DuWayne Steurer

Well, we lost an old and dear member of our family this past weekend. Our first thought was no more dogs for a long while, but then we spent a few days thinking about it, and decided if we were going to have another one, now is the time, as I'm home most of the time, and it'd be (relatively) easy to get a dog trained. Local pet store that I frequent has a good deal on puppies, that includes first and 2nd shots, a 2 year guarantee on any "defects", health wise, as well as a 6 month and one year checkup. We spent a good amount of time with a dog we liked, and she certainly seemed attentive, responsive, and so on. I ask, because I've heard a lot of horror stories about pups bought from pet stores vs. those from reputable breeders. And no, I will not be getting a dog from the humane society. I've went that route twice before, with disastrous results both times. (added tag --1992)

Shoot dirt. Push mud.

Now I know where those little drumsticks with the broken leg bones come from. I know one word replies are frowned upon here, but I just wanted to say that last line really made me Laugh Out Loud. Maybe I'm just tired or something......

Good point earlier in the thread about Hollywood "happy" endings sometimes ruin great movies. SPOILER ALERT FOR 3:10 TO YUMA Recent movie, for example....would 3:10 to Yuma have been as good if Dan Evans doesn't die at the end? Don't think so, as it's the ultimate moment of redemption for Wade. On the other hand, Shawshank Redemption is a very dark movie, with a happy ending, and is an absolute all time great. Obviously of course the point is maintaining hope in the face of what appears to be endless misery and long odds. Fun and interesting topic.

Shelob kills and eats Samwise, the Orcs take the ring from Frodo and deliver it to Sauron, who regains physical form. Aragorn and company are wiped out to the last man in front of the Gate. Han Solo never has the last second change of heart, and Darth blows Luke's X-Wing out of the sky. The rebel base is completely obliterated by the Death Star. Han lives in shame, and is hunted to the end of the galaxy by Jabba's bounty hunters, who find and kill him and Chewbacca. At the gov't base at the foot of Devil's Tower Wyoming, they try in vain to communicate with the alien ships, who finally lose their patience with the primitive humans, and open fire with their superior weaponry, killing everyone. Jeff Goldblum's computer virus fails to infect the alien computer, and the nuke doesn't destroy the mothership. Bill Pullman and company are killed by the invading aliens when they can't penetrate the shields, and earth is stripped of every last natural resource. Bruce Willis fails to blow up the meteor the size of Texas. Earth is wiped out. Same for Deep Impact. Turns out Sloth doesn't love Chunk, and kills and dismembers him. The criminals catch up to the Goonies, and instead of tying their hands and making them swim, they just shoot them all dead.

I don't mean to come off all critical, but is giving up something (soda) that you rarely drink even really making a sacrifice? Now, I'm just asking out of personal curiosity, not to be judgemental.

Want: Sheets, Gallardo, Suppan, Bush, Villenueva. Expect: Sheets, Suppan, Gallardo, Capuano, Bush.

It's interesting that this is becoming a story. While barbaric, it's legal. I guess that doesn't make it morally right, but that's not the issue. People want to compare it to Vick and dogfighting, but they're not getting that the biggest reason Vick is being punished for his transgression is because he lied to the Feds, which is worse than actually committing crimes, as far as the law is concerned. I really hope that this doesn't cause a concerted effort on our (America's) part to intervene to change laws in someone else's country. People protest going to war to stop human rights violations, but are all aboard the minute a rooster is being treated inhumanely. That's twisted logic, as far as I'm concerned.

I posted earlier in the thread, but it bears repeating. When you're taking prescription meds as strong as he was and taking them regularly, your ability to reason and use sound judgement takes a serious hit. Secondly, he was suffering from severe sleep deprivation (insomnia if you like) for several weeks. This also causes impaired judgement, and at it's worst, can really cause a person to simply lose control to make sound and rational decisions at all. When you're taking pills and they're not doing what they are supposed to be doing (as your body builds tolerance), and you're also suffering from impaired judgement, the almost universal reaction is to take more of the pills. As stated, if he was taking Vicodin, they act as a booster for some of the other prescription meds that were in his system, which can worsen the problem even still. It's easy to say "how can this possibly happen?!?!", but there is a logic behind the explanation. That being said, I'm not saying for fact that he didn't kill himself. I'm only offering an explanation that backs up what we've been told.

I don't mind Tom Petty. Didn't watch the S-B, didn't watch the halftime show, but if I had watched, Tom Petty certainly wouldn't have made me turn the channel or go find something else to do.

Interesting chart Russ. I had no thought to ranking the actual run value on a 1-10 scale. Total Baseball has the "actual" run values in the books I have, so I didn't want to guess. The average run value of each event HR - 1.4 3B - .9 2B - .67 1B - .45 BB - .33 It goes on to explain that the actual value can vary minutely from year to year, with the biggest variances occurring in run values of homers. I guess it bears noting that it also applied a negative value for outs, usually right around -.2, which includes outs made on base (being thrown out at 3rd going from 1st on a single, for example).

I've spent a lot of time vacationing in my state, as there's so much to do just about everywhere. The list of cities that I found the most interesting or had the most interesting attractions.... (in no particular order) Milwaukee. Yes, the place can be dangerous, the crime rate is up there, yada yada, but the fact is there's a lot to do. Sturgeon Bay. Door County gets all the pub, yet Sturgeon Bay alone is a great place to spend a weekend. Madison. I don't care for a lot of things about Madison, but if you're looking to be entertained, there's no shortage. Minocqua/Woodruff. Fun for a few days, and longer if you're into the outdoors. The zoo (wildlife park, if you please) is a lot of fun, very hands on. Feeding the bears can't be beat. Wausau/Rib Mountain. Again, if you like the outdoors, this area offers a lot. Oshkosh/Appleton/Fox Vally. I lump all this together personally, as it's one big metro area. Plenty to do, regardless of what you like. The small towns get a bad rap as being "boring", but by definition, there's not going to be a lot to do in small towns. If you get a Wisconsin Spring/Summer event guide, you'll find something to do every weekend for every taste. Festivals, fairs, auto shows, cheese fests, you name it, there's something going on SOMEWHERE every weekend, and it's easy to find. I just think unless a city has a brutal crime rate or huge unemployment, a list of "worst" cities is extraordinarily subjective, as most towns over 20,000 people have most of the same stuff, give or take a few tourist attractions. Just about everywhere in Wisconsin is within a half hour drive from something fun to do, unless you're a complete deadhead. As far as "worst"......you can have the Dells. That place lost it's charm sometime after I turned about 18. Insane traffic, $9 mini golf, and the Ducks just don't excite me. I spent 2 months working in Racine as a cable sweep tech, and in that 2 months I had a knife pulled on me by a guy who thought I was an undercover cop, I had a Subway worker offer me crack, I had a 45+ year old woman (I think) offer me sex for free cable, and I had several people refuse to allow access to utilities, to the point where the last 5 weeks I had to have a constant police escort. Problems that I didn't have in Milwaukee, even in the worst areas. It seemed in Milwaukee that even if someone was or wasn't up to no good, they weren't interested in me, and that was fine. I can safely say that if I planned on moving somewhere else in Wisconsin, Racine would be dead last on my list.

Wait, we're talking about Janesville here?!? Rotary Gardens (one of the most outstanding public gardens in the midwest), 2 movie theaters, 5 bowling alleys, 3 golf courses, (5 more within 5 miles of town), The Armory, Janesville Performing Arts Center, more public parks than you can shake a stick at, lots of public fishing spots. Not to mention, tons of bars that cater to anyone's tastes. Many restaurant options. If you're looking for strip clubs, I guess you're out of luck, if that's your thing. There's an alcohol free strip club by GM. I'm just wondering what type of entertainment someone is looking for if they say there's nothing to do in this town. I'm not saying the place is a mecca of entertainment and dining, but to say 4th worst in the state? I'm going to defend the place to the last unless the OP comes up with a valid argument for why it's such a terrible place.

Ok, i am gonna need an explaination on this one. The only Fireside i know of, is the bar in Platteville. And i know that can't be right. The Fireside is a dinner theater in Fort Atkinson. They do plays and musicals (of the Broadway variety) while you dine. It's pretty pricey, but they do a very good job with the food, and the entertainment. Pretty famous place for around here actually.

In the long run this type of stuff always evens out. Look at the 13 straight Super Bowl wins by the NFC from 84 til 97, and now the AFC is in the middle of a sustained run of success (mostly due to the Patriots, but still). The AL might be better, but in a short 7 game series, most anything can happen, see the '06 83 win Cardinals for proof.

My criteria on the cities is basically crime rate, things to do, number of sex offenders, cost of living and also the employment status of each city. Ok, so I'll ask why you rank Janesville "4th worst". There's not much crime. I can count the number of murders that have happened here in my 33 years at probably less than 10. Job market here is pretty good due to GM and its many satellite companies that serve or supply it, and there's no shortage of things to do. If you're just going to throw cities at random in a list, you ought to have some reasons to back it up.

What's your criteria? For worst cities, I can see Racine and Beloit, due to crime, but Janesville? Fitchburg, because a guy you know says "weird people live there"? You can find weird people in any city. I'd say by my standards, Madison is FULL of weird people.

But hey, we can all drift into bad habits. I think we can all agree that box office isn't necessarily indicative of quality, but I understand the idea of film just taking you away for 2 hours. One of my favorite movies, Sullivan's Travels, makes a great point about that as well. I'll take better care to avoid the ad hominem. I hope that my point wasn't taken as being directed solely at your post. I guess it was just the one that spurred me into a long winded rant. I agree with a lot of what you're saying, and me personally, I don't take offense, but I know a fair number of other posters in the past have complained or spoke of the "elitist" atmosphere around here concerning film and book. I love talking movies, as a lot of people do, and I think there'd be more movie talk around these parts if people didn't feel like there were an "us against them" vibe going on, even if it's more imagined than truth. I was a little too harsh with my statement that you're harsh on "most anything mainstream", as you pointed out the big studio movies that came out this year that you enjoyed. I think one thing you hit on with Transformers was your statement that "there's something to be said for a movie that aims low but squarely hits its mark". I think when big studios sink as much money as they do into stuff like Transformers, Die Hard, Spider Man, etc, they're taking less risk by aiming for the middle ground. For what it's worth, I watched Donnie Darko for the first time the other night on (gulp!) the Sundance Channel, and loved it, right up until the end. What happened to Donnie didn't bother me, it was how it happened. I understand the point, but I felt it was like a cop-out after an hour 40 minutes of a great movie. As I've been off work since the beginning of November, I've had the opportunity to catch a lot of movies I otherwise wouldn't have the time or inclination to watch. And I'm looking forward to seeing this Rambo film as well!

Why? Why does it matter to some that their tastes fall outside the majority? It smacks of elitism. With all due respect Robert, I highly value and respect your opinion when it comes to film and literature, but you're awfully down on most anything that is "too mainstream". Yes, by and large the best movies aren't necessarily the most expensive ones to make. But they are more likely to succeed. These people are, for the most part, in this to make money. Summer blockbusters and box office numbers are never going to force indy companies to stop making movies that go that much deeper than your typical action/horror/comedy fare that the big studios churn out, so I don't see the reason for the constant derision of these types of films. Going to a movie is supposed to be fun, a diversion. That's how most people look at it. I greatly appreciate those films that force you to think rather than just glaze over and enjoy explosion after explosion, but there's nothing wrong with either type. If someone is being entertained, then it's doing it's job. Look at Transformers, for example. Widely hated by anyone who considers themselves a movie "purist", yet with over 100,000 votes on IMDB, it's pulling down a 7.6. People like the cheesy predictable action flick or comedy, and it sells. Sorry for the long rant. Robert, again, I do highly respect your opinion when it comes to film, but there's comments such as the one above in just about every thread that has to do with movies. For what it's worth, I'll never watch Alvin and the Chipmunk$, not my bag, but I can understand why kids and parents who grew up on it would fork the 7 or 8 bucks to go see it.

This thread needs more play. This is where I get a lot of my rental ideas from. Anyways, with a crappy weather weekend, and nothing else to do, we rented a buttload of movies that I just feel inclined to share my thoughts on. Meet the Robinsons. Liked it. Don't like cartoon movies, but this one was well done. Funny for kids and adults, and it moves along at a nice pace. It gets where it's going without a lot of nonsense slowing it down. Dragon Wars. Kids pick. We heard this was a terrible movie. Guess we should have listened closer. The CGI isn't even that good for today's big screen standards. Bourne Ultimatum. Great movie. Wrapped up the series in a neat little package, along with all the usual stuff that made the first 2 movies great. ONE problem I had with this movie (SPOILER ALERT) is the part where Bourne texts Landy and asks her to meet him at the park, most of the other agents left the building. I immediately said to my wife, "He's clearing them out so he can get in". Now, I'm no super-spy or secret agent, and if I knew it was coming, they should have. I realize, it's a movie, suspend your disbelief, but one of the hallmarks of this series has been a very gritty, dark, semi-realistic spygame opus, and it really fell down at this one point. Other than that minor gripe though, I enjoyed it a lot. Stardust. I didn't expect much of this one. Most fantasy movies based on books get too full of themselves, think too big, and end up having plot holes that cant be covered in a 2 hour film. This one didn't do that. Fun movie, with just enough seriousness to keep it from becoming a slapstick comedy. I must add that Robert DeNiro as a gay, cross-dressing pirate is fantastic. 3:10 to Yuma. Loved it. I've always been a fan of "modern westerns", and this one didn't disappoint at all.

Heard this story on the radio yesterday (I live in Janesville). According to eyewitnesses, the beast is a good 6 foot head to tip of tail. Apparently a man came face to face with it (12 feet away) in a hay loft, and the cougar fled by jumping out a window. Speculation is that it's a captive-raised animal that was released or escaped.

Songs can get played three times before they are automatically deleted by the zune Is this an optional feature?

I used to be in the top 5 for post count, now I'll bet I don't sniff top 15. Mostly because I steer way clear of game threads anymore.

I'm certain everyone "got the point", they were just disagreeing with it.

how can you BLAME Hollywood? These are grown adults, free to make choices, right or wrong. Movie producers don't care what these people do on their free time, and if they start trying to cast with only clean, non-drinking, non-cheating, morally pure people, they're going to find their casting lists pretty damn short. And every time someone famous dies, there's always a post "it's no more tragic than when Joe Average dies". No, I don't think anyone is saying that it is. But it still sucks for that person's family and friends, and the truth of the matter is when we lose a Heath Ledger, Shawn Taylor, heck, even a Bobby Fischer, anyone that entertains us, the world is just a tiny little bit less interesting for not having them in it any longer. The disrespect for the dead galls me sometimes. Until someone knows what it's like to feel so depressed that you're standing on the brink, don't be so quick to judge.