Quick Thoughts 10/31

• Happy Halloween!  I’m dressed as Superfan Kahn today.
• Here’s a picture of the pumpkins we carved this year (I did the bat, Holly did the reaper, and the traditional one was for Payton):

• Fox made a very nice decision yesterday by showing the end of the Bears-Lions game after the Panthers destroyed the Vikings.  I expected them to cut to the start of the Eagles-Broncos, but instead I was able to see the final two minutes of regulation and overtime in the Bears-Lions game.  What a finish!
• The Bears control their own destiny now, but are sitting very nicely in their weak division.
• Brett Favre, welcome to the five interception club. 
• I was shocked to find out that the Iowa State game had been on TV here this past Saturday. I had no idea it was going to be picked up, and would have liked to seen the route they put on Texas A&M.  One more win and they’ll go to a bowl.  Too bad the Big 12 North championship isn’t very likely anymore, but maybe they are peaking at the right time.  The Colorado game will be big, but we have to hope the Buffaloes collapse too.
• Revenge of the Sith comes out on DVD tomorrow, and I’ll definitely be picking it up.  I was scouring the ads in the weekend paper to see which store would have the lowest price, but not a single place listed their price in the ads.  They just listed it as “Low Price.”  This is a practice that really gets my blood boiling.  I suppose their thinking is that they just want to get you into the store to find out the price, but I have better things to do.  Usually Target or Best Buy have the lowest prices on new releases, and I’ll probably go to Target since there are less salespeople trying to push junk on you.  I hate going to Best Buy and being asked if I want to subscribe to magazines while checking out, and it really annoys me when they ask for my phone number while checking out.  They have no business asking for that, and I never give it to them. 
• We’ve taken a lot of pictures in October.  Here’s a link to the gallery.

Bears Win!

The Bears just beat the Lions 19–13 in OT, and I couldn’t be happier.  Here are some celebration pictures.  (It helps that Payton is going as a lion for Halloween this year.)

Mindless post

For lack of anything better to post today, I will provide a little Google entertainment that I saw Ryan post about today.

Instructions: Visit Google.com, put your first name and the word “needs” in quotations (e.g., “kahn needs”) in the search box, and then click the Google Search button. Write down the top 10 results.

1. Kahn needs to show more maturity
2. Kahn needs someone to teach his warriors how to use Earth’s weapons
3. Kahn needs to retire or if he refuses they should sell him away
4. Kahn needs the committee’s help
5. Kahn needs to decide who he wishes to serve as a fiduciary
6. Kahn needs to have the physical presence of a drumkit even if he never strikes it in a traditional means
7. Kahn needs six weeks for finger to heal
8. Kahn needs to stick to very well-made clothes of fine fabrics, preferably made by European designers
9. Kahn needs a more intricate plot or a more interesting character to sustain this series
10. Kahn needs to work on reflexes or else he will fade and leave a dark mark on his once illustrious career

I like number two the best, which of course, is in reference to Mortal Kombat.  Most of the other Kahn hits were in reference to the German goal-keeper, Oliver Kahn. 

What is the best result you get when you do this with your name?  Post and let me know. 

Quick Thoughts 10/27

• Rocky 6 is in the works.  Can you believe Stallone will be 60 when they film this?    I also heard Rambo 4 is being worked on too.  Go with what you know Sly.
• I’m going to play racquetball tonight for the first time in about six months.  I’ll be sore tomorrow, but at least Dan has recovered enough from his surgery to start playing again.
• Today’s lyrics: “What we have here is failure to communicate.”  (I guess I’m on a spoken word at the beginning of songs, lyric kick.)

Quick Thoughts 10/25

• For the first time in my life I had milk spoil on me and experienced the awful smell that goes with it.  It reminded me a lot of the smell of Payton’s messy diapers.
• VH1 has another “I Love the 80’s” series on this week.  This time it’s “I Love the 80’s 3D,” and I was impressed with all the stuff I remembered from 1980 and 1981 (Pepsi Challenge, Intellivision, “You Can’t Do That on Television”, etc).   I was only 4, 5, and 6 during these years.  In honor of yet another 80’s pop culture nostalgia show I’m listening to my 80’s playlist this morning.
• While watching TV last night, I saw a commercial for Name That Tune 80’s Edition DVD Game.  I really want this game, but I don’t think anyone would want to play me because I’d totally dominate at it.  Schall-ange?  (Cosby show reference when Bill was in a tap dancing duel, for those who didn’t catch it or if it wasn’t clear in print.)
• Well nobody even took a stab at the last lyrics I posted, “If the shoe fits, I want you to wear it and wear it good.”  That was Tony! Toni! Tone!, “If I had no Loot,” circa 1993.  So with that in mind, I’ll make the lyrics a little easier today. 
• Today’s lyrics: “F: So what are you doing back?  M: Well, I sat back and thought about the things we used to do.  It really meant a lot to me.  You mean a lot to me.  F: I really mean that much to you?  M:….”

Superfan Kahn's Thoughts 10/23

Ah yes, the Bears are back to .500.  At least a record of 3–3 is a little easier on the eyes, than a losing record when you see that at the top of the NFC North division.  I was fortunate enough to see most of the Bears’ games the past two weeks as well.  The defense has certainly looked good against some struggling offenses, and hopefully they can continue that trend against the Lions, Saints, and 49ers in the next three weeks.  If you only allow 3 or 6 points a game, chances are you will win, no matter how much your offense struggles. 

Thomas Jones deserves to go to the Pro Bowl.  The man is playing with a bad ankle and is still rushing for over 100 yards a game.  Cedric who? 

The best part about the Bears’ 3–3 record is that two of the three wins came against division opponents, and they are 2–0 right now in the division.  Beating the Lions next week would be huge since it would put the Bears a game up and give them the season sweep against the Lions who appear, somehow, to be one of the best teams in the division. 

I also watched the Packers/Vikings game today, which was an excellent game that went down to the last second.  One thing that really annoyed me in the first half, when the Packers were up 17–0, is how the announcers were pretty much saying the Packers would win the NFC North just because they have Brett Favre.  I came to the realization that even after Favre retires, I’ll still have to listen to the announcers talk about him during every game.  When calling a Packers’ game, Madden will say, “Well that was a great pass that Aaron Rogers had, but boy, you can tell he’s just not having as much fun playing the game as Brett Favre did.”  Other announcers will wonder how much better the team would be if Favre was still playing, much like they constantly do with Randy Moss during Vikings games now.  Sorry guys, but Favre is only one guy,  the rest of the team has the injury bug this year, and they have only won one game.    I don’t see the Packers winning the division.  The Bears have a good defense and solid running game, and those two things win ball games. 

One other thing on the Packers/Vikings game is that it was nice to see former Bear, Paul Edinger win the game for the Vikings (or to put it another way, BEAT THE PACKERS) on the last second, 56 yard field goal.  I had always liked Edinger, but last season for the Bears he became a bit of a liability and had some problems kicking in Soldier Field.  While I don’t think the front office made the right move by replacing him with NY Jets cast-off, Doug Brien, who also was waived a couple weeks ago, I found it comforting last week that Edinger missed 3 field goals last week against the Bears.  Okay, so one was a bad snap and he never had a chance to kick it, but the fact remains that the Bears are probably better off without Edinger, and he’s probably better off playing for a dome team.  Thanks Paul for knowing when to make them, and knowing when to shank them. 

Some of the best cover songs of all time

Now playing: Cake - I Will Survive

What makes a good cover song?  In my opinion, it’s when the cover is better than the original, and not identical in style.  Now I’m sure this list will draw some debate, and maybe I’ve forgotten a song or two, so please let me know what you think of my top ten cover songs of all time.

• 10. Tesla – “Signs” (OK it’s very similar to the original, but it’s a live version.)
• 9.  Whitney Houston – “I Will Always Love You” (I’d like to sing this for karaoke, but I think Holly would pretend she didn’t know me.)
• 8.  Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Higher Ground” (Kick-ass song.)
• 7.  The Gourds – “Gin and Juice” (Commonly mistaken as a Phish version.)
• 6.  Orgy – “Blue Monday” (Far better than the original.)
• 5.  Alien Ant Farm – “Smooth Criminal”  (Great video spoofing Jacko as well.)
• 4.  Johnny Cash – “Hurt” (I’ve never liked NIN, and this song really fits Cash’s depressing musical style.)
• 3.  Jimi Hendrix – “All Along the Watchtower”  (Originally a Bob Dylan tune, but most people only know the Hendrix version.)
• 2.  Guns ‘n Roses – “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”  (Sorry Bob, but I enjoy the covers of your songs more than the originals.)
• 1.  Cake – “I Will Survive” (This has a great bass line and is definitely not disco.)

Covers that didn’t even come close to making my list include Pearl Jam’s “Last Kiss,” Britney Spears’ “My Prerogative,” and Tom Jones’ “Kiss.” 

A couple of bands that specialize in covers that are pretty funny are Richard Cheese and Me First and the Gimme Gimmes.  Richard Cheese covers popular songs in a lounge singer style, while Me First… cover popular songs in a punk style.  Me First… do a great version of Boyz II Men’s “End of the Road,” in which the funniest part is the talking part with different lyrics at the beginning.  Definitely check these guys out if you come across their material. 

Quick Thoughts 10/19

I’ve been on vacation this week and haven’t been around a computer a whole lot.  Plus I’m only using my computer at home for a little while at a time because my monitor keeps making bad smells.  I did order a new Dell LCD monitor on Monday and hope it arrives by the end of the week.  I actually got a refurbished one and save some money.  My PC is a refurbished Dell that I got about 4 years ago, and it’s never given me any trouble.  Anyway, here are my thoughts for the day.

• The Bears have certainly looked good against their division opponents.  Too bad they don’t play the Packers until December.
• I think it’s officially safe to call the Cyclones’ season a big disappointment.
• We were back in Iowa this past weekend and I probably visited the house I grew up in for the last time. 
• Diving from Davenport to Rochester is about 15 minutes faster than driving from Clinton to Rochester.  I made it home from Davenport in exactly four hours yesterday.
• Payton got to ride in a tractor and a combine this weekend, and he loved it!

• I forgot to put Team America, World Police on the list of crappy movies I’ve seen in the past couple months.  That’s 98 minutes of my life I’d like to have back.
• Today’s lyrics: “If the shoe fits, I want you to wear it, and wear it good.”

Quick Thoughts 10/12

• I finally saw Napoleon Dynamite last night, and it really wasn’t all that funny.  The characters were definitely out there, and I guess just the characters in general were what made the movie mildly entertaining.  There are about five minutes of footage after the credits, and I thought that was the funniest part.  I’d give the movie a C-. 
• I haven’t had time to watch many movies lately, and it seems like when I get a chance to watch them I end up being disappointed with them.  That was the case for Napoleon Dynamite, Meet the Fockers, and Constantine.  I did like National Treasure though.  Can anyone recommend a good movie to me, so I don’t end up wasting my time?
• I’d better get a new monitor soon.  It was making a nasty smell again last night like it’s getting too hot, and the horizontal size and position isn’t holding anymore.  Hopefully those aren’t toxic fumes being emitted.
• Since nobody has come up with the correct song yet from yesterday’s lyrics, I won’t be posting any new songs today.  Somebody has to know yesterday’s song.

Quick Thoughts 10/11

• Another one of my friends from my old college dorm floor has started a blog.  Welcome to the world of blogging Brian.  He always had an entertaining webpage in college (and look, it still exists) so I figure his blog should be an entertaining read. 
• I kind of hope the White Sox win the World Series this year.  I don’t really like them, but if they win this year, and since the Red Sox won last year, then there is no question the Cubs are the team with the most hard luck in the league.  Wait, is that really a good thing?
• Actually, I’ll be glad when baseball is done and Fox starts airing their season premiers. 
• Today’s lyrics are a little tougher I think, so I’m giving more.  Here you go: “Did you find the directing sign on the straight and narrow highway?  Would you mind a reflecting sign?  Just let it shine, within your mind, and show you the colors that are real.”  Hint:  This song has a cowbell.

Apples == good!

I am done predicting football games for this season.  Both the Cyclones and Bears broke my heart this weekend, so I will give them the silent treatment for at least a week.  Maybe it’s my fault for liking teams that are chronic disappointments, but I really thought they’d do better than this.  Anyway, enough sulking over football, and onto something cheerier.

Yesterday was a perfect fall day, sunny and in the upper 50’s, so we went to Northwoods Orchard just outside of Rochester.  It’s an 88 acre apple orchard, but also has a big pumpkin patch, corn mazes, and some animals (goats, rabbits, chickens, pigs) for the kids to pet.  It’s free except for the corn maze and any apples or pumpkins you buy.  We went out to the orchard and sampled some of the apples.  They were yummy enough that we ended up buying a bag.  Payton seemed to enjoy himself, and it made for a good afternoon of entertainment.  It also made me want to have an apple tree of my own, but that won’t happen until we get a bigger yard.  Anyway, here are some pictures from the orchard.

Quick thoughts 10/7

• Congratulations to my parents who sold their house yesterday after just ten days on the market!
• I subbed for the old bowling team last night and didn’t do so well.  That’s usually what happens when I haven’t bowled in eight months and the weight of the ball starts wearing on me.  I expect good things next week though.
• After almost nine years, I think my PC monitor is starting to crap-out on me.  Should I go with CRT or flat panel LCD? 
• So the Cyclones play Baylor in Ames tomorrow.  Hopefully this game won’t even be close.  I’m hoping for about 42–10.  Go Clones!
• The Bears play the Cleveland Oranges this week and it should be a winnable game for the Bears.  I expect it to be a low scoring game, about 14–10 Bears.  Hopefully the Bears’ offense made a lot of adjustments during the bye week.  The Bears have a pretty soft schedule the next five or six weeks, so if they can just take advantage of that, they should be able to take control of this division of second-class teams.
• Today’s lyrics: “Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl.”

Quick Thoughts 10/5

• I think I should work on my beard and enter this competition.  The free-style categories are the crazy looking ones that are the most interesting.  I just can’t imagine walking down the street with one of those on my face.
• Someone is throwing the switch for winter today.  It was humid and 80 yesterday.  Tomorrow it’s not supposed to make it out of the 40’s for a high. 
• I was watching the Adam Corolla Project last night on TLC and what amazed me the most was the cost of some really dumpy properties he was looking at in California.  I knew the market was terribly high there, but when I saw the crap you get for $750,000 I was totally shocked.  How does anyone afford to live there?  I guess there are interest-only mortgages, but if the market goes south, you are totally screwed.
• Today’s song lyrics: “Make up your mind.  Decide to walk with me, around the lake tonight.” 

Quick Thoughts 10/4

• I picked up the new Nickelback album, All the Right Reasons today.  So far it seems pretty good.  They are using a lot more acoustic guitar than they have in past albums.  I think after the success Chad Kroeger had with “Hero,” he has followed a similar formula for their radio-friendly songs.  Of their five albums, I’d probably rank this one as my third favorite, but it might have potential to move up to number two as I listen to it more.  Silver Side Up holds the top spot among the Nickelback albums, and I don’t see it getting displaced.
• Brach’s Star Brites peppermints are addictive.
• How about that, the Bears didn’t play this past weekend, but they are now back in first place in the division with a 1–2 record.  My 9–7 prediction should definitely be enough to win the division.
• Here are today’s song lyrics: “What makes you so jumpy?  Why can’t you sit still?  Oh yeah.” 

I suppose I should write something

I haven’t felt much like writing the past few days, and for that matter, I haven’t felt much like doing anything.  I recovered from my stomach bug, but am now fighting a cold that Holly had last week.  Mornings are the toughest with a cold, and it hasn’t helped that Payton has been waking up an hour earlier that normal the past few days.  I think his two year molars are pushing again because he’s been pretty crabby lately and not sleeping very well.  Hopefully they’ll push on through soon because they seem to bother him for a few days, then be fine for a week or two, and then bother him again. 

So the Lions fans are upset because they didn’t like the way the replay review turned out on their would-be game-winning touchdown.  I don’t feel very sorry for them because they essentially won an extra game last year against the Bears on a similar review that went in their favor.  It all evens out in time. 

If you get a chance, listen to Coldplay’s “Fix You.”  It’s a song that starts out with just an organ and vocals and then builds throughout the song with more instruments getting added each verse.  Actually, I think I like this song more after seeing the video.  There isn’t anything special about the video, but the last half is from a live performance and it just made me really get into the song and feel the emotion of it.  For some reason, Coldplay’s music reminds me of Pink Floyd.  Has anyone else thought the same, or am I just crazy?