bad habit of not putting my seat belt on right away when I'm in the back seat of a car service. So we took off and a few miles down the road, the driver had to jam on the brakes.

Did I worry about my neck and shoulder blade muscles that has been bothering me since I slept on it the wrong way more than a week ago?

No, instead, I reached out my arm instinctively to protect the bagels sitting on the seat in a bag next to me. I hope they're worth it!

This is Just Going to be Weirder-er

Photo by J. Conrad Williams Jr., Newsday

Football Fatigue?

Tired of hearing about Favre, Packers and football? The season is just beginning!

"I've always wanted to be a Packer, I think I always will be a Packer"

Favre had a "how did things end up like this" look throughout the press conference. Although he said "excited" six times, he looked about as excited as someone having a root canal.

I think this was the quote of the press conference. It was in response to: What would you tell Packers fans, Favre fans? How can fans move on?
"Well, I can't answer that for them. All I can say is I've always wanted to be a Packer, I think I always will be a Packer. Sixteen years is hard to forget for everyone and I'd like to think those 16 years people will say, 'Best 16 years I've ever watched.' It was a lot of fun for me."

This is Just Going to be Weirder

Photo by Antonelli/News

Was it Fate?

I like to tease Brian by saying, perhaps the Favre trade to the Jets was destiny after all!
http://brianandellie.blogspot.com/2008/01/green-and-white.html

This is Just Going to be Weird

Photo by Moore/AP

Jet Set

End of an era. It's a sad day in Packer land. Both sides ultimately got what they wanted: the Packers wanted to move on and Favre wanted to play football. However, I'm not sure either side can claim "success."

Here's the statement from Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy and Executive Vice President, General Manager and Director of Football Operations Ted Thompson:

"Brett has had a long and storied career in Green Bay, and the Packers owe him a tremendous debt of gratitude for everything he accomplished on the field and for the impact he made in the state. It is with some sadness that we make this announcement, but also with the desire for certainty that will allow us to move the team and organization forward in the most positive way possible.

"We respect Brett's decision that he could no longer remain here as a Packer. But there were certain things we were not willing to do because they were not in the best interest of the team. We were not going to release him nor trade him to a team within the division. When Brett ultimately decided that he still wanted to play football, but not in Green Bay, we told him that we would work to find the best solution for all parties involved. We wish Brett and his family well.

"We appreciate the tremendous passion shown by our fans. We, like them, always will see Brett Favre as a Green Bay Packer and our respect for him never will change. Moving forward, we are dedicated to delivering a successful 2008 season for all Packers fans."

Welcomed Back with Open Arms

Okay, maybe not exactly. Here's the Packers' statement. Just a few not-so-subtle hints of unhappiness.

Statement By Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy

Sixteen years after Brett Favre came to the Packers, he is returning for a seventeenth season. He has had a great career with our organization and although we built this year around the assumption that Brett meant what he said about retiring, Brett is coming back. We will welcome him back and turn this situation to our advantage.

Frankly, Brett's change of mind put us in a very difficult spot. We now will revise many actions and assumptions about our long-term future, all predicated on Brett's decision last March to retire. As a result of his decision, we invested considerably in a new and different future without Brett and we were obviously moving in that direction. That's why this wasn't easy. Having crossed the Rubicon once when Brett decided to retire, it's very difficult to reorient our plans and cross it again in the opposite direction - but we'll put this to our advantage.

Brett will be in camp tomorrow. Although there has been uncertainty regarding Brett's return, Ted Thompson and Coach McCarthy had previously discussed this and have had a plan in place. Coach McCarthy will talk to the team and the quarterbacks about the plan moving forward, and after he has done that we will share it publicly.

No matter what, I look forward to another successful season for the Packers and our fans. This has been a tough situation, but the Packers will make the most of it.

Pro Football Hall of Fame

I watched the Pro Football Hall of Fame Induction this evening. It got me thinking about how players are chosen.

So, in the category of "I'm sure you could care less," here is the Hall of Fame selection process.

Charged with the vital task of continuing to be sure that new enshrinees are the finest the game has produced is the Pro Football Hall of Fame's 44-person Board of Selectors (see list below).

The Board consists of one media representative from each pro football city with two from New York, inasmuch as that city has two teams in the National Football League. A 33rd member is a representative of the Pro Football Writers of America and there are 11 at-large delegates.

With the exception of the PFWA representative who is appointed for a two-year term, all appointments are of the open-end variety and can be terminated only by retirement or resignation, as long as the member continues to attend meetings regularly.

The Board of Selectors meets annually at the time of the Super Bowl to elect new members. There is no set number for any class of enshrinees but, the Board's current ground rules do stipulate that between four and seven new members will be selected each year. The 1973 and 1976 classes of three were the smallest ever named.

Every candidate is carefully scrutinized and must receive at least 80 percent approval of the Board at the annual meeting before he can be elected. A scale of negative votes for elimination that will vary depending on the number of Selectors in attendance is used.

When the Selectors meet in Arizona next February to name the Class of 2008, they will have before them a roster of 17 final candidates, along with detailed biographies on each. To assure that older players will be considered along with the younger breed, the Seniors Committee - made up of nine veteran members of the overall Selection Committee - have named two nominees from the pre-1983 era to be included on the final list.

The other finalists will be the survivors from a preliminary list of candidates that the Board will have screened by mail ballot. That original list will have been in part provided by the fans themselves.

A slight modification to the bylaws in August 2006 resulted in an increase to 17 finalists based on 15 modern-era candidates and two senior nominees being named. In the past, the finalists numbered 15 that included 13 modern-era candidates and the two senior nominees.

Any fan may nominate any qualified person who has been connected with pro football in any capacity simply by writing to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The only restriction is that a player and coach must have last played or coached at least five seasons before he can be considered. For example, a candidate for the 2008 class must have concluded his career not later than the 2002 season.

There is no mandatory retirement period for a contributor. Every nomination received will be processed and forwarded to the Board of Selectors.

It is important to emphasize that the Hall of Fame itself has no say whatsoever as to who is or is not elected to membership. The only function of the staff is to process the nominations as they arrive and to coordinate the annual meeting.

From Pro Football Hall of Fame http://www.profootballhof.com/

For His Glory and Our Greater Good

Last week's sermon was really a perfect reminder as I think about family and friends going through some painful circumstances in their life.

The sermon's theme was "God has the freedom to work in our life for His glory and our greater good."

There were two points in last week's sermon that stood out for me.

1. Trusting in circumstances only sets us up for disappointment. It's never about how much faith we can have but what is the object of our faith.
2. Faith by grace: Know that God will bestow faith on us without us ever earning it.

Read more at Emmanuel Presbyterian Church:
www.emmanuelarlington.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=35418&articleId=2584

Brian always phrases it, God doesn't need our permission to work in our life.

We need to remember that these circumstances we find ourselves in are for our greater good. But, "our greater good" as defined by God.

Too Old or Too Good?

Once again, I'm sure that no cares about my opinion on the Favre-Packer stand off. However, over the past couple of days, I'm falling closer in the camp that have been voiced in two recent articles: the Packers can't have it both ways. You can't think he's too old to play for the Packers, but too good to play for another team. Watching Favre for 17 years, I never thought it was about the money for him, it was about playing, and the love of the game. So, I hope he's able to play. However, don't get me wrong, I will be the first to cringe if it's for a team in the NFC North.

The New York Times
As Hall of Famers Reunite, an Insult to a Future One
By William C. Rhoden

Brett Favre deserves better. This is not conduct worthy of a franchise like Green Bay, certainly not on a weekend when players who have given so much to the game are being honored. Given Favre’s tenure and stature, the Packers should have had a what-happens-if-he-changes-his-mind contingency plan that would accommodate his return.
[...]
Favre has insisted all along that this is not about money, but about a mixture of honor and glory and the love of the game.

You can’t fault Favre if he takes the money, but hopefully he will tell Thompson and Murphy to keep their millions. He wants to play football.
Read more

The Washington Post
On Favre, Packers Can't Have It Both Ways
By Michael Wilbon

If you don't want Favre, if you think he's washed up and ready to be bronzed, then why would you care if he winds up with the Vikings or Bears? If you don't want Favre, why would you care who he plays for in the limited time he has left?
Read more

A Maze of Maize

From Yahoo! News:
This recent but undated photo, supplied by Mike Berg, shows a corn maze that Carlene and Duane Schultz are developing on their property in Elva. Wis. The maze, which reads 'thanks' and shows quarteback Brett Favre's upper body holding a football, opens on Sept. 1. Even though Favre's desire to be released from the Green Bay Packers has created a controversy, Carlene Schultz thinks people will still be open to going through the maze.
(AP Photo/Mike Berg)

Divine Power to Demolish Strongholds

Recent news of two friends and a family member who have cancer have made me think of how I respond during times of diversity, especially when it's someone close.

I admit that I am not one to handle such news with a kingdom perspective. I let my earthly, sinful nature take over and allow me to worry, fret and forget that God is in control. I think that is why I so greatly admire Kristin whose husband was diagnosed with liver cancer. Here's one of her daily updates.

We want to ask you all to pray as Ray has his first chemo treatment tonight and over the next two days.

We have had an amazing day. God moved the earth through a few good friends and we were able to have the top GI Cancer doctor at MD Anderson review Ray's case and confer with our doctor here. What we were praying for was agreement or else a clearly superior course. The two doctors agreed that the course our doctor here has outlined is the right course.

Praise the Lord.

This cancer is a fast growing cancer. We did not want to let it grow one second longer and so we are beginning treatment tonight.

The way Ray's body responds to this chemo will determine the success of this treatment.

Here are our prayers: that the chemo would have a dramatic effect on the fast growing cancer cells, that Ray's liver will respond quickly and grow more and more healthy, potentially allowing additional therapies to be added, for Ray's strength and fortitude in fighting this cancer.

Above all this, we continue to pray that God will cure Ray.

"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds."

Thank you for standing with us in this battle.

All of Kristin's subsequent daily updates conclude with a verse, and "Not afraid and not alone." I am in awe of her courage and her faith.

Retire...Reinstate...Backup...Trade...Release

Well, I'm sure you're wondering why I haven't weighed in on the Favre maelstrom. I'm sure nobody cares what my opinion is anyway, but frankly, I have really mixed feelings about the whole situation. I always said he retired a year or two too early. As always, I'm sure there's a lot more to the story than we'll ever know.

Here's an interesting timeline per Packers general manager Ted Thompson that was posted on the Journal Sentinel Inc.'s Packers Blog. As it mentions, this wasn't verified on the Favre side.

The following is a timeline provided by Packers general manager Ted Thompson of the off-season dealings with quarterback Brett Favre. All of the information comes from Thompson and several sources close to Favre did not return phone messages seeking verification of Thompson's account.

• Jan. 20, 2008 - The Packers lose in overtime to the New York Giants in the NFC Championship Game. Both Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy speak briefly to Favre before he returns home to Hattiesburg, Miss.
• Jan. 30 - McCarthy and Favre are both at the Super Bowl media center in Phoenix to collect post-season awards and spent about an hour chatting. The two talk again when McCarthy is at the Pro Bowl in Honolulu and later when McCarthy returns home.
• Feb. 22 - Sometime during the scouting combine Thompson calls Favre because he had heard reports that the quarterback was mad he hadn't called him. "I called him and he said, 'Well I don't know where you're getting that from, because that's not true.'" Thompson said he reassured Favre he was wanted back and told him McCarthy would be the one communicating with him most often.
• Feb. 25 - McCarthy calls Favre on trip back from combine and discusses how he might be able to lesson the quarterback's load and whether Favre can commit 100%.
• Feb. 29 - Favre calls McCarthy and tells him if he had to make a decision now, he would retire. McCarthy tells him to think about it over the weekend and both think Favre will play. "Mike talked to him about, ‘Well, what if we change (reduce) some reps or off-season things' and things like that and he was pretty sure that he wanted to retire."
• March 3 - Favre calls McCarthy at a function in Austin, Texas, and tells him he's retiring. McCarthy asked if he needed more time and he said no. Favre tells him he can't commit 100%. McCarthy flies back to Green Bay.
• March 4 - Thompson, McCarthy and public relations director Jeff Blumb are in Thompson's office and Blumb reaches Favre on his cell phone. "Jeff spoke for a few minutes and then I talked to Brett for I don't know, 20 minutes, 15 minutes, something like that. We got to the point where he wanted to go ahead and make the announcement here and then I think Jeff got back on the phone and then they worked it out that he would come up here and do the press conference."
• March 6 - Favre conducts retirement press conference.
• Week of March 24 - Offensive line coach James Campen, who is visiting Louisiana, stops in to see Favre at his Mississippi home and is asked by Favre whether he thinks the Packers would take him back. Campen reports the conversation to McCarthy and Thompson. McCarthy calls Favre and hears the same things Campen did.
• March 27 - Thompson and McCarthy decide they would be fine with Favre returning even though Aaron Rodgers is set to begin off-season workouts as the starter, and they inform Favre. "Mike said, ‘Ted and I talked and we said, fine.' But we'd like to come see you, and Brett was kind of excited that we were coming to see him." In preparation to leave for the owners meetings in West Palm Beach, March 30-April 3, they arrange to meet with Favre and wife, Deanna.
• March 29 - McCarthy makes plans to fly to Hattiesburg on April 1 to make plans for Favre's return. McCarthy is leaving for evening Mass when Favre calls to inform him he has changed his mind. "We were all set for them, but Brett called back and that he and Deanna had a long talk about it and they were going to stick with their original decision."
• May 6 - Thompson is down South and decides to pay a visit to Favre at his home. "I called him and said I am thinking about seeing you, I don't have any agenda or anything. So I did, I went and visited. Had lunch sat out on the veranda. We had a long talk and good talk. Nothing really came up other than like with any retired player, you could tell there were a few things that he would throw in there; 'there might be some doubts, I may change my mind,' or something like that. And that was that."
• June 8 - Campen goes to Favre's home and has a long talk with Favre and leaves feeling Favre wants to return.
• June 20 -- Favre calls McCarthy and the two have a 45-minute conversation in which Favre tells him he might want to play again. "There was more wondering, you know, what ifs." McCarthy and Thompson go on vacation for the July 4th weekend.
• July 4 - Thompson receives a text message from Favre and sends a message back at about 8 p.m. back telling him he's traveling and can they talk on Monday? "By Monday I hadn't heard back from him. I sent him back a text saying, ‘Haven't heard from ya, hope you're getting these messages, can we talk Tuesday at noon?' He got back to me and said 'OK,' that it would be better sooner, but I was kind of doing some other things so we set up a conference call."
• July 8 - Favre and his agent, James (Bus) Cook ask Thompson for Favre's release during the conference call. It's understood Favre won't be the starter in Green Bay. "There were, I think, conversations with Mike where both parties acknowledged that time had gone by and the Packers had been asked to move on, or move forward, or whatever. That's what they were thinking there (about asking for his release)."
• July 11 - Thompson receives a letter from Favre and Cook formally asking for Favre to be released.

Delicate & Refined Expressions

My wife asked me why I shoot continuously sometimes. It's simple really. - I find I can capture certain nuanced, delicate, & refined expressions on my subject's faces. I would have missed those expressions if I were just waiting for the shot.
For example, click on the image series below of my Brother-in-law and his daughter.
Then look at row 4, column 2.
That photo goes into a special collection I'm amassing over the next 15 years.
The collection will be revealed 15 years from now, at the exact moment when my niece's date arrives to pick her up for her high school prom.
The collection is entitled: Photos-to-embarrass-my-niece-when-she's-older.
I reckon, in the 15 years or so, I'll be able to build up quite the collection.
I can't wait to see the delicate & refined expression on her face.

Going Home

Here are some fun recaps from our visit to Wisconsin

• Hugging and kissing the cutest niece ever!
• Beautiful beach on Lake Michigan
• Late night talks with my Mom
• Hearing my niece run around looking for "Gumma"
• Six adults, a toddler and bullmastiff in a Ford Expedition (picture National Lampoon's Vacation)
• Picnicing with friends at the park
• Seeing the old bridge and the new bridge
• Driving by our old house, the restaurant and grocery store where I worked during the summer
• Visiting my Dad's double first cousin (two brothers marry two sisters, their children: double first cousins) and other family
• Watching my brother and brother-in-law water ski
• A pontoon boat ride
• Watching the fireworks with the Special Ks
• Did I mention hugging and kissing the cutest niece ever! :-)

Happy Fourth of July!

From our celebration of Independence Day with our family. This is my brother-in-law with his daughter.

Pressing Thought

I never met him. I didn't know him or his family. I was almost always at church when "Meet the Press" was on. Yet, when I heard the news of Tim Russert's death on Friday, it felt shocking. Almost personal. Why? Is it just the "celebrity" syndrome? I think it may have been slightly more pronounced because I had heard Tim Russert on the radio on the way in to the office that morning. He was giving political analysis and talking about the guests who were scheduled to be on "Meet the Press." It is odd to realize that just a few hours later he would be dead.

Last Lecture

I'm sure most of you have seen this already, but just in case you haven't.



Updates on Randy Pausch can be found at http://download.srv.cs.cmu.edu/~pausch.

Today's Non Sequitur

I haven't posted for a while!

More friendly skies for me this month. I will be in New York four times (one down, three to go!) and Florida once.

I love Twitter. I'm glad I overcame by skepticism of Twitter. It fills the gap when it's not enough for its own blog post. It's really easy and it's fun. It doesn't take long, because you can't write a novel in 140 characters.

My bagel courier career continues. (search "Ess-a-Bagel" in this blog)

Sometimes winning a hockey game is about momentum. I will be surprised if the Red Wings don't win this game and with tonight's win, the Stanley Cup.

Surviving the "Friendly" Skies

Flying really isn't that much fun anymore: passengers are irritable; airline staff are cranky; and cute kids in normal circumstances turn into kids-on-flights. I have noticed this more acutely over the recent months. Here are a couple of possible reasons:

• The airlines are charging for everything! ¢50 per toilet paper square
• We have begun our descent into [fill in city], please begin turning off your iPod, laptop, DVD player, cell phone, satellite radio, sound canceling head phones, washing machine, dryer, refrigerator (which would actually come in handy since they don't feed you anymore).
• Planes are packed. I'm sorry, isn't that my lap?
• Place the mask over your nose and mouth before helping others. The bag may not inflate, but oxygen will be "flowing" through the mask.
• You will not make your connection and the two later flights are each oversold; you're thirteenth on the list
• "No really, it's okay, let me get up" before you crawl from the window to the aisle...for the fifth time
• Chatty Charlie
• I think Aunt Jemima was my flight attendant
• My luggage is in Siberia (again?)
• On take off, the kid in front of me is repeatedly saying loudly, "we're going to crash; we're going to crash" and the kid behind me is saying, "the plane is broken" & "when are we going to land?"
• $5 for peanuts? Really, but this is a round-the-world flight.
• In case of a water landing... (do I really have to say more?)

Humbled

I went about today complaining about the rain; that we couldn't golf on Saturday; that the charity golf tournament was canceled today; that I wore my golf outfit to the office, because I didn't know the tournament status before leaving the house; that lunch was never delivered; that my students didn't show up for tutoring; and I'm sure the list is even more extensive.

I return to the office to a message from a friend that has recently found out she was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called Fibrosarcoma. There is news of many deaths and recent destruction from the cyclone in Myanmar, tornadoes in the Midwest, earthquake in China, and of course that doesn't include many other world events that go unreported, or under-reported.

As always, I'm humbled by my trivial and minor inconveniences. I thank God for my health, my family and friends, and the reminder of what's really important in life.

Actual Nature

As you may know, I enjoy photography. Part of that enjoyment comes from having your ego crushed when you lose yet another photography contest. So, I've started to regularly participate in some of these free, nothing to lose, online photography contests.

Right now, I'm contemplating competing in one contest that has a particular theme - Landscapes. You know the type - like the images that 'Ansel Adams' photographed of nature and stuff.

Here is their rule about what may be included - "Landscapes shots are self explanatory, architecture doesn't count!"

Immediately, I notice something funny about their rule. No architecture, no buildings! This means that I would have to go out to ... nature. Actual nature!

Before I mention my concerns, let me clarify that I'm not saying there is anything wrong with nature. My wife and I are very pro-nature. For example, my wife buys specially formulated bird food to put in the the 7 to 10 bird feeders located around our house. We do this so we can regularly feed our slightly obese squirrels. As a matter of fact, we feel that our resident family of fat little squirrels would probably go hungry if we didn't give them this specially formulated bird food.

Plus I think it's kinda' cute the way the squirrels wait to be feed. They sit back on their hind legs and rest their front paws on their little pudgy bellies - very cute - they look like tiny NASCAR fans waiting for more beer. So, you can see, we are pro-nature.

At this point, you may conclude that I have a lawn, that I must tend to the lawn, and some consider lawns to be natural. You are half correct. I do have a lawn, but I believe we have undocumented workers tending to the lawn. However, I'm not really sure, 'cause we contract with the lawn service through the internet. We find it's cheaper to hire them, than pay for the gas to put in my lawnmower.

Also, as you know, the rule clearly stated no architecture - so a panoramic of my dandelion garden with my house in the background isn't appropriate. (My lawn service is very good at cultivating dandelion lawn cover.)

Anyway, I mention all of this because ... um..... it's that I'm a bit nervous about going out into actual nature.
Here are just a few of my questions and concerns:

• How long can I be exposed to actual nature before something happens to me? Will my blackberry have a signal?
  
• If I were to get over exposed to actual nature, are there readily available antidotes?
  
• Do these natural places have the good Starbucks with wi-fi hotspots? Or, do they have just the small Starbucks, the ones with out the wi-fi hotspots?
  
• Importantly, do any of these natural places have partnerships with any airlines? I want to, at least, get some airline miles out of this endeavor.

Twittering

We (I) finally took the Twitter plunge. After much contemplation for at least 12938570139487 seconds, we Twitter. You can see the updates on the right navigation bar.

What is Twitter?

Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?

You can Twitter from your computer, IM or cell phone. Each Twitter is limited to 140 characters, so it takes less than one minute to send a Twitter.

A Real Packer Fan

And you thought I was a big Packer fan...

David Witthoft, the 12-year-old Ridgefield, Conn. boy wore the No. 4 jersey every day since receiving it as a gift for Christmas in 2003. That's 1581 days.

"David's father, Chuck Witthoft, says Monday that his son's last day wearing the jersey was April 23 on his 12th birthday. Witthoft conceded his son was starting to become more concerned about his appearance after the jersey barely came down to his belt line."

Don't worry, the article said that, "His mother, Carolyn, had washed the jersey every other day and mended it when needed."

A Surprising Finish

We were guests of The Home Depot for Saturday's race at Richmond International Raceway. We cheered on Tony Stewart who had a strong 4th finish. The garage and pit road tour were definitely great additions this year. And, although there was a slight rain threat, no drops fell.

The hometown favorite, Denny Hamlin, also a Joe Gibbs driver, was on the poll and led 381 of 400 laps, but it was not to be. On lap 382, his tire developed a leak that resulted in a 24th place finish, three laps down. It was a very exciting finish as Dale Earnhardt Jr and Kyle Busch duked it out with some exciting side-by-side racing. There will be some debate this week about whether Kyle got loose underneath or if Dale Jr slipped down a bit, which resulted in Dale Jr wrecking in turn 4. Being in the right place at the right time, Clint Bowyer secured his first win of the season and the second win of his career.

Bonus

A couple of favorite quotes from the weekend.

"This is the worst day of MY life."
-- From a six year-old.

"Why are you going to get in trouble? You don't have a parent."
-- From a five year-old in response to why Brian had to finish something for work.

"Po-hantus" (for Pocahantus)
-- From a 22 month old.

We loved Iowa so much, we decided to stay an extra night. Well, in all honesty, it wasn't all up to us. United decided for us. We arrived for our 3:52 pm flight, which was delayed until 5:03 p.m. Of course, no update at the airport, but the United alerts sent us email updates. The delay would result in us missing our connection, not a problem since there are two more flights to Dulles. Wrong. They're both oversold. By more than 10. No availability for Northwest, Delta or American. So, instead of spending the night in a hotel in Chicago, an extra evening with the Special Ks is more than okay with me!

Packers Draft

Here are the picks.

2nd round, 36th overall, Kansas State WR Jordy Nelson.
2nd round, 56th overall, Louisville QB Brian Brohm.
2nd round, 60th overall, Auburn CB Pat Lee.
3rd round, 91st overall, Texas TE Jermichael Finley.
4th round, 102nd overall, Wake Forest DE Jeremy Thompson.
4th round, 135th overall, Central Florida T Josh Sitton.
5th round, 150th overall, Louisville T Breno Giacomini.
7th round, 209th overall, LSU QB Matt Flynn.
7th round, 217th overall, San Diego State WR Brett Swain.

I'm not sure anyone predicted Jordy Nelson as the team's first pick. Two QBs are pretty interesting too. They picked up much needed WRs, CB and TE. This was definitely an offense-heavy draft.

In the State of...no, not chaos

Where are we? Here are a few clues.

Flower: Wild Rose
Tree: Oak
Bird: Eastern Goldfinch
Rock: Geode

We are visiting two of Ellie's college friends this weekend. We are having a great time and even had a very successful restaurant outing with six adults and six children.

A couple of observations:

• It is a true testament that Brian can find a camera store in any location.
• He can always find something to buy in said camera store.
• O'Hare is still Brian's nemesis. There's no guarantee that gate checking your bag won't result in someone else grabbing your bag disregarding the slight variation in bag color, the business card luggage tag and TSA lock that didn't exist on their own. Somehow, it's all still Dayton's fault.
• It is always great connecting with friends.
• I realize how much I've missed the Special Ks since they moved last fall.

So, what state are we in?

No peeking.

*******************

Iowa

He's Still Retired

The Packers placed Brett Favre on the team's reserve/retired list this afternoon.

It's a First

Lots of first's tonight.

• First game for us at the new Nationals Park
• First grand slam in Nationals Park
• First time seeing a grand slam

The National's second baseman Felipe Lopez hit a grand slam, the fourth of his career and first grand slam in the new Nationals Park. The last member of the Nationals to hit a grand slam was outfielder Justin Maxwell on Sept. 11, 2007.

Lopez had a career-high six runs to help the Nationals beat the Mets, 10-5.

Packers 2008-2009

The schedule is out!

Mon., Aug. 11 Cincinnati Bengals
(Bishop's Charities Game) 7 p.m. ESPN
Sat., Aug. 16 @ San Francisco 49ers 8 p.m. State
Fri., Aug. 22 @ Denver Broncos 8 p.m. State
Thurs., Aug. 28 Tennessee Titans (Gold Pkg.)
(Midwest Shrine Game) 7 p.m. State

2008 Regular Season Schedule
Mon., Sept. 8 Minnesota Vikings 6 p.m. ESPN
Sun., Sept. 14 @ Detroit Lions 12 noon FOX
Sun., Sept. 21 Dallas Cowboys (Gold Pkg.) 7:15 p.m. NBC
Sun., Sept. 28 @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers 12 noon FOX
Sun., Oct. 5 Atlanta Falcons 12 noon FOX
Sun., Oct. 12 @ Seattle Seahawks 3:15 p.m. FOX
Sun., Oct. 19 Indianapolis Colts 3:15 p.m. CBS
Sun., Oct. 26 Open Date
Sun., Nov. 2 @ Tennessee Titans 12 noon FOX
Sun., Nov. 9 @ Minnesota Vikings 12 noon FOX
Sun., Nov. 16 Chicago Bears (Gold Pkg.) *12 noon FOX
Mon., Nov. 24 @ New Orleans Saints 7:30 p.m. ESPN
Sun., Nov. 30 Carolina Panthers *12 noon FOX
Sun., Dec. 7 Houston Texans *12 noon CBS
Sun., Dec. 14 @ Jacksonville Jaguars *12 noon FOX
Mon., Dec. 22 @ Chicago Bears 7:30 p.m. ESPN
Sun., Dec. 28 Detroit Lions *12 noon FOX