Please pay extra on your taxes this year.

This article was in our local newspaper (The Pantagraph) yesterday (12/15/09):

http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/article_d214ac88-e92e-11de-963d-001cc4c002e0.html

I found it interesting as someone who owns a condo south of Detroit whose property value has plummeted, yet the taxes owed that are supposedly based off that same property value have not dropped. Odd. I work for State Farm and support any individual or company that feels they are being over-taxed appealing their assessment.

Here’s the portion of the story that really frustrated me:

The county’s general fund is capped at $0.25 per $100 equalized assessed valuation. The county currently is taxing at $0.2453 per $100 EAV for that fund, he said. So the county couldn’t recoup a 2 percent drop in assessed valuation by raising its levy.

“It could mean potential cuts,” Lindberg said.

However, Lindberg added, “I’m highly confident State Farm will live up to its motto, ‘Like a Good Neighbor,’” and the situation will be resolved.

Terry Lindberg’s title is “County Administrator.” What Lindberg appears to believe is that because not being able to over-tax a large company like State Farm could affect his budget, it is State Farm’s responsibility as a “Good Neighbor” (nice cheap shot Lindberg) to pay taxes they do not owe so that his budget (which apparently was not prepared responsibly) does not suffer. It is frightening and sad that someone who believes such nonsense holds an important position in our community.

The giving State Farm does to this community is very large. But even if it wasn’t and State Farm was full of money hungry hoarders, it would in no way make them responsible for paying taxes they don’t owe to pad a budget of the county. It’s just another example of someone looking for a handout. I would be willing to bet that Mr. Lindberg does not pay a penny more on his income taxes every year so that the government can start paying off the billions of dollars of debt they have accumulated.

Lindberg knew what he was doing. He was using an interview that he knew would be published in the local paper to paint State Farm as the bad guy in this situation knowing full well (hopefully) that State Farm isn’t the one that would be suffering from having to pay taxes it doesn’t owe. The policy holders would. Sounds like being a good neighbor is exactly what they are doing by making sure they don’t have to raise premiums because they are forking over their policyholders money to pay taxes they don’t owe.

Look what else I found on the Pantagraph-

“McLean County will have a new administrator next month. The McLean County Board approved a two-year contract with Assistant County Administrator Terry Lindberg, paying him $125,141 each year to be the county's administrator.”

The full article can be found at:
http://www.pantagraph.com/news/article_a4e218e2-220f-5603-a1be-f42bee942df2.html

It seems to me Mr. Lindberg makes a good living for himself and can afford a pay cut if need be to help his budget. Perhaps he should be a good neighbor and do so.

Mr. Lindberg, you are a dope.

An Open Letter to Grocery Stores

Dear Satan (as I will refer to you from this point on),

I loathe you. I could spend hours going through examples to support my feeling but for the sake of my blood pressure, I will give you one.

First, answer one question. Have you ever put mayo on your salad? Ever? Now I admit that I have never put, say, blue cheese (or "bleu" cheese for those of you who think you can misspell it and look smart) on my salad and yet I recognize that there is such a thing as blue cheese dressing. So I guess we need a follow up question. If you have never put mayo on your salad (and... you haven't), do you know anyone that has? Ever? Well Lucifer, Prince of Darkness, you have been around a long time. So to give you the benefit of the doubt, I'm going to concede that at some point in history, there was someone who has. Sure she was 90 years old with coke bottle glasses who thought she was reaching for the Ranch dressing while mumbling nonsense to her friend that didn't exist, but I'll give it to you.

My point is this. Today I had a sandwich from Jimmy John's. I took the readily available condiments that were supplied by the good folks who know what we (in this time and place in history) put on certain foods. What were they? Mayo and mustard. Sure, there are other condiments that exist. Ketchup is a pretty big one. But very few people would put ketchup on a sub sandwich, so they don't even bother giving you ketchup packets. And I did not for one second search through the packets looking for one that had red lettering. But do you know where I'd have to go in your evil store to buy the same toppings for my sandwich? I'd have to pick up mustard in the condiment section (logical) and then head over to the SALAD DRESSING aisle to find the mayo. This is total crap and you know it.

Here's the thing. I don't know the origins of mayo. I don't know if when it was invented everyone got together and had salad parties where the mayo was flowing. Maybe that happened. But the fact is, it doesn't happen anymore. Next time you go to ANY restaurant, ask what kind of salad dressings they have to choose from. If mayo is included in the list along with Ranch, French, Italian, Blue Cheese, etc. save me the trouble and punch yourself in the face because you're lying. In fact, go ahead and ask for mayo on your salad and see what kind of reation you get. Do people use mayo to make coleslaw? Of course. They also use carrots. I have never seen a row of carrots sitting next to the French dressing in your stupid little store. Tomato's are used to make ketchup- no one would look at a tomato and a bottle of mustard and think, "Condiments!"

Your stores should be set up and organized in a way that compliments how we actually use food together. I cannot think of one instance in which being able to pick up mayo and Ranch dressing in the same area would overshadow the obvious logic and convenience of having it with the rest of the condiments. So if there is a historical method to your madness, it is just that. Historical. Since that time we have adapted. If the North has defeated the South and women can vote, surely we can move ahead and organize our food more efficiently.

And by the way. Water chestnuts are vegetables. Just because they are harvested in Asian countries does not mean they need to be put in your little "Asian" section of your store. The vegetable area will work just fine, thank you. Unless we start going to a geographical organization method where oranges are put in the "Florida" aisle and Potatos in the "Idaho" aisle, you can get over your stereotype that only Asians eat water chestnuts and put it in the appropriate section.

So Beelzebub, it brings me great joy to remind you that you have already been defeated and someday all things will be made right again and mayo will be put in it's rightful place. The condiment aisle.

Blessings,

Common Sense

Financial Peace Graduate

Back in September, Corinne and I signed up for Dave Ramsey’s “Financial Peace University” class. There were a handful of local churches that were hosting the DVD led class, so we chose the one that was held on Thursday nights to accommodate our schedules. After completing the course, I would 100% recommend that every person/couple go through the class as well. The principles that Ramsey teaches are not groundbreaking by any means. But they are principles that sometimes you need to be pushed to implement. I’ve always considered myself to be pretty good with my money, but this class has helped me become even more organized with my finances. The class is 13 weeks long and goes through the basics of many different subjects like saving, paying off debt, insurance, retirement, budgeting, college tuition, mortgages, etc. I’m 30 years old and until we started this class, I have never lived on a budget. Again, I considered myself pretty good with my money but creating and sticking to a budget has been very freeing. I now know where my money goes every month and can be proactive in setting money aside for upcoming expenses or special purchases I want to make, etc.

Aside from having a monthly budget from this point on, I think the biggest thing I took from this class is the need for people to get their finances under control. Most people in the United States should look in the mirror and consider our culture when looking for where the blame for the financial crisis in our country should be placed. At the heart of many of our problems is peoples inability to manage their finances. We spend too much money on things we don’t need. We don’t save enough money. And worse, we borrow too much money. Our culture in America is so consumer driven that we’re led to believe that we need stuff and that we are entitled to live a lifestyle that few can actually afford to live. We drive cars and live in houses we cannot afford because we think we deserve to do so. We put big purchases on credit cards and spend most of our lives only paying off interest.

The message that was re-iterated through this class was “stop borrowing money.” A mortgage is an exception (though Ramsey says that you should put down at least a 20% down payment and limit your loan to 15 year mortgage) but all credit cards should be cut up. The idea is- if you don’t have the money to purchase something… you don’t purchase it. What a concept! Unfortunately too many people spend so much of their incomes on paying interest on their cars, their mortgages, their credit cards, etc. It’s just a waste. We throw our money away and have little to show for it. And more and more people are having to put off retiring simply because they cannot afford to do so- mainly because they went through life without a plan. I know emergencies come up and that major events sometimes take place and can set an individual or a family back. But if we are honest with ourselves probably 90% of those events wouldn’t break us if we were living on a budget and had money set aside for such times.

The scary thing about the future of the average family’s financial picture is not much is being done to educate high school/college/young adults about how to manage their finances. Instead, they are the ones that are bombarded with credit card offers, commercials, ad campaigns, etc. They must be taught early on how to save and manage their finances, especially since the important ages for saving for retirement are the early 20’s.

So my point is- take the class. It was only $93 for both Corinne and I to take it. We learned a lot, had a lot of fun, and it opened up dialogue between us with our plans and ideas with our finances. You can follow this link http://www.daveramsey.com/fpu/home/ to find out more about the class and also find where the nearest class is going to be starting around you.

If you’re someone who has gone through the class, what did you think?

Try this!

Check out this website:

http://www.lala.com/

It's free to join and you can listen to pretty much any album in existence for free. You can follow me by searching lala members with my e-mail address: jmwoelfel@yahoo.com

It's perfect for listening to music while working.

Ketchup

It's been about a month since my last post. Since then I have had the swine flu (I'm pretty sure) and started a new job. In that order, though they were not related. Oh, and it has gotten cold. Really, really cold. Which brings me to this:

I'm on weather.com right now and it tells me it is 13 degrees farenheit outside. I'm ok with that statement. I believe it could very well be 13 degrees. That's not what concerns me. It's what is under that. "Feels like -6." WHAT? It took me quite a lot of pondering to understand how time could be relative. I guess I was not prepared that temperature too, could be relative. How can it be one temperature out, and feel like it is another? And is this universal? If you and I are both standing outside next to each other in the 13 degree weather- do we both feel like it's -6 out? Or could it feel -5 out for me?

And this whole "wind chill" explanation isn't doing it for me. If it's 13 with no wind and -6 with wind and it's windy, guess what? It's -6 out. My question is this- if it's 36 degrees out but it "feels like" 31- does water freeze? Is it 31 degrees to the water as well? Or can only objects with souls experience the "feels like" temperature?

Please. I would like to hear your theories.

A Short Story

I was working on Saturday and was incredibly bored by my work. Thankfully, there was an entertaining e-mail thread that sparked my interest. One of our supervisors was competing in the IronMan challenge in Florida and a co-worker was following his progress online and updating those of us in the office via e-mail. At one point, however, some co-workers started responding to the updates and voicing their encouragement. I tried to picture the practicality of someone being able to pass this encouragement on to Marc during the race. So I did what any rational person would when put in such a situation. I wrote my first short story since grade school. Enjoy.

“Super Awesome”

Mark Freeze goes on break and calls the race co-coordinator in Florida. He tells him he has an urgent message that must be given to racer Marc Massaro.

Moments later, an exhausted Marc Massaro (on mile 4 of his first leg) is jogging away. All of a sudden, a man in street clothes starts running alongside of him. “Marc?” he asks. Marc does a double take and looks over, confused. “Yeah (pant), I’m… Marc (breathing heavily between words).

“I have an important message for you, Mr. Massaro,” says the man. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I felt this could not wait. Apparently a Mr. Jerry Johnson back in Bloomington has this message for you: (clearing throat) “we are all behind you, Marc.”

Moments later, Marc is re-focused on the race. With the knowledge that Jerry Johnson is behind him (figuratively, literally, in spirit, or however), he has extra incentive to finish this race. All of the sudden, the man in street clothes reappears and is running alongside him again.

“Another message?” Marc asks.

“Yes,” says the man. “this one comes from a Miss Jaclyn Demes. She says, ‘Run Marc Run! Super Awesome!’ Also, in between those two phrases, she included a smiley face.”

Marc, clearly energized by this new message, smiles at the man and looks straight ahead and quickly pulls away once again. The man in street clothes jogs to a stop and watches Marc run off in the distance. “Super Awesome,” he echoes.

Sick

I just called our Absence Hotline at work to let them know I would not be coming into work tomorrow. It said to leave my number and my mind went completely blank. I said:

"My number is... 692... (silence, chuckle)... 692-9200."

Nope. My real number is 531-6955. WHAT???

I blame the fever, lack of appetite, and stomach problems. Help.

Just finished...

I just finished reading Donald Miller's latest book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years today. He is coming to town on Thursday and Corinne and I are going to go hear him speak so we both wanted to make sure we finished this book ahead of time. We're not sure what exactly it is we are going to hear him talk about, but we have enjoyed his other books so much that we are excited to see him in person. I actually did hear him speak at a National Youth Leaders Convention a few years ago in Cincinnati, but was disappointed that he gave more of a traditional sermon rather than use his giftedness of story-telling to shed light on the Bible Scripture he was discussing that day. There are some people in the world that are able to express thoughts and ideas in ways that you never considered, yet make so much sense. I have joked at times that if money was indispensible to me that I would hire some of these people to live in one of my spare bedrooms (because my house would have many of them) and I would spend many evenings listening and learning from them. I should probably get started on that roster for when the day comes. I have some musicians who will also be staying over.

As for the book...

I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. As was the case with Miller's other books, I was unable to put it down. It took 3 days to read. And only that long because I had to work and fit some sleep in somewhere. It's one of those books that you get to a point where you think, "only one more chapter, and then I'm going to sleep." And then you get to the end of the chapter and start the process over again until you realize you have to stop reading because you're so tired you have read the last sentence 6 times and still have no idea what it says.

The book was all about our story. Miller is in the process of turning one of his book "Blue Like Jazz" into a screenplay, and over the course of adapting it to the big screen is confronted with having to change everything about his real life because it would be too boring for a real movie. The two writers that are hired to write the screenplay teach him about the structure and essential parts of every good story- none of which are present in the life that he is living. Miller does a great job of drawing you in with such a relevant dilemma. I'm guessing the majority of us can relate to not living out the next box office hit.

I think it is impossible to read this book and not do some introspection. What kind of life am I living? Am I really living, or just surviving and going through the motions? Where do I even find meaning if I wanted to? Miller was very helpful with his thoughts of how God fits in to our story. Or really, how we fit into God's story. I guess after reading this book, I am left with more questions than answers. Which is a good thing. These questions demand answers, and the answers demand action. I guess the hardest part is figuring out what that action is.

What I mean is- Miller comes to the realization that he hasn't really been creating a good story. He is involved in a story- we all are. But he's not happy with it. And he realizes that it's not going to get any better by sitting on a couch. So he decides to go about making his story better. He looks up his father who left when he was very young. He goes to Peru to hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. He chases a girl. He rides his bike across the country. He starts a Mentoring Program. He does things. Big things. And that was all nice and made for good stories. I guess at first I was not convinced that they were making his overall story meaningful. By the end, Miller says he now knows what he will talk to God about when he sees him. That he will talk to God about all of these experiences and God will reply, "Well done."

I guess my point is... when do we get to that point where we feel like our lives have been complete? I guess Miller is right- it's in the individual experiences that we find our meaning. It's in the painful times that we find our character. One line that stuck out was something a friend of Miller's said to him. He said that when painful things happen you either "get bitter or get better." I have found that to be true. I have experience what I would consider some painful life events. I actually had a conversation with a guy today that is experiencing a painful life event where he is being faced with how to handle what is in front of him. It's never easy. But life isn't about being easy. It's about living in the now and deciding that today I am choosing to be better. The crap that has happened before this moment is in the past, and what's the point of being bitter? No one wants to watch a bitter story. I don't think God intended for us to live a bitter life.

I do know that Jesus said he came that we might have life, and have it to the full. God created us so that we can live a story. I don't want to miss out on that. I don't want to just live my own story. I want to be a part of the story he is writing. I think the hardest part is finding out what that means in days that are full of 9-5 jobs, traffic, bills, tv, etc. But I will continue to try and find out. I will continue to choose to get better.

Thoughts?

I'll eat you up, I love you so.

I took Peyton, my four year old son, to see Where the Wild Things Are tonight. He had already seen it and loved it. This was surprising to me in some ways. When I first read that a movie was being made out of the book, I was excited for Peyton. He loves books, and especially this book. He could recite the book word for word when he was 3- without missing a single word. So when this movie was on the way, I couldn't wait for Peyton to see it.

Then as the movie was set to open, I started reading reviews that revealed this may not be your ideal children's movie. I read that it might be too scary for younger children. This did not bode well as Peyton isn't always the bravest soul when it comes to movies. So I was relieved and a bit surprised when his mom told me that he had loved it. And not only did he love it, but the next morning he was still affected by the scene towards the end where Max has to say goodbye to the Wild Things and includes an especially emotional goodbye with Carol- his seemingly Wild Thing counterpart.

So after reading multiple stories reporting parents up in arms over the film being too dark, joyless, violent, and scary to adults complaining the movie was so boring they fell asleep, I had the chance to see it tonight.

I thought the movie was pure genius.

I loved it. I think this movie is groundbreaking on how a movie can relate to kids. Spike Jonze was able to transcend age and tell a story that is relevant to everyone. The film doesn't appeal to any certain socio-economic audience. It appeals to us as people. As humans. This is a movie about something. I think too often we go to a movie expecting and wanting to be taken away from reality and not wanting to deconstruct our makeup and how our fears and insecurities are manifested. Maybe this is where the criticism of the movie being boring comes from by some adults. Maybe they were not happy that the Wild Things were so... human. Even though Max got on a boat and sailed across the sea to get away from his feelings of lonliness and sadness, he arrived a place that was full of the same. In Carol, Max could see from the outside how his acting out and fits of rage are experienced by others. He experienced the failure of trying to "make everybody be ok." Even Max's fairy tale world was broken.

The cinematography and scenery were great. The Wild Things were perfect. The audience was visually stimulated at all times- very important when appealing to young children as well. The music could not have been better. If there was ever a soundtrack that captured the feelings of a child, this was it. The music and camera work when one of the characters would get upset and act out allowed you to understand excactly how they were feeling at that time.

But best of all, the film was real. It was about real feelings that kids have. We are so used to dumbing everything down and putting on a tv "kids" show that is full of happy music and smiling characters that experience disappointment at times, but rarely true sadness and fear. I love that this movie doesn't sugarcoat anything. Max is feeling real emotions. He is a kid. He does kid things. He overreacts. He has fits of rage and is destructive. He is vengeful with those he loves most. He is scared when new people are introduced in his life that he will be forgotten. He seeks freedom and when he finds it, longs for order again. He feels the struggle between lonliness and vulnerability. He struggles with trying to be something he's not and the realization of who he is. He understands what we and our kids understand no matter how much we try to convince them otherwise- the world is not perfect. But young and old, we share the same vision: We just want everyone to be ok.

Where the Wild Things Are was not what I was expecting. I was expecting a kids movie based off of a kids book. Instead I found a story about Max, about people, about Peyton, and about myself. Hopefully we can learn from this movie and the daily expressions of our kids. Maybe they're more sensitive and aware of the world than we know. Maybe the older we get doesn't necessarily make us more mature. Maybe it just makes us older.

Get in the boat and sail for a bit. Your dinner will still be warm when you get back.

Great Urban Race!

Yesterday (for Corinne's birthday), we participated in the 1st annual Great Urban Race held in Normal, IL. You can read more about the organization at http://www.greaturbanrace.com/ It is held in big cities all over the country such as Phoenix, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Washington DC, San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, New York City, etc. So for Normal to make the tour was great! I believe one of the founders of the GUR team is an Illinois State alumni.

Basically, the GUR is a one day Amazing Race. Teams of two are given 12 clues that they must complete and then get to the finish line as quickly as possible. Teams can only travel by foot or public transportation such as bus, subway, or train. Bikes, taxis, private cars, etc are off limits.

So at 11 a.m. yesterday, Corinne and I and our friends Kelly and Chelsie took off with our 12 clues, our cameras, and our hopes of keeping our self respect! After 2 hours and 40 minutes of walking and running around 7 miles through drizzle, sunshine, drizzle, hail, and cold wind, we finished the race 27th overall (unoffically). Full standings will be posted on Tuesday. If any top 25 teams were accessed a penalty for not completing a clue correctly, we could qualify for nationals in New Orleans (not that we can go).
**UPDATE** We did indeed finish 25th, officially. So we qualified for the National Championship in New Orleans! We aren't going, but we received medals! That's right, I am now the proud owner of a medal.

I will put more info on the clues, etc in the near future. Seriously, make sure you give this a try next year in the city closest to you. It was so much fun! Hopefully next years race will be held during a warmer time of year in Normal!

My Deep Thoughts

Remember in the 90's when Saturday Night Live showed 2 or 3 Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey each week? That was my favorite part of the show. At one point in my life, I decided that writing some Deep Thoughts of my own was needed.

Most of the people who read them have the same reaction. The reaction isn't so much verbal as it is that facial expression that says, "This is really odd. Like... creepy odd. I don't really get it." It's ok. I've seen that look a few times. But to me, it is validation that I have succeeded. Deep Thoughts are weird. The best ones are the ones that are so off the wall that you end up laughing and asking "What??" simultaneously. That, my friends, is funny.

Here are some of mine. Perhaps I will post more at a later date. I hope you enjoy them. And by enjoy, I mean I hope you leave feeling confused and with an urge to lay down for a few minutes.

My Deep Thoughts:

I bet at least part of the reason for the inevitable destruction of all our major cities by aliens lies in their need to overcompensate for their small stature and disproportionate large eyes.

Of all horror movies, I think Snow White was the most frightening. Who were those little men with the pick axes???

If giants ever invade the land, we shouldn’t be quick to judge them or fear they’ll eat us. They’re people too, you know. And probably really uneducated.

When body builders get old, they’ll always have their ribbons and awards to remind them of what they accomplished over the years. Oh, and saggy boobs.

If all dogs go to heaven, I hope they all get really nice homes when they’re there. I also hope that there are cats there that poop in their yard.

I bet if the North and South would have used the same strategy in negotiating slavery as they did with who would wear what color in battle, the Civil War could have been avoided.

There is nothing more fragile than the human heart. Except a human heart made of glass.

They Might Be Giants at the Pageant

Two months ago, my beautiful girlfriend bought tickets to see They Might Be Giants in St. Louis for our 6 month anniversary. The concert was last Friday and was a great time! There was one man in the balcony that I am convinced was having the time of his life. Corinne thought he was drunk. I have never seen a drunk man be able to dance, or more accurately- flail around, like he did. I think he was just high. Perhaps both.

It was a special Flood show, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the album. As usual, there was a very eclectic demographic present. From teenagers with their fathers to adults in their mid-forties (and probably older) and everyone inbetween- They Might Be Giants has figured out how to appeal to all ages. They even did a few songs from their new Children's album and sang a couple of songs with hand puppets... at an adult show.

As best as I can remember, the set list (not in order) was:

FLOOD SONGS:

Theme From Flood
Birdhouse in Your Soul
Lucky Ball and Chain
Istanbul
Dead
Your Racist Friend
Particle Man
Twisting
We Want a Rock
Someone Keeps Moving My Chair
Hearing Aid
Minimum Wage
Letterbox
Whistling in the Dark
Hot Cha
Women & Men
Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love
They Might Be Giants
Road Movie To Berlin


NON-FLOOD SET:
Meet the Elements
What is a Shooting Star?
Why Does the Sun Shine?
Clap Your Hands
Fingertips
The Mesopotamians
James K Polk
New York City
Shoehorn With Teeth
Damn Good Times
Drink
Cowtown

TMBG always puts on a great show. Their blend of melodic tunes, clever lyrics, humorous dialogue, unique instruments, and creativity always is entertaining. They seemed a little off on this particular night, though. On a couple occasions, they skipped over a song from Flood and had to go back as they had originally set out to play the album from beginning to end. They also forgot to play one altogether until towards the end of the show. Linnel even had to re-start a song at one point as it sounded like he may have started in the wrong key.

Overall, still a great show. The crowd was into it and TMBG ended with two encores. I don't know if it was because we were in the balcony or not, but the vocals were not loud enough. The instruments, guitar especially- overpowered the vocals. Which is too bad because the vocals and lyrics are really what makes TMBG unique. Perhaps the mix was much better for those on the main floor. We had seen Ben Folds the week before at the Pageant and the sound mix was perfect- but it was just Ben and the piano.

The best part by far was spending the evening with Corinne. She was a trooper. We drove down for a concert where she really only knew one song and then drove all the way back, getting home at 2 am knowing we both had to be at work at 8 am the next morning. We had a nice dinner together at Blueberry Hill as well. A perfect night!

That's a loser!

I'm not going to jump all over Cardinal fans too much after being swept by the Dodgers in the first round of the playoffs. It's just fitting that after having to hear about the Cubs being swept in the opening round for the past 2 years, it happens to the Cardinals. And not only did they get beat, they self-destructed. It's only fair after winning the World Series a few years ago thanks to Detroit forfeiting. Watching Carpenter get roughed up in Game 1, Holliday trying to become the first player to catch a fly ball with his crotch, Franklin imploding, Pujols yelling at umpires, Piniero dropping underhand tosses, and Molina being thrown out at 3rd on a ground ball in front of him just felt good.

So Cardinal fans, this is a small snapshot of how it feels to be a Cubs fan. Sure you weren't five outs from your 1st World Series appearance in almost 60 years at the time. But it still stings, doesn't it? And remember the last two years when the Cubs got swept and your mantra was "The Cardinals have won just as many playoff games as the Cubs this year." Let that sink in a bit. I don't have to say anything.

The Cardinals did better than expected this year and will have an MVP and 2 pitchers finish in the Top 3 in Cy Young voting. Be thankful Carpenter didn't have to pitch Game 4 on short rest and have his arm fall off.

Look at the bright side. The Cardinals now have the next 5 months to figure out their facial hair issues.

Looks like someone just realized how ridiculous his moustache has looked all year.

Disclaimer

As I attempt to start keeping a regularly updated blog, I would like to start with a disclaimer. I really don’t want to keep a blog. In fact, I’ve always thought the idea that I have thoughts that other people want to read was a bit pretentious. I always thought it would be cool to write a book. But again, I can’t get away from wondering why I would think I was so special that someone would want to sit down and read my thoughts.

The other day a co-worker asked me why I didn’t become a writer. That question seemed to have come from out of the blue. I asked what he meant and he said that I have a lot of opinions and I was a good writer. The fact is, I have always wanted to write. I just don’t even know where to start. I didn’t take any writing classes except for the generic Written Comp freshman level class in college. I don’t really know how one “becomes” a writer short of making a declaration to family and friends. To me, the definitions of a writer are either 1) someone way smarter and more gifted with words who has lived a far more interesting life than I or 2) someone who is unemployed, but has enough of a financial cushion to jot down some thoughts for awhile.

The point is, this blog is more for me than you. I feel like I have a lot of ideas and thoughts that I would like to spend some time exploring, but I am way too lazy to write them on paper. I trust the internet to keep these ideas way more than my computer which will, without a doubt, crash within the next year. It smells like B.O. I don’t even know how that is possible. So, you’re welcome to read along if you wish. I just don’t expect you to. That would be… pretentious of me.

8 Months.

Corinne and I's first 8 months together accoring to wordle.net