On Football and the Kids

I had third pick in my fantasy football draft, and with the two best running backs gone I'd decided to go with a star quarterback. "Peyton Manning or Tom Brady," I thought to myself. I debated for much of the three minute time limit and then, largely on a whim, chose Peyton and left Brady on the table.

Hee hee. Go Danny. Not that I wanted Brady to break his knee (but not that I'm crying for the Pats either)

Pointless story showcasing the Holy Favre mentality in Wisconsin:

An employee came up to me today and said she'd skipped the Packer game because she hoped they'd 'fall on their as*es' and that Favre would take the Jets deep into the playoffs.

To me, this is like saying you want the U.S. to collapse because Kerry lost in '04. It's about more than just one guy, isn't it?

"The hell with Brett Favre," I said.

She was shocked. "He led us to the Superbowl," she said.

"Yeah, eleven years ago. Whoo-hoo."

"The Packers had no business saying they didn't want him," she continued. "That was lousy of them."

Lousy? To take a man at his word (on retirement) and act accordingly? Like I said yesterday, a large number of people here are rooting against the Pack. It's sacrilege.

* * * *

Anyhow, here's some random pics of the kids.

Aaron Rodgers 1, Critics 0

Tonight I hosted the D. family for dinner and the Monday Night Football season opener. Naturally the matchup was Pack-Vikings up in Green Bay. Great game. A sloppy contest, and one where I question the conservative play calling of the Pack, but a great game none-the-less.

Aaron Rodgers had so much to lose tonight. Lots of fools, er, 'people', were just itching for him to screw up so they could mourn Favre and curse the Packers GM. Heck, you know Favre was sitting at home hoping for a Pack loss too, although I'd hope he harbored no ill will for Rodgers. 

Instead Aaron gave them all a solid, no-nonsense game. 18 for 22, 178 yards passing with 1 TD and no interceptions, and 35 yards and a TD rushing. [There was also a great passing TD that was called back on a penalty and does not show in the stats]

The kid can play, and he is cool and calm under pressure. There was a great downfield pass that should be on Sportscenter rotation tomorrow, and after his rushing TD he attempted the Lambeau Leap (pictured above). The sincere affection the crowd showed him was heartwarming.

Is he Steve Young to Farve's Montana? Waaay to early to say, but I'm happy for the guy and proud of his proverbial day in the sun.

NKOTB Videos

My [permanent] recording capabilities have been hanidicapped by - oddly enough- the presence of my Time Warner DVR. If anyone out there can record a DVD of NKOTB's appearances on The View, The Today Show (both appearances), and any/all other clips, PLEASE let me know.

Meanwhile here's a few clips off the album to stir your interest. This first one is The Today Show appearance promoting 'Single' with Ne-Yo. The actual video is available on You-Tube but unavailable for embedding.

Here's 'Full Service' w/ New Edition

A great ballad called 'Don't Cry'

The funky 'Grown Man', w/ the Pussycat Dolls

and finally 'Offically Over'

 

Tags: NKOTB, New Kids on the Block, Ne-Yo, Pussycat Dolls

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My Fantasy Football Draft

I took part in a fantasy football draft tonight at Puddler's Hall, a bar established in 1873 and now owned by a friend of Socialist. It's a nice place, bright by bar standards and friendly. Stop by if you're ever in Milwaukee.

It was a 15 round serpentine draft that took the better part of two hours for our 10 man league to complete. I hate serpentine drafts. There's no reason for my #3 slot to have to wait through 14 other picks before it was again my turn.

Overall I think I did well. I got a few big names and a finagled a couple of sleepers. The key to knowing you've done well with a pick? When you announce your player and one or more of the other guys yell  out a frustrated 'F***!'.

Here's my team. You can play 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 Kicker and 1 Defense per week.

QB: Peyton and Eli Manning

RB: Jamal Lewis, Fred Taylor, Ricky Williams, A. Peterson of the Bears

WR: Hines Ward, Marvin Harrison, Braylon Edwards, Santana Moss

K: Mason Crosby, David Akers

Def: San Diego and Seattle

TE: Crumper

I like my pics of Williams and Peterson. I think both have something to prove and will do well. Or not. It's a head-to-head league, so I'll know some immediate results as soon as this weekend.

My team name: SlapJacks

Tags: NFL, Fantasy Football, Draft

Beneath - A Review

                                      

In Beneath Nora Zehetner plays a young woman who as a youth was responsible for the fiery accidental death of her sister. Haunted by images of her sister clawing at her closed casket and plagued a history of (perceived) mental illness, she returns to visit her estranged family. Her niece claims a 'Dark Thing' in the walls is responsible for deaths in the family, and in the labyrinth that is their family home a terrible secret might dwell . . .

Beneath is  MTV's first foray into the horror market (yes, I know. MTV. I almost shut off the DVD the moment I saw the logo on the screen.). It's not a bad movie. Nothing terribly original, but on the other hand nothing overly cliche. Well, excepting the traumatized young woman with the scary visions; been there, done that.

If you go into it with the right mindset the ending is a legitimate twist, although my suspicious nature jumped to the right conclusion a few minutes ahead of the mark. There is one thing - the action of the niece - that makes the finale a little morally troubling, but overall a positive effort.

Oh, and not too bloody or gory, save for one scene of the burn victim. Suitable for viewing by tweens and older.

2.75 out of 4, 68 out of 100.

Tags: MTV, Beneath

The Harley Parade

As I mentioned earlier my mother-in-law took LuLu and YaYa last weekend to see the Harley Davidson parade thru downtown Milwaukee.

As a matter of fact, after just spending a frustrated five minutes trying to load a pic off Photobucket , I noticed there are no static pics of bikes at all. All the shots of the Harleys are movie files, which of course my mother-in-law had told me and I'd forgotten.

Many thanks again to my mother in law for taking them. She reported YaYa was a little freaked out by the rumble and in contrast Lu fell asleep at one point. LOL!

I love this next pic. Say cheese!

Tags: Harley Davidson, Milwaukee

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REVIEW: New Kids on the Block - The Block

On Tuesday September 2nd, at 8 a.m. on the dot, I entered our local Target and picked up not one but two copies of the extended version of the newly released New Kids on the Block album The Block.  One copy for our listening pleasure, another never-to-be-opened CD for our NKOTB collection. I also picked up an extended version of their greatest hits album.

'Twas a grand day.

I like the album. Yeah, sure, I'd say that no matter what. But I really do. I like some songs more than others, and some much more than others, but I like the album as a whole. By and large it's smooth R&B but has a definite nostaligic vibe that hides in the shadow of  very contemporary arrangements. Definitely a hightened sexual openess in the lyrics, but they're all in their 30's - I reckon it shouldn't come as a shock that they're not virgins.

What's that? You want a track by track breakdown of my opinion? Are you sure? I don't know . .well, if you insist. The bold titles indicate a song worthy of extra attention.

1. Click, Click, Click -  best known to me as the background music of the NKOTB website. A relaxed Timberlake-ish track

2. Single (featuring Ne-Yo) - solid enough, but NKOTB is largely in the background on this one. A good song but not a favorite of mine, despite being their next release.

3. Big Girl Now - a dance track featuring Lady Gaga. Some funky parts that catch your attention. From this point on the CD picks up quickly.

4. Summertime - their first release and their first Top 40 hit in over a decade. A great nostaligic song and a wise re-introduction to the group.

5. 2 in the Morning - a catchy chorus and a pleasant tune, but nothing grand.

6. Grown Man  - featuring the Pussycat Dolls and Teddy Riley. A great song that begins with a retro/Ray Charles feel and cruises through the rest of the song with a funky, fun, and nasty attitude.

Do you like my body?

Girl you know I do.

Do you think that I'm a hottie?

Girl you know I do.

 Do you want to go and party?

Girl you know I do.

Well whatchu want to do?

Here's what I want to do: I'm gonna give you some grown man. I'm gonna give you some grown man.

7. Dirty Dancing  - not as fun as track six but a blast. A vaguely Shaggy-feel to the song. "Ooh, you're so crazy. She's like, baby, I'm like Swayze." Love it! "I ain't looking for no drama/ I don't want no karma/ cause my baby's sleeping in bed back at home/ but you know I'd be lying if I said I ain't trying/ to get the shorty with me all alone."

 8. Sexify My Love - the chorus is pretty good  with a bit of a late '80's feel to it. Not hard on the ears, just not a great song.

9. Twisted - it has some fun beats, but at its heart its a standard issue dance club tune. A waste of space. Yawn.  

10. Full Service - another great song! a full out collaboration with New Edition, who NKOTB has always paid homage to over the years. Fun and funky with a steady beat that'll get you moving. Great to hear New Edition back in action!

11. Lights, Camera, Action - a song about photographing yourself in a sex act. Yawn. Been there done that - why listen to a song about it? Seriously though, just not a very good song IMHO.

12. Put it on My Tab - a slow R&B tune. It's fine and I'm sure beloved by many people, but relaxed R&B has never appealed to me and this is no exception.

13. Stare at You - a romantic ballad featuring all the guys. It reminds me of Joe/Jordan solo work. BONUS: at the tail end of the song Donnie speaks with his young son. Very cute and a reminder of how these guys have grown up over the years.

I can just stare at you forever (Oh, baby)
I can be here with you doing whatever (My lady)
It's not the way you look that brings me to my knees,
It's the way you look at me
I could just stare at you forever
If forever you were staring at me

That concludes the 'standard' edition of the album. I purchased the extended 'deluxe' versions with four extra songs.

1. One Song - an inoffensive but largely forgettable dance track. I can see why it wasn't included on the standard CD.

2. Don't Cry - a GREAT song! In Lisa's words 'this is what can happen when Joe and Jordan work together." Amen my love. Great song, great music, great voices, great sentiment.

I learned not to diss my words and fight over little things
Like when I used to wait all night,
Just to say I'm sorry, I love you
Oh, tell me what would there be left to say? Nothing
Oh, what if God wants to take me away?
Oh, you better...

Kiss me like it's the last time,
Love me like it's the first time
I'll kiss you like it's the last time
And I'll love you like it's the first time
I'll be trippin', can't wait for the next time
But if there isn't a next time...

Baby, just don't cry...

3. Officially Over - My FAVORITE song on the whole album! Just a great Joey-centric song about breaking up. Get me two notes into this one and I'm bopping around. A great bleeping song and a grand chorus to sing along with.

4. Looking Like Danger - the lyrics say 'it's hard to be faithful' but I find this song 'hard to describe'. A mix of a dance track, an '80's pop tune, and  a bit of a '80's soundtrack flair. I don't dislike it, but I can't say I like it either.

* * *

For pete's sake go and buy the thing. It's a heck of an album with six tracks that are guaranteed gems. What are you waiting for?

Grandpa 25 years on

Today marks a quarter century to the day since my maternal Grandpa's death.

My Little Grandpa and I were very close. He was as near to a matinee idol/hero/everything as a little boy could find, and I loved him very much. On the evening of Friday September 2nd, 1983 I returned from playing in the park to find him taking some aspirin. He would later retire to bed early, citing a stomach ache. Sometime later I joined him, cuddling up next to him and exchanging good nights.

I woke up Saturday morning to my Mother's panic screaming and a cold corpse beside me.

It sounds pretty traumatic, but the death itself was far less troubling than the loss of the man himself. Bluntly, it f*ed me up for awhile and surely stands as one of the pivotal days of my life.

But, frankly, I'm weary of talking about it. It is,despite my mind's refusal to accept the fact, a full 25 years since that horrible day. I'm a grown man, and whatever demons lingered about were  exorcised when I wrote a book about Grandpa six years ago. At this point, whining about it falls under the category of 'quasi-victim/martyr pityfest', and I just can't cotton to that.

 

[I think the anniversary is all the more poignant because it comes only three days after his house was unwillingly passed from my family's hands.What eerie timing.]

But 25 years . .the hours and minutes pass so slowly, the months and years so quickly. It just seems so unbelievable, like I could turnaround and be a nine year old boy in my Grandparent's kitchen, instead of a father of four. Far more often then I'll ever admit it feels like I'm playing dress-up and I'll wake up again to ride shotgun with the man on some errand or another.

I wish I'd gone to visit his grave today, but I was watching my kids and my sister's, and truth be told it did not occur to me until nightfall.

Rest in peace Grandpa. I love you.

* * *

The day is not solely devoted to bad memories. Today is also the 20th birthday of my cousin E. Happy Birthday man!

YaYa's Harley Kool-Aid Stand

The end of August featured a massive Harley rally in Milwaukee to celebrate the iconic company's 105th birthday. For days the streets were packed with riders and the familar rumble of Harley pipes echoed across the Brew City. How big was the party? Of the 100,000 bikers that hit the city I had more than 200 bikes in my parking lot at work, and my neighbor at home hosted five or six bikers himself. The Foo Fighters and Bruce Springsteen were brought in to entertain the troops and there were festival areas set up all over town.

It was a heck of a party.

It meant long hours at work, but many of the expected logistical hassles failed to materialize. We'd all joked about wishing we could retire before the event, but in the end it was actually fun; busy, chaotic, and energetic.

There'll be another post about the girls trip to the Harley parade, but here's a few pics Lisa took of YaYa's entrepreneurial spirit.

As we live on a decently busy street she set up a Kool-Aid stand and advertised free drinks for any and all Harley riders, 50 cents for everyone else. Well, she hit gold. Bikers scooped up a bunch of her drinks  - and left behind $8 in tips.

Oh, and here's a shot of YaYa in an all too familiar 'someone else is sharing my limelight' pose. If you watch Jon and Kate Plus Eight you'll recognize Maddie as a cross between YaYa and LuLu.

Just a timewaster on our TV preferences

11 A.M:

I hate my phone. My attempts to catch up on some zz's this morning were interrupted by two work related calls, a trio of calls from my parents, one from a friend and another from a cemetary (more on that one later). All the calls were of either importance or good will, but c'mon! Guaranteed, if I'd been up and at 'em the thing would never have rang.

So I sit here with no time to go and nap, knowing that in half an hour I'll have to take Smiley to his first day of school for the year. So let's take the opportunity to clear up some misc TV thoughts:

1. I was tickled pink to discover that some of the employee's I talked to at the local Karl's Party Rental were flying out to work New York's Fashion Week. Lisa and I are big fans of Project Runway.  I was tempted to ask them to scoop the identities of the finalists showing at Bryant Park, but I held back to save the suspense of the finale.

2. The new Gong Show has joined the DVR rotation here. Raunchier than the original, but entertaining all the same.

3. I saw the Bob Saget roast on Comedy Central. SNL alum Jon Lovitz and Norm McDonald  were disturbingly un-funny, but Cloris Leachman ROCKED. Who knew the woman still had it in her?

4. We are also big fans of Clean House, but miss the Linda Cooper-Smith, Alan Lee Half era of the show. Lisa DESPISES 'Go to Guy' Matt Iseman, a large often unfunny (and sometimes creepy) castmember. Turns out ol' Matt is a stand-up comedian who is also a medical doctor! Huh! Who knew?

5. Jon and Kate Plus Eight, a reality show following the parents of sextuplets, is one of Lisa's favorite shows. I think Jon is a great Dad but find Kate an inconsiderate wife, albeit an attractive one. Then again, with eight kids most women would be grumpy no?

6. Naked Science and Is it Real? remain favorites of mine on National Geographic.