hawing

I hope the hawing party (of two) can come. It depends on where we are in the cold and flu season, and how good or crappy the roads are en route. I join Jamie in endorsing the event as a "hoot", though.

I hope the hawing party (of two) can come. It depends on where we are in the cold and flu season, and how good or crappy the roads are en route. I join Jamie in endorsing the event as a "hoot", though.

I hope the hawing party (of two) can come. It depends on where we are in the cold and flu season, and how good or crappy the roads are en route. I join Jamie in endorsing the event as a "hoot", though.

Not to sound completely Pollyanna, but Bikeage, I hope the greatest Brewer game you'll ever see is not a regular season game. Getting back to your question, I'd guess most any non-home-opener game is eligible for the 9-pack freebie, space permitting. So you might want to act soon.

Sorry, guys, I'm going to reserve my right to complain (a little) when it's in the 90s and humid. Humidity really gets to me. What bothers me more than the cold is the extreme amount of winter precipitation. I hate not being able to walk outdoors at full stride. Last week I was checking the Madison Metro page for snow delays and honestly got nostalgic for non-winter weather upon seeing this picture: http://www.cityofmadison.com/metro/Banner.jpg Look! Bare pavement! Also, it might be different up your way, jazzytrav, but sunset today's at 5:22 PM in Madison. To take those lovable losers to the south out of context, it's gonna happen.

We took the Empire Builder to Seattle in summer 2006, because I am averse to flying. The length of that particular trip (I think it's 44+ hours from Columbus to Seattle, probably similar if you're going to Portland) is about as long as I'd ever care to be on a train; however, it was otherwise very enjoyable. Once you get out by Glacier National Park, the scenery is terrific. For a trip of that length, I agree with pitchleague: get sleeping accommodations, either a bedroom or a roomette. The bedroom has its own toilet and a wee bit more room. Either sleeping option includes meals in the dining car, which I would classify as decent-cafeteria quality. There are menu choices that are kid-friendly enough for most. With just two in your traveling party, you'd be seated with others for meals, which is (usually) an interesting way to meet people without having to make a commitment to them. We've been on the Empire Builder, the California Zephyr (got off in Denver) and the Southwest Chief (got off in Flagstaff), and all three have been good experiences. The Zephyr was a few hours late on the return trip, but we've otherwise stayed within about minutes of being on time - which for 24-48 hour trips seems entirely reasonable to me. If you have the time and the money, I say go for it. FTJ, please PM me if you have other questions.

I'd be surprised, then sad for a handful of people I know who are genuine Cubs fans (the way we are genuine Brewers fans). I clearly remember making a short list of teams I might choose as my new favorite, had Miller Park not been approved by the legislature. That was a close call and I had decided early on that if the Brewers had relocated, the new franchise would automatically become my Anti-franchise, to be forever hated, possibly more than the Cardinals and Cubs. So I wouldn't wish contraction on any genuine fans, even genuine Cubs fans. After feeling bad for genuine fans for a bit, I'd think of the legions of arrogant casual fans in cubbie nation and just might dance a jig at their sorrow. Incidentally, my new rival would be STL, at least until the Brewers someday have a hand in destroying their postseason dreams in the 11th hour. (And for those of you who wondered, my short list of teams I had considered adopting in lieu of the Brewers was mostly small or smallish-market: Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Kansas City, Cleveland - though not necessarily in that order. I guess I've always rooted for the little guy.)

I'm not an autograph seeker myself, but it'll probably be in the next month that the Brewers announce their promotion schedule, including whether they continue the Autograph Fridays series. I'd be surprised if they stopped it.

We used a buyer's agent for our first real estate purchase in the 90s, and (being complete novices) were glad we did. For our second round of real estate transactions (sell first house to corporate neighbor who asked to buy us out + buy our current house), we used an independent agent who represented us both ways. Not having to deal directly with the corporate neighbor was worth every penny to us, and he negotiated a selling price to the corporation that exceeded what we could have dreamed of getting on the open market. Of course, you don't have a corporation moving in on you (and I hope you never do, because it's kind of stressful), but I still endorse getting an agent who will work at least partially for you.

Mid-March is what our ticket rep said to expect when we sent in our fan's choice game selections last month. (Hail to Mr. 2800!)

RU, your post inspired me to search the Capital Newspapers archives, and I am having a devil of a time finding much of anything relevant to the January WSJ redesign. And I daresay it's not like I lack online searching skills. Edit: I found some, finally. (If Capital Newspapers really believes the internet is the future, they have to make their website easier to navigate.) From WSJ editor Ellen Foley, around the time of the redesign debut: ! debuts Saturday. We also call this section [bang], a slang reference to the exclamation point in computer programming codes. The exclamation point has had many nicknames since the days of printers: screamer, startler, shriek, screech and pling. We liked the definitive [bang] as a nod to the people whose work dances across our screens on the Web and as an embrace of the explosive and high-energy life not often celebrated in local publications. We also noted that in today's e-mail etiquette (and editors' opening sentences), users often use multiple explanation points as a way to emphasize news that's startling, surprising or just plain entertaining. That's what ! [bang] will offer with the latest trends, fashions and gotta-see-it events in our region. If you happen to be in the "don't-gotta-have-it" group, this section will be a must-read so you can understand the younger set that came up with this section name. And from the first [bang] section on January 12, three things to know about [bang]: 1. The name. In type, it's the symbol "!," which is easier to type than that thing Prince called himself for a while. In speech, we call it bang, which comes from computer program-ese. 2. The vibe. It's irreverent, fun, stylish, nerdy, goofy, hipster-groover, retro, mod, futuristic, fresh ... in other words, anything goes. (Well, almost anything; it's still a family newspaper. 3. The stuff. Here's where you'll find Ridley, doling out (unsolicited, of course) rules to live by; profiles of night spots around town; tips on what's cool and what's hot (so often the same thing, no?); stories about things that get people talking, and this, the three things. Your turn: This is where you can sound off on, or extol the virtues of, whatever you want. Pick a topic, write three things about it, and you're halfway there. Send it to us at getpublished@madison.com, with "bang!" in the subject line and include your name, location and a phone number, and you could see your words in print. It's that easy. It looks to me like the WSJ is striving to minimize the news/story-creating effort for its staff - whether it's running more and more stories from AP or other media services, or relying increasingly on reader input. Not that there should be no reader input, but when you begin posting people's weekend plans as newspaper content (as they now do on Fridays), how is that news? I assume cost-cutting is the prime objective, but I suspect the braintrust at WSJ thinks their new product achieves more than a better bottom line.

I've lost track of the "and that" count already.

I already messed up the Lenten rules by eating chicken soup on Ash Wednesday. However, it was because I have a cold, and it wasn't very high quality chicken. The broth felt really good on my throat, though. Seriously, I try to maintain the meatless days (and usually succeed), but that's about it. I did give up ice cream a few years ago, and succeeded at that; but lately I haven't been eating ice cream enough to make giving it up a worthy sacrifice.

Which private dorm? (not that it's all that relevant; I'm just curious)

You might think differently if you'd seen the WSJ since its most recent redesign (in the last month). But that's another rant for another time.

I began anticipating this when the Cap Times added "Dane County's Progressive News Source" (emphasis mine) to the masthead some time ago. So I'm not all that surprised (though as an admitted member of their niche audience, I am disappointed).

So, splitter, this probably isn't the time to mention that while you were out, an "airlines you refuse to fly" thread developed. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/ohwell.gif

Brian, you didn't point out that 'Ysus has also mastered posting photos in Yuku, without asking for tech support. Truly, an excellent dog.

That is one sweetie pie. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure he and our cats would not get along. Good luck.

Esther Rolle is going to rise from the grave and kick your butt for saying that, pogo.

We were watching part of Texas Tech's most recent game this weekend and my S.O. said to the TV, "Time to retire, Bobby." So the reason for his resignation is obvious to me. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/tongue.gif

Got it! Count it! AND a foul! Yeah, I'll add to the Matt Lepay love. For whatever reason, he has never struck me as over the top. I also like Brian Posick's calls - he has even done UW volleyball a few times, which is harder than it sounds. Some of Brian's goal calls are a little shrieky, but I accept it because hockey goals are relatively few and far between. Wayne Larrivee amuses both me and the S.O. with his "dagger" calls, but that doesn't stop us from listening for them, so I guess it's still successful. Aaron Sims used to do UW women's basketball and, I think, hockey on WPT. I liked his call just fine. I'll add Jay Wilson to the mix. When WIAA tournament time rolls around, he is head and shoulders above the other network dudes. I was at a girls' basketball tournament game at the Kohl Center once when he walked by and the fans started chanting "It's Jay Wilson" (clap clap clapclapclap). Now I always think that when I see him. I don't know if he'll be doing state tourneys now, though.

It seems to me they used to give a fairly big buildup to Turnbow as he entered, and the Brewers kind of backed off on that after his 2006 woes set in. My guess at the time was they were trying to reduce the pressure on him.

Yeah, when Abigail essentially dug the water bowl dry with her paws, I knew she was a shoo-in for most valuable puppy. The kitty halftime show is the highlight at our house. One of our cats ignores TV unless it's showing kitties - then he watches. It's so funny. I wonder if any Animal Planet show gets higher ratings, over the course of the year.

Nice effort, Joe. Could you tweak the wording to suggest the possibility of more than 81 games? Legally, one would think the word 'prince' alone would stand a better chance of passing muster than would Prince Fielder. (Though I wonder if the entertainer Prince would object to your tweaking his unpronounceable symbol.)