Last night
Last night was the loudest night, and seemingly, the big party night.
People were screaming and laughing, motorcycles roaring, fireworks popping until dawn. I'll take a little walk down there tonight to get a better look at the festivities on the lake.
Still no word on who the big headliner is ...
Friday Night on Brady
Here's a shot from Friday night at the impromtu Brady Street block party. Quite a scene. Hundreds of Harleys lined the district and even more hundreds came out to see them. Naturally, the streets choked and the police eventually closed the street to traffic.
It was a lot of fun and I saw a lot of really great bikes.
Not to mention, I also saw one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen. Sorry, no picture.
How are the Packers Doing?
Short answer: not good
How will they do this year?
8-8
Really??
Yes, in fact, I think they will lose 4 in a row to St. Louis, Minnesota, Philly, and Tampa Bay.
So, you don't think that a weak division will help that?
No, because they have also gotten weaker. Da Bears still stink and could get swept again, but one of the games against the Packers is the Monday night debut of the new (and horrendously ugly) Soldier Field. Da Bears will be up for that game, even if it's the only game the win all year. Tough situation for the Pack. Ditto for Thanksgiving day against the Mooch-powered Lions.
So, mister know-it-all, what are the Packers weaknesses that will lead to this 8-8 season>
Offensive line is already dinged-up. Defensive line can't get to the QB. Secondary is good, but even all-Madden-all-world players can't cover for 7+ seconds. I think the coaches are timid and that softness shows in the way the players approach and play the game. They get steamrolled, not by teams with superior talent, but by teams with superior desire to win. Playcalling has always been a problem for the Sherman era. And, did I mention they defensive line?
I think you're wrong, the Packers are better than you think. What about the offense?
It's been inconsistent. Still, even if the offense is great, they will need to be to outscore opponents. The defense won't be shutting anyone down this year.
Do you hope you're wrong?
Yes.
Final word?
They'll need to overcome some very tough situations. They play at Oakland, at Tampa, and at St. Louis. The divisional opponents (except Da Bears) are improved, so those away games are not a cakewalk. They've got Denver, San Fran, and KC at home, ...very tough home games. Overcoming these very dangerous pitfalls will be hard. If they do overcome, it will be thrilling, with many last second victories. My heart my not survive it either way.
10
In this case "10" is not perfect, but good enough.
The game was tight, a bit ugly, but the Brewers pulled it out again. They've won 10 in a row, which is an outstanding feat for a team that perennially resides at the bottom of the standings.
Come on guys, just two more and we get those free burgers!
Blogging the Party of the Century
Harley Davidson is 100 this year.
Around 300,000 plus riders from around the world are invading the birth place of Harley (my home town), Milwaukee.
Beer. Brats. The Fonz. And Harley Davidson.
From four points around the US, Harley sponcered rides where hundeds/thousands of bikers would ride together in a convoy to Milwaukee. They started arriving yesterday.
Imagine looking out on the same freeway you drive every day and seeing rivers of iron coming home. Thousands of bikes from across the globe rolling in to town. Traffic, naturally, is snarled.
For people like me who live downtown between 2 entertainment districts and in a stones-throw from the "The Party" on the lakefront, ...it's a major hassle, ...but a nice one. Sure, there is no place to park. Street after street is lined with machines several thousand dollars out of my income range, and the constant rumbling of thousands of Harley engines keeps me awake until 3am, ...but I'm glad they're here. The theme this week is: Welcome Home.
And this is the kind of place I come from. Milwaukee (and Wisconsin in general) is the kind of place that everyone remembers, even if you've never been here. That small town you grew up in that is no longer there? You can find it here.
Milwaukee has managed to hold onto many good things about the past 50 years. The homes, the neighborhoods, the traditions, ...but mostly it is the people. We're SOOOOOOOOOO average! And that's a good thing.
You will feel at home here, unless you are a west or east coast snob, but even then, there's a place for you at our table.
The best thing about this party is that thousands of people will get to see what we're really all about. Welcome!
More specifically, welcome home.
Death Test
This kinda sucks.
I wanted to live longer than this ...
Mark your calendar or Palm V. You can expect to die on:
December 21, 2053
at the age of 83 years old.
On that date you will most likely die from:
Cancer (33%)
Heart Attack (11%)
Homicide (9%)
Alcoholism (9%)
Contagious Disease (8%)
Auto-Fellatio (8%)
Alien Abduction (6%)
www.thespark.com/deathtest/
Couldn't Happen to a Bigger Jerk
The biggest jerk in sports and possibly the biggest jerk in the country, Bill Romanowski was
fined and suspended today to fighting and seriously injuring a teammate.
He Will Be Missed
Wesley Willis is
dead at age 40.
He had friends everywhere, especially here in Milwaukee.
Rock over London, Rock over Chicago ...
What's Worse?
What's worse than suffering through 93+ temperatures with oppressively high humidity?
Not having air conditioning.
And what's worse than that?
Having strep throat at the same time!
Good grief, this sucks.
Just Got Some Good News
There's a guy at work here that I don't reall like that much. The main reasons why I don't like him are that I get the strong feeling he does not like me for stylistic and cultural reasons, that I think he keeps tabs on when I'm coming to or leaving the office, and that he talks bad about me, my work, and my department. Good reasons for disliking him.
He's one of the tech support managers, but I think he's moving on to some nebulous position where he works more directly with customers to solve problems. I actually think he is a good worker and probably serves his department well.
Anyway, he just sent out an email saying that he'll be on vacation all next week and out of the office the week after.
Get those devil horns up people! Rock with me!
Woo Hoo!
Stupid Fucking Jackass of the Day
Today's award goes to life-long buffoon and great actor Martin Sheen for his latest display of Jackassery. As told in Friday's
Page Six:
Oft-arrested protester Martin Sheen told "Access Hollywood" Schwarzenegger got his marching orders from the Bush administration. "The California recall is an effort to grab the state for the Republicans," Sheen said. "I suspect this came out of the White House. Frankly, it makes perfect sense after Florida."
Sheen is the last person to make judgements about what makes "perfect sense".
Crime and Judy at the Empty Bottle Tonight
So, I'll take another trip down 94 to see
Crime & Judy. Should be a good show, although I'm not sure how many people will be there.
Buy a ticket and join me, I need some excitement!
Dream
It's nice to see my 3 and 4 part dreams returning.
These happen when I enter into a long and rapid pattern of waking and falling asleep. This usually only occurs in the mornings. A dream from one sleep session gets continued in the next sleep session. Sometimes I can string a bunch of these together, today was one of those days.
I'm not a guy who's overly attracted to blondes, just the opposite really. I like long dark hair, dark skin, dark eyes, ...but the women in my dreams are always blondes.
This morning it was an attractive blind cartoonist I met on a bus. I think we were traveling to the same college class. Having recognised her from class, I sat next to her and struck up a conversation.
Another oddity about my dreams, the sets usually remain the same. The bus, bus route, and college are all from previous dreams. I'm not sure why my brain re-uses the same scenery because I'm neither economical or cheap.
This girl and I communcated through instant messaging when we weren't together. She was sceptical of me, ...always kept me at an arms length, which made me want her all the more.
In the continuing sleep sessions, I had an interlude where I controlled a t-rex through a video game, climbed a sloping rock wall, argued with my roommate, and became aware that I was a quasi-private eye.
I drove a convertible kit car, made mix tapes for the blind girl, and was involved in a case (involving her) where I was protecting drug runners from the police. The blind girl was one of these people. The cops wanted to find out where the drugs came from and where they were going. The people in the middle (portrayed as innocent in this dream) refused to give up their friends. The cops put pressure on me as well.
The blind girl pleaded with me to help them. If I talked, many innocent people would be arrested for using drugs recreationally or delivering them. I agreed, and burried the drugs in an old alley. I was picked up by the cops soon after, and released within hours.
My IM software told me that the blind girl was also carrying on a relationship with another man, but it seemed less intimate than our relationship. I had to find out who this guys was. Was he working with us against us? Or, was he just interested in her? And is she interested in him? In me?
After being released from jail, I kept telling the other drug runners that I had to go see the blind girl, but they thought it was too dangerous. But I would not relent. They argued with me and began preventing me from seeing her.
Then I woke up.
Weekend Agenda
After another short-but-feels-like-a-month week of getting nothing done at work, here's the agenda for the short-but-feels-like-an-afternoon weekend.
Early Friday night - Mistreaters Benefit at the Cactus
Purpose: help the Mistreaters get back on their feet after the
Great Van Fire of 2003
Talking points: All Mistreaters events have a descent chance of breaking out into total anarchy.
Late Friday night - Mad Planet, 80's dance night
Possibilities: If sober enough to navigate to Riverwest from the South side.
Talking points: Try not to stare at her. Yes, she's amazing. She doesn't know you exist and never will.
Saturday - Political rally supporting a property tax freeze
Location: Serb Hall (if you don't know where that is, you don't live in Milwaukee. Ask someone who does.)
Possibilities: We'll see. Got lots to do tomorrow. The real reason to go is to take pictures of the smarmy teachers union toadies who will show in support of raising taxes in the 3rd highest taxed state.
Saturday Evening - Crime and Judy CD Release All Ages show
Purpose: Why go to an all ages show? To see DOOMBUGGY, who isn't playing the +21 show later on.
Possibilities: Likely
Saturday Night early - PACKERS VS FALCONS 7pm
Talking points: joy joy joy joy, say it enough and it sounds like a pogo stick.
Saturday Night Crime and Judy CD Release
Purpose: Rock
Talking points: Mistreaters. Crime and Judy. Call the fire department now.
Possibilities: Attend even if stricken with the West Nile Virus.
Sunday - Recovery
Purpose: Car washing, dog walking, weight lifting.
Who the F@@K Cares?
Why is
this news?
This is news that is fit for the RNC newsletter or a Washington gossip page, ...not for a major metropolitan newspaper.
Oh wait ...I saw this in the Milwaukee Journal.
Never mind.
Normal Looking People
I've learned to distrust normal-looking people as much as weird-looking people.
Here's a
good example why.
You would not expect tattoed and body pierced crusty-punk to do this, ...they have more sense.
To be clear, this woman is not a criminal in my book. Just a dunce. A weird dunce.
Our Paper Sucks
The Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel sucks.
Imagine this in your own hometown:
Your downtown business/entertainment district is nearly dead for years. Recently, this district has seen a revival. New condos. New clubs. Restaurants. Bars. Life!
The downtown area turns into a magnet, drawing in more and more people. It turns upscale. It becomes one of the most desirable places to live in the state.
Then, imagine that a club opens up in this district. Nearby parking garages turn into drug-selling dens. People are mugged and beaten up in the same area.
Then, on a Wednesday night in early August, there is a shooting in this upscale, safe, vibrant downtown neighborhood.
Several people are shot, the assailant gets away but his description and a description of his car are released by police.
You'd think the only newspaper in the city would mention this.
You'd be wrong.
Ok, what about Porter?
The Bucks hired hometown kid-makes-good Terry Porter as their
new coach.
The frustration is not that he has any bad qualities or history, it's that he has no coaching history at all. He served 1 year as an assistant in Sacramento. That's it.
It's also distrubing that they are following the example of the Brewers by hiring an inexperienced coach who only got the job because he has connections to the community and is willing to work for almost no money.
The Buck's were the second best team in the east last year. Aside from San Antonio, no one played the Nets as tough as the Bucks did. That team has been dismantled, the GM gone, 2 great point gaurds gone, coach gone, ...we did not have to end up at this point.
I liked the Brewers move because they were at rock bottom and it was a step up. I don't like the Bucks move because no step down was necessary.
I'm not against the hiring of Porter as much as I am against the process that made him the most logical choice.
No playoffs this year.
Property Tax Revolt
Our fearless governor, Jim Doyle, has really
misread the public.
That much is obvious.
But he really began to misread the public back during his election campaign.
Taxes were a big issue in that race because we a have a huge budget shortfall in Wisconsin. The then-governor, Scott McCallum, refused to raise taxes and focused on cutting spending and using the tobacco settlement money to ease the budget woes.
Doyle had no plan for the budget problem. Naturally, everyone suspected he was just going to raise taxes. In fact, I think that
was his original plan.
To win the election, he had to promise (repeatedly) not to raise taxes.
When he said this, it meant something different to him than it did to the public. The public saw this as a promise to ease their tax burden. Doyle saw this as merely a technical promise to not actually personally decree a raise in something labeled a "tax".
He thought he could get away with passing a budget that shifted the tax burden to the cities, knowing that the cities will raise the taxes instead of him. A shell game. He knows it. We know it. His future as governor depends on his ability to sell this shell game.
The legilature (senate and assembly) passed a property tax freeze. Doyle vetoed it.
Off came his mask.
Exposed, he's playing the bitter "right-wing conspiracy" angle.
Keep it up Jim.
Please keep it up.
In the OKC
My buddy, the 80's rocker child, is moving to the OKC.
His company is opening a new plant down there and he figures he can move up the ladder faster by going to a new plant where he will immediately have more seniority than most anyone else.
Also, property taxes are much lower down there, the winters aren't as bad, ...and, ...well there's not much else. It's STILL OKC. Not much going on. Not much nearby. No professional teams.
Anyway, this is his last week here. He's been my closest friend since high school. We IM and email each other more than we talk or hang out, so we'll still keep in touch just as much.
The biggest problem is that he is my only tennis partner/opponent. Now I need to find a new one. Partner, that is.
Winter Plans
With the cancelation of the charming, rainy, Dublin pub-crawl/vacation, ...I've decided to remain at home and forgo all vacations this year.
Other projects need the money and my house needs cleaning (I live squalor at the moment), so another boring summer has officially been made law. Enforcable by mosquito bites, humidity, and annonymity.
Anyway, my Dublin girl has invited me to meet her in Manchester or London this fall/winter, with an outside chance that I could meet with her in Beijing!
Memory Loss
My memory started to leave me about 1 year after college.
I assumed it was happening because my short-term memory (very strong at that time) was no longer getting a lot of exercise.
I can't say it's gotten worse, but it hasn't gotten better.
It only takes me seconds to forget important tasks. At least once a day I walk into a room, stop, and search my mind for the reason I was walking into the room in the first place.
Returning DVDs to Blockbuster is another thing I cannot seem to remember. Ususally, I watch the movie the day I rent it, and can return it anytime after that. Not only do I forget to return it during the rental period, but I forget for (sometimes) weeks afterwards. I'll remind myself daily, place the DVD in a place where I will see it when I leave the house, but still forget it.
Perhaps it is time to buy those herbal supplements that promise a mightier brain.
Like the Three Chambered Peanut
Today's fortune came in an interesting package. Two indiviual packages unnaturally joined together, with both fortune cookies in one side. From the broken shards in the otherwise empty side and the dust sealed in at the middle of the package, it appears that one fortune cookie slid halfway out of the package just as the machinery descended to seal it, crushing the cookie, sending most of the cookie into the preceding package and the rest into empty package.
It must be a good sign.
The broken cookie contained the following fortune:
"Your future will be happy and productive."
The intact cookie contained:
"Good sense is the master of human life."
It also informed me that August is called
Ba-Yue in China.
So, will I have a happy and productive Ba-Yue as the fortunes suggest? Check back in 31 days.
