A) Favre camp. B) Anti-Favre camp. C) Cheer for the Packers but hope Favre plays well.
And just because Favre and Childress disagreed on something, the 11-3 Vikings' season is suddenly a "honeymoon that's over"? Ridiculous. I know. Trying to sell newspapers. I love it that newspaper readership is steadily declining. Hopefully they'll all be out of business sooner than later.
Penny Valentine, middle and Dusty Springfield, right. Sometime in the 1960's.
I scored a 7.5. Good enough to be "beautiful"? I think so. That's me being "beautiful" in a production of "HAIR" in 1995. That's Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul & Mary (left) and Michael Butler (right), the original producer of "HAIR" on Broadway.
74 Bryant McKinnie - T
93 Kevin Williams - DT
18 Sidney Rice - WR
69 Jared Allen - DE
59 Heath Farwell - Special Teams
28 Adrian Peterson - RB
76 Steve Hutchinson - Guard
4 Brett Favre - QB
CONGRATULATIONS, VIKES! Now - let's play 4 quarters next week at home against the Giants, hope Dallas (at home) can beat Philly, and we're the 2nd seed in the NFC Conference playoffs. The talent is obvious (11-4). It's all psychological, boys. SKOL FAVRE! SKOL VIKINGS!
So, the former head coach of the Texas Tech football team, Mike Leach, finds himself in hot water for locking receiver Adam James in the "woodshed" ("dark shed", "storage closet", whatever the fuck it was he locked him in) because Coach Leach thought James was faking a concussion.
Before Leach could whip out the switch on James, Leach gets the boot. Normally I wouldn't condone such behavior by a coach - any adult, for that matter. However, Adam James ain't the little drummer boy, according to a number of sources.
But don't tell his daddy, former NFLer and ESPN college analyst Craig James. James and his wife brought this matter to the Texas Tech administration's attention and all hell broke lose.
Like I said - normally I'd chastise Coach Leach. But I hate Craig James. Why? In 1998, James stated on ESPN that the #9-ranked Wisconsin Badgers were "the worst team to ever play in the Rose Bowl." Wisconsin went on to defeat the #6-ranked UCLA 38–31 in the 1999 Rose Bowl, led by ex-NFLer RB Ron Dayne. Afterward, Badger coach Barry Alvarez fired back, "Well, I know we're at least the second worst."
I never forgot that Craig James' comment. It was a dumb thing to say. And every time I see his face I think it was a dumb thing to say. Best part is that he got faced in the end - Wisconsin won the game. Call me jaded...Craig could tell me it's raining when it is raining and I wouldn't believe him. No credibility.
Craig James is a dick. Ergo, so is Adam James.
With Favre's 300+ yard game, 2 TDS and a 106 QB rating, I'd normally be happy.
Talk about a physically draining game. For me. Down 16-0 at the half, the Vikes decided to play the 2nd half and scored 30 points and established momentum. A Favre fumble in the 1st half led to 3 points for the Bears. Longwell missed one extra point. No protection for Favre in the 1st half. Shit defense. And the straw that killed the camel was in OT - Adrian Peterson's fumble - after getting a first down - sealed the Vike's fate. Not sold on AP. Sorry but the mindset in the beginning of the season about how Favre would have it easy just handing the ball to Peterson was bullshit and I never bought into it.
I love this film. Maybe 'cause we've had so much snow here in Wisconsin and we're getting psyched for our bow & arrow pheasant shoot next Sunday. Anyway, this was filmed entirely in Utah - various locations - some of it right on Redford's property at Sundance. Simple story about a simple man. Or was he? Directed by Sydney Pollack. Worth the watch.
When I began acting in the summer of 1994, I approached my initial audition and subsequent stage debut with some trepidation. I felt confident in this new journey I had undertaken, yet I was guarded about my feelings regarding whether I not I would thoroughly enjoy performing as much as I thought I might.
When I finally took my place on stage with the other actors on opening night, it was everything I had hoped it would be – nothing more…nothing less. It became my passion.
It was at that moment that I formulated the credos – the rules – that I would live the rest of my life by. They are: 1) there are no rules, 2) no regrets, and 3) be nice to people. They’re good rules; rules I believe all of us should adhere to, in some form or another.
As 2009 comes to a close, I look back on the year and past years. Certainly there are events and moments I wish had not transpired but do I regret they happened? No – for without those happenings, who can say I’d be the person I am today? As far as being nice to people – or not being nice to people, such as the case may be – well, there are those who don’t deserve “nice”. That’s just the way it is. If I make peace with my enemies, it will happen of its own volition.
My move to back to Wisconsin in September after 11 years in California has forced me to contemplate my future on a multitude of fronts – work, acting, writing, where to live, etcetera. My heart is empty for the friends I left behind. My heart cries for my goddaughter and her older sister. But they say change is good and I concur. The concept of change is not unlike this time of the season when we take stock of our lives and ponder our future. There’s very little certainty in the upcoming new year...more questions than answers. Over the course of this year, I’ve been acquainted with friends who’ve passed away, those who are dying, people with psychological problems, people who've suffered as a result of our country's economic draught; I’ve been laid off, moved across the country leaving dear friends behind. defriended and refriended, ignored and had my luggage put out on a stoop. If you can not relate, the chances of you being able to in the new year are quite good.
Life is short. So live today like it’s your last. Make hay while the sun shines. Eat, drink and be merry. Bury the hatchet with someone you love. Turn the other cheek. And all those other tried and true clichés. I know it’s easier said than done, but they’re tried and true for a reason. When was the last time you heard someone say, “A midget on prescription drugs may never find himself.”? You could at least say that you'll try to accept them – the clichés I've just mentioned. What’s the worst that can happen?
And just live life. The rest of it will follow.
(Origami is sort of my catchword for a featured blog post that highlights my original writings - could be an excerpt from one of my plays, a poem, a song, a rant, a rave, a cursing, etc. Origami is the art of folding paper (the word is of Japanese origin). Or, it could be the creative juices of someone else I know - or don't know. So, within the folds of this particular blog feature you may find something really beautiful, meaningful or poignant.)
I posted this last year but it's worth a repost. This is the best animated version of Dickens' classic Christmas story - and one of the best versions of all-time. You'll notice Parts 2-4 are also posted on YouTube. The program in its entirety is short...and well worth the effort to watch.
"The visual style, which is unusually powerful, is inspired by 19th century engraved illustrations of the original story by John Leech and the pen and ink renderings by illustrator Milo Winter that graced 1930s editions of the book. The intended audience does not include young children and some regard the film's bleak mood, including the scene from the book when the Ghost of Christmas Present reveals the horrid embodiments of Want and Ignorance, and emphasis on darkness and shadows as making it the most frightening of the many dramatizations of the Dickens classic." (from Wikipedia)
The film won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for 1972.
Before celebrating Christmas Eve with my family, I spent an hour listening to music at a coffee shop in Rochester called Stir Crazy. Prior to the musicians performing, the owner played a few selections from Sting's new Christmas CD. The song below was on it. This guitarist made me think of the Hurdy Gurdy Man.
That's Gaelic for...well, for "snow". And it's snowing right now in Waterford, Wisconsin.
Clockwise, from left to right: Albert Finney, Reginald Owen, Henry Winkler, Alistair Sim, Scrooge in Richard Williams' 1971 Oscar-winning animated classic and Bill Murray.
These are my favorite "A Christmas Carol's" and their respective Scrooge's. The Ircink's are "A Christmas Carol" aficionados. We, as many do, feel the Alistair Sim "Carol" is the best. And if you haven't seen the animated version above, see it.
"Is There a Santa Claus?" was the title of an editorial appearing in the September 21, 1897 edition of the New York Sun. The editorial, which included the famous reply "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus", is seen below.
Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
No Santa Claus! Thank GOD! He lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.
My 2nd cousin Gerry has over 30 years experience in bronze sculpturing, custom-crafted jewelry, airbrush painting and custom pendant artistry. He's an excellent artist, an excellent outdoorsman and an excellent human being. Jas and I will be doing some bow & arrow pheasant hunting with Ger and my Uncle Fran in January and that'll be nice as I've had the opportunity only once in the 11 years I was living in Cali to spend some time with Ger in the bush. I relish the upcoming outing.
Here are some examples of Ger's custom pendant work. Check out his site at Northwoods Vault and take a tour. If you click on sport pendants, you'll be whisked over to Ger's companion site, Vault Pendants.
My family's tree in Wisconsin. Smallish - but we have three.
Tamra's tree in Florida.
The Peterson tree in Arizona. 
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Young elf.
