Ryan Braun's slam leads Brewers over Pirates in 10th inning

Go Brewers!

Ryan Braun's slam in 10th keeps Brewers tied for wild card lead
Milwaukee, WI (Sports Network) - Ryan Braun hit a game-ending grand slam in the 10th inning to give Milwaukee a 5-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, and keep the Brewers tied atop the NL wild card standings going into the final weekend of the season.

.......but I don't really care. Eastern Wisconsin is loaded with Cub fans and Brewer fans. Baseball excites me just slightly more than hockey and a little less than a good crossword puzzle.

I would rather take a trip http://www.lollytrolley.com/ and see the beauty of the world.

Or maybe I should strive for enlightenment...... and try to understand John McCain.

Mr. McCain’s campaign plane landed in Washington shortly before noon, when there was already tentative word of a bailout deal before he even set foot in the Capitol. Congressional leaders announced that a broad agreement had been reached despite reluctance on the part of conservative Republicans in the House. nytimes.

Boy I sure am glad ol John saved the day. But I don't care.
I could watch the new Sarah Palin movie... or watch her consult resources for clean, articulate and decisive answers.....

But I am deathly sick of politics. ( for now )

I received a nice package yesterday from my brother in Northern Washington. Every year they form an International Group of Hippies from Canada and Washington to harvest blackberries for jam and wine. He sent some jam and fresh canned salmon.

He is in the red shirt on the far right. He also sent a link to his friend Jay Hamburger's Theatre Group..
http://www.theatreintheraw.ca/
It was a great respite. I believe I will just think Canada for a day. Forget the election.
http://www.moosehead.ca/


..... just gotta be sure Sarah doesn't shoot my bottle.

The Choices we make

Ok. I had a real disturbing thought........what if McWazzit-Face IS elected.....and..... he had

to appoint a Supreme Court Judge..... and based on his choice of VP candidate..... who would he choose?

Now Sarah is a smart woman who knows how to put lipstick on a pit-bull, does really well in press conferences, and will unabashedly call a fish a fish. Unless it is a moose or a polar bear, in which case it might not be a fish, unless the moose or bear is swimming, then it might be a fish.............

....... she will have to get back to you with specific examples.

Or lipstick samples.

She is still searching Wikkipedia for specific examples of how McCain hasreformed Congress. Ask Katie Couric.

Now Sarah is very qualified to be VP.

She attended Hawaii Pacific College but left after her first semester. Then she transferred to North Idaho College, where she spent two semesters . From the community college she transferred to the much larger University of Idaho for two semesters. She then left the University of Idaho for Matanuska-Susitna College in Alaska for one term. The next year she returned to the University of Idaho where she spent three semesters completing her Bachelor of Science degree in communications-journalism. And shooting wolves.

So I ask..... Using the same criteria that he used to pick a VP candidate,Who Would McCain Pick?
a minority candidate ?

A female candidate?

an icon candidate?

a brilliant, but dead candidate?

a law and order candidate?

Or would he look elsewhere for a suitable candidate?

Someone really in touch with McCain's Morality and ethos?

Hey, it was just a thought!

GREAT BALLS of FIRE!

OK. So the dude I ride to work with has his dog with him this morning. It's a big puppy. Some kind of yellow-brown hunting dog type canine sorta animal. Beats me, but I know it is drooling on my shoulder at 6:30 am. I am not ready for any kind of drool at 6:30am.

He's taking it to the Vet to get it's Nuts CUT OFF. I needed to know that as much as I needed to get drooled on.

" Ok, dog, lick 'em while ya got 'em"!

"Why didn't you get a Vet in Oshkosh? You needed to get a Vet in Appleton?" I think it is a fair question.

"He was recommended to me."

" Whoa, good thing you weren't recommended a dogg-doc in Milwaukee!"

So for the next twenty-five minutes I get an explanation on why it is good to cut the balls off your dog. I think the dog drool is more informative, but deep in my soul I get the feeling that the information may be useful in the future....... I could use it to pick-up women!

"Gees, Honey, you sure are cute.... lemmee buy you a drink. Say, do you know why they cut the testicles off of dogs?"

I need drugs!

So John McCain is gonna skip the debates friday to rush to Congress and fix the financial crisis.... even though there is NO special session planned, the son-of-a-bitch has done nothing in regards to drafting the bail-out, seems awfully willingto seem involved in whatever happens that others might be doing to help, but really doesn't have a clue or have a plan himself. In a statement, he parrots what Obama already has said....
Speaking for himself, Senator Obama outlined the following principles that he calls on Senator McCain to support [8:29 p.m. Wednesday]:

I believe that several core principles should guide this legislation.

First, there must be oversight. We should not hand over a blank check to the discretion of one man. We support an independent, bipartisan board to ensure accountability and complete transparency.

Second, we need to protect taxpayers. There should be a path for taxpayers to recover their money, and to turn a profit if Wall Street prospers.

Third, no Wall Street executive should profit from taxpayer dollars. This plan cannot be a welfare program for CEOs whose greed and irresponsibility has contributed to this crisis.

Fourth, we must help families who are struggling to stay in their homes. We cannot bail out Wall Street without helping millions of families facing foreclosure on Main Street.

Fifth, we both agree that this financial rescue package should move on its own without any earmarks or other measures. We have different views about the need for other action, but this must be a clean bill. This is a time to rise above politics for the good of the country. We cannot risk an economic catastrophe. This is not a Democratic problem or a Republican problem – this is an American problem. Now, we must find an American solution.

McCain CGI Speech, 8:45 a.m. Thursday:
First, there must be greater accountability included in the bill. I have suggested a bipartisan board to provide oversight for the rescue. We will not solve a problem caused by poor oversight with a plan that has no oversight. Never before in the history of our nation has so much power and money been concentrated in the hands of one person, and there must be protections and oversight in place.

Second, as a part of that oversight, there must be a path for taxpayers to recover the money that is put into this fund. When we're talking about 700 billion taxpayer dollars, that money cannot simply go into a black hole of bad debt with no means of recovering any of the funds.

Third, there must be complete transparency in the review of this legislation and in the implementation of any legislation. This cannot be thrown together behind closed doors. The American people have the right to know which businesses will be helped, what that selection will be based on and how much that help will cost. All the details should all be made available online and elsewhere for open public scrutiny.

Fourth, it is completely unacceptable for any kind of earmarks to be included in this bill. It would be outrageous for legislators and lobbyists to pack this rescue plan with even more taxpayer money for favored companies. And frankly, members of Congress who would attempt such a thing are scarcely better than the most reckless operators on Wall Street.

Fifth and finally, no Wall Street executives should profit from taxpayer dollars. Let me put it this way: I would rather build a bridge to nowhere -- and put it square in the middle of Sedona, Arizona -- than take money from teachers and farmers and small business owners to line the pockets of the Wall Street crowd that got us here in the first place. And I can assure you: if I have anything to say about the matter, it's not going to happen.

"Gees, America, you sure are cute......lemmee buy you a drink..... say, do you know why they cut the nuts off of dogs?"

Lick 'em while you got 'em, America.

Gone to America

Wowsers. This blogging stuff really takes a chunk outa beer drinking time. Of course, my budget is starting to limit my beer drinking time as well. Good Micro-Brew has risen almost %35 during the last 18 months of the Bush administration. Another reason to hate the dweezel-eared, slack-lipped, moron-mouthed idiot. Oooppps..... idiot is much too mild a expletive........ANYWAYS

So I'm going to do the thingee that was going around..... where was I when....... if I had a billion buckeroos... where have I lived.....

4. Five places I've lived: Central Wisconsin. East Central, West Central, North Central.....I got stuck in the freeze and defrost cycle. What can I say?

2. What was is on my ToDo list today?

Wake up. Have a cup of coffee. Go to work. Pretend I am working. Have another cup of coffee. I like to keep things simple.

5. Bad habits:

I forget where I put things. If I take my glasses off.... I forget where they are. I forget where the car is in parking lots.... small lots, big lots... I forget. I walk somewhere and search parking lots for the car that isn't there, or drive somewhere and walk home only to wonder where the car is. I guess there minor 'other' things that might be considered 'bad habits'..... but they don't bother me.

1. Where was I ten years ago?

In a world of hurt. I was raising two kids, pretty much alone, while the ex got her shit together. Trucking cross- state a couple times a week to see my father in ICU, taking care of an Aunt who had pancreatic cancer, getting started in Marketing by working for a client that was going through a multi-million dollar product recall, trying to stave off a foreclosure and bankruptcy (didn't work) coaching pee-wee football, seeing a shrink for major depression issues, not getting laid at all, ..... gees, outside of the pee-wee football thing.... life sucked. It was sooooo bad, I quit drinking beer!

3. What would I do if I were a billionaire?

I saved the best for last.

I would take off. Oh, of course, take care of some folks&family and a couple of obvious thingees, but I would take off. Get me a reliable automobile, stock it with a great sound system and some awesome tunes, a cooler and a tent ...............and take off. I would be gone to look for america. Sea to shining See. Purple Mountains&stuff, wave back at all the amber grains.

Back roads, front roads, gravel roads, paved roads, free ways, toll ways, thisways&thatways, turnpikes&such. One lane, two lane, three lane, four. Gone.

I want to smoke in the mountains. Adirondacks, Smokies, Appalachians, Rockies, Olympics, Blue Mountains. Get up in the morning, have a smoke and a cup of coffee.

I would love to eat my way across america. I want some BBQ in Carolina, some pecan pie in Macon,
some tacos in Laredo, low mein in San Franciso, salmon in Seattle, bratwurst in Sheybogan, some shrimp gumbo in Louisiana,
Small cafes, bbq joints, road houses, truck stops, hand carts, push carts, street vendors. I want to go to a New York Deli for some kosher, I want to eat lobster on a beach in Maine, crabcakes in Baltimore, a hot dog in Yankee Stadium (whoops- missed it) .I want real pizza, catfish sandwichs, stew, soup, chicken and potatoes. I want to eat america, smell america, breathe america, smoke america, drink america......... I would be a good tipper, too!

kathy, Im lost, I said, though I knew she was sleeping

Im empty and aching and I dont know why

Counting the cars on the new jersey turnpike

Theyve all gone to look for america

All gone to look for america

All gone to look for america

I want to meet America. The blacks, hispanic, armenians, asians, jews, catholics, mechanics, lawyers, thiefs, bikers, priests, nuns, and sports fans of all ages.

Before it all fades away. While I still have a billion dollars.

Then I go to the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh.

Time is Running Out

Ok. I am not an Obama fanatic. I really don't think he is the best choice. Personally, I would like Fred Rogers for President, but the dude died on me.

Hey, it was bad enough that he just up and died, but gees, I wished he could have hung around for awhile so I could at least write him in on the ballot.

But Politics are politics and we often have to go to our second choices.

But I guess that dude went and died, too. I really hate it when my heros die on me. It sucks. I mean, the guy would have been PERFECT! And he had a military past, too! He was a CAPTAIN! Not some wimp-shit who sat out the war at a Hilton in Hanoi, with room service and all!

So I thought really, really hard...... who would my next choice be. It would have to be someone idealistic, who respected women, understood conservation needs, was deeply involved in tracking down evil-doers....

...... but then it was pointed out to me that he is a Canadian and cannot run for the Presidency..... which is a rotten shame, iffen you ask me; I think the USA is ready for a Canadian President.

Well, gollllleeee....... so why can't I have a candidate who is reallllllly realllllly energetic, athletic, humble and yet very resourceful

...... but he is dead, too. Shit&whiskers! What's up with all the good dudes, dying?

Ok. There must be a Black Dude, huh? Smart, intelligent, works well with the White community..... great sense of humor...... eloquent, witty, a pioneer in race relations...... someone like...

......................... but Cos is as old as McCain, and I'm sure he has better things to do and as much as I like the guy...... I don't think I could handle four years of pudding ads.

Sorry Bill.

Maybe I am asking too much. Perhaps I have no heros anymore. There just isn't anyone.

I want to believe. Sincerely, I do, but cynicism roils in my belly like some shitty, cheap moonshine..... and my choices have been cut...... I get to choose between the Devil Duck....

And his Polar Queen running mate.......

(she's the one with the lipstick)

...Or I get Obama.

(Hat tip&everything to Jonestown)

I'm just not going to bail out. I am the son of a Democrat who was the son of a German immigrant farmer. My father was my hero. He wasn't the smartest guy, or the wealthiest...... but he was the most ethically, moral man I ever met. He wouldn't vote for McCain and he wouldn't be all that thrilled with Obama, either. I think his choice, if we had choices, in reality, would be the same as mine......

They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

OK. I had all day Saturday to get my self in a decent state of mind for a horse back ride. I was gonna work at it. Get a positive attitude. I mean, a really, really positive attitude. I made preparations.

I bought the ibuprofen early in the day. Some ace bandages. Ice packs. Ben-gay. I dug out the crutches from the last bicycle accident. A little spare whiskey, and a bullet to bite on. I assured myself that I would have a good time and that everything was gonna be hunky-dory. The more I prepared, the more I felt that this was gonna be lotza fun.

So I'm getting all this together, just in case, and to insure that I will recover properly from the wonderful, excellent time I will no doubt have on sunday, when my old room mate, Sneaky Pete, stops for a visit. Hadn't seen him since mid-July. We go out for a beer and I ask him what he has been up to.
" I biked across Iowa!"
Pete has a tendency to drop details. It is necessary to ask probing questions.
He participated in a thingee called Ragbrai, a amatuer group bike ride for about 15,000 folks across the state of Iowa. Pete is a little different in some ways. He has biked from NE Wisconsin to the SE corner, across Minnesota, across New Mexico and from North to South, across Montana. I told him I would join him when he finds a state that is only twenty-five miles wide.
"So how was it, " I asked.
"Good, the weather was good!"
"C'mon, Pete, I was asking how the ride was."
"Great! Iowa is full of cornfields! Every once in awhile the Iowans stick in a soybean field just to keep you guessing; Those Iowans are sneaky!"
"Did you have a good time?"

"Ya. It was ok. I don't think Iowan's know how to roast corn, though, they just boil it."
"Really?"
"Ya, and Iowans are nice, but they aren't a lotta fun."
Which is probably a good thing for Iowa. Pete's idea of a good time is two parts a re-enactment of the Alamo and one third Pee Wee's Playhouse mixed with a lot of beer and marijuana.

So we're chatting and I tell him about the horse back riding thing. Pete's father was a Veterinarian and he grew up around horses. He has also known me for over thirty years.


When he stopped laughing he shook my hand, said, "Good Luck," and drove off to his wife and kids in Waupaca.


I talked with Bubba Saturday night, just to tell him where I would be on Sunday. When he got done laughing he asked if I needed anymore ice packs.


Sunday is a beautiful day. A little cool in the morning with the promise of a warm afternoon. Most of the group went there Friday night and spent the weekend camping. Carver, Joslyn, Luci and I are just joining them for the day trip.


It really was a nice day. And I was able to
get on the horse without too much trouble.
I only fell off twice getting on.
The horse was named Denise, or Bernice or some such. She disliked me as much as I disliked her. For one thing..... she smelled like a horse. And was real big, much bigger than I would like. Well forty minutes into the ride good old Vernice decides that she wants to dash over to a little stream off the trail and get a drink. Right under this big tree. Now sometime during this process she also decides to divest herself of Jimm. I guess she is one of those horses that prefers to drink along. Beats me. Break me up. My glasses, too.



Well now I am the comic relief. And if it wasn't starting to hurt, I guess I would be laughing, too.

An hour into this ordeal, my legs are sore, my ass is sore, I can't see and I am still an hour away from a cold beer. I am starting to count the minutes until this is over. And so is Bernice. She obviously knows the trail well and when we are about a half mile away from the end, breaks into a sprint (well, it seemed like a sprint to me) and is bouncing me all over the goddam place. She obviously doesn't under stand either 'Whoa' or ' Slow the Fuck Down' ...... an under-trained horse, if you ask me.
All good things come to an end. We cook-out, I drink copious amounts of nerve deadening alcohol, and we depart.

I miss the whole second half of the Packer game. I fell asleep I guess it was a good game to miss the second half. Luci woke me up to tell me I was snoring. It was very thoughtful of her. I think our next date we are going to a Ronald Reagan film festival. Something safe.
I heard Iowa is nice.