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Now that I know the history behind the naming of the Blue Jackets, it makes sense. I just remember their logo of the bee from a few years back and thought it made no sense. I guess my issue with the Nationals is more of a personal thing than anything. I mean, Washington has so much history and it is so important and so much goes on there...I thought they could do a little bit better.

Some of yours I agree with, some I don't. I think Coyotes are fine for Phoenix...they actually have coyotes in Arizona (unlike the Grizzlies in Memphis). There are LOTS of generic names in sports...the Bulls, Bears, Cubs, Tigers, Lions, Eagles, just to name a couple. Here are some I'd change... MLB Washington Nationals NBA Memphis Grizzlies New Orleans Hornets Charlotte Bobcats Toronto Raptors Oklahoma City Thunder NHL Minnesota Wild Anaheim Ducks (at least they dropped Mighty) Columbus Blue Jackets (what is a blue jacket, anyways) Atlanta Thrashers Nashville Predators NFL Carolina Panthers (what, they have panthers and bobcats in Charlotte?) Houston Texans (people in Dallas are Texans, too) All of my teams are expansion teams since 1994 or teams that have moved recently.

Sometimes I like being a purist...just throw them on the grill, low heat, then eat on a nice bun with kraut and beer/brat mustard. Other times I'll simmer them in beer, then cook, but no beer after. When I make a beer bath, I throw in a bunch of stuff with my beer...garlic, fennel, onions, and butter are my main ingredients. I simmer, never boil. Boiling the brats in the beer can cause the casing to open too quickly and the meat to split out. Normally, I simmer for about a half hour...but I watch them closely to make sure the casings don't open up too much. Sometimes I make them the night before and leave them soaking in the beer over night. Those always turn out fantastic. Now I want a brat!

I don't think people go to Woodman's for a pleasant shopping experience. We go there for most of our groceries because it is considerably cheaper. About the only things we don't buy there are "fresh" meat and produce. Maybe once it's t-shirt weather again, I'll wear my Branyan player tee for grocery shopping. ----- Continued here: viewtopic.php?f=67&t=30586

Dear Younger NMF: I'm writing to you as your older self. Nearly 13 years have passed since the 2009 version was 16, and I'm here to tell you that a lot will change. First and foremost, as you go on in your high school life, try to ignore any desire you have to want to date anyone in high school. You will waste your time; wait until college...it is much better, believe me. If you ignore that advice, don't ask the people you did to prom. Instead, ask who you really want to go with, but whom you think already has a date (she doesn't at the time you want to ask her). The friends you have now won't be the friends you end up with as a senior. The group your senior year will be with you for many years to come, and two of them will stand up in your wedding. Speaking of friends, the people you will meet in college will be some of the best, most fun people you will ever meet. When it comes to picking a career, don't listen to dad. If you follow what he says, you won't be happy. I started out with what dad wanted me to do, and I hated it, and it nearly caused me to drop out of college. He sees the dollar signs and that's it. You may not end up getting full time work until your lates 20s, but you'll be happy. Over the course of your 20s, people will constantly ask if you know what your doing...and those people will be your family. Your sister will hit the major life steps a lot earlier than you, but you will get to see a lot of different places, make great friends, experience a lot of stuff, and be a better person in the long run because of it. There will be some highs and lows, but it's ok. By the way, mom will get crazier than she is now. Be warned, there will be a couple of quasi-traumatic events in your life. They may not be traumatic to other people, but they are to you. The same thing that happens to you in late July 1999 will happen to your future wife in July 2006. It's a very strange coinsidence. You'll be fine, as will she, but you will be emotionally scarred for a long time. Go to the Brewer game on September 28, 2008. You will have the chance to buy tickets, but for some stupid reason you decline. The thing that happens will almost make you cry. Don't stop playing baseball. You will miss it dearly when you are 28. Overall, you will change some, but it's all for the good. You will be more laid back and easy going than you are now. But if stuff does bother you, talk about it. Learn that skill. Get a job, now! You need to save money now so you don't have to borrow from mom and dad. Lastly, don't eat so much frozen pizza when you get out of the dorms, and don't buy so much junk when you are in college. Enjoy the next 13 years, and read this when you are 28 to see what you did. Write to me then, when I'll be 41. I'll talk to you then, NMF (2009 version)

My car being broken again. People who walk on the street instead of the sidewalk. People who bike on a very busy Willy St/Monroe St (in Madison), when there is a bike path less than a block away.

Liz went coed a couple years ago. Of the older dorms, it probably is the nicest. The rooms seem so much bigger.

I spent the past two nights at a hotel. Most of the hotels out there, now a days, have little cards telling you that they are trying to save the environment so if you want to re-use your towels, hang them up. Well, we always hang them up because I don't need to use 2 different towels during my stay. However, when they clean the room, our hung up towels are gone, and fresh towels are folded on the rack. Why bother with that sign?

The glorious sound of thunder returned this morning (near Milwaukee, anyways). My dad and I were walking out of a store, hearing rolling thunder, and we hear the tornado sirens! Then we realize that they were testing the sirens (they do it once a month at 1:00 on Saturday). Why do they test them when there is a thunderstorm going on?

This is me, as well. When I was a kid (up until age 10-12), I was so afraid of storms, I would begin freaking out when rain was in the forecast. All of my fears were compounded at night. I would cover my ears so hard my fingers would go numb. My brain would trick me into thinking it was thundering outside, when it wasn't. Luckily a friend was over one day and told me to give it a chance...don't cover my ears, and I've been better since. I still hate lightning at night, but it's because it wakes me up. My parents used to say that I should have gone into meteorology. In high school, I almost became obsessed with weather (and with the internet now, I'm even more obsessed). I think understanding how storms work has made me respect them and become less afraid of them. I have this twisted desire to see a tornado, something my wife doesn't want me to ever see. I think seeing one would complete the circle for me.

I can't wait for some severe storms! I used to be deathly afraid of storms, now I can't get enough of them.

Regarding getting a loan... Now that credit isn't as easy to come by, will lenders cap the amount you can borrow based on your income and down payment? Will they also take employment into consideration? My wife works full time in a stable environment...her job isn't at risk of being eliminated. But I work as a substitute teacher and part-time event manager...neither of which are "steady" incomes (though subs are always needed). That will change if I get a teaching contract this summer, though. We are sort of stuck between a rock and a hard place. If I'm not under a contract, we could qualify for a bunch of down payment assistance, which could help increase the amount we could get or lower our interest rate. However, as soon as I get employed full-time (and we haven't closed by that time), our income would be above the threshold and we would no longer qualify, but we won't have enough of a down payment to get a good loan/rate. What kind of cash do you have to have to get a loan for, say, $190,000? Can you get a loan for any amount no matter your down payment? I'm very scatter-brained right now about this whole thing, but it's the lack of education that is causing it.

My wife and I are starting the preliminary steps towards buying a house. $8000 from the government is too good to pass up. I have a lot of questions, and I could spend hours scouring the internet (and probably will), but I thought I'd ask some questions to experienced home buyers. First of all, before we do anything, we are attending a seminar in a couple weeks put on by Dane County, and when we get through it, we'll be qualified to get some down payment assistance (assuming our income doesn't jump way up in the near future). After that, I plan on getting pre-approved for a mortgage. Here is where my questions begin... How do you go about finding a lender? Do you just go from bank to bank checking what the best rates will be? Once pre-approved, how long until you have to close? Can I find out how much a lender will give us without being officially pre-approved? How do you go about finding a real estate agent? What is the minimum amount of time that it will take once we get pre-approved to the time we close? Thinking about home ownership is really exciting, but it is incredibly frightening as well.

My little 12 year old cousin got a cell phone for some reason, and I am her favorite big cousin. She left me 15 voicemails over the weekend, and this was after I talked to her Friday afternoon.

How long is said sale going on?

It's easy... down in the far bottom right corner, there is a silhouette with a green dot next to it...click on that, and make yourself "offline". You will be signed out until you decide to turn chat on again. The same thing happens to me, quite often.

The second semi-final will determine the winner. Come on, UNC!!!

So what is Sunday looking like? Based on what I've been reading, the NWS doesn't know. It could be rain, could be snow, could be both... And the golf courses in Madison are going to open on Sunday...HA!

#1 Other than Sheen, a player with the last name of Gentry. #2 The official name is Tire World. #8 Sheen asks if they have chili dogs. #14 he speaks three...once when Ueck says, "Do you have anything to add, Monty?" and he replies, "Nope." Another is when they are pretending to be fans. The last is when Ueck is going over the box score, and says, "One hit...one [gosh darn] hit." Monty replies, "You can't say [gosh darn] on the radio." Ueck, "Ehh, no one's listening anyways." All the other answers looked like they were answered correctly already.

I have heard this as well. I read the forecast discussion from the NWS, and it sounds like there is some disagreement in the models, but it sounds like there will be some snow. I'm hoping the 15 inch model is inaccurate.

I lived in the lakeshore dorms for 2 years, and LOVED it. Yes, it is a bit farther than the SE dorms from State St., the liberal arts area, etc... but you get a free bus pass. And if you have a bike, the lakeshore path is nice and quick. I liked how quiet it seemed. It also never felt very crowded. There is a lot more green space to play outdoor games, too. I think Tripp and Adams halls are for non-freshmen (they have single rooms)...at least they were when I went there. Tripp is a very nice dorm.

At one point today, there was an area in Nebraska that was under both a tornado warning and a blizzard warning. Crazy...

UW announced today that they will be hosting another outdoor game, this time at Camp Randall Stadium. It will be in February next year. The women will open up against Bemidji State and the men will take on Michigan. The game at Lambeau was incredible, so I can't wait for this one.

By the time I get my car back tomorrow, I will have spend $1000 on repairs to the cooling system in the past month.

Since I missed out on Flight of the Conchords, I have to go to this. It would almost be more appropriate for them to play and Shenk Hall, because that's where they played when Spinal Tap came to Milwaukee on their tour in the movie. I'm hoping Nigel plays his "Mach" piece and there are 18" Stonehenge formations on stage.