It's a TRAP!

Ok, got this stuck in my head earlier today and looks like it'll be here for a while:

Also, not sure if anyone followed @MayorEmanuel these past few months, but it was definitely quite entertaining. This is a very interesting article about the entire phenomenon. Kind of almost makes me hate Chicago just a liiiiiiiiiitle less. (not much though.)

Thanks to Craig for the link. Thanks also to Craig and Tony for cast iron pumpernickel horseradish red wine reduction something meat deliciousness last night. You two are good people.

Last week/weekend/this week so far have been completely mind-numbingly overwhelming for me. I need a vacation, BIG TIME. And I'm REALLY looking forward to Opening Day (33 days! 33 days! 33 days!!!). As for my vacation, it might end up being a stay-cation, which means that I'll take off a Friday and then end up working from home for half of the day. There needs to be a better way! Anybody want to take off of work on a weekday and check out the Mummies exhibit?

The Good Old Times

ZOMG! (yes, I started a post with ZOMG!) It's the second post in 2 days! You know what that means, nothing new for the next 2 weeks. I hope to change that, but no promises.

Anyway, I first want to say that it's actually quite cool and un-humid outside, so I'm really looking forward to sleeping well tonight (I hope). And no nightmares.

Tonight we went to the classiest of classy places, Texas Roadhouse. Bridgit is in town from Germany for the next 10 days, so we have to cram all of America (and all of Milwaukee) into 10 days, at least till she comes back for Christmas. Also on tap: Red Lobster, Brewers, Jazz in the Park and lots and lots of Miller Lite. I'm rather looking forward to it (but still reeeallyyy need to do wash because she's crashing here while I'm in DC this weekend!)

On an unrelated note, I'm really annoyed with the rise in twitter-related content on the news. It's been going on for a few months now, where the news peeps read viewers' tweets or show their twitpics on the news. I know that it's hard to pay to produce decent content when you work for an over-the-air broadcast production, but have you really reduced yourselves to reading TWEETS? (and don't get me started on properly crediting the photos...)

Don't get me wrong, I love the twitters, and I'm still amazed every single time I get new followers. It kind of blows my mind that people actually want to read what I say. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. But the second my tweets go up on the news when there are sooo many other far more important things to be doing real reporting on? I'll cry myself to sleep. And then I'll probably also cry in my dreams. While twitter can be a quick and dirty way to gauge public opinion, I do not yet feel it's a viable news source that deserves air time on a major broadcast network. The same goes for folks that can call and e-mail in. Reporters are taking the easy way out by reading opinions over the air when real investigative reporting goes by the wayside.

But I'm in a good mood today, so we'll leave it at that.

I did 18 push-ups today, and was invited to be in the monthly 5k club, which I think I shall do. After all, I already have a playlist made. And I'm pretty excited for DC this weekend, FYI.

If you're bored, hit up http://www.teecycle.org and buy yourself something nice. I got a shirt with a duck on it. It will be awesome.

OPENING DAY IS TOMORROW! -or- Remember Where You Came From

Earlier this evening, as I was elbow-deep in meat and a variety of secret ingredients (making hamburgers for Opening Day, of course), I was staring into the stainless steel bowl I was using to mix the ingredients, it occurred to me that I have attended more Brewers games with Mr. Benjamin Butz than I have with any other soul on this earth. My train of thought went like this:

-I'm mixing ingredients for my homemade hamburgers. Did I miss any ingredients from last year?
-Remember last year? I remember meeting up in the Target parking lot and doing a jumping hug with Brian (but I didn't know him at the time).
-Wow. Opening Day last year was lots of fun. What else did we do?
-I think we did keg stands.
-That sounds about right.
-I think we shotgunned bees.
-I didn't shotgun any beers, but Ben definitely did.
-Oh yeah, Ben was there last year too!
-I think I remember making homemade hamburgers at Ben's house a few years ago for a different tailgate.
-I think we used stainless steel bowls.
-I think that Ben mentioned that he inherited the stainless steel bowls. I remember him saying that he didn't recall buying them.
-Wait, I remember going with Kory to buy them. We needed something for mashed potatoes for Family Thanksgiving back in college. I think that was Junior year.
-Yeah, Junior year sounds about right. I remember the Wal-Mart trip. I think we wore the bowls on our heads.
-How did Ben end up with the bowls? I KNOW that Family Thanksgiving wasn't at his house.
-How did *I* end up with this bowl? It clearly came from Family Thanksgiving, and I have no recollection of how I inherited it.

Yes, I know, it all makes perfect sense now. I estimate that Ben was in my 9-pack last year. I know that he missed a game or two, and I know I missed one, so I went to at least 6 games with him. Plus I can think of at least 3 other tailgates/games that I went to with him with college friends. I know that I haven't been to that many games with any of the other participants in last year's 9-pack, so Mr. Butz unknowingly wins the award for being my Best Brewers Buddy. I think I'll give him a high five when he picks me up for tomorrow.

So at any rate, tomorrow is Opening Day. Or, it's at least the home opener. St. Paddy's Day got us ready for the outdoor drinking season, and Opening Day introduces us to the first tailgate of the year. Summer is upon us, whether or not the weather agrees with us (current predicted high tomorrow is a balmy 45 plus wind...).

Needless to say, I'm THRILLED. I picked up some hamburger and a block of Colby cheese from my parents' farm when I was home over a month ago, and have been waiting with baited breath to mix up the hamburgers with all of my secret ingredients and slice the cheese and listen to it sizzle on the grill in the parking lot.... it's gonna be GREAT.

Anyway, getting back to the *other* point of this post - remembering where one has come from. Mixing the hamburgers (and all of the consequential memories) made me smile from ear to ear. I really appreciate all of my friends and all of the wonderful memories they have given me over the years. Though I may not express it, I am thankful every day that I am able to have the memories that I described above, as well as all the other ones that came after it (ohhhhhh Family Thanksgiving..... thank goodness we were friends with Jill, who was in charge of the cafeteria at good 'ol Sandburg Halls...). Friends like mine are the stuff legends are made of. One day, one of these kids is going to write a memoir and we will all laugh until we cry... again.

And now, I'm off to bed. I must now lie awake for 3-4 hours, whet with anticipation for the amazingness that tomorrow beholds, not to mention the mountain of memories to be added into the fold. In the morning I will wake up, make myself a whiskey coffee, try to decide what to wear (Fielder or Hardy?), jump in Ben's car and head over to Miller Park with my hamburgers and sliced Colby and the taco dip I purchased today. And I will smile from ear to ear.

Seasons Change

I'm sure most of you have heard it at some point or another: "There are only two seasons in Wisconsin - winter and road construction." Well, it's half right. For me, the only two seasons I need are winter and Brewers baseball season. 

Today marked the end of my '08-'09 snowboarding season. A randomly assembled crew headed up to Devil's Head for some high quality (?) slushboarding. Tickets were 2 for 1 and the weather was gorgeous - midday was up into the 60's. The snow was decent on the first few runs (we got on the hill at about 9:30 AM) but as the sun climbed higher, conditions deteriorated. Good thing we brought beer. (Oh, and I got to break in my gorgeous new bindings. LOVE THEM.)

I would also like to point out that I have never actually heard the sound of snow melting until today. It sounds kind of like Rice Krispies. 

Without boring you, I will say that I had a great time today and some good conversations. I also will have a lovely bruise on my right elbow and have a farmer tan/sunburn on my forearms. 

At any rate, dear winter, I wish to bid you adeiu. The time has once again come for us to part ways. I will greet you and welcome your sweet shredding snow once again in December. 

And now, my second love: Brewers baseball. Well, to be fair, I loved the Brewers first, and snowboarding second. Snowboarding just happened to be my thing when I started the blog. Anyway. 

The countdown has begun! Just 20 short days until Opening Day! I already have my famous hamburger recipie ready to go, and our tickets and parking pass has been purchased. I purchased a 20-pack with some friends this year, an investment that is sure to not disappoint (more on that later). 

My first Brewers game was on UWM night in 2004. We sat way up in somewhere near section 426 and I didn't pay attention for most of the game. 2005 brought me back to Miller Park 3 times, in 2006 I was there 7 times and in 2007 I took part in my first 9-pack with my friend Grant. (Of course I was there 14 times total that season.) 2008 renewed the 9-pack with a different group and had me there 17 times total. I think it's safe to say that I enjoy the sport. 

I know, I know, most people think that baseball is the most boring sport ever. Not so, I say. At my second or third Brewers game, I learned how to keep score by hand in baseball, and my love affair with the team was begun. (Also, a lot more of the radio commentary makes sense now.) I usually keep score at games when I make it in from the parking lot before the 2nd inning. Also, my love grows stronger each time I watch Baseball Tonight and the FSN postgame and learn what they mean when they say things like "manufacturing a run." And what's not to love about all of the great history behind the sport, with everything from the Curse of the Bambino to the Curse of the Billy Goat (wow, hexes abound!) to the Miracle in Milwaukee when the Boston Braves came to our great city. 

As you can imagine, I could go on, but I plan to blog on this topic again. The main point I am getting at is that for me, snowboarding fills the time between baseball seasons, and baseball fills the time between snowboarding seasons. This does leave a small lag, right about in November, but November is filled with my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving. I look forward to the next 8 months of warm nights, tailgating and root-root-rooting for the BREW-ERS, because if they dont' do something amazing this season, it really will be a shame.