NOW I Understand!

Greetings from South Texas. I decided to fly down and surprise my dad with a visit. He spends about 1-2 months in Mission, TX and 3-4 months in South Padre Island, TX. I came alone as airfare was relatively high and Jessa was out of vacation.

The surprise went great. Dad said it is his best Christmas ever, although that was not my intention. I just wanted to see their "Winter Texan" world.

The park where he has a lot in Mission is very serene and laid back. Lots of golf carts and shuffleboard. They play pool and Euchre (.25 limit) in the rec hall. By dark, everyone is tucked in. Laaaiiiiddd zzzzzzzzzzzzzz back. This pace would kill me even if I was retired I think.

Then we went to Mexico.

I found the Fountain of Youth. It is a bar so the fountain is a margarita machine (Happy hour, all year. 2-1 on margaritas and pina coladas). The place is in Progreso, Mexico, just 35 minutes from Mission.

NOW I understand where the inheritance goes. It goes to Progreso where for $33, three of us ate and drank massive quantities of booze.

The best part is that this is literally SENIOR FROG'S. Senior meaning "nobody under 50" for the most part. These seniors whoop it up like a bunch of spring breakers. They know every song the one man band plays, they know when to chant, when to yell "ARRIBA" and trill their tongues.

I had to laugh as they are all torqued up on booze and their families visiting for Christmas are all there. The kids (30-40 themselves) and grand kids are mortified at Grandma and Grandpa as they go through this ritual like a person imbibing for the first time in a bar.

We left there, loaded up on meds to bring home and headed to watering hole #2. "The Rose Garden" is a narrow alleyway. $1 for Mexican beers. So cheap you buy them for the guys that come to shine dad's scooter and the guy weaving bracelets for Ashlie and her friends too. Why should they be left out of the beer?

Off to the final stop where we'll get our maximum allotment of booze to bring back to the states. Captain Morgan - just $7. Ketel One Vodka, just $15. A deal today gives you 3 bottles of Jose Cuervo for $6 each. That is our max (one bottle per person) so we get that deal ***NO....I did not drink any te-kill-ya**

Now, this all sounds good but don't forget the begging children, crippled people on the street, stray animals and garbage everywhere. Bitch all you want about the US but I'll take her with her taxes and crappy president over the conditions south of the border any day!

Today we recuperated from our fun yesterday. Tomorrow, to SPI we go. I have heard stories of the bars frequented there and I have a feeling it was discovery #2 for Ponce deLeon. Better sign off and get my rest. Keeping up with the retirees is tough!

Who Has Gas?

Yes, second post today. I wanted to post about New Richmond living and I wanted to post about this and the two just don't go together.

Our van. Broken gas gauge for nearly 2 years. $5o0 to fix. No need! I can just track my mileage on the odometer and fill when it gets to the limit, right? That plan has worked flawlessly.

Based on worst case scenario mileage, I can go 400 miles. I have pushed it to 420 and still had almost a gallon in the tank when I filled. Today, I left home with 368 miles on the tank.

"I can make Burkhardt". Yes, there is a BP that I can see from my house but their pumps are slow. The Cenex in Burkhardt has FAST pumps. I will get $10 there and fill in Woodbury to avoid WI gas tax which is higher than MN. (Currently, $2.84 in MN and $2.99 in WI).

I turned the corner, almost to the station and the car started to stutter. NO. Must be my imagination.

CRAP! I am running out and I just used the brake on that corner back there! I coasted as far as I could.

BAD NEWS: Did not make the station.
GOOD NEWS: Less the 1/2 mile from the station.

Now, I have always been the guy to laugh at the schmuck carrying the gas can down the road. WHAT A LOSER! WHO RUNS OUT OF GAS? Sheesh!

News flash. I do. I am that loser.

I bought my gallon, had to face at least 100,000 cars on my humiliation walk back to the van where Jessa sat under a blanket knitting.

Why did it run out less than 400 miles? Winter. Warm up time. Idling in the driveway. Does not add miles to the odometer. That's how.

So call me names. I ran out of gas. I am a dumb ass.

Why A Small Town?

We are a few days short of 2 years here in New Richmond. So many people I work with shrug their shoulders when I say that I wanted to live in a small town. They cannot believe the commute is worth it. Why oh why would you want that?

Tonight, I went to the boys basketball game. The Tigers of New Richmond vs. the Spooner Rails. Both teams undefeated. Somebody's "O" must go! It was a great game that we won. NR is ranked #6 in Div II at this point. More important is the fans. Seeing the same faces. People with kids in the game. People with kids in dance line. People that just like HS Sports and that sense of community. Even though I was mixed in with yucky Green Bay fans, tonight we shared the same side of the bench.

Last week was the band and choir concerts at the middle school. Our jazz band is better than many high school bands. Ashlie's solo was nothing short of chilling on Hey Jude. Would she have that opportunity in a big town? Maybe....maybe not.

We DJed a fundraiser dance for the marching band trip to Florida in May. Raised over $1000 and had a great time. The kids were so good!

On 12/8 (my birthday) Jess took me to the community theater to see Plaid Tidings and it was GREAT!

The more I do here, the more I realize I don't need Hennepin Avenue theater, Metrodome games and class AAAAA sports where you know hardly anyone in the stands. New Richmond is my home. Why would I want to live anywhere else?

Warning Labels

Welcome to December! It has been a fast and furious November with a short vacation, some work travel and Thanksgiving. Over the last week, I have had a chance to settle in and catch up on family time, movies and some shopping. Oh, yeah - how could I forget....I got a little older over the recent days as well. I am officially on the dark side of the dark side of my 30s now.

With the movies (and the motivation for the title).....

I am on a cold spell. Let's say I am in a movie slump. I know, you'll say, "That is what you get for renting movies like that!" but generally, those movies appeal to me! Movies like Porkies, Fast Times At Ridgemont High, American Pie and even the later American Pie knockoffs where the only original character is Eugene Levy.

This weekend I checked out Reno 911 and Superbad. I guess it is hard to be upset with Superbad since it says it all right in the title! I have often shown my hatred for stupid movies like "Sideways" and "Pulp Fiction" but how could I have known? The title has no indication that the movie will be bad. Superbad did and I ignored it. The previews showed all the promise of a typical T&A, school age/college age hijinx type movie and it fell flat.

I did see Disturbia and loved it. That is not normally my type of movie but I really liked it. Also on the "OK" list was Waitress. It was typical and predictable but enjoyable throughout. I loved the wholesome, local girl played by the hottie Keri Russell. WOW!

Lastly, I close with a plea to the movie distributors. Don't tease me with the endless stories and articles on Diablo Cody's new movie Juno and then only play it at the "Uptown" theater. If this movie is as good as they say, I want it to be out in every theater! I would avoid it completely based on the limited release to the "arthouse" theater crowd but having read her book "Candy Girl" and frequent her blog "The Pussy Ranch", I know her writing is awesome. This movie should not disappoint. I guess she will have to be my closest brush with fame since she used to work at LTCG. She looked interesting and clearly did not fit in. Why oh why didn't I talk to her?

Garth?

I heard mention of the Garth "Ultimate Hits" collection that was coming out. I figured it was just another tool to get him another 20 million units sold. Even I as the complete Garth fanatic, am beginning to think that there is a limit to how many times the same songs can be released. Having said that, I will buy this one too.

Jess saw a commercial for his ONE MAN, ONE SHOW, ONE NIGHT show that was to be on GAC. I set the TiVO to record (even though its description was cleverly disguised as "TBA").

There was the preshow on all week pitching the CDs and DVDs in the Ultimate Hits Collection. That was great. The concert finally recorded and I watched it. New stage. New band members. New World Tour? Please? I am begging!

What I thought was only one night was 9. He did 9 shows in Kansas City...just 7 hours from here and I did not know? How could this have happened to me? Did Al Kunz know and not tell me? No - he would never deprive me out of his general dislike for Garth would he? Somehow, this completely avoided me or I would have been there.

The magic words were spoken after The Dance. "If you wait for me. I promise - I will be back!" That is the greatest news in a long time.

I spent much of this weekend entering CD data into my DJ database. Everytime I have a new artist or new artist combination (as in "Young Dro Feat JC and Lil Dickhead and Scumbag Thug"), I have to stop my entry and enter in the new "artist" into my artist table. Every disc has 19-21 tracks. Every disc I enter 4-5 new "artists". Always rappers. Usually one timers (not even classifiable as One Hit Wonders). I am so sick of these know-nothing-no-talent-thugs cluttering up the airwaves and my CDs that I want to barf! Knowing that Garth will be back...releasing CDs and touring is like finding out the end of a plague is coming.

The concert...yes, it was fantastic. Now I know Al will comment and say what he says about Garth. If Andre reads this, he will probably post something about Garth on his lack of singing qualities (no, he is not Opera Doc).

No matter your take. You must admit. The man is awesome. No matter where he goes. No matter how long he has been away. He can pack 9 shows, probably sell them out in 2 hours, and have every song sang word for word by 90% of the fans at the show. That my friends is the true definition of Superstar.

I am predicting 2014 as the year he officially comes back. That is when his youngest is done with school and daddy Garth has fulfilled his promise to them.

Oh, what a long 7 years it will be. Good thing I have every CD he ever released....

The Orracle Is Back!

After a brief hiatus from blogging and work in general, I am back. We took a quickie vacation to Vegas, my favorite town. It had been over 2 years since Jess and I had been to Vegas so this trip would have its focus on gambling and not shows.



As per any trip to Las Vegas, planning was essential as mentioned in a previous blog. Most important was the Couponomy employed on this trip. Using nothing but coupons from the Las Vegas Advisor http://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/ we saved quite a bit of money. The cost of the membership is $37.00 for the online version. For $50.00 you get their monthly magazine mailed to you. The information in the magazine is great for hints on promotions, shows and food. The coupon book is called The Pocketbook of Values and is issued annually. While the book is geared toward local's casinos, there is a fair amount for the strip and downtown as well.





Our coupon use was as follows:


2-1 hotel at Main Street Station (downtown) - $79.20

2-1 buffet at Green Valley Ranch (used for lunch) - $11.84

2-1 buffet at Rio Carnival World (Saturday brunch) - $25.85

2-1 buffet at Main Street Station (lunch) - $8.50

2-1 dinner at Bay City Diner (Golden Gate) - $11.00

2-1 dinner at Ellis Island (had baby backs in their BBQ eatery - OMG....good!) - $14.00

$10 matchplay at Terrible's won - $10.00

$10 matchplay at The Cannery lost - $0.00

Free hot dog and beer at Slots-o-Fun - $1.99

Grand Total Saved: $162.89

If we could have stayed one more night, we would have stayed at Terrble's for 2 nights instead of one and saved an additional $69.00.


Of note: The Las Vegas Advisor has published facts that when comparing months from 2006 to 2007, the tides are changing. The trend of the strip gaining and downtown losing has reversed for several months running now. The strip is going down and downtown is going up. When visiting, you can see the downtown draw. Walking from casino to casino (without a taxi), buying big cheap drinks, being drunk and wild, etc. It is old Vegas and people are realizing that it is more fun than ultra lounges and $16 drinks with a dress code. I think the big strip boom is finally going to be over once Palazzo opens. Hooray!

Know The Enemy

On a day where I sat yet again waiting so patiently for the opportunity to create that anticipated steaming gutpile, my Vikings went to Green Bay.

Shall I say that despite only seeing one deer small enough to do a fireman's carry on that I was thankful for the hunting outlet so I was not forced to watch the whole game?

But, Ye Shall Know Thy Enemy!

The enemy takes several shapes:

1. Brother in Law (his career trains him to look convincing)
2. Nephew (don't let his smile fool you!)
3. Top Dog of Systems at Metlife (she'll woo you by referring to you as 'BigSexy')

While this is not a comprehensive list, these three are evil. They really are not one of them. They do not go to Green Bay proudly wearing blaze orange. They are not from the woods. They come wearing their Nike and Starter wear. Jerzees bought in a mall. City Folk. But I digress....

As I sit, patiently awaiting the snort of a 12 point buck or the bellar of a hot-in-heat doe, my cell phone buzzes.

Hmmm, what could it be? A text message?

Yes, they catch you no matter where you are, no matter the activity you are doing.

Oh yes, to people resistant to the technology world we live in I have said,

"Kicking and screaming is no way to enter the 21st century!".

Now I am the one kicking and screaming. Wishing I did not have such technology available to me while hunting. While in the woods. Way up north. While climbed half way up a damn tree. Freezing my butt off.

To my enemy, I hereby declare this:

I shall not waiver. I will always be true. True to my Purple. You can take your swampwater-wrinkled, mosquito larve eatin', grit guzzlin', AARP qualified quartback. Go cry with him. Go practice faking injury to get a roughing call. Take him back to the swamps of home and leave him there where he first superglued his upper lip to his teeth (watch the boy try to talk once).

A new day is coming. Once again, Green Bay will suck. Order shall be restored in what was once the NFC Norris/Black and Blue Division of the NFL.

Purple Pride

Oh, yeah....fire Childress now please.

What Gives Me Gas

Did you really think I was posting about that? Maybe some other time....

Some of you that knew about my other short lived and rarely posted on blog may remember a post about gas prices. As we sit here on 11/7 and gas prices are back over $3.00, I find my patience on fumes once again.

Reasons our gas prices go up...

1. Forecasts of tropical storms (not actual storms...just the mere threat)
2. A small refinery in Kansas was flooded.
3. A pipeline in Yemen was hit by a bomb
4. Nigeria might have a civil war.
5. Bombings in Afghanistan.
6. Lyle rented a motorhome for a 5,000 mile trip.
7. A car in Arkansas was found to have missed a tune-up and is getting less miles per gallon than it should.
8. Britney Spears was in the news again.
9. Someone thinks US supplies of oil are getting low.
10. Oil producers are not satisfied with quarterly profits that a perpetually records and higher than than last quarter.

By all of the nonsense that might happen which DOES cause an increase per barrell of oil, we should assume that the US gets oil from every source in the world. If Yemen has an issue, buy it from Mexico. If Mexico has a storm, buy it from Nigeria. If Nigeria has a civil war, get more from Alaska. How is it that any one issue causes gas to jump 30 cents per gallon?

Now, the talk is out there of $4.00 per gallon. We won't stop until we hit it. We cannot! We must hit it and then someone will step in, make some royal change (a.k.a. Bush) and it will fall to $3.00 and somehow we'll be satisfied. Nevermind that at $3.00, the oil companies are making more than most countries GNP.

Now, someone will come back and say, "In Europe, it has been $5.00 per Liter forever. The US has just been getting off easy."

To them I say, "Too bad for the Europeans for putting up with it. Too bad they are not the US. Too bad they are not fighting a war over oil and deserve better prices."

The bigger pet peeve I have is how oil futures for January 2008 being traded today can cause an INSTANT jump at the pumps. The oil bought in January 2008 won't be at my station until February or March 2008 and they are just FUTURES.

I think it is time for the oil companies to be required to invest some of their obscene profits into better refining techniques. They should be part of the solution as opposed to the biggest part of the problem.

The New Improved Village Idiot

I Present Ye Royal Village Idiot!
Is Sean Hannity the poster child for what it takes to be on TV? I could be as much of a village idiot as him for that kind of pay.

I have not searched this out online but I am sure it has been on just about every show and website. I heard of this today on Howard Stern.

"Halloween is teaching our kids to be liberals by going door to door an asking for a handout."

You MUST be joking!



Was this his attempt at an Onion article? You cannot make this crap up.

Sure, Pat Robertson lashed out against Halloween because it is rooted in evil, pagan ceremonies, ghosts and goblins. He is a freak in religion. That is worthy of certain forgiveness when being an idiot.

But to suggest that trick or treating is a form of liberalism, welfare or other pan-handling type activities is crazy.

I have lots of ideas on things I can be a total jerk about. Put me on TV for HALF of what he makes. I am sure I can do no worse. In fact, I just might entertain someone!

I think of how I have always said, "To get rich, you just need a gimmick". I have thought for hours about what garbage I could get on a stick to sell at the State Fair. What idea could I possibly dream up to strike it rich?? Here, all this time, I have been thinking way too hard. I just need to get a job on TV where I talk out my ass like Sean.

Rush Windbag invented it, Sean is apparently perfecting it.

XM vs. Sirius and The Merger

There is a proposed merger between XM and Sirius Satellite Radio companies. They are the only two companies in existence. As one might expect, getting a satellite in space and filling it with programming is an expensive proposition.

Recently, a merger was proposed between the two companies. This merger is being opposed by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) http://www.nab.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home

To oppose it for fear that it is a monopoly is conceptually correct. Dig in a little more and you realize that opposition for that reason is not right.

First of all, to be a monopoly, consumers must not have any other means of receiving the same service. If I choose, I can listen to any free radio, mp3 player, CD or chat with my wife in the car for entertainment.

Second, it is argued that the rates will go up. They may. I am more likely to expect a la carte or cafeteria type plans where I can pick the stations I want and pay accordingly.

Third, if the NAB is going to cry monopoly here, they better crack down on Infinity and Clear Channel. They have done so much damage to radio and the music industry already because of their monopolized approach to content.

There is proof against their biggest argument which is my first item above. If consumers truly did not have access to other sources, the membership of Sirius and XM would be millions and millions more than it is. Currently there are around 14 million satellite subscribers. That is barely a drop in the bucket. People MUST have some choice. It is because of the limited number of subscribers that the merger is needed. With a merger, this excellent radio entity can survive and I will not have to listen to terrestrial (testicle) radio ever again!

The opposition to this is simply the radio industry scared stiff at the public's perception of satellite radio and their inability to compete with it. Competition...still the best incentive to improve!

Drawing The Line

With anything, you need to know when to draw the line. Somewhere, there is a specific word for the myopic view I am about to share but I don't know what it is, nor do I care.

I have always been amazed when going to a fast-food caliber Chinese buffet or even at a mall "buy 3 combo plate" Chinese eatery to see people using chopsticks. I have picked on some of you directly and you know who you are. That is just in fun (at least for me). I completely admire the chopsticks and nimbleness required to eat rice and noodles with them. Cool. But, to go to a place where dinner is $7.95 and use them is a little weird.

Even weirder yet, is what I saw in our break room last week.

I see someone heating up a $1.89 Asian meal that is one step above 10 cent raumen. Here, this person stands with chopsticks to eat the mostly water "lunch". Yes, this is one of those where you add water to the line, mix in the mystery spices and oil and microwave. Not only did they have chopsticks but they were the reusable plastic kind. It was so hard not to laugh, point and mock the person. Thinking about our recently attended diversity training, I held back. This is a point where we really need to draw the line!

Here is a counter example. I have been to the homes of many friends from India. There and in many Indian restaurants, I have watched how they will sometimes eat rice with sauce or curry with their hands. This is their custom and should be followed. That does not mean I should do it.

Why does this bug me? I think in this particular situation, the person wants attention. Like someone that has odd tattoos on their face or piercings all over where it is beyond an accessory, I think this is a way to get attention. Be different...make people notice.....get under Lyle's skin!

Yep, some of you think I am a pretty shallow, closed-minded person. Oh well. I can admit where I have a shortcoming but do not understand the need to use chopsticks when we have highly functional forks, spoons and knives sitting right there.

Failure Can Be Fun....

Boy is that a loaded title. Who in their right mind would want to fail? What is so fun about that? OK, think about it....going to the bar, trying to pick up someone of the opposite sex (or the same....not that there is anything wrong with that) and you fail. Maybe that is fun in the process of trying and we all can laugh about it later.

No, you are right. I did not come here to advise on the ways of getting shot down and laughing about it later although it brings to mind some good stories to blog about later.

I did not get to watch the game, but I saw the score. Guess I can delete the game from my DVR now. Vikings lose again....not that I am surprised.

OK Senior Orracle....get to the point of the blog!

In life, at work, in sports or in big companies you see in the news, changes are made all the time. The new guy comes in and has all the answers. The owners get all rocked in their socks about how THIS IS THE GUY!

There is a grace period. Nobody can change things overnight.

Then the grace period starts to age like a dead deer on the side of the road. Nothing has changed and things are starting to stink.

Secretly, when you saw the new guy come in, you knew that the leaders were either fooled or just pretending like this was the perfect solution even when they knew it was not.

Let's take our Vikings. New owner. New coach. New ways. New results.

People secretly knew that nothing would change. In a way, seeing the failure is kind of fun. "Ha ha! I called it!" Now, I do believe Brad Childress is better than Mike Tice. Mike was pretty much a dumas on the sideline. But Brad is the chosen one now! Brad makes more money in a game than Mike made all season. The results are the same.

I think it is like the movie One Crazy Summer. Nobody likes the cute and fuzzy bunnies and one day, when THEY finally get it, you are so pleased! If you don't get the movie reference, I suggest you go rent it. High quality flick with John Cusack, Demi Moore and Bobcat Goldthwait.

It happens at work too. EMPLOYMENT DISCLAIMER: I do not feel this about our current leaders at my job....but think more about the past.

Everone has witnessed it at work. THIS guy....he is the one. He is as much the one as Neo was to the Matrix. Well, Neo was the one. This guy was not. When this happens to us at work, we see it coming. Sometimes, when they come in and take the bull by the horn, make everyone's lives miserable with their bosses completely hoodwinked and you have to just silently shake your head to prevent getting fired, you secretly await the day of failure. Then once again, you can say that you knew and you were right.

This my friends is how failure can be fun.

The Art of Vacationing

Vacation time. It is negotiated in employment, it is advertised on billboards and is the fodder for many conversations.

I excel in vacationing. I received the highest marks in this class right behind Mechanics of the Keg which was a natural course for me in college.

I think the highlight of a vacation to me is the planning. Sure, getting on the plane, embarking on a cruise, visiting a port of call, seeing Mickey Mouse is the completion of the objective.

There are three types of vacations imacting different classes of people.

1. People that have cabins nearby or even reachable by airplane plus lots of vacation need less planning since the objective is just to get there and sit. Nice but in order to have this and option 3, resource$ are a must!
2. Some people have lots of vacation and no means to get there or do anythig, so they burn their time by sitting at home. I have done this once and it is for sure one of the most underrated types of vacation.
3. Option 3 is most of us. This is the group that is fortunate enough to have enough vacation time and the means to take a trip or two every year. BUT, we MUST make the most of this time. No relaxing - get the worth out of every last dinero.

This planning, is an art form. Some people just might take it to extremes with spreadsheets, research and analysis. Theme parks require sheets that tell you when things are happening. Road trips require mapping, gas planning, food planning and sight planning since you are the El Capitan of the ship.

Even a short trip to Vegas of 3 days requires immense planning.

Gambling - what is so hard to figure out? You have come to the right place to ask that question!! Considerations include but are not limited to: Who has the best comps for low rollers? Who has the best video poker pay tables? Who gives out the most free stuff for the least amount of play? An idea of the places we'll hit would be Terrible's, The Cannery, El Cortez, Ellis Island and The Silverton.

Eating - Who has the best buffet? Who do I have a coupon for in the list of top buffets? Where can I get a free hot dog and Heineken with a coupon? Who has the best, cheapest, steak or shrimp? We can be found at The Rio (2-1 buffet), Slots-O-Fun (hot dog and beer free), Ellis Island for steak and The Golden Gate for shrimp.

Sleeping - Who sleeps in Vegas? Seriously, you need a place to rinse off and breathe for a few hours to prevent emphysema. Requirements are cheap and clean and preferably with a casino that fits a gambling situation (see above). Coupons play into this decision as well. We like to nap at Terrible's. We always find a free night coupon, the rooms are great, they are close to the action, the comp well and the free drinks come quickly (handy to do most drinking where you will be sleeping!)

Shows - Now, shows seems easy - just find the one you want and go. I prefer afternoon shows and cheap shows and you guessed it, shows with coupons. I have been to many $100 shows and have enjoyes $7.95 shows much more. Dollar for dollar, acts like Mac King www.mackingshow.com/, Ronn Lucas www.ronnlucas.com/ (both afternoons and cheap), The Rat Pack (usually 2-1 coupons) www.ratpackvegas.com/, Forbidden Vegas (closed but one of the best ever for me) and Larry G Jones, The Man of 1,002 Voices www.lasvegasacts.com/ all exceed shows like "O", "Mystere" and "Celine Dion". Finding these gems requires deep digging. Their advertising budgets is small so their presence on the web and papers is small. Lots of PLANNING!

So you see, the shorter the trip, the more planning is required to hit all the places, see the shows, eat the food and drink the drinks plus sleep occasionally. I spend hours planning. It is worth every minute and more fun than the trip sometimes. On family trips, seeing everyone have a great time and getting the most of the trip is the biggest bonus yet.

So I am off to Vegas 11/14. A short trip with very short notice. Still, the job will be done.

Does This Gift Keep Giving?

We often see where individuals or estates give very large gifts to nonprofits or colleges. Just today, a couple gave 60 Million to St. Thomas University which can be viewed in the following story. http://www.startribune.com/462/story/1506010.html. This is the largest donation to a Minnesota university ever surpassing the previous high of $50 million also donated to St. Thomas.

There are stories of the numerous people that win the lottery that become bankrupt not long after their large windfall.

Do the nonprofits do the same? Will St. Thomas have to raise tuition or start a big fundriaser in 5 years?

I recall a large gift given to Como Park Conservatory in Saint Paul some years ago. Within months of the gift, a large construction project began, adding a large new area to the conservatory. Did Como shoot the whole wad on one project or did they put some away for a rainy day (or hail-y day with tons of broken windows on the conservatory ceiling)?

It would seem that an institution that probably was not rolling in the cash up to that point would want to have the terrific interest as a residual source of money to maintain the great Como facility. A modest facility could have been built with the remainder earning interest. I should confess, that may very well be the case with the Como situation. From the outsider's view of the annex, it would seem they spent all they had.

If the money donated was specifically earmarked to a project, building or stadium, full allocation is warranted. Often, these gifts are simply nothing but a donation.

Now we look to universities. $110,000,000 between these 2 gifts! What will a relatively "rich" system do with that money? Build something all at once? Provide financial assistance to students that deserve a school like St. Thomas but could never afford? The StarTribune story indicates that the "lagest part" of this fund raising goal is to provide financial assistance to students of the future. This donation is part of a larger fund raiser.

Assuming this is true, and St. Thomas allows this money to give and bless for years to come, it clearly makes the generosity of these individuals much more monumental than the even the initial donation. I hope St. Thomas makes good on their word with this windfall of money and more importantly that other entities follow their example.

Define "Litter"

Have you ever thrown something out the window of your car? If you say no, you are probably lying. Sometimes, things blow out, or you just have to get rid of it. Nobody is perfect, right?

Most people would vehemently suggest that littering is a bad thing. I bet if you polled 1,000 people of which 500 were smokers, that still, more than 90% would say littering is a bad thing.

Today while coming to work, I was tailing a semi that was really creating some turbulence. Besides the sand and dirt, I was in a snowstorm of cigarette butts that his wind had given flight. Follow cars on any road and you'll see people throwing their butts out the window. What is wrong with their ashtrays? Does the collection of ash and butts make their car messy or stinky? Is it unattractive to have a tray full of butts? I bet. If they are so gross, then why is the roadside sufficient?

UGLY BUTTS!

I have thought for years that reporting of butt throwing should be done by the people that see it. A simple website to capture auto information would do the trick. After 2 or 3 reports on you, a ticket would be mailed. Every additional report would generate another fine.

I thought I was original in this thought until I researched it online. It turns out that Victoria, Australia has that exact platform in place. Read about it at http://www.litter.vic.gov.au/www/html/2336-the-epa-litter-report-line.asp

In 2005/2006 they issued over 22,000 fines with 90% being for cigarette butts. HOORAY FOR THEM!

Those of you that do this....you know who you are. Sure, one butt is so small, so inconsequential. It is so miniscule that I thought it was snowing this morning on 494. Think about it before you throw the next one out to the roadside.

The Weekend

I must say, although many expected guests did not come to our party, we had a great time with those that came. Certainly, those that did not, missed out. The problem with the lack of guests is an overage of beer, booze and 2 kinds of chili for me to deal with. The upside to the party was the inspiration to finish the curtains and final decor to the home theater. Wow, it looks nice. Jess does some amazing things with sewing and her own creativity.

Now to discuss some of the personal things learned.....
Seriously - did you think I'd actually share? You know who you are. For those of you that don't know, it is because you did not come and therefore cannot know.

To those that came, thank you for making the trek to the sticks.

VIKINGS
They suck. Defense was relatively OK but the offense is non existent! You'd think we were the Bears.

Something to think about....

I was reading in the Las Vegas Advisor http://www.lasvegasadvisor.com and in the member's section, there is a stat about pan handling.

"According to an interesting survey of 107 Las Vegas homeless panhandlers conducted by Applied Survey Research, a California-based social-research company, the average monthly income from panhandling is $192. Also, 42% of the 1,000 residents surveyed by telephone gave an average of $14 per year to panhandlers, adding up to an estimated $8.4 million in 2006. Nearly 12,000 Clark County residents are homeless and 20% of them panhandle."

Battery Drainer for 10/19

County Projects....

There is something that has been bothering me for more than a year. I saw something today that reminded me of it and I realized that this is ther pefect forum to SHARE it with all of you.


A while ago near work, a relatively new building was almost completely knocked down and renovated. Every day we drove by in anticipation of who the new tenant would be! Then the sign went up...."FUTURE SITE OF HENNEPIN COUNTY LIBRARY - EDEN PRAIRIE BRANCH"


Huge arches, stone inlays on the outside wall, big windows....very extravagant.






For those of you that don't live locally, Hennpin County is large and ranges from blue collar, ghetto and upscale. Eden Prairie would represent the upscale division.


A while after this architectural wonder opened, word came that the library budget was tight. Hours would be cut. Branches would be closed. Anyone want to guess where? Blue collar neighborhoods and the ghetto.


One might argue that those neighborhoods need the library resources and programs more than that of the rich, upscale Eden Prairie area. I personally think, everyone needs that resource but if I had to choose, I'd give it to the inner city kids.


There are some that may say I should only worry about how I spend my money. Heck, I've never lived in Hennepin county and I currently live in Wisconsin!


I think it should be obvious the point that I am trying to make. Entites at all levels of government quite often make decisions that fail take into account the big picture.

Yes, the Eden Prairie library is beautiful. I hope the families in Minneapolis can make the trek out to the burbs to enjoy it.

Today's Notes

I think it was a fun day here in rainy Seattle, WI. Todd's (CIO) 40th birthday surprise. Pimping Ashlie's band stuff at work. Rushing home (a challenge with today's traffic) to get to the last NR football game.

These poor kids play their heart out. They won just one game this year. I think we have talent but the coaching is terrible. Reminds me of my coach in high school.

A girl from Ashlie's marching band was hit by a car in town tonight...rumors flying around did not sound good for her. You have to cherish every minute of your life and the people around you >>>> because one day, *poof*.

Big party on Saturday. Anyone want to come and help finish up the remaining tasks around the house? I am running out of time.

As you can see, no big news today....nothing "grinding my gears". Biggest decisions today were whether or not to take the back roads to avoid traffic (did not and should have) and whether or not we should go to Vegas in November.

Speaking of Vegas, if someone can lend me $100,000 so I can treat Jessa to front row seats at the Hattfield-Mayweather fight. She loves boxing and it is on my birthday (12/8 for those still shopping) so it really would be the perfect gift. Cash is accepted or tickets can be purchased directly from http://www.stubhub.com/boxing-tickets/?event_id=456104

What "Drains My Battery" for 10/17/07

The trend for football players to have the tuft of hair hanging out of their helmet! Troy Polamalu of the Steelers, Al Harris of GB and now a plethora of others. Last year, Polamalu was tackled by his hair. He was upset about it and I am sure it hurt. If you don't like it, don't give the opponent the option and cut it off or tuck it in your helmet.

Perhaps this is very myopic to the big picture. Perhaps I should only judge them on how they play the game. Perhaps that is beyond my capability.

The problem for me is that I link that look to discipline. I think of Tom Landry. I think of Bud Grant. Tight, disciplined teams.

Bring back the old days. Tough players that looked clean.

Let's All Hide From The Truth....

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).....

They cannot find a "smoking gun" to determine why the walleye population on Mille Lacs has gone down in their net counts. Huh? Below is my response to the news story. I included the DNR reps that contributed to the story. Needless to say, I did not receive any responses.

Original Story in the StarTribune. http://www.startribune.com/outdoors/story/1478810.html


Credit where credit is due. Creative writing, A+. Fiction A+.
I wish these stories were not sugarcoated. If you or anyone else wants to see an example of a smoking gun of the past, see Red Lake. Walleyes were nearly extinct from that lake because of netting. When will we learn our lesson?
My parents owned a resort on Mille Lacs for 20 years. We sold before the historic Supreme Court decision where they proved they know nothing about Minnesota Lakes or the impact their decision would have on a perfect resource such as Mille Lacs.
Slip in a comment about unseasonal temperature. Sure, why not just blame global warming, everyone else is. I remember summers where the summer walleye fish kill was so great we had to clean our beach 2 times a day, yet our fishing did not suffer the next year. Net counts were not down. Limits were not reduced. Slots were not created.
Mille Lacs resort owners did everything to bring Mille Lacs Lake after the "Home of the Quarter Pounder" jokes. The 20" limit. The spring night fishing ban. These were ideas by resort groups and leaders to make Mille Lacs a fruitful, never having been stocked lake. All of that progress is gone now.
Tradition? OK. Spear fish like 1837 with a wooden stick in a canoe. I am not being insensitive, I believe the Native Americans were victims. Making their rights come back with 2000 technologies and nets is the cause for this loss of walleye. Now, the resort owners, dependent on fishing have to find a new way to make money. Best of luck.
My mother proved the shenanigans and hidden agenda of the MN DNR 21 years ago. Doug, you can find an article in your Star Tribune archives about her success vs. MN DNR. Her name was Barbara Orr. We wanted to build a harbor. Corps of Engineers gave us a permit as our due diligence was in good order. MN DNR fought us. They claimed "roughfish studies" in letters to us delaying their decision hoping that tying it up in red tape would force us to give up. In the hearing we paid for, we proved that MN DNR only sent those letters to us. There were no studies. There was only lies. After we won and our our harbor was built, we agreed to testing for roughfish annually. The test results only yielded 1 bullhead in 10 years and countless walleye that used the harbor as a spawning area.
Perhaps leaders have changed, perhaps Rick was not at the DNR then. What confidence should I have that this story is truthful? Truth is, I do not. I think everyone knows why Mille Lacs is hurting today. Let's tell the truth.

Moving Day

Hi! I am Lyle and have officially stolen my wife's idea for a blog name of "The Orracle". I had previously been posting on myspace but that site is not my idea of a blogspot.

I am sure you can read my profile but in a nutshell, I am looking for a place to rant about things going on in my life and in this world. By that, I am not terribly political but I do hold some areas where I think politics is involved and it should not be.

I like things like the Pussy Ranch blog by Diablo Cody (right here on Blogspot), good movies, Howard Stern, my home theater, my job, my family and having a good time. I play piano to ease my mind and read to go to sleep. I have one child that is a self professed Band Geek and one that is autistic.

People think I splurge too much. OK, maybe I do. We have a wonderful house full of toys. Why not live life like you want if you can though? Enjoy things while you can instead of living like peasant and saving every last penny?

I hunt, fish, camp and travel. I love to travel. I probably do it too much.

Favorite vacations are Disney (for me, not my kids...duh) and Vegas. That pretty much sums me up. I like family stuff and I like very grown up stuff.

We have taken one cruise and loved it. I travel a ton for work also and generally enjoy it although the cities I visit are not vacation meccas as a rule (Omaha, Richmond VA, Indianapolis, various New Jersey cities, Houston, etc).

From me, you can expect posts about sports, family, travel, Howard Stern, global warming (I think it is a joke), hunting, fishing and general crap.

Thanks for looking - drop me a line to say hello!