Gone Camping

We are headed off into the woods this week. We should have another Isa Report when we return. We are headed to Door County and Peninsula State Park on the peninsula between Lake Michigan and Green Bay.

The Lastest Isa Report

After her mother's bedtime prayer, Isa said that she wanted to say her own prayer. So she said, "Hey, God! Thank you for the new toilet. Thank you for the new children at church. Thank you for our new house."

"What toilet?" said her mother, Michelle K.

"Amen." Isa said quickly. "Is God in your stomach?"

"Yes." said Michelle K. "He is everywhere."

"Does he pull hair?" said Isa. Then she said herself, "Nooooooo. He loves you. Only big sisters pull your hair when she's mad at you."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I do not pull her hair.

**This Isa Report has been authored by Willa.

Sometimes when I'm Falling, Flying . . .

Did you see it last night? It was fantastic. The Library of Congress honored a hero of mine. Paul Simon was given the first Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. A fantastic array of artists from numerous genres were on hand to perform versions of Paul Simon songs.

Since my youthful discovery of my parents' "Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits" cassette, Paul Simon's music has been an integral part of the soundtrack of my life. I have sung Simon and Garfunkel tunes with many of my oldest friends. I sat in the very top row of the Fox Theater with one of those old friends while the songs from "Graceland" and the smell of marijuana washed over us.

A few years later, I went to what was then called Riverport with a bigger group of friends for the "Rhythm of the Saints" tour. My favorite song that day was a fantastic version of "An American Tune."

Now, I haven't seen Paul Simon live since that day at Riverport. But his last album has a song that really speaks to me. It's called "Father and Daughter."

I'm gonna watch you shine
Gonna watch you grow
Gonna paint a sign
So you'll always know
As long as one and one is two
There could never be a father
Who loved his daughter more than I love you

That's a Winner!

While I slumbered the Birds evened the season series with the Royals. I watched the bottom of the ninth, but couldn't stay awake for extra innings.

For one day, all is again right in the universe.

Is It Wrong?

Another note about last night's game: During Juan Encarnacion's at bats last night, I was rooting against him extending his hitting streak. Is that bad?

They flashed some funny numbers on the scoreboard when he batted. His average during the streak, .288. He had exactly 21 hits in his streak. I guess that's about as bad as you can hit and still have an 18 game streak. Sounds like a lot of 1 for 4 nights.

Anyway, last night I used Karma to put an end to the anomalous streak.

Cards Even Series

I was in the eleventh row of section 155 last night. My buddy Chuck scored some awesome tickets at work. We were between the end of the home-plate screen and the Royals Dugout. A perfect angle to see Chris Duncan' eyes light up on meat ball delivered by the Royals' Scott Elarton.

Ole' Abner delivered a perfect evening for baseball. The temps were in the low eighties at the first pitch. There was a bar selling Schlafly's near our section.

The game lasted only two hours and ten minutes. I was home and in bed by 11:30 pm.

I ran my record to 2-1 on the season.

The Isa Report

June 18th, 2007 - Subject: Courage

Splinter Courage

Isa was brave (and squirmy and screamy!) when she had to get a splinter taken out of her foot last night.
Reporter Willa has all the details.
When I got there to do the weekly Isa Report, Isa was screaming.
I had to do this report on myh own, so I decided (since EVERYONE was busy) to not talk to anyone. It would bother them. I helped out too.
We FINALLY got it out. Isa refused a cookie. Was she sick?

The End

***This report has been brought to you by Willa. We are hoping this will become a regular blog feature. We encourage other young authors with siblings to write as well.

Cardinals 7, Royals 3

Looks like tonight will be the rubber match in the I-70 series. The Cards prevailed yesterday behind some solid pitching from Adam Wainwright.

Go tell Andy how it will turn out tonight!!

Check This Out

Wikipedia is the coolest!

I have to say this . . .

If you loved watching Magic and Bird play, if you loved watching Jordan, you need to be watching LeBron play. It is akin to watching a flower bloom right before your eyes.

LeBron is amazing. He is the next great player who can transcend the game and the league the way Jordan, Bird, and Magic did.

Tonight he scored 48 points including the last 25 Cavalier points. It was stunning.

Cards/Royals update

St. Louis 21 29 .420 6.5
Kansas City 19 35 .352 14.5

Notice the last column. The number is how many games out of first place the team is. A small number indicates a more meaningful season (or some might say, a weak division). No matter how you interpret the numbers, one team is still playing for something, and the other team is merely playing out the season.

Something Must Be Done

When the free market begins to work in favor of the consumer, something must be done. The Bush Administration will not allow the free market to take advantage of Big Corporations. As I have told conservative friends of mine before, small business and individuals both get the shaft from the Bush Administration. This is a perfect example of both groups getting the shaft.

The Wizard

A big group went to see the Cardinals Tuesday night to celebrate Dave's 40th birthday. We turned the Birds around that night. We stopped the six-game slide and had a blast.

Here are Willa and Isa hanging with the Wizard. I will post some more pics as soon as Dave sends me a few.

Baseball

In response to a loony commenter, I want to post the following:

Team Winning %
St. Louis Cardinals .419
Kansas City Royals .404

We will keep an eye on the developing situation.

Happy Birthday, Dave!

Here's a shout out to the newest member of the old man's club. Dave is still going strong at forty. He doesn't slide the trombone like he did when he was younger, but he didn't know what he was doing back then anyway.

The Bush Administration

The administration cares about nothing except political power. They have forced perceived political enemies from government. They will do anything to reinforce their political power.

The War

The next time I hear or read someone say that we are losing the war because of the 'Liberal Traitors,' I want them to read this.

More on Falwell

Here are some of Falwell's own words.

Falwell Dead

Our good friend Travis has an awesome take on this.

BBQ **UPDATED FOR CORRECT DATE**

It's that time of year again when I go out on limb and have a BBQ and hopes people will show up. The last two years have been great, but hot. This year Misti and I are hoping this will work with everyones' summer plans a little better by having it on Memorial Day weekend. More specifically May 26th. Golf will be in the morning and afternoon followed by a BBQ and live music that evening on Harper Hill overlooking the banks of the Cuivre river and the beautiful Davis skyline. Price of admission is merely a side dish. Misti and I look forward to this every year, and for some of you it is the only chance all year we get to see you. Just shoot us and e-mail and let us know if you can make it. Hope all is going well and we look forward to seeing you Memorial Day weekend.


Sweetlou.

Is This Child Abuse?

I returned to work after a conference in Milwaukee. My cubicle had been vandalized in my absence. I thought you guys might enjoy the pictures.

I attended the Brewers/Cardinals game at Miller Park Wednesday afternoon. Brewer fans are very nice. They seem to hate the Cubs as much as we do.

The Cardinals were terrible though. After Jim Edmonds and Chris Duncan our outfield is a complete disaster. We have a bunch of guys who either can't hit or can't field and in some cases, can do neither. We need to deal for a quality outfielder and get J-Rod up to the big club to strengthen the bench. And then we can start working on all the other problems.

The Brewers look very good to me. If they can keep getting quality starts from the pitchers they will have a very good chance to win the division. They have terrific group of young position players on the infield including a third baseman who is still in the high minors. (Remember to click the photos to get the full effect.)

What You've Been Waiting For!!!

Yes!!!
The Drunken Haiku contest is back on the blog of Paul and The Violent Farmers!!!

Question . . .

Riddle me this. If the President can attend funerals for some of the victims at Virginia Tech, why can't he find time to attend the funeral for one of the thousands of Americans killed serving in Iraq?

Meet Joe Murray

Here is a fantastic interview with a man who used to write articles condemning homosexuals for the American Family Association.

Where was the Biblical authority for the condemnation that all homosexuals were to burn in the fires of Hell? In order to answer that question, I decided to take an in depth study of the Bible to determine if what these conservative theologians were preaching was sound.

As I studied the Bible, I found that the word "sodomite" that was used in Corinthians and Romans referred not to all homosexuals, but largely to the promiscuous behavior of the Roman/Greek bathhouses and the use of boy prostitutes.

Take for instance, 1 Cor. 6:9-10, a verse commonly referred to support the argument that all forms of homosexuality are immoral. As I understand it, the Greek word translated as "boy prostitutes" may refer to catamites, i.e. the boys or young men kept for purposes of prostitution and the term translated for "sodomites" refers to all homosexual males who engaged in such practices with such boys. In other words, the condemnation of homosexuality in that passage, thus, refers only to homosexual males who engage the services of boy prostitutes-it is a very narrow definition.

This guy is a wonderful example for us all. It is so easy for us to hold on to our opinions. It is hard to truly examine our positons with a critical eye.

Wrestling at the Chase

Thinking of Converting

Andy points out this amazing church!

Newest Cardinal Apparel

Al Franken? Michael Moore? Nooooo . . .

This man agrees with me.

"Congress abdicated its oversight responsibility," he says. "The press abdicated its responsibility, and the American people abdicated their responsibilities. Terror was on the minds of everyone, and nobody questioned anything, quite frankly."

Republican Senator Chuck Hagel agrees with me. We don't agree on much, but this is a definitely a big one.

Make sure to read this. This is fine profile of the Senator from Nebraska.

Down by the River

Look who came to Springfield!

Aunt Eva

Did any of you know this lady? I'll bet she had some good stories to tell.

Good Reading

Here is a fine column. If only we could redo that 2000 presidential election.

**UPDATE** It turns out the author of this fine column is one of the reasons why America lost the 2000 election.

Put me in, Coach!

River has graciously volunteered to keep Jimmy (Edmonds) company for a couple of weeks! Note that River has the ball in his left hand. That's the way Uncle Roy says to go, and it helps that River's mom is a lefty.

Condolences

On Friday, February 16th, my parents' household changed dramatically. After 20 years of being a big part of their lives, Chelsea Cat went to play with my grandparents over the rainbow. She will be missed greatly, but she will also be remembered with smiles and gratitude. I'm sorry, Mom and Dad. Isa will miss her napping partner. We love you!

Shelly :)!

"You Don't Have to Worry About Me. I Won a Contest."

Six weeks ago my coworkers and I began a contest. Not the kind of contest alluded to in the title. This contest was modeled after the Big Loser show on television. Basically, the contestants attempt to lose the largest percentage of their original weight. Being heavier than I wanted to be, I decided to let my overly competitive instincts serve me in positive way for a change.

I must confess that many things fell perfectly for me. Within hours of learning about the contest I discovered that our church would be putting together a basketball team to participate in a local church league. Also, a brand new fitness center opened about a mile from our house. I volunteered to play on the team and joined the fitness center.

Working out wasn't the only thing I did. I changed the way I eat. I increased the number of meals I eat. That's right: increased. Increasing the frequency of the meals helps speed up the body's metabolism. Of course these meals are much smaller than previous meals, and I also choose the foods more carefully. I will never eat fast food fries ever again.

The most important thing I did was start drinking the recommended amount of water for my weight, and activity level. Your body needs to be well hydrated in order to operate efficiently. This includes efficient digestion and fat burning.

While this was a competition, the best thing about it was the camaraderie that developed. I have developed relationships with coworkers that I barely knew. Everyone sent out relevant web pages and articles that could help others. Everyone vocally supported other contestants. It helped create an environment of support and goodwill.

Our contest ended on Friday the sixteenth. We've decided to take a week off and start another one. This one will last three months instead of six weeks. We've added a twist. Anyone who loses at least five percent of their original body weight automatically gets half the entry fee back. We hope this will increase motivation for those who may not be near the top three money positions as the contest winds down.

Now, all of you who know me figure that I wouldn't have penned this post if my purpose was not to gloat. You know me all too well. I won the first contest by losing 21 pounds. I plan on losing 15 - 20 more in the next contest.

The gloating is secondary, though. I feel so much better. I enjoy the folks at the office more. And I scored a bunch of points in our basketball game tonight.

Hillary Should Have Listened

He was just a State Senator from Illinois at the time. If only some of our leaders in the Congress and the Senate had listened to his words.

Now let me be clear: I suffer no illusions about Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal man. A ruthless man. A man who butchers his own people to secure his own power.... The world, and the Iraqi people, would be better off without him. But I also know that Saddam poses no imminent and direct threat to the United States, or to his neighbors...and that in concert with the international community he can be contained until, in the way of all petty dictators, he falls away into the dustbin of history.

I know that even a successful war against Iraq will require a U.S. occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences. I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East, and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses of the Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm of al-Qaeda.

I am not opposed to all wars. I'm opposed to dumb wars.

Why the Anti-Hilary Venom?

Her speech explaining her vote for Senate Resolution S.J. 45 indicates to me very sound, conscientious reasoning on her part based on the information available at the time. Read it for yourself. Yes she voted for the resoultion, but she clearly calls for the use of force as a last resort and urges action through the U.N. . It now seems obvious that she, Congress, and Americans put too much faith and trust in the hands of the bumbling, semi-literate stooge that happens to be the 43rd President of the United States. She also makes the point that Saddam Hussein was a ruthless dictator that had murdered thousands of innocent people in Iraq and Iran, which I believe justified his removal from power.

As far as I can tell, she has been fairly consistent on the issue, more so than the current administration, and like most American citizens, believes it is time for the President to own up to the fiasco and focus on the War on Terror rather than pursue this dubious war in Iraq.

Iraq War Debate

It seems reasonable to me that the Iraq War Debate would be about the administration's new plan. The American people deserve to know what they plan to do differently to make this surge work. The majority of Americans believe we need to get the troops out of Iraq. They deserve a debate that explains why this surge would be a better plan.

This seems like a reasonable expectation to me. However, the Republicans believe differently. Here is a quote from a letter sent by GOP leaders to Republicans in Congress.

Democrats want to force us to focus on defending the surge, making the case that it will work and explaining why the President's new Iraq policy is different from prior efforts and therefore justified.

We urge you to instead broaden the debate to the threat posed to Americans, the world, and all "unbelievers" by radical Islamists. We would further urge you to join us in educating the American people about the views of radical Islamists and the consequences of not defeating radical Islam in Iraq.

A New Direction

Congressman Patrick Murphy of Pennsylvania is one of the heroes. Read what he had to say in the Iraq debate today.

Sad State of Affairs

Torture is wrong. It is devastating to the person being tortured. And as we see here, it is devastating to the person doing the torturing.

I have never said that the Bush administration is evil. This story, though, bothers me greatly. It is despicable to treat humans beings in this manner. It is despicable to force other human beings to do the dirty work. Behind them, this administration leaves broken lives, Iraqi and American.

Whether you believe we should have invaded Iraq or not, the conduct of this war is beyond incompetent. It is a disaster. It is a festering sore on America's soul.

She'll be missed

We lost one of the voices of reason in the media this week. These voices are dwindling. America will miss Molly Ivins.

More Photos!

We received this from Aunt Sarah.

Pictures!

Born on December 22, 2006 at 7:57 p.m. He weighed 7 lbs and was 19.5 inches long. Isn't he beautiful?

Unto us a Child is Born

Last night, David Harrison Reeves III was born. His nickname is River. River and his Momma are doing pretty well. We'll post more details and pictures as they arrive. Aunt Sarah missed the birth by seven minutes.

What a great Christmas present! All I got Shelly was a mixer.

Merry Christmas to all!!!!

Good Reading

Here's a new column from Joe Galloway, co-author of "We Were Soldiers Once . . . And Young." The movie is good too. I think it's one of MD's favorites. It is the story of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment in the Ia Drang Valley in Central Vietnam in 1965. Galloway co-authored the book with Hal Moore, the commanding officer of the unit at the time.

Request Permission to Join the Validity Committee

Please, tell me someone else out there saw "The Office" last night. It was hilarious. If you haven't seen the show you're missing out.

Pop Culture World Series

My roommate Josh, Webmistress Aimee, and yours truly, have been accepted to compete in VH1's Pop Culture World Series!!! We travel to the Windy City on the weekend of February 3rd to kick some pop culture asses.

Now I need your help. Our original name was going to be "A Chinese Viking Named Aimee", but the name axers at VH1 rejected it, so they went with our back up "Domestic Blend". I think that name blows, so I've decided to have a contest to give our trio of dogooders a new name. It should probably have something to do with pop culture, but if it's catchy enough we'll go with anything.

...and if we use your name, you will receive a team shirt that proudly displays said name on the front.
This time you will for sure actually receive the prize, because VH1 says we gotta dress coordinated, so the shirts will have to be made.

Listen to the Mighty Trojans

Here. Live on the internet. I got this site from these other blogs you may find interesting.

Iraq Assessment

Senator Chuck Hagel gives us an honest assessment of the Iraq situation and what the US needs to do. The Republican leadership in the Senate is not like their counterparts in the House of Representatives.

The Truth Starts to Ooze Out

This commentary, as the author says, is twelve years late. The Republican leaders of the House of Representatives over the last twelve years are an unsavory bunch. Over this period, the will and the welfare of the American people have been their least concern.

The American people have given the Democrats an opportunity to take this country in a new direction. I hope they don't fritter away this opportunity amid scandal and hypocrisy as the House Republicans have done for the last twelve years.

Hooray!!

The Cards sign Shelly's favorite player for two more seasons!!!! That means no more Juan Pierre nightmares for me!

Speaker Pelosi

Turns out that all those stories about Nancy Pelosi being a "San Francisco Liberal" are mostly made up. Come to think of it, the "San Francisco Liberal" is a fictional demon designed by Newt Gingrich to frighten folks who hate homosexuals.

The Administration is Incompetent

If you heard me say these words they'd probably go in one ear and out the other. But what if Richard Perle and Kenneth Adelman said it? These two men were neocons on the Defense Policy Board. They were both Pentagon advisors who believed deeply in the Iraq war. Adelman pulls no punches in his analysis of the administration.

"I just presumed that what I considered to be the most competent national security team since Truman was indeed going to be competent," Mr Adelman said.

"They turned out to be among the most incompetent teams in the postwar era. Not only did each of them, individually, have enormous flaws, but together they were deadly, dysfunctional."

What he said . . .

I am a bit more leery of the Democrats than Travis, but mostly I agree with this rant.

Anyone Catch This Documentary?

I sure would like to see this if anyone recorded it. We talked about this issue before on here. If the company makes a voting machine, won't show you the code, and won't produce paper confirmation of the ballots, do not trust those machines. It is simple to fix an election with such a device.

If you vote in a place that has a electronic voting machines ask them for paper confirmation. Ask them if they have the source codes for their machines. See what they say. In the future, we will discover that elections have been fixed with these devices.

That's a Winner!!

The picture is from Thursday night, but the result remains the same. What a postseason! How about David Eckstein winning the Series MVP? No one deserves it more.

I will post some more about my trip to the World Series this weekend. But for now, Go Crazy Folks! Go Crazy!

World Series

I'm off to game four of the World Series with Roy, Sarah, and Parke. We're going to try to stay warm and dry. I'll get some pictures.

Go Cards!

What really matters

Pat Tillman's brother celebrates Pat's birthday with a stirring commentary on the current political situation. The elections are no longer about who should get the biggest tax cut or who should pay their fair share.

These elections are about the soul of our nation. Remember Kevin Tillman's words.

In a democracy, the policy of the leaders is the policy of the people. So don't be shocked when our grandkids bury much of this generation as traitors to the nation, to the world and to humanity.

HELP!

We need a private detective! We need to investigate the inexplicable disappearance of the Cardinals Chris Duncan.

In the ninth, I was waiting for him to come out of the dugout and hit. I thought he would hit for Preston Wilson. But he didn't. We were lucky though. Doug Jones hit Wilson with a pitch. I thought for sure he would hit for Molina. But he didn't.

Tony must have been scouring the clubhouse trying to find him. Surely, he would have used the big lefty against a right hander if Duncan weren't missing in action.

Ol' Abner Has Done It Again

What a game! Baseball is like no other game. The intensity ratchets up on every pitch during a big at bat. There were big at bats a-plenty last night.

Yadier joins the ranks of Tom Lawless as an unlikely hero in Cardinals postseason lore. The young catcher sent us all to bed smiling.

I hope they sign Jeff Suppan for next season. He has defnitely stepped us pitching in big games.

Enjoy the series. It's like the Lasorda World Series ads, I live for this.

Game Seven

There is nothing like a game seven. Of course, I was really hoping they'd pull it out in six. Grab your lucky penny. Squeeze your rabbit foot. Put on your lucky hat and your lucky socks. I'm also going to pick up a lucky six-pack.

We can't complain about the pitching matchup tonight. I hope Suppan can do it again.

It's going to be a long day.

The Frozen Tundra

Shelly and I attended our first game at Lambeau Field on Sunday. It was a great experience. It was football in all its glory. No Dome. No fake grass.

This statue stands outside the newly added atrium. Apparently, this guy coached the Packers for a few years and won a few games.

We saw a typical Packers game. It ended with Favre driving his team down the field. Unfortunately, his line let him down, and the Rams forced a game-deciding turnover.

Favre is definitely not done yet. He made some terrific throws with Rams defenders circling him. He made a couple of throws that only he could make.

Bulger played well for the Rams, too. If only they could figure out how to score in the red zone.

Shelly pretended I didn't exist for about three hours. I still don't understand why.














Here's my brother-in-law, Tom, in front of a mural of his favorite linebacker.

What a Weekend!

What a great weekend! All my teams won! Denver! St. Louis Rams and the Cardinals! The Missouri Tigers rumbled to 6 - 0! Did I mention that I witnessed the Rams game from the friendly confines of Lambeau Field!??!

Tomorrow, I'll have some photos for you from Lambeau. My wife was as giddy as a child at Disneyland.

I sure hope the Birds have another miracle in them this week. Meanwhile, watch this video courtesy your 2006 Missouri Tigers.

Back from Chicago

I made it back from Chicago. What an exciting week it was. I saw Jeanne and Jeff perform at Jeanne's 40th Birthday show. It was a great time. I have a couple of clips from the show. I'll try to post them in the next few days.

I saw another show, took in a White Sox game, and ate some great food. I think I managed to put on some pounds despite walking several miles a day.


The best part of the week, however, was getting off the train back in Springfield where a couple of girls ran up and embraced my legs.

Off to Chicago

Tomorrow, I 'm riding the rails. I'm off to Chicago for a week. My job puts me in Chicago, and the timing couldn't be better. I'm going to be attending Jeanne Arrigo's 40th birthday show at the Speakeasy Supper Club in Chicago. Opening for Jeanne will be some dude name Jeff.

If I don't forget my camera, I'll try to get some shots for the blog. Maybe I'll be able to catch a video clip as well. My digital camera is pretty cool.

If you're not doing anything tomorrow, hop a freight train to the Windy City. You won't regret it.

The Stories

Misti's comment on the last post prodded me to post this link. It is a link to an NPR project called StoryCorps. Not only are there stories from 9/11 families, but there are stories from Katrina victims and stories about the trials and tribulations of ordinary Americans.

Misti is right about these stories. They are more important than a movie casting blame. They make us realize how important it is to look at these events with an unjaundiced eye. When the politicians err, real people pay the price.

Interestingly, ABC has issue a statement about the movie in response to the criticism. It says the movie is not a documentary, but a docudrama with fictionalized scenes. Is there any good reason to produce a movie about 9/11 with fictionalized scenes? I think Misti is right about this movie. I'll be doing myself a big favor if I don't watch it.

ABC Pushes Right Wing Myths

The New ABC movie "The Truth About 9/11" is not going to be the truth at all. It is purportedly based on the Report of the 9/11 Commission. However, some of the scenes directly contradict the report.

Any doubt about the true goal of this piece is swept away when one considers the who received advanced copies. Former President Clinton was denied a copy. Obfuscator-in-Chief, Rush Limbaugh, however, received a copy.

A key scene of the movie points to the failings of the Clinton administration. Former Anti-Terrorism Chief Richard Clarke points out the scene is entirely fiction. In fact, the scene is based on a right-wing myth that the Clinton administration had the opportunity to kill Bin Laden and backed down.

Sandy Berger never said the things his character says in this movie. The instance alluded to in this scene was called off by the CIA Director George Tenet who was appointed before Clinton was President. They could not confirm the intelligence, so he called off the attack on Bin Laden. There is no way to know if this call was right in this instance or not, but shooting missiles based on single-source intelligence is not a good idea.

There are more errors in this movie: enough to make you question the motives of the folks who produced it.

A prime time television analysis of this important event needs to be free from partisan stain. To foist this fictionalized piece on the American people is more than a disservice. It is un-American. It will only serve to deepen the divides that have grown so wide under the Bush administration.

**most of the links above are from Thinkprogress.org
**if you follow these links you will find them well-sourced

Racing Around the Bases

Here are three cousins racing around the bases Sunday at the new Busch Stadium. Heading into second is Parke. Willa is behind him, and Ben is trailing the pack in the little Pujols shirt.

It was a great day for the kids to be at Busch. Earlier, Albert had trotted the same path three times with the crowd roaring.

Stubby's Announcement

If you haven't met our pooch, I believe most of you have heard David and I talk about our little dachshund, Stubby. Check him out!

Climbing High

One of the traditions we have on our annual summer trek north to the land of cheese and cherries, is the climbing of Eagle Tower. This 75-foot tower sits on a 180-foot bluff looking out over Green Bay (the bay, not the city). In this picture you may not be able to make out the folks in the picture. From left to right, Me, Isa (she's hard to see if you don't click on the picture and see the large version), and my nephew Kaanan. Willa is up there but not pictured. I carried Isa all the way up and all the way down. She loved every minute of it. Shelly plays her traditional role of grounded photographer.

Cards vs. Cubs 8/27

Since they changed the game on Sunday 8/27 from 1:15 to 7:05 RWP has decided not to take the boys. He has four free tickets available on a first come, first serve basis. Call or email RWP or me.

Joke of the Day

While waiting to hear about Paulie's date with his new, online Cinderella, I thought I'd post a joke sent to me by lawyerly sister. (I'll post some of our vacation pictures as soon as I get a new camera battery.)

A Doctor, an engineer and a lawyer were arguing over
whose profession was the oldest.

The doctor said, "On the sixth day, God took one
of Adam's ribs and created Eve. So that makes Him a
surgeon first."

"Please," replied the engineer. "Before that, God
created the world from chaos and confusion. So He
was first an engineer."

"Interesting," the lawyer retorted. "But who do
you think created the chaos and confusion?"

Win a date with an Asian

Loufest was a great time for everyone, I even carried my golf partner to victory and won many beers and logo balls, but it got me thinking about something. I think I'm the only active member of this blog that isn't married. Couple that with the fact that I turned 34 Saturday, and I realized that I needed to take charge and make something happen. So at the urging of my friend Aimee I decided to take a stab at the on-line dating scene. As some of you may know, quite some years ago I had a terrifying experience with a girl I met through a personal ad, and ever since then I have vowed never to attempt anything even remotely similar to that again, but drastic times take drastic measures. Anyway I have decided to let you married folk have a taste of what it's like in the on-line dating world.

I signed up Saturday on match.com (it had a picture of Doctor Phil so I figured it had to be respectable) and wrote a funny little profile to try and bag my internet babe. Well it's been two days in and I'm proud to say that I've already had someone showing some interest. In fact I'm so exited about it I'd like to share the e-mail she sent me: Her name/handle is pussymama1 (I'm not making this up) and her message is a follows:


Hello Dear

How are you doing i do love your profile and everything about you,you look so nice and am sure your way of living will be good enough to live and get together with.Well I'm Jennifer M. Sime.I'm pretty much outgoing person and Honest! unpretentious, low maintenance, easy going. I enjoy outdoor activities, skiing, swimming, trips to the beach..I'm from Calabasas Hills, CA.I have Degree in Business Adminstrator.I have a kind sense of humor,pretty much outgoing person and Honest! unpretentious, low maintenance, easy going. I enjoy outdoor activities, skiing, swimming, trips to the beach and love to laugh and to make that special someone laugh also. I am very sincere in finding true love for a life time and am a very loyal Lady . I am very easy going and have a great sense of humor. I am also a very deeply passionately romantic lady but can be with only that one in which I will share all life with.i like to do all the normal things that a human likes to do. I want to find my best friend and lover wrapped up into one. I guess best friend and lover wrapped up into one really doesn't describe it the way I would like. I want to meet that life partner that I can not wait to wake up in the morning to see or get home from work to share smiles, laughs and good conversation. I want to be able to pick up the phone at work and tell that special somebody what the goofy person in the next office over just did. I would like to meet that one person that will love me as much as I love them. And show each other the love in little special ways. Like a card for no reason or cook you some soup when you are feeling under the weather. .Am the only Daugther of my Late parent they died in an auto accident in the state on 20th of july 2004 since then i relocate to stay with my Uncle in Norfolk but he treated me bad and he even tried to rape me several time when he is drunk so i then ran away from him before he ruined my life .so i decide to travel to West Africa country to meet a bosom friend of mine in Nigeria which is the place am at right now but in getting here she fell ill of malaria and i have to rush her down to the Hospital for better treatment and help her financially by paying her bills and medication which makes me to get broke now.but the problem is that am owing the hotel i lodge into some money and the hotel manager seizes my passport and my return ticket that i must pay for the bill before i can get out of here. So I would like to help me out with some Money and even i don't if you could allow me to stay there with u for a bit when i get back to the states.because I don't want to stay with my uncle anymore.Tell me about you You sound nice.!!!.

Love Jennfer



So what do you think? I thought I would never find love, but now I've I got new hope thanks to pussymama1/Jennfer (Jennfer?). I'll keep you guys up to date on my new internet girlfriend, but right now I have to go clear a spot on my couch and in my bank account cause pussymama is coming to town.


Love Pal.. urr Paul



ps- is malaria contagious?

LOUFEST!

TOMORROW!

BE THERE!

Or we'll get drunk and curse you.

Cool Colette

I emailed Boz and family to inform them of the festivities at Lou's house on the 22nd. Boz replied with this lovely smile. Colette already has her daddy wound tightly around her pinkie finger.

I think we'd all like to see more pictures of the kids. It's been awhile. MD and family are sure to bring some great pictures back from Disney. It will be fun comparing the pictures of the kids with those already posted on the blog. So, everyone post more pictures of the kids!!!!

Hiatus

Some of you may have noticed the dearth of posts on the blog lately. I have been stretched thin over the past 4 - 6 weeks. In the interim, I made an enjoyable pilgrimage to Kansas City (Cerner-ville). While in KC, I visited several of our faithful readers. I saw the mighty T-Bones (best baseball team in KC) with Andy and his family. I watched DLS's daughter play some softball. I ate some wonderful ribs at Gates with Paulie.


I have also been working long hours and sleeping short ones since we've upgraded our software at work. Hopefully this will start to settle down, and I'll find some time and energy to blog.


This weekend the women have abandoned me. I planned to fill the void by playing lots of golf, but the weather was uncooperative. Instead I'll use the time to get going on the blog again.

I do want to plug Lou's party. He's planning a party on July 22nd. If the party is anything like last year, it'll be a blast. Jeff might skip the golf this year though. I only have one suggestion for Lou. Don't do all the food this year. It was delicious, but you guys don't need to do all that work. Just getting everyone together is hard enough. This year, I'm bringing the lyrics to "Two Hangmen."

One last thing I'd like to ask. Will you say some extra prayers for folks who have cancer? My Dad has been diagnosed with lung cancer, and there are lot of folks, young and old, out there fighting this difficult battle. Keep them all in your thoughts and prayers.

Joke of the Month

What do the Cardinals and Cubs have in common?

Neither have a won a World Series in their new stadium.

Calling All Kiss Fans.........

Or anyone interested in busting a gut. Watch tonight's rerun of last night's (damn I hate apostrophes - is that correct?) The Daily Show. There are some hard-hitting interviews with Kiss tribute bands that are not to be missed.

Fill in the blank

Via the good doctor, what word is missing from this CBS headline?

Run Don't Walk . . .

Don't be the last guy on your block to buy this. The word is out. This is his best effort since Graceland.

By the way, when the Graceland tour hit the Fox Theater in St. Louis, Howdy and I were in the very top row. It was awesome. The air up there, however, had a very strange odor. For some reason it reminded me of the bedroom JP shared with his brother during our high school days.

Joke of the Day

A Chicago family of Cubs fans heads out to shop for the youngest boy's
birthday. While in the sports shop, the son picks up a Cardinals
jersey and says to his older sister, "I've decided to become a Cardinals fan
and I would like this St. Louis jersey for my birthday."

His big sister is outraged by this and promptly whacks him upside his
head and says, "Go talk to Mother!"

"Mom?"

"Yes, son?"

"I've decided I'm going to be a Cardinals fan and would like this
jersey for my birthday."

The mother, outraged at this, promptly whacks
him and says, "Go talk to your father!"

Off he goes with the Cardinals jersey in hand and finds his father.

"Dad?"

"Yes, son?"

"I'm going to be a Cardinals fan and want this jersey for my birthday."

The father then proceeds to whack his son in the back of his head and
says, "No son of mine is ever going to be seen in THAT!"

Back in the car and heading home, the father turns to his son and says
"I hope you've learned something today."

The son says, "Yes, Dad, I have."

"Good, son, what is it?"

The son replies, "I've only been a Cardinals fan for an hour, and I
already hate you Cub bastards."

It could be. . . It might be . . .

Let's see if Andy's still reading this blog . . .


This man hit 14 home runs in April.





This team hit 14 home runs in April. I guess they're not getting many free Krispie Kreme doughnuts this year.

Another Saturday Night

If Robbie Fulks comes to a venue near you, do not miss it!! Roy, Shelly, and I went to the Underground City Tavern last night to see Robbie. He was unbelievable. In fact, the whole night was quite interesting. Before the music even started my wife was holding some woman's giant penis.

Springfield songwriter Tom Irwin opened the show. His folk tunes infused with stories and humor provided a nice start.

Robbie Fulks and his band were next. We knew we were in for a treat when Robbie, his bass player, and his lead guitarist warmed up with a jazzy version of "Sleigh Ride." The musicianship in the show was incredible. At one point, during a tribute to the great Buck Owens, they were taking request for Owens' songs. They started a request, "Act Naturally," and Robbie determined it was too low. He said, "Let's go to A." And without a pause the band jumped keys together and kept rolling.

Robbie is a fantastic singer with an amazing range. Even though his lead guitarist was excellent, Robbie was an even better guitar player. The bass player was excellent as well, displaying some obvious Jazz influences.

The music was a mash of Country, Rock, Bluegrass and Jazz. He also did a rap when he blew a string on his guitar. The band kept on playing the song while he rapped about changing the string. It was hilarious and impressive.

So go see Robbie! And take your wives! They will love it as much as you will.

Lennon Would Love It!

Give this tune a listen. It's quality entertainment.

What he said . . .

This guy has it about right. They may just be completely nuts.

Good Reading

The Senator from the great state of Massachussetts is on fire. We need more leaders like him. In fact, wouldn't it be nice if he were President?

Cards vs Pirates April 26 at 12:10 PM

Anyone interested in accompanying me to the game? I have 6 tickets total so 5 available, no charge except perhaps a cold, frosty beer. And be warned, I often evoke rage from those seated near me by catching "their" foul balls.

Tornados

Here are some pictures from the storm damage here in Springfield, IL. Some folks were not as fortunate as our family.

NCAA Today

March Madness kicks off today. If anyone made picks on ESPN and doesn't have a group to join, you can join the group called 'Crazy Phillips Family' by entering our high school mascot as the password. Anyone who gets in the group and wants to side bet a six pack, let me know in the comments for this post.

Craziness from Missouri

My man Andy's keeping his eye on things back in Missouri for me. It's getting easier for me to say I'm from Illinois.

Makes My Blood Boil

Dana Reeve died this week. In my reading about her I found this. I had no idea. Make sure you click the link and read the column from the time of Christopher Reeve's death. It made me angry and sad.

Darfur

The Senate did it last week. It's time for the American public to do it now. We need to pledge troops to NATO to help secure Darfur until a UN peacekeeping mission can intervene. Tell the President not to fail Darfur the way President Clinton failed Rwanda.

SPLASH!

Here's one of the balls that didn't make it back to Illinois.

I know what you're thinking: it looks like Lloyd. It's really Seamhead though.

Listening to Drive By Truckers . . .

These guys are good.

Don’t call what your wearing an outfit. Don’t ever say your car is broke.
Don’t sing with a fake British accent. Don’t act like your family’s a joke.
Have fun, but stay clear of the needle, call home on your sister’s birthday.
Don’t tell them you’re bigger than Jesus, Don’t give it away.

Live From Palm Springs

Roy and I are off on a little golfing adventure. We've spent the last three days on various golf courses in Palm Springs, CA. It's sunny and warm. The weather has been perfect. My golf however, leaves a bit to be desired. After we return, we'll post more photos and stories. Hafa adai.

Blog Daddy Takes Us To Daytona

Don't miss Blog Daddy's post about this weekend's upcoming Daytona 500. Remember, root for the 99! Go Carl!

The Mighty Quinn

JP was able to snap this at Wal-mart in Columbia yesterday.

A Couple of Suggestions

Here's two things you can do to make your life a little better in the middle of a cold winter:

1) Get Jeff's CD. I have been listening to the one my sister sent for my Mom. There's some good stuff on there.

2) Get Tom Russell's "The Long Way Around." RWP and Skeeter Master will tell you this guy is an awesome storyteller. These songs are great. I can't stop listening to it.

It's Finally Here!

I've been waiting for this. It's got 5 blades! And another one on the back of the razor! I've got to get me one of those. I guess I follow new razors the way some guys follow the models of their favorite cars. I yearn for razor advancements the way some guys yearn for the latest in Golf technology or the way JP anticipates the latest, greatest Frisbee. (Is it possible to improve the Frisbee?) Someday, I'll have a razor with 50 blades on it. Shaving will take about 30 seconds. And my head will be as smooth as a marble countertop.

When Are We Going to Mars?

The most disappointing part of the State of the Union for me was the stuff that was left out. I was on the edge of my seat waiting to hear more about the Mars trip. I mean Bush said we were going to send a man to walk on Mars!!! When is he going to follow up on that?

Oh, he didn't mean it literally . . .

I wonder what else he didn't mean literally.