Bridgejumper 21

I was having some issues with blogger yesterday.  Bridgejumper was left of by accident.

BTW - no one has talked about the ref lately in the NFL.

We all know that 300 million dollars changed hands with the Packer loss.  But the oddity is that in the last 6 minutes of the game massive amounts of money were being put on Seattle.

The replacement refs have not been vetted!! Who is to say that they are not skewing the games on purpose!!  just sayin.

What worry's me is that my Bridgejumper system picks alot of away dogs!!  Well 43% are away teams (winning at 63%). and the other 57% are home teams (winning at 64%).

Sadly I was so right about the Eagles - sorry man.  If it;'s any consolation Bridgejumper leans towards the Eagles this week.

ANYWAY -
"B" game  Away Dog Tennessee +12.5 over Houston  That's all - the least amount of games since 2009.  Week one games are 32-17 for 65%.

On a side note I have money Cleveland +12 vs. Baltimore and $$ on Nebraska -12.5.

BTW - remember I put $$ on Atlanta at 16/1 to win the SB.  It's now at 6/1.   The Packers went from 6/1 to 8/1 after the last game .   I also have a BUNCH of  . . peanuts on Obama winning from 2009.

There is a good article in the Kansas City Star and I'll copy a little here - good read

By SAM MELLINGER

The Kansas City Star

This NFL referee lockout has raced past annoyance, blown past scandal, and has now become the cardinal sin that sports leagues previously reached only by cancelling the World Series or entire seasons:

They’re making fans feel stupid for being fans.

And that’s unforgiveable. We don’t ask much as sports fans, and good thing, because in most ways the game is rigged against us. The most passionate of us care more than we should and probably more than is financially responsible. But we do it because it feels good, because that’s what our fathers did, and that’s what our friends do and at some point it becomes more than just liking a team or sport and more about liking this part of our life we can’t imagine giving up.

And then a league that already prints money fights over the equivalent of chewing gum money and reminds us how silly we all are for caring this much about what is transparently a cold-hearted business.

Fans give so much to their sports. Time. Energy. Money. In return we ask to not be taken advantage of, not be embarrassed, not made to feel silly for the investment.

Major League Baseball violated that trust by cancelling the 1994 World Series. The NBA violated it by employing a referee involved in a point scandal. The NHL violated it by cancelling the entire 2004-05 season and is in danger of doing it again with its current lockout.

And now the NFL is violating it by trading a sliver of negotiating leverage for a product that fans can trust and feel good about investing themselves in.

The NFL is our nation’s most powerful and invincible entertainment giant, strong enough to thrive through the Great Recession and continue to grow even while evidence stacks that the sport is literally killing people.

Football is bulletproof, in other words, and dang it if the suits in charge aren’t hell-bent on proving it.

You know things are bad when the commissioner of the Lingerie Football League announces it fired referees who are now replacement NFL officials. Or when the artist formerly known as Snoop Dogg (I can’t bring myself to call him Snoop Lion) talks about how you wouldn’t pay money to see replacement rappers.

Or when an online sportsbook releases a statement chastising the league, and another one refunds lost bets on a bogus outcome. Or when Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, one of the league’s most marketable and well-known players, puts the NFL on blast, articulating and acknowledging fan frustration in a way that commissioner Roger Goodell — to whom it should matter more than anyone — never will.

This is about more than just the Monday night embarrassment, too. The 49ers used two challenges they didn’t have. In two other games, referees walked off too many yards for penalties. Darius Heyward-Bey left a game on a stretcher from a helmet-to-helmet hit that wasn’t flagged. Dolphins tight end Anthony Fasano was given a catch near the goal line that held up after review, even though the ball hit the ground.

The Chiefs’ win over the Saints had five plays overturned by replay.

The Ravens won a prime-time game when the game-winning field goal try soared over the goal posts, close enough that it appeared it would’ve hit the upright. The referees ruled the kick good, and they may very well be right, but the point is that nobody can fully trust this bunch with such a critical (and non-reviewable) play.

Regular refs miss calls too, of course, and they should share the blame in a negotiation that by all accounts is going nowhere. But the ultimate responsibility to “protect the shield” is with the NFL itself, and this isn’t about perfection with officials as much as it’s about competence.

Players openly talk about bending the rules with the substitute teachers in charge, games are approaching four hours with all the replays, and now guys normally terrified of Goodell’s judge-jury-and-appellate-court control of league justice openly mock and criticize their boss.

We care more than we should about these outcomes, of course, but usually the reminders about perspective and it’s-only-a-game come in the wake of real human tragedy.

Usually, the reminders don’t come from a $9 billion industry holding out for the equivalent of a handful of Personal Seating Licenses.

---

This past week of NFL games will be remembered as the tipping point, when replacement officials went from missing basic calls to flubbing outcomes of games. There is no indication that it will speed up a resolution of the referee work stoppage, but public opinion has clearly shifted that the games are now diminished.
This being 2012, it has created a sort of counter-culture of reaction to all the hand-wringing and anger, and some people are deciding instead to enjoy and laugh at the absurdity of it all.
That’s probably the most sane way to deal with it. Instead of feeling our blood boil at the soiling of something we put so much into, maybe we’d all be better off appreciating the perverse entertainment of something so enormous in our country being so openly crushed by public opinion.
Laughter is our best way to cope, after all.
It’s just that here, it feels like the joke is on us. Shame on the NFL for letting it go this far.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/09/25/3833859/goodells-handling-of-ref-controversy.html#storylink=cpy

---------------------------

I'm waiting in line for the new iPhone 10

And way to go Samsung Galaxy phone. Their commercial is outstanding. 
---------------------------------------------------

OMG - Bridgejumper

There is nothing I can say that has not been thought or said already about the Packer game.  I'm glad I did not put $20 on the game as I was going too but I was thinking about what was said last week by "Las Vegas".   68% of the money was on Green Bay last night in Vegas at -3.

They said they were having to adjust the lines because the replacement refs were skewing the games towards the home teams.  Well, I thought maybe this was not a good time to go against the home team.

Case Closed.  WTF.

The commissioner of the Lingerie League (yes a real league) called Dan Patrick and said one of the refs was fired from his league.   

There is a new rule where you can now catch the ball by catching the guy that caught the ball.

-------------------

A couple of shots from the Deck to calm myself.

Seems we have two different Sweet Autumn Clematis.  One is very very aromatic and the other is huge but not as  aromatic.  The sweet one is whiter (see below) .

 and the other one is bigger but slightly yellower.  Just slightly.

 Here are the two

 It's hard to tell but the back one is a hint  . . .less white.

The problem is that it's tough to get down the stairs. Next year we're going to keep them off the top of the railings.

-----------------------------------

Probably going to by this car tonight!    A Honda Fit Sport - amazing room in side.  Seriously. 

We test drove it and were amazed at how roomy it was.  An adult can sit in back with ease.

----------------------------------------

Chevy Sonic vs. Ford Fiesta

Polls - There were 20 major polls published yesterday and Romney really took it on the chin.  If the election was held TODAY. Obama would win 94.6% of the time.  The Election forecast is 76.1%. The Democrats have a 77.7% chance of taking back control of the Senate.  Baldwin/Thompson is now classified as a toss-up with a lean towards Baldwin.  

 --------------------------------------------------

WELL - seems Sharrow drugs has sold out and will move to the Hometown ShopKo store. Sad as another business that draws people downtown is leaving.  I think I'll be moving my drug buying to Walgreens.  The only reason I went to Sharrow was it was downtown.

Then I find out that The Columbus Journal is leaving Columbus.  At least the offices (this is second hand so correct me if I'm wrong).  I've been reading a lot of letters that were posted in the Journal during the Civil War and it will be sad to see the Journal leave. I wonder how long there has been an office in Columbus.

I've never been a BIG fan of the Journal mostly because of lack of real news (unlike the newspaper I was involved with).  I miss receiving a subscription but for the amount of money I was paying per news item it was not cost efficient.   Heck, I started this blog because it did not have any real facts on the movie Public Enemies (perhaps you have heard of the movie)!

They should have hired me to write a column for them in my heyday* (not hay day). I would have livened things up a little.  HEY - if Gutter Gussie can have a full page  . . . . . . .

 *heyday is a pretty strange word.  "day" has nothing to so with what we consider a day to be and comes from a different word completely.  yea- heyday means "a stage or period of greatest vigor, strength, success but that is OUR meaning, not the original meaning.

It's first seen in the early sixteenth century, in various forms (heyday, heyda, hoida, hoighdagh) and it is probably an extended form of the common exclamation hey such as "Hey Andy".  It could come from "high day" which was a church festival.  Who knows, I'm bored with the subject now. 
---------------------------------------

Congratulations to adubya and his engagement to Sara who has yet to have a nick name. Perhaps "Sara with no name".

-----------------------------------------

Fall River got an exchange student from Thailand . His name is Juan Akarapon Haruethaivifitchock.  And we wonder why America is the greatest country in the world?  Think how much more productive we are in America by having simple names like Smith and Jones as opposed to Juan Akarapon Haruethaivifitchock.  Could you picture buying a house and having to write that name forty times?

---------------

The Columbus Chamber is accepting applications for  Ambassador.   SWEET!  I could go to different countries.  I could be the highest ranking diplomat who represents Columbus!!! Did you know the word Ambassador comes from the Mongol-Manchu word, Amban Said.   I gotta apply!!

-------------------------

Chevy Sonic

Our quest for a new sub compact car to replace a soon to be beater (1998 Honda Civic) has now gone through two cars. The Chevy Sonic and Ford Fiesta.

The Chevy Sonic is a pretty cool car but the knock we had on it was it just seemed plasticy inside.  Sweet digital instrument panel and huge trunk and 10 air bags, great response and very very peppy.  Ultra safe but just a lot of plastic.

Ford Fiesta

The Ford Fiesta hatchback looks really cool.  Small mirrors but has blind side mirrors.  Not as peppy but it was fine. Inside was much better but the instrument panel was not cool digital but analog. Not as much "trunk space" BUT, has multi colored ambient lighting on the inside.  A MUST in all cars  :-) 

At the moment the Ford is winning.

Next up, the Honda Fit, Hyundai Accent, plus always keeping in mind gently used cars. 


--------------------------------------------------

Check this out - a baby goat was drowning at a petting zoo and a pig saves him.

http://youtu.be/g7WjrvG1GMk





Keep warm this weekend.

RM

SOCKS BEFORE UNDERWARE

Weather - I went out this morning to check the rain gauge and "we" had just a trace and a couple bees . . . . unless the bees drank all the rain water.

I did notice that my salvia coccinea (Lady in Red) were all pretty much dead.  WHAT?  how cold did it get???   So I looked.  Yesterday morning our low was 30.38 just after midnight. 

The wind yesterday was pretty awesome and we had so major chair overturning and movement. It was crazy.

Taken with a iPhone 4

------------------------------------------------------------------

I have a little angst today as a trade in my fantasy football league was protested and vetoed.  It was a legitimate trade and helped both teams.  In fact every trade in the league as been vetoed.  Pisses me off.   I'm stuck with two running backs with a bye week in the same week. I'll have to drop one and try to pick him up again.

I also see the same week my kicker has a bye the team I'm playing against kicker has a bye - going to be tricky that one.

OH - in my fantasy baseball playoffs I'm crushing my opponent. Confidence is high on making the Championship round.

AND - In both of my confidence leagues I'm in 1st place.  I love football sea$on.
-------------------------------------

Quick note in politics.  The Tea Party controlled Senate is turning blue as polls show all the key races in America are shifting decisively toward the Democrats.

That's the problem with politics. When one side gains control they get so arrogant (I'm talking both sides here) and in your face that it turns people off.   MAYBE if we worked together (like Norway) and people would actually LIKE government and politics.

BTW - did you know Tommy Thompson's campaign has like ZERO money?  Baldwin attended 24 events last week, Thompson, 4.  He spent so much money in the primary has has nothing left.  That is why you don't see any ads on TV unless they are super pac ads.
--------------------------------------------

I have no problems with tattoos.  I have a few myself, I love them. But . . .COME ON MAN!!!

    --------------------------------------------------

Our Sweet Autumn Clematis  is blooming and the bees love them.  Funny thing is we can be lounging  next to them and the bees could care less.  I am worried about small animals getting caught though.

This is two of the three and next year we not going to have them go on top of the railings.  As it is now we can barely go down the steps. The aroma is amazing and we can smell them inside the house. I thought I smelled dryer sheets or something until I realized it was the Clematis.

OH - those are all the golf balls collected this year in the yard.  Not that many.  Not a lot of golfers this year.  Also notice the stain on the floor.  Not sure what's up with that.  We will paint it brown as opposed to staining the floor next year. The railings are fine.  Weird.  

OH - there have been some unworldly noises a few times in the last few weeks.  REALLY weird.  Not Raccoons, I know what they sound like (also a weird sound) and not cranes or herons which I thought at first but I have listened to all the bird sounds and nothing is like this. Every bird sound I listen too sounds like a bird.   I was wondering if they are coyotes?  but there is no barking? 

It's weird but I can even picture the sound.  A bunch up yips or squeals with abrupt endings and yes, whenever I see it there is a yellow background. (Maybe I'm having a stroke).

Seriously - we wake up and say WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!!   Milo even wakes up and goes to the door.  Lasts maybe 10-15 seconds and then nothing although it does seem like it/they are leavign the area   There seems to be a lot of what ever it is.  
--------------------------------------------------

I'm getting a lot of spam from the year 2038. Seems 26 years from now the Spammers have figured how to go back in time.  We are doomed.
----------------------------

How does this happen anyway

-------------------------------------

Tried to watch "The New Normal".  Horrible show.  GEEZ, "Modern Family" is so funny, lets make a show just like it with two gay guys and a little girl and blah blah.  I was repulsed after 8 minutes.

Speaking of being repulsed.

SOCKS BEFORE UNDERWARE!

I went to the dermatologist for my twice a year visit.  Ever since I had a malignant melanoma 20+ years ago I see the doc twice a year.

If you want to ever feel uncomfortable go see a dermatologist for a complete check-up.  Every inch of skin is looked at, scalp, underarms, inside your lips, between your toes, everywhere.

WELL - he says I have a little foot fungus which immediately repulsed me but he says that 90% of all males have it.  Not uncommon at all.  I said REALLY and he says you know why?  I said . . . no . . do I want to know?  And he said it was pretty interesting so I went along.

He says the reason is that we put our underwear on first and then our socks. Whattttt?  YUP - he said put socks on first and then underwear. That way the underwear will not brush against your feet.

I said then would this not be a problem . . . . .everywhere???  and he said no because feet are inside shoes and socks and are always sort of moist.   I said I was a little grossed out all of a sudden  and he said that there are all sorts of things peoples body have that would gross you out, this is nothing!

So remember - socks before underwear. 

See ya!

Eagles, pointspreads and TV

Election forecast taking 14 major polls into account

Obama's convention bump has subsided now.

Popular vote  Obama 51.1%  Mitch 47.8% 

Electoral Vote  Obama 305.9 Mitch 232.1 

Chance of winning - Obama 74.8%  

A lot of pollsters are really interested in Wisconsin.  Oddly people that LIKE Walker are voting for Obama! A new liberal poll came out yesterday giving Obama a 1 point lead which is better their their last liberal poll.

----------------------------------------

So yesterday I talked about the Eagles and how I did not believe they were as good as a 2-0 team.  ON THE OTHER HAND!!!   As you all know I have an ongoing 21 year study of point spreads and their relationship with winning and losing and the Eagles are in good shape, THIS YEAR.

My theorem which started with a rule of inference which turned into an axiom 21 years ago and through a deductive apparatus of a formal system states that a teams accumulated failures and success against a point spread will always have pressure to move back to even.

This is do to human nature. The worse a team plays the less people will put money on them, the better a team plays the more people will wager on that team.  Humans are stupid when it comes to the NFL.

So what does that mean for the Eagles? It's good news. The Eagles are 2-0 while averaging losing to the spread by 5 points a game.  In theory then at some point there will be the upward pressure for beating the point spread which will being you a victory.  And since they are already 2-0 . . . . . . . .

In the last four years if you have a winning record against the spread you have an 80% chance to having a winning record straight up.  I have to assume then that beating the spread normally will win the game.

Green Bay are 3.5 point favs on the road vs. Seattle
Philadelphia is 4 point favs on the road vs. Arizona
-------------------------------------------------------------

I'm not sure why everybody is so excited about Walkers Act 10 getting thrown out by a  "left wing activist judge" and restoring two major Unions.  BUT - as normal this will go to the "right wing zealot" Wisconsin Supreme Court which will shoot down the latest ruling.

So . . . . . why get excited.
---------------------------------------------------------------

TV Review - Revolution.  I give it a C+ at the moment but on the edge.  Good idea but last night was more of a meet and greet with a bunch of meaningless fighting establishing that one good guy character is a killing machine and a few things that make you go "WHAT?"   I'll watch it again next week.

One show that is tweaking my interested is "Last Resort".

I mean really - does this not look awesome???  FOR A TV SHOW!!

http://youtu.be/lDSttA64KGU

 
-----------------------------------
Mob Doctor.  Hasn't that been canceled yet?  What was that other show that disappeared.  Was it called "Army Hospital" or something (not a clue what that was about either?   Maybe there will be a comedy called "Two Trendy Gay Guys".  You know what I WISH was on DVD.  "China Beach". WHY is that not out on DVD.  Seriously.  You know why China Beach is not on DVD?  The music.  Clearing all of those 1960s songs is just to expensive.

Tonight "Go On" which is funny and "The New Normal" are on. Probably not watch either.  Taking a Chevy Sonic for a test drive tonight and maybe do a catch up episode of either Revenge or Mad Men.

AND DON'T FORGET - "Survivor" premiers Wednesday night just before the season finally of "Big Brother".  

OK - gotta run! 

Cheers

Bridgejumper, pointspreads, stock markets, Hops and STOP vilifying rich people

Election Forecast - Borat win 74.7% of the time

Popular - Borat  51.0% Mitch 47.9%

Electoral - Borat 305.6 Mitch 232.4 

----------------------------------------------------------------

Couple new shows on tonight.  Mob Doctor which has to have the dumbest name for a TV show ever - I wonder what it's about.  Frankly I thought it had been canceled already.

And One I'm looking forward to is Revolution 9:00 tonight is the Premier.
------------------------------ 

The floor is in and  we're back to normal.  The one problem we have is that Milo seems to prefer the darkest part of the rug for sleeping and we have stepped and kicked him 5+ times.  We're going to have to go to Manards to get some traffic cones and put them around him when he passes out on the rug.

-------------------------------------------

I've been looking for things to take photos of and our neighbor was out harvesting his hops yesterday which look like pine cones. So I grabbed my camera and shot some hops. And of course I start getting all carried away on trying to make something look artsy.

Nope - not happening yet.  But I bet any brewer would like this. A targeted audience.

Weird - Blogger puts an extra white frame around the black faux frame.
--------------------------------------------------

I was on facebook last night trying to talk a friend of mine down as he was overly excited about his Eagles being 2-0.  I explained that while they were 2-0 they had underperformed when it came to the point spread.  It sort of reminded me of the Packers the year before they hired Brent Farve.  Remember The MAGIC MAN?  How he pulled all of those victories out of his butt and the next year the Pack totally blew?

While winning close games is good, in the long run it's all smoke and mirrors.

He was not buying it. 

So this morning as I was chugging my coffee I picked up my Marc Lawrance football mag and did a quick scan of the last 4 years for all NFL teams.  How many teams with winning records had losing records Against The Spread (ATS).

What I found was only 22% of winning teams had losing records ATS.  What was more surprising was that of those 22% only 16% had Straight Up (SU) winning records the NEXT year.

So the chances of  having back to back winning seasons after have a losing ATS record in year one is 4.5% .

The Eagles are 2-0 SU and 0-2 ATS.   The thing is that point spreads are a very very good indication of how a team is doing. Linemakers are pretty smart when it comes to point spreads and you would be surprised at how many times they are freakishly close. There is a little fudging but normally the opening lines are REALLY close to reality.

With that said - I won again betting against Wisconsin. This is too easy.  The Badgers are 16 point favs this coming weekend.  Bet against them covering 16.   OH - root for them to win, just not by 16.   Not sure about the NFL yet.  Remember - I have Bridgejumper Year 21 soon.  The "A" picks ATS win at an astounding 78% and were  4-0 last year and I bet the farm on them. 60-16 is their record.  The "B" picks had a tough year and "C" were basically .500.  Still I came out ahead 13.6 units for the year betting 1 on "C", 4 units on "B" and 10 units on "A".

Point spreads are almost like the stock market.  Don't look now but the American economy is chugging away very very well. The American Stock Market is a good forecaster to what the economy will be in about 6 months.  NOT JOBS, but how good are companies at making money.

People get confused and think "economy" is all about jobs.  Jobs are a separate category. First companies need to make money and THEN they create jobs.  These past 3 years of Obama's economy** has been about getting business to start making money again so they CAN start to hire.

ANYWAY - I'm getting political - STEP AWAY.

Rich people.  STOP vilifying rich people!!  State employees have become a villain to the Walker (moron him later) administration and we/they hate it.  Well, Rich people seem to have become villains to Democrats and it's seriously not fair.  Just because someone has worked hard and made money is no reason to hate him.  I have three if not more friends/acquaintances that I believe are millionaires and they all vote "left" and are normal people. In fact most "rich" people are extremely normal. Not some villain.

So yea - you can hate that the "right" want to give them tax breaks but don't get mad at THEM just because they have money.  The Koch Brothers are giving people with money a bad rep.

** The1st year does not count. Nothing a President can do will change anything in year one. Year one is all about the previous administration.       
----------------------------------------------

OH - gotta say something - Walker? Seriously?  He wants to deregulate the rules that say a house MUST have arc-fault circuit-interrupter (AFCI) protection, ground-fault circuit-interrupter (GFCI) protection, and tamper-resistant receptacles in new construction and most remodeling.

I'd like to hear what my brother thinks about this.  Proven life- and property-saving requirements will be removed.  Remember - less regulations is the GOP goal.  Perhaps there is some reason I'm missing.here.  

The  Wisconsin Homebuilders Association who gave a lot to the Walker election is behind this.
-------------------------------------------

Nuff for today!

Have a great Monday! 

Richard Schierloh - Packers - OH THE HUMANITY! -

Election electoral forecast 9/14/12  Obama 312.5  Mitch 225.5 

--------------------------------------------
Remember  when I was talking about the Sun Prairie Art Fair and this old guy who seemed to love my work said he was tired of all the "color"?

He emailed me yesterday and attached a few of his paintings.   Too bad he does not have any talent! 

Richard Schierloh

Richard Schierloh

Richard Schierloh

 I am humbled!

I'm going to have an art fair in my back yard. Actually I need to set up my canopy and hang my stuff and take REAL GOOD photos for next years jury photos.   The Springfield Old Capitol Art Fair has their jury process starting October 1st so I gotta get'r done.
 -------------------------------------------------------------

Packers - One of the themes in the sports talk shows this week was overreaction.  How people were overreacting to last weeks games.  Oddly the Packers and the Bears were never really brought up.  We all knew that the Packer defense sucks and the Bears offense was really going to be hard to beat this year.

Yea - the Bears crushed Indianapolis, it was all the Bears. Not the fact that Indy was 2-14 last year and starting a rookie QB.

Yea - the Packers looked horrible and had no offense last week and their defense sucked.  Not the fact that the 49ers were 14-4 and one play away from the Super Bowl last year.

Yea - last week McCarthy was a bad coach, what a moron taking a huge gamble and calling a long pass play on 3rd and 1, what was he thinking, idiot.  This week, WOW - McCarthy is brilliant with big brass balls calling a fake field goal knowing that all Crabtree has to do is run 27 yards for a touchdown or turn the ball over - BRILLIANT!  Last week, "we" hit that big pass play and Coach is brilliant. This wee Crabtree runs for 25 yards and gets tackled,  Coach is a moron.
-------------------------------------------------------

The floor is finally installed and looks great.  We went through Home Expressions who had a guy named Dan on loan Oelke.  He did an awesome job and was more of a craftsmen then an installer.  Much better then the original floor in the kitchen and dining room.  We did not notice the difference until this guy put this floor in. The match 99% perfectly.  2.5 inch Red Oak.  

First thing I had to do was hook up the TV and get a couch in the room for the Packer game last night.  No, we're not becoming minimalist.  We're going to get a throw rug tonight and slowly get back to normal.
-------------------------------------------

What a day WHAT A DAY!!

I was at work Tuesday and needed a little something something for flavor and figured maybe skim chocolate milk or something. So I went downstairs to the row of vending machines (they closed the cafeteria . . .one too many deaths I figured) and  . . no milk.  So I was about to give up and saw . . . NUTTY BARS!! 

These little devils get me every time with only 310 calories and 18g of fat, HOWEVER, I now see that Nutty Bars have very little sodium and I am warned  "Nutty Bars are very low in sodium and should not be relied upon for daily sodium intake." 

hmmmmm - I will have to find another candy bar for my daily sodium intake.

So I put my money in the machine, you know, the kind where the candy bar behind the one you want pushes the good one off the cliff?

Candy bars live a very violent life.

WELL, the bar behind starts to push but the TAKE 5 next to him starts to go first.  WE HAVE A JUMPER!!!!    WE HAVE A JUMPER!!!!   NOOOOOOO  Don't jump, that will screw everything up.    But at the last second TAKE 5 get's cold feet and Nutty Bar get's an extra push  . . .BUT WAIT . . . .NUTTY goes head first and is now horizontal and stuck between glass and the pusher.  DAMN IT!

TAKE 5 see's this and it's all he can take and he jumps off the cliff  TAKING NUTTY WITH HIM - OH THE HUMANITY!

BUT WAIT - The pusher Nutty behind my Nutty  has seen this and it's all he can take and HE JUMPS TOO!!!   It's like candy bar lemmings.

Meanwhile I'm just standing there, my heart is pulsing and I'm getting all excited. I look around nervously hoping no one is watching (State employees can be like sharks in a frenzy).  My hands twitch as I kneel onto the floor (why do they make these machines so low) and reach into the void groping for my now three morsels of delight and praying nothing grabs my hand.  I grip all three bars and like a squirrel, scamper upstairs with my precious.

I ate my original Nutty and quickly had a stomach ache and felt yucky.  The others have been stashed in an unknown location.  Waiting waiting.    

--------------------

Have a weekend!

Rod

Pure Evil, The Brewers & it's not the economy, iPhone5

Many readers are not from this area and one of the things we are dealing with in these parts is an act of pure evil.  Seems a father wanted to start all over so he hired one of his sons for $300 to help burn down their house.  They locked three boys in the bedroom and started the house on fire to collect the insurance.

The pregnant mother saved one little girl but in doing so suffered major burns.  When she got the girl out she tried to go back in to save the others. Meanwhile the father was going to take the little girl BACK into the burning house but was spotted.

The mother is surviving but lost her baby. The little girl survived,  the three boys all dies.

I hope the two males rot in hell and never see the light of day again. Even in prison inmates have rules (from what I hear) and they will not be treated very well by fellow prisoners.

----------------------------------
 SPORTS - I'm betting against Wisconsin at -14 this week.  Just saying.
----------------------------------

Don't look now but the Brewers are above.500 and only 3 games out of being in the playoffs!!  WOW - what a ride this year has been.

If you would have told me on April 1st that the Brewers would be 3 games out of the playoffs with a starting rotation of

Gallardo
Fiers
Estrada
Rogers/Marcum
Peralta

and they would be trying to break the all-time Major League strikeouts record AND have 28 blown Saves, I would have said no way in hell.

Side note is that the Phillies are tied with the Crew for Strike Out LOOKING % at 30%.  Brewer pitchers led the league last year strikeout Looking. Deep stats show that Lucroy, last year was the best catcher in the Majors for framing pitches and Maldanado (wow - what an addition HE is) is very very good.  

With that said I was looking at how the Brewers are fielding and thinking of next year.  I read an article about Carlo Gomez and how his OBP was below .300 but I was justifying that he was an awesome fielder.   NOT!

In fact he is having his worst fielding year and is just above the league average in UZR.

(UZR is an advanced stat that takes into account every event such as turning a batted ball into an out, allowing a batted ball to drop for a hit, making an error – or a fielder’s choice – that allows the batter to reach base, or making an error that allows a base runner to advance one or more bases)

UZR of 0.0 is the league average.

But what of all the other fielders.

Gomez +0.7 (slightly above league average)

1B Hart -2.5  - we have heard that Hart has played an outstanding 1B this year and he has . . . for a player playing 1B full time for the first time in his life.  But it's a little below average league wise.  Fielder last year was -5.2 and -7.8 the year before.

2B Weeks -22.4  that's right, not a typo.  But the previous 3 years he has been +16.8 +2.6 and +2.0 so lets chalk this up to just a nightmare year for Rickie.

SS - so many to choose from - move on.

3B Ramirez +11.2 and having one of his best years ever.  Gold Glove quality - here is a surprise - remember Slumpy McGoo? (Casey McGehee). McGehee, last year had a 7.1 UZE - he got to a LOT of balls - weird.

LF Braun +5.7 Check this out. His range factor has increased every year and his UZR has climbed steadily for 5 straight years!   

Gomez +0.7

OF  tony Plush (Morgan) +8.4  Actually one of his poor years - this guy is outstanding in the OF  +9.2 last year.

Fantasy note - I just dropped Gomez from my team - he had a good run for me but I picked up Branden Moss from Oakland.  This guy is awesome!!   I hate bye weeks in the Playoffs.  My team is crushing the ball.
----------------------------------------------------

If the economy is so bad, why is Obama winning.  The reason?  This election is not about the economy at all.  The Republicans WISH it was but it's not.  For one thing Americans just don't like Romney.  He's an unlikable blundering bozo.

The problem Romney had was that in order to win primaries he had to kowtow to the tea party and their whacky anti-female ideals. They had to cut out all of the things that might have won the middle, undecided voters.  Instead of trying to win all of those middle voters they did exactly what they did in 2008 (and lost), they went after all the far right zealot crazy people.  If Romney does not win you can pretty much blame the tea party of hate.  The "Christians" that hate people not like themselves. The failed to bring independent heterosexual women voters to their side.  

Most woman believe that the very first thing the GOP will do is ban abortion and even ban contraception (except I guess for rape, a new, cheaper form of contraception according to Mr. Akin). 

I feel sorry for the level headed Moderate Republican's as they watch the Tea Party lead fanatics bring their party to ruin.

Don't worry - I'll stop the political speak soon, the race is starting to look like a runaway.  The Convention bounce Obama got was huge (compared to zero bounce at all for Mr. Unlikable).

If you take the major 14 major polls, Obama has a popular vote edge of 51.5 to 47.5 and an electorial vote of 315.4 to 222.6. An 80.8% chance of winning and he is pulling away.

-----------------------

 Apple announced the iPhone5 and I laugh as it's larger they the 4.  In fact cell phones keep getting bigger and bigger. Pretty soon it will be like carrying a desk top computer with you.

Iphone9

-----------------------------------

New floors should be done today and I can start to hook up the Home Theater at some point.  Hope I can get it done before the Packer game. 

We Will Never forget . . what?

Many people say "We Will Never Forget", yet no one yesterday really talked about 911.  A few comments here and there but mostly one or two sentence small talk.  People on Face Book saying "We Will Never Forget" but little conversation about the event.  Never forget . . WHAT!

I did not watch the collapse of the towers live even though a TV was only a short way away.  Weird, I was busy working.  Oh I kept up to date.  The internet was FUBR but it was still young.  I remember Sly, a leftwing zealot on a Madison radio station who called a caller a freaking asshole and slammed the phone down on the guy when the caller had the gall to say it was not a small plane but an airliner.  He went on and really insulted the guy.

I never listened to Sly again. 

How will we never forget if we try to take it out of our memory. If we don't talk about our feelings.

I've watched over 40 hours of documentaries on 911, every show I can find. Maybe it's guilt for not watching it live. Maybe it's some sort of guilt for me being nice and cozy and never really feeling threatened in anyway by terrorists.  Even though the government tried very hard to scare us. I don't want to forget.

Tonight I learned why the south side of the Marriott, directly under the South Tower did not collapse and how 14 people survived.   I followed those 14 people and lived their terror for that hour.

I also watched a show last night called  102 Minutes that Changed the World.  All video was shot by amateur's and none had ever been seen before.  It's was like a REAL Blair Witch Project.  Of all the documentaries I have seen, that one was the most . . . .it is the one that I want to remember.  Not the how or why, but the what. What was going through peoples mind, right there, right at that moment.  Seeing their faces, hearing what they were saying. Their confusion, disbelieve, denial.

From the family a mile away watching and taping and telling their little girl to go into the bedroom, the business men on the ground running for their lives.  Firemen calling their wives.  Hearing what their reality was. I don't want to forget.

Seeing a video of a woman videotaping her feet as a plane slams into the tower in the background window.  Watching people in complete shock and disbelief on Times Square watching the scene on the jumbo tron, one man saying "I used to work right around there".  A person watching in disbelieve as he was 15 minutes late to work that day because he watched Monday Night football telling a stranger that he would be dead right now. 

Hearing two woman on the 32 floor of an apartment scream in complete terror as they tape plane #2 hitting the towers eight blocks away.  A white dust covered man saying "It collapsed, it collapsed" and then with a smile "I might be 69 but I can still run".

Hearing a guy filming the towers and even from 10 blocks away making some sort of connection with a guy waving a flag on the 100th floor. "Look, there is a guy waving a flag on the top tower, I can see him, get out of there get out of there"  And then minutes later he watch's as his unknown friend with the flag . . .  jumps.  I won't forget, I don't want to forget.

But what I want to remember was a time when America, all America, came together as one unit. We were ONE. When was the last time America was ONE. Even during the Revolutionary War we were not ONE.   When flags waved from mail boxes.  When strangers were no longer strangers, they were fellow Americans.

We were one Nation. 

Don't you wish it was always like that?

rm 

-

DO NOT SPEED IN COLUMBUS!!!

This is what happens when you speed in Columbus!

OK OK - maybe it was not speeding:

From the Police Department


On Saturday, September 8th, 2012, at about 9:53AM an officer from the Columbus Police Department was investigating a burglary complaint when a person entered the business acting suspiciously. The officer initiated contact with this person and subsequently, the officer and the person walked to a residence located at 142 E. James St. (what is this "and subsequently" stuff?)

While the officer continued his interview, the person he was interviewing fled from the residence on foot (I assume the interview stopped at this point).

 The officer gave chase on foot and a brief struggle ensued. During the struggle, the officer fell to the ground and suffered an injury to his shoulder. The suspect was able to get away from the injured officer and fled back into his residence at 142 E. James St. (yea - seems like a SMART thing to do - run back home). 

Additional officers responded to the scene. Because of the suspect’s actions, it was believed that he might have access to a weapon. Information was also obtained that there was another person located within the residence. Law enforcement personnel initiated a tactical operation to contain the residence and to attempt to make contact with the suspect. Eventually, both the male suspect and a female resident exited the building and were taken into custody without further incident. 

The 21 year old male suspect is being questioned by our department regarding this incident. Felony charges of Resisting 

That is awesome, well done Police Department. Seriously, I'm not kidding now.  Yea - I make fun sometimes but I have all the respect in the world for anybody willing for put their life on the line for citizens!  They did a great job and I applaud them.

Thank you.

----------------------

BTW - did you know that you can now watch all of the Columbus council meetings online?  Go to Columbus Wisconsin Cable Media.   Is Bob Roberts now in charge of the CDA?

-------------------------


Just heard a quote from Romney.  Interviewer "Can you give me specifics on how you will fix the economy?"  Romney "The specifics are the heart of what I'm going to do as President".  and then he went on to complain about Obama.

sigh

Of course Republicans are against ALL tax increases, they have signed oafs* to never ever raise taxes.  And then there is Obama who with only 16 days in office went against the GOP and raised taxes on Cigarets (Republicans wanted to lower taxes) to help pay for Obama-care once it became law.  What did raising the cig tax do? Well, it raised 30 BILLION dollars and restarted the decline in smoking (which had been rising in the Bush era). Teen smoking immediately fell 10%.

Yea - raising taxes is so so bad!!

I DO believe that lowering taxes would stimulate the economy . . . .but not only for the wealthy so the poor and middle class would have to pay more.  Walker has already raised taxes on the poor to feed the wealthy - ask my buddy Elwood.  He is paying almost 10% more taxes this year and he is 300% below poverty level. THANK YOU GOVERNOR Walker. 
 
* yes - I did that on porpoise.
--------------------------- 
    

Way way too long of a blog!

Got carried away - I'm stuck in my room as "they" are installing a new floor.
------------------------------ 

I was reading a blurb of a photographer that was describing her "vision" of her art work.  It reads:

I approach 21st century photography with the sensibility and aesthetic of a 19th century photographer. By employing the best characteristics of both eras, I create anachronistic images of “in-between” spaces.

What the fuck? I don't have a clue what that means! Do people talk that way?  When I'm doing an art fair is this how I should talk?  I would LOVE to memorize this and say it the next time someone asks me about my work.  "I create anachronistic images of “in-between” spaces."  "I create anachronistic images of “in-between” spaces."

I think if a person said this three times he could get an aneurism. Someone would find me on the floor of my display with blood dripping out of my ear. They would ask "what were his last words" and someone would say "He said something about in-between space?".


I was in Sun Prairie Saturday at their art fair and early in the day this older retired guy comes along and he is gushing over my images and talking about my composition and complementing me all over the place and then turns to me and says:

"But I gotta be straight with you, I'm REALLY getting tired of all of these bright colors, I know you are just trying to sell your work. What do you think? "

ummmmm - well? What do I think? ummmmmm -  I like it!  I do what I like.  If people don't like it then I go broke and never sell again.  He was a retired painter. Perhaps he can't afford all the colors and only uses primary colors. 

Then a family from Fall River were gushing and spent a LOT of time looking. They talked and finally tried to save me. The were with some church.  A while later another pretty cool dude came in and we talked a lot and finally he said he was a preacher visiting the area and wanted to save me (not his words).  I'm pretty anti-church.  I feel the church is just a giant scam.  I'm NOT anti religion.   I have no problem with true religion, you know, people doing good things to their fellow man, not just going to church and saying you are good.  The weird thing was this was the first guy I had ever talked to that I would actually consider going to see him.

Plus he had an awesome cool card.  He was my Reverend Tim Tom. (if you don't know who Reverend Tim Tom don't worry).  

I don't understand neo-cons who go to church and believe they are religious, but hate gay people.  DON'T GET ME STARTED!      

---------------------------------------------------

In sports - Wisconsin sucked but that was expected.  I bet against them for so many reasons is was silly.  The biggest is the Russell Wilson effect.  He was MUCH more important to Wisconsin then most people want to admit.   Monty Ball came out of nowhere BECAUSE of Wilson (now a starting NFL QB).  Then another big trend are new coaches on the road for the 1st time.  Everything is different, routines are off and just the fact that the Badgers had to take an hour bus ride to GET to the stadium was weird.  Bet against the Badgers until they prove they can beat the spread. 

The Packers - well, they WERE playing the 49ers.  Losing is not THAT surprising. But it does make the Bear game Thursday pretty important.

My fantasy football team totally sucked but I DID have the 4th highest total in the league, sadly the guy I'm playing against had the most points and STILL has 2 guys playing tonight!  Wilson was poor (point wise) but Fitzpatrick was just as bad. 

Fantasy baseball I went 2-8 against the 1st place team but I STILL came in 2nd and have a bye week in the 1st round of the playoffs. 

My Confidence league$.   I'm in 2nd in one and I think dead last in the other.  College games crushed me.   Way to many upsets.  Weeks like this the poor pickers win.

-------------------

I'm living in chaos.  This is our kitchen today which now contains the living room. 

And the living room, hallways and everything else contain . . . . nothing. 

Soon red oak floors. 

I'll spend the next week reinstalling our 7.1 (seven speaker 1 subwoofer)  Home Theater.  I had half the cords taken out before I thought I should take a photo of the back for reference.

What I'm worried about are all the cords that were hooked up to equipment on one end but not the other end.   The roads to nowhere. 
-----------------------------------

Been watching REVENGE. What a wonderful show, that and Mad Men and we are re watching Downton Abby.  
----------------------------------- 

Right leaning citizens need not read any further.

Seems the party of hate is losing to the party of hope. (polls are really trending towards Obama who has a 80.7% chance of winning now). While the GOP stomp there feet saying we hate Obama, we hate gay people, we hate woman, we hate everybody that do not agree with us, but we LOVE big business and rich people and tax cuts to the wealthy and we totally love screwing old people and the poor (after all the poor do not help bring jobs). 

We love how everybody forgot that we almost tanked America and how America was losing 60,000 jobs a month, banks were failing right and left, auto plants were closing and going belly up and basically the economy was in free fall. What was the GOP answer?  Just let it go, no worries.  It'll fix itself. 

hmmm font changed . . . .

OH - seems the Russians also HATE Romney (that's always good for foreign policy).  Russian newspapers are ripping Romney a new ass-hole.

In Pravda"  To say that Romney and his Republican brethren are a danger to world peace would be an understatement. Their "ultra-conservative" views and stances on a number of issues will bring about another era of neo-conservative subjugation for the American people and the world and their backward thinking and confrontational posturing will destroy much of the delicate compromise that has kept the world stable for the last four years...

Romney is a bumbling buffoon. He visits the Olympics and insults the hosting country, good grief.  

 I WISH the GOP and their followers (zealots?) would have picked someone who was in touch with the rest of the country.  As I have stated, I'm a social liberal but tend to be more conservative financially.  I'm like how the Republicans USED to be before they went all crazy and neo-conish.

--------------------------------------------------

ENOUGH!!!   

Edward and Bella, Regan, Walker, Liberals and neo-cons

This is so funny

Ever try to lip read people???  Check this out  Edward and Bella

http://youtu.be/FmxSk0wZxss



----------------------------------------

A lot of people are so focused on the economy (which is doing fine) that they forget about to social aspects of the GOP.   Anti-woman, anti gay and so forth.  It seems the Christian Right hate everybody.  Sort of like liberals actually who are only liberal as long as you agree with their liberal views.

If you live in laid back liberal Madison don't even bother coming here if you are not liberal.

SO!   While many of you were not paying attention to the news for the last few weeks, newspapers around the country were working steadily on their hard copy.

I thought I would catch you up a little on some headlines.

As Hurricane Approaches Florida, Romney Calls for Emergency Tax Cuts

**

War on Women Postponed Until Tuesday

**

Romney Hailed as Regular Guy by Woman with Horse in Olympics

**

Disturbed Man Gets Past Convention Security, Gives Keynote Address

Ryan Launches Campaign Theme of Lying About Everything

Romney Accepts Nomination: “I Bought It”

POLL: Romney Trails Empty Chair

Ryan Calls Nomination Greatest Triumph Since Winning Tour de France

Biden Still Waiting To Be Told Where Convention Is

Ryan Gives Detailed Account of Day He Killed Bin Laden 

Back to reality -I'm probably less liberal then many of my friends as I can understand the financial side of republicans (the social side is just anal stupid).  So I'm not 100% anti-republican.

The problem the republicans have is the same problem the democrats have in Wisconsin. They have no one to run.  Walker won in Wisconsin because he was running against a piece of milk toast that did not inspire anybody.

Obama will win because Romney has zero personality.  They HAVE to lie because it's their only chance.  Seriously, the GOP is back into a corner and if they lose their party is REALLY in deep shit.

Enough political talk.  sorry.

One thing to remember.  No matter who wins, we will all still go one with our lives with nothing drastically changing.  We might not agree with the President but in the big scheme of things, nothing really changes.  Sure Presidents start wars (normally democrats) but for a majority of us, there is no real change.  And if there is we cope.

The first President I was ever REALLY aware of was Reagan and I HATED him. But he did do some pretty good things.  "Peace through Strength" worked!!!  Many many things did not work but, here we are, living our lives.

Somehow - no matter what happens we persevere.

rm

Wilhelm Tell, Russel Wilson, Siri, Romney

Art Fair Season is winding down with one more to go.  The Sun Prairie Main Street Fair this coming Saturday.

This past weekend I attended the New Glarus Wilhelm Tell Art Fair for the very first time and DJ and I both had a little trepidation.  It was a smallish fair with perhaps 30-40 booths.  We set up early the previous night and noticed a few canopy's with art work were just laying around helter skelter and there were no greeters to tell us where to go and well, New Glarus is ONLY 2000 people in population anyway.

We arrive at 8:00 Sunday morning to set up the artwork which takes about an hour and by 9:00 we are ready.  Problem is there are maybe 5 people walking around looking at the booths.  oh man!

The guy that talked me into coming comes around and says "don't worry, this aisle will be packed at some point".

He was so so right.

I talked to so many people that had just come from overseas vacations to Switzerland and Norway it was silly (2 or 3 but still, it's silly).  Unlike all the other previous shows there were no teenagers or even "young adults" for the most part.  They do a lot of buying normally. Weird.  Art is not just for old people.

Bottom line.  BEST ART FAIR EVER. And this comes on the heals of missing BEST ART FAIR EVER by $50 two weeks ago. 

I came in 3rd place in the Peoples Choice Awards (although the 1st place guy was in the middle aisle handing out pre-printed ballots to everyone - - VOTER FRAUD).

I also got this big ass red ribbon for a purchasers award which was taken away a half hour later because they reuse the ribbons for next year!  OH - I'll wear it around my neck next year and spill mustard on it so I can keep it.

SO I've won 3rd place two times this year.  I'M NUMBER THREE!  I'M NUMBER THREE!

Best sellers?  Wiener Mobil (which has never sold before), my new State Street image and the hot hot canvas print Sunset on Ice which even though I printed extras I sold both.  One was purchased by some friends that live in ARZ 4 months a year.  I think they wanted to be reminded of what "ice" is.

OH - William Tell (or  Wilhelm Tell, or Guillaume Tell or Guglielmo Tell and even Guglielm Tell)
He was an expert marksman with the crossbow — assassinated Gessler, a tyrannical reeve (senior official with local responsibilities) of Habsburg Austria.

 The story is . . . . Gessler, the newly appointed Austrian Vogt of Altdorf, raised a pole in the village's central square, hung his hat on top of it, and demanded that all the townsfolk bow before the hat. On 18 November 1307, Tell visited Altdorf with his young son and passed by the hat, publicly refusing to bow to it, and so was arrested. Gessler — intrigued by Tell's famed marksmanship, yet resentful of his defiance — devised a cruel punishment: Tell and his son would be executed, but he could redeem his life by shooting an apple off the head of his son, Walter, in a single attempt. Tell split the apple with a bolt from his crossbow.

But Gessler noticed that Tell had removed two crossbow bolts from his quiver, not one. Before releasing Tell, he asked why. Tell replied that if he had killed his son, he would have used the second bolt on Gessler himself. Gessler, as you might imagine, was angered, and had Tell bound. He was brought to Gessler's ship to be taken to his castle at Küssnacht to spend his newly won life in a dungeon.

Long story short, Tell escaped and ran cross-country to Küssnacht. As Gessler arrived, Tell assassinated him with the second crossbow bolt. Tell's blow for liberty sparked a rebellion. Tell died in 1354 trying to rescue a child from drowning in a river.
-------------------------------------------------

Sometimes the truth hurts!   DAMN YOU SIRI!!!  stupid iphones

 And this is for my buddy adubya

Facebook should totally have this

    Speaking or elections.

There has been zero convention bump in Romneys election bid from the GOP party last week and Romney's speech, according to the gallop poll was the worst speech since they started keeping track.

Electorial-wise Obama leads is actually widening.  Seems the latest polls are noticing that Americans do not like all of the lies the GOP are telling about Obama and the fact that their platform is more anti-Obama then pro-Romney.

---------------------------

Football.

I believe this will be Jennings last year as a Packer. With the outstanding depth at WR this reporter does not believe the Packers will want to pay Jennings the huge amount he will want.  There is just not enough money to go around and why overpay someone for a position that is full of great WRs.

If the Packers go 2-2 in the 1st month that would not be a bad thing.  Horrible schedule.   The first game against the 49ers will be tough.  Many believe the 49ers are the best team in the league.

---------------------------

I had my fantasy draft last week and am in a conundrum.

I have Ryan Fitzpatrick (Buf) as my #1 QB and on my last pick in the last round I picked up Russell Wilson.

Remember that Fitz was great until he cracked a few ribs last year.  The problem is Buffalo plays the Jets and are 3 point dogs, plus the Jets have a good defense while Wilson and the Seahawks play Arizona and are 3 point favs and the Cards have a pretty BAD defense.

Who should I start.  I'm leaning to Wilson.  Unknown QB for a bad defense?  He can get running yards and passing yards ???

Ideas?

Better go
Cheers!
Rod