Hurricane Patricia

I was not going to blog today - getting a late start but the weather not HERE is interesting - the strongest hurricane ever recorded in our hemisphere is about to hit Mexico. Hurricane Patricia is the mother of all hurricanes with constant winds in excess of 200mph.  At the moment it is 15mph short of the all time record in the world.

Hurricane Patricia also has the largest pressure drop ever observed in a tropical cyclone in a 24 hour

period.  Basically this is a huge EF5 tornado along with a 20 foot tsunami at the same time.

Later this week this will bring heavy flooding to Texas.

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For us the weather will get a little wet Friday night into Saturday with a good steady rain starting this afternoon.  After the showers dissipate Saturday Sunday will see nothing but sun and light winds with average temps in the 58 range.


I really don't have much more to say at the moment - Home Brew club last night where the talk was the two breweries  - Hydro Street and the new large one in Sun Prairie that is in the works.  Lots of talk about a group from Rio and Hydro Street but nothing solid yet and talk is talk. Problem is the place is a mess and would probably need to be gutted and reformed.

Sun Prairie is still working out the million dollar financing and is still moving forward and my East Indian Porter might be on tap permanently but that is a ways off yet.

ColoniALE Fest is Friday November 8th in Sun Prairie if you happen to want to try this beer as it will be one of 56 beers from 25 breweries.  Our club will have 8 beer including our new nitro system.

You can get tickets HERE.

Nuff said.  Need more coffee!

RM

rain? When?

Now that I have recovered from the Packer game but then uncovered from my fantasy sports team.

My fantasy game is over - neither team has players that will play tonight but get this - here are the projected scores from this week of the other 4 games.

Game 1 102 to 92

Game 2 101 to 89

Game 3  87 to 86

Game 4  87 to 87 close game

those are pretty much the average scores 

And MY FINISHED GAME 

I LOSE  139 to 141  I LOSE BY 2 with 139 points!! 

Last week I lost 104 to 116

the week before I lost 78 to 84

the week before that I lost  118 to 122

sigh!  So I'm 1 and 5 and pretty much out of it even though I have the 3rd highest scoring in the league.  sigh!   That $50 went down the drain!
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Weather - When was the last time it rained!!!   I went back and was trying to find rain. The last drop of water that came from the sky was at 1:03PM September 29th!

Expect it to be PRETTY windy today as we are in the bulls eye for high wind.  We might see some virga potential so there is rain . . . . . just not reaching the ground.  As NOAA is saying about today "a rather chaotic wind structure."    They are all excited!!  Could have a few 40mph gusts today.  We also should be near 70 today and middle 70s Tuesday and Wednesday then cooling off to normal again.

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The Daily Citizen had all the Trick or Treat times listed,  Of teh 16 towns only ONE was on Sunday, Of the 15 on Saturday 11 started at 4:00 or later.  Columbus is 5 to 8:00.
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 Interesting news the last few days.

The US killed a rather high al-Qaeda dude this weekend.  He was responsible for handling al-Qaeda money and fighters and finding routs for fighters to move between countries.  This is a big WIN for the US.

Hawaii has the highest per capita rate of homeless of any State and have declared a state of emergency.  If I was homeless I would want to be in Hawaii also.

Canada elects a new government today and Justin Trudeau's liberal party was ahead in the polls.

75% of maple syrup comes from Quebec and there are 25 Quebec residents on trial for trying to steal $18 million in syrup. A sticky situation.

Scott Kelly broke a record in space with his 383 consecutive day in space.

Fan Duel spent $81 million in advertising in August and September.

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We went pool table shopping Saturday and have done a lot of learning but my big question is . . .Who plays bumper pool anyway???

But back to pool tables - Do not buy a Brunswick table that was made after 2000.  Seems that are pretty bad.  Before 2000 they were GREAT, after - trash.  As one review says after 2000 they are all imported and very low quality.

We are looking at a 8 foot Legacy table with 1 inch Brazilian slate made in America. This is part of a finishing the basement project (probably have a blog about it).  Of course there will be a kegorator in the plans so have to figure out THAT foot print.

Why are shuffle board twice as expensive as a pool table.  Too bad.  We found one really nice one FOR $8000!  Forget that!!  Pool tables are must less and more playable. Of course air hockey and foosball would be sweet or a REAL pin ball machine!

Meeting with the architect today.  Exciting.

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Here are a few more photos from up north!

Fish Creek Wisconsin

 

This painter was painting so I took a shot and made it painterly.  But her head blends in a little too much.

Back from The Door

I won't bore you with details (at the moment) on the mini vacation to Door County except I think we will try Bayfield next year.  Once you get to know a place like the back of your hand and have taken all the photos over and over . . . it's time for a new adventure.

ANYWAY - a problem I always have is that I have so many "snapshots" that people don't see because they are now  . . . wonderful . . but I suppose interesting. 

For instance

From a Fish Boil.  

I also have many images from EAA and so many others people never see. 

So I think I'll create a Snapshot blog,  Few words and just photos!  Sort of like the Public Enemies Photos  blog I had.

WITH THAT SAID - here are a couple shots I had from Tuesday and Thursday

Highway 42 east of Gills Rock

  The story behind this is that long ago there was a battle between the power company and the County on a road being built.  Seems Power won and the County built the road around the power poles.  Poles have since been removed.

this is the 9th hole of the Blue Course at Alpine Golf in Egg Harbor.  A 266 yard downhill shot!

"The Most Scenic Hole in the State of Wisconsin."

I hit my 2nd shot, a 7 wood to the white trap on the left (207 yards). First shot hit the colorful trees somewhere on the right!  

So once I get the other site up - I'll let ya know!

And yes - the colors were pretty much as you see - amazing!!

Rod 

The Grinder

Sam Dekker watch on The Houston Rockets

Preseason Game #1 

25 minutes

1-5 Field Goals

 3 rebounds

4 steals

4 Personal Fouls

3 points

Preseason Game #2

Starter

28 minutes

5-10 Field goals

4 rebounds

1 assist

1 steal

1 personal foul

12 points

Frank Kaminsky watch on Charlotte Hornets 

Preseason Game #1 

9 minutes

3-6 Field goals

4 rebounds

1 Block shot 

7 points

Preseason Game #2

27 minutes

3-11 Field Goals

11 Rebounds

3 assists

3 personal Fouls

9 points

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I feel sorry for the GOP at times because I know many Republicans who are sane people and many of them actually LIKE Obamacare.  But the far far right seem to have their claws on their backs.  The ones that were voted in because "anybody is better then what we have".  Well . . . how is that working out for you.  

That, is the problem with politics.  REAL politicians know how to work the system and understand the art of compromise.  Once you get non-politicians in office who have vowed to never compromise that is when you have issues. 

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The Holiday Train will make it's way to Columbus Friday night December 4th. This will make it a little easier to actually see the train as it's a FRIDAY!!  

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One source tells me Lodi has a heroin problem - just sayin'.  

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It's so weird watching The Grinder - Rob Lowe's new, very very good comedy. Reason is Grinder is my nickname (started way way back in the late 90's when I was a Black Jack card counter, before I started writing about poker for Full Tilt Magazine). So it's weird.

Check out that comedy - it's on Tuesdays so you have to DVR it if you are watching or doing something else on Tuesdays.    

DJ and her dad were photographed for the cover of an upcoming Insight Magazine that talked about the USS Indianapolis! 

OH - while we were in Indianapolis this summer I took this shot. They were a nurse organizational having an national reunion - not sure that one woman appreciated me! 

OK - baby sitting time - have a great warm weekend. Play hard! 

Back To The Future predicts CUBS WIN in 2015

The Chicago Cubs won their first playoff game in 12 years last night but the real news is their pitcher Jake Arrieta.  The last few days I have heard many many baseball people saying they have NEVER seen a starting pitcher do what he is doing.

Oh, when one person says it it's interesting but when I start hearing over and over from old timers saying this, it starts to sound like there is some truth in it.

WELL - last night he became the first starter to toss a 9 inning shut out in the playoffs with double digit strikeouts and zero walks.  

So I looked at his game logs so see what is up!   YIKES.  In his last 13 starts over 96.3 innings he has given up FOUR earned runs!   That is an ERA of 0.37.  WOW!    Cubs go on to play the St. Louis Cards next, the Green Bay Packers of baseball.   You can hate the Cards but when you do, understand you hate them for exactly the same reason so many people (outside of Wisconsin) hate the Packers.  Just a fantastic organization that builds from the inside.

Didn't Back To The Future predict the Cubs would WIN the World Series in 2015? 

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So the scientists who predict the weather were talking about Godzilla El Nino.  They have been cautious with predictions because the earth has changed since the last couple big El Nino's, in 1997 and 1988ish with melting ice caps, the Pacific Blob, global climate change and yada yada.

Well, the weather we are having now and for the next month is pretty much in tune with what happens in Godzilla El Nino's.   The jet stream is flattening out above the US instead of rocketing down over Wisconsin like the past 2 or 3 years leaving us in warmer weather.

SO - it  is still looking like a very very mild winter.

It will cool off after today as a cold front goes through bringing us some thunderstorms this afternoon and then warming up Sunday to the mid to upper 70s (but windy).

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We spent an hour talking about Police Dogs in City Council with the Chief  proposing getting a drug sniffing pooch with a wonder-nose IF, we can get him (or her) totally funded with donations.  It seems plausible but Council ask for more clarification on funding and logistics and so forth.

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People Magazine published ALL the phone numbers of the members of Congress and Senate and are asking readers to call and ask -  What are you going to do about the mas shootings!  Because  members of Congress and Senate are pretending it won't happen again.

Have a super duper day!

Colonial Club Ale Fest in Sun Prairie

knowitall commented yesterday - "FYI Arming people has worked in the past but everyone has forgotten.In the 60's we deployed under cover marshals to stop plane hijacks and it did"

True true - but an air marshal might be a little more experienced then a school teacher/cowboy wanna be.  We could always arm the children, teach them to fend for themselves in this harsh cruel world.

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Don't look now but Columbus is having a growth streak.  15 new single family homes have been or are being built in 2015.  If three people move into each home and using the Common Core Box method of multiplication

     10    5
3   30  15  
         45
45 new people in Columbus. This does not count the multi family dwellings also going up.

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I've gotten a few emails about our new TIF which is now official. Ottery Trucking might be the first resident of the TIF.  They wash the INSIDE of tanker trucks which I guess is something that needs to be done more often according to state officials. There are currently no "inside truck" wash's in this part of Wisconsin and should be a big deal in coming years.

There is another company also in the truck industry looking to move into the TIF and if you want a vision for the future you could imagine a hotel going up sooner or later to house all the truckers. With all those truckers maybe Eisenga land will start to grow.
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WOW - a little controversy last night in the football game. Who knew it was illegal to bat a ball out of bounds to basically win the game for Seattle.  That was a HUGE mistake by the refs. Seems the refs love helping Seattle get calls to win games.

Although no one actually KNEW about that rule.

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Who is tired of DraftKing and FanDuel ad's. WELL - WHO KNEW that unregulated online "gambling" might have a dark side. Seems employees of DraftKings took their inside knowledge and were placing "wagers" at FanDuel and winning large sums of money (like $350,000 on $25 bets).  Of course they say they were doing nothing illegal which is basically true since there were no actual rules saying you CAN'T do that.

Having done a lot of online activity myself in the early 2000s I was staying away from those two companies.  Online poker and blackjack and casinos (I never did casinos) were basically honest.

Only two companies were caught and both went under very quickly (meaning I got my money out in the nick of time). I will say that online poker is MUCH MUCH safer then brick and mortar poker.

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I did not know they actually kept track of this but a new musical that is impossible to get tickets too in NY is 2 hours and 23 minutes long and has 20,520 words in it.  That is 144 words a minute!

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In world news the anti Obama people will be all up in arms with a new trade deal with 12 countries on the Pacific Rim (except China) signing on.  The Trans-Pacific Partnership.

"Lower tariffs on US goods that’ll make other countries want to buy American stuff. Fewer restrictions on the international dairy market, making it easier for the US to milk it. Increased access to advanced US drugs. Critics say it’ll send jobs overseas. Supporters say it’ll boost US exports, and help Team USA and friends take on Team China."

This is a very big WIN for Obama but of course the "I hate everything you stand for" Congress has to vote.
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Then there is Cheerios - When they said "Glutton Free" I guess that "Free" part was not actually 100% truthful!  Well, what could possibly go wrong!
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McDonald's will start ALL DAY BREAKFASTS!!  almost!  no McGriddles or bagels or hash browns.  BASICALLY they are just expanding their menu with a few more items.  NO BIG BREAKFASTS?  Well screw you McDonald's.      

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Life in Pieces - 2nd episode - very funny show!  A surprise hit in my book!  I wrote that one off with previews but DJ and I both think it's very good!

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I brewed my East Indian Porter yesterday preparing for the Colonial Club Ale Fest in Sun Prairie November 6th.  This is a pretty big ale fest, if you are a craft beer drinker you should think about going!

Here is an article about our club in the newspaper.

Sun Prairie Wort Hogs brew for fest

talk at ya later.

RM 

Back

After my secret meeting with The Pope I needed to take a week of from blogging to collect myself.  I should have warned people I suppose but . . . .

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Saturday it was pretty windy and here is why! 

OOPS - wrong file - sorry - BUT, since I uploaded it . . . .  this is one of my favorite paintings of all time - I just love this one I found a few year ago and kept it.  It has the same random numbers as a file name as the below image I captured Saturday.

BACK ON TOPIC.  this was an image of the jet stream Saturday afternoon.

RIGHT OVER COLUMBUS!

Normally this is the week we spend in Door County but with so much Columbus political stuff going on and the fact that I will miss the NEXT City Council meeting (my 2nd since I have been an aldermen) in a few weeks we postponed the vacation a week.

NEXT week we will spend in Door and the oddity is this will be the first time ever that my brother and I will be in Door County at the same time.  So weird. 

Speaking of weather - we should hit 70 tomorrow or at least be REAL close but WAIT - Next Monday we will flirt with 80!  Middle to upper 60s this week except for Friday, some rain Thursday.

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The average person in American consumes 53.9 pounds of beef a year, the lowest amount since 1970 and beef prices are moving lower because of this. 

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The New York Jets played in London this weekend and they took along 350 rolls of toilet paper because they felt London toilette paper was inferior. 

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There was another mass killing on the US and everybody is all up in arms again calling for changes. Nothing will happen because as long as we pretend that by doing nothing, by changing nothing it will never happen again. 

Of course you have the group that say we should arm teachers and by putting more guns in schools we are safer.  That is just ignorance.   On a side note - San Francisco has only one gun store and it's closing.

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Governor Walker was asked if he would ever run for President again (remember, in the history of Presidential candidates no candidate has ever had a shorter official candidacy from start to finish, EVER) well, Walker's answer was there was a one in one million chance . . . . . so he is not ruling it out it seems.   Remember, he was also NOT going to go after unions either. 

It's still going to be Clinton vs, Jeb although Mike Huckabee is making some strides. Don't listen to the polls that the media is presenting, nothing but BS and trying to make up their own news.  I love Bernie but he has zero chance.  Clinton is stronger now then at the same time vs. Obama 6 years ago.

Her favor-ability ratings are higher then 6 years ago.  PERSONALLY I would like Elizabeth Warren but she is not running so . . . . .

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Have I ever posted this image?  It's of the Illinois State House (I guess they call it that).  It's smaller then our Capitol but MUCH more colorful. Our's is majestic, there is beautiful.

Damn flatlanders.

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Watched SPY with Melissa McCarthy and it was seriously funny.  A real movie with fantastic audio an actual plot, a little gore that somehow was funny and some of the best one line insults I've ever heard.  Her movies are normally pretty bad but this one is hilarious.  Flixter gave it a very high 83% rating.