too cute to pass up

This really is adorable (17 seconds worth the watch):

Texas

As we approach Saturday evening and Nebraska's Big 12 championship game vs. Texas, this article summarizes all the heartbreaking losses to the horns over the past 15 years:

http://www.omaha.com/article/20091129/BIGRED/711299771

Even though most fans would hate me saying this, generally Nebraska has gotten its share of good breaks in games (many against Colorado including last year's 57-yard field goal winner, the final stop of Michigan at the crazy end of the 2005 Alamo Bowl, the 3rd and 10 conversation against Notre Dame in 2002, blocked FG against Pittsburgh in 2005 to preserve an ugly 7-6 win, and no one would ever forget the miracle against Missouri in 1997...) Against Texas though? It's all seemed to go their way. The 4th and 1 long pass in the 1996 Big 12 title game, the two fumbles inside the 5 in 1999, interception in the end zone when a FG would have tied in 2002, and the Terrance Nunn fumble right over the first down line which would have otherwise sealed the game in 2006. I was at the last 2. It was utterly amazing to see meltdown after meltdown.

So...I think we're due. Colt McCoy is going to throw 5 interceptions and Suh is going to return 2 of them for TDs and Nebraska is going to win Saturday :)

Stardate

This doesn't surprise me in the slightest, but I was amazed at how thorough it was:

http://trekguide.com/Stardates.htm

The reason I even went looking for this is because Google Calendar has some new default calendars you can add to your own - originally it had one of all the US Holidays, but now you can add calendars for your favorite sports teams. Digging further I found one called "Star Date", thinking maybe it would be the Star Trek star date, but it wasn't. But it got me wondering what the ST stardates would be for the current timeframe - and the answer is it's complicated, because there wasn't (and still isn't) consistency in how stardates were used in all the series' and movies.

My education for the day.

Much to give thanks for!

Wednesday night Erin and I began preparing for having 8 people here for the big meal on Thursday. Erin did his usual masterful job of planning and preparing a wide array of wonderful thanksgiving dishes, including a cranberry sage turkey/stuffing with cranberry gravy, sweet potato bake, "Kenny Rogers" corn bread, steamed vegetables with the most sinfully delicious alfredo sauce (one of the quotes was "I took a taste of this and felt naughty"), cranberry jelly, milk rolls, and apple and pumpkin pies. Everything was SO good - anyone who knows me knows how picky an eater I am and I had some of everything.


My mom and my two nieces decided to stay overnight and we watched "A Bug's Life" and played with the kitties, and Keagann even somewhat learned how to play Mario Kart Wii. They left Friday afternoon and Erin unfortunately had to work on Black Friday (I avoid going within 1000 feet of a retail store on that day at all costs). I stayed home and watched Nebraska finish off Colorado and prepare for the Big 12 championship game vs. Texas next week. It will be an interesting game, I don't really think Nebraska's offense can keep up but we'll see...even if they lose it's been a very good second season for Bo Pelini.

I've been diving through "Super Mario Bros Wii" - Nintendo really knocked this one out of the park. I know I wrote it once before, but any game series that I'm still playing 29 years later after the original one came out has got to be good. There are so many creative things in this game, and it's challenging but still basic enough that anyone can play it. I've finished 7 of the 8 worlds, and am looking forward to seeing what they come up with for the ending. It's especially fun because Erin and also my friend Trevor are playing it at the same time, so I have someone to compare notes with.

I did my version of holiday shopping today - online, with my cup of coffee, at my desk :) I found a site that I'd recommend for anyone looking for sci-fi-ish stuff and comics, tfaw.com. I'm also looking to collect up all of the Hallmark keepsake ornaments I missed that were Star Trek: Voyager related - I think there are 6 total. We are putting up a real live tree this year, something I haven't had since I was 4 I think. Erin got LED pine cone lights and I've been saving decorations for years.

Finally - since new fall TV is about over, my brief reviews of the shows I regularly watch:

• Glee - by far the best new show of the year for me. And fortunately 2 more episodes in December!
• Big Bang Theory - continues to be just good fun, if you're a geek it's especially funny but I think everyone can enjoy it!
• House - season 6 is going ok, not quite as captivating as some of the earlier ones but still worth watching
• Flash Forward - I was intrigued by this one when I saw the trailers, but I have to say it's not really capturing my attention. May get bumped off the DVR list.
• V - 4 episodes in, and I'm just not getting caught up in it. The last episode was better but so far nothing really exciting and new.
• Ugly Betty - Season 4, I think they're setting it up to be cancelled or for this to be the last season. Not as funny as it was in earlier seasons.
• Modern Family - just started into this one a couple weeks ago, REALLY funny! Probably isn't the "rewatch" kind but great for 21 minutes of laughs a week.
• How I Met Your Mother - not sure why I keep watching this one but there are some good jokes/lines in it. I think Neil Patrick Harris is probably what keeps it going.

I've also had recommendations of "True Blood" which is on HBO which I don't get, and "Fringe" which I know nothing about. Erin has also started watching "Dollhouse" and likes it but might not be my thing.

I hope everyone had a wonderful and blessed holiday.

Thanksgiving Eve

While this isn't an official holiday, it sorta ends up being one for a lot of people. All the people who get Thursday and Friday off often take of Wednesday too (as I'm doing) - I don't imagine there are many people in the building where I work today.

It's also the crazy last-minute grocery shopping day where you get that thing you forgot (or, *gasp*, you didn't get any groceries yet and hope there's still stuff left). Black Friday is an insane shopping day, but grocery shopping today might scare me more.

Speaking of Black Friday - I see some stores are now opening at 3am. I think it would make more sense to just open at midnight, as it would be a lot easier to just stay up until midnight than to get up at 3am :) I will be continuing with tradition again and avoiding stores at all costs that day, and happily watching football (Huskers vs. Colorado on ABC at 2:30 woohoo!)

Finally, a video my friend Cathy posted earlier on Facebook - kids re-enacting the first Thanksgiving (cynically) - it's funny because it's little kids doing the acting, but sad too...



Looking forward to a fun, food-filled day with family and friends tomorrow. Have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving everyone!

wwjd

OK I guess I'm not in the mood to stayout of politics today...

http://www.pamshouseblend.com/diary/14065/the-wwjd-hate-crime-inciters-are-getting-some-support-for-their-dc-protest

You can read the article, but the picture alone is enough. Anyone holding up a poster that says "God Hates You" is clearly not reading the same bible I am. While it is not my place to judge anyone, I have a hard time thinking of that person as a Christian.

The other thing the article points out is that hate crimes laws for years protected (and still do protect) religious-based hate crimes. Nobody seemed to mind then.

I get this question a lot - the "why do you need hate crimes laws when you already have laws governing these bad actions?" e.g. if someone commits murder, they should be punished for murder, no matter what the reason was, that murder is inherently bad no matter why. Fundamentally I actually agree. The problem is that there is so much subjectivity in our legal system, particularly with sentencing. Say for example someone killed someone else because they were gay. Judges and juries all have personal beliefs, and while they aren't supposed to get mixed into their decisions, we're human, and of course they do. So, a homophobic judge might be swayed to give the murderer a lesser sentence. Wrong? Of course. But that is the reality of things. If there is a hate crime law that gets tacked on top of it, that ensures that won't happen. Still not completely fair? Of course it isn't, but our legal system wouldn't function well if it were overly rigid either. And you still have to prove that something is a hate crime in court, which is not always easy to do.

I guess mostly I see hate crimes as sort of a deterrent - if it makes anyone think twice about acting out violently against someone of some sort of minority specifically because they're a minority, it's done its job.

V

I was very excited when I saw that the 2009 version of "V" was coming to ABC in November. Many of you probably remember the 1984 mini-series "V" and the lesser-known one season of "V" after that. The mini-series was groundbreaking for 1984, both in terms of sci-fi, special effects, and a captivating story line. For the whole year after that, my friends and I played "V" at recess (initially we all wanted to be the resistance heros, but after awhile for some reason we all wanted to be the Visitor characters instead). In recent years these came out on DVD, and even now 25 years later the mini-series still looks good and is exciting to watch.

However...after 2 episodes, the 2009 version is not impressing me. I don't feel any connection to the characters, the basic story premise is the same but the story line is not nearly as action-packed, and everyone has perfect-looking CG special effects now - show me something new and creative!

I've had discussions about this with my friends, and I'm sure part of watching old shows or movies is the emotional and "time-in-your-life" connection you have to them, but I do think that some video entertainment is timeless and some isn't. Here is my list of major 80s stuff that I can watch over and over:

* Original Star Wars Movies (1977-1983)
* MASH (late 70s/early 80s)
* V Mini-Series (1984)
* Quantum Leap (1989-1993)
* Cheers (1982-1993)
* Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)
* He-Man/She-Ra cartoons (1983-1985)
* Dallas (1978-1991)

Post your "re-watchables" from the 80s!

Ho Ho Ho

Ho Ho Mochas at Caribou this morning...of course I had to get one. They now come in dark, regular, and white chocolate - of course I'll have to try all 3 :)

Handbells for 1 - take two

This Sunday I'll be doing a handbell solo for the prelude at the 8:30am service at my church Zumbro Lutheran (prelude starts at 8:15). I did one last year in March for a lenten service, but I've never done one for a Sunday service. While I generally don't get nervous playing handbells, it is a little different when everyone is looking at only you and not 11 other people playing.

Should be interesting...

Blast from the Past

I got this forwarded to me today, and I can't resist posting it - it's my full class picture from 4th grade, and I dare everyone to reply to this post and guess which one I am:

Make music not war

Thanks to mom for this one...

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2009/11/03/vif2.battleship.massachusetts.cnn

Huskers Win

I don't normally write about sports stuff on my blog, but I have to tip my hat at the game I watched last night with my friend Ryan - Nebraska vs. Oklahoma. This is a series that has had some classics over the years, and while neither team last night was #1 or #2 or even in the top 10, this was another one that be added to the rich history. Nebraska's defense played a near perfect game and held Oklahoma to 3 points, and despite having almost no offense, Nebraska won 10-3 after returning an interception to the 2-yard line setting up the only touchdown. This is a particularly big win after Nebraska's home loss to Iowa State earlier in the season and gives them a leg up on winning the Big 12 north title. Given where the Huskers were 2 years ago, this is an amazing turnaround.

Earlier in the season, thanks to my great friend Will, I had the chance to attend the 300th consecutive sellout game at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, vs. Louisiana-Lafayette. Nebraska won 55-0, but the historical significance of 300 sellouts was really the story that night - there was a jet fight flyby at the beginning, videos during the game with former players and coaches talking about Husker history, and a video at the end of the game with highlights over the 300 sellout streak (that's 1968 when it started, before I was born!)

I tell most people about how great an environment a Nebraska football game is, unlike anything else in sports, and I think most people don't get it unless they've actually grown up there or been to a game. There are no pro teams in the state, and no other major college sports teams. The one major difference though, to me, are the fans themselves - not only are they all fairly well-educated from a football standpoint (boos come from the crowd not just randomly, but when refs make bad calls) but they also exemplify good sportsmanship. Sure, it is easy to be good sports when your team wins most of the time, but the team hasn't been winning in more recent history, and the fans are still the same - welcoming to the opposing team and its fans, and appreciative at the effort the teams give, regardless of the outcome. The fans in the opposing team's locker room end zone always applaud the opposing team when it leaves the field. This is not typical of football fans in college and especially the pros - I've been to many other college stadiums and games and many fans do not display good sportsmanship of any kind.

I'm sure I'm a little biased, but when you hear these things repeatedly over many years from opposing coaches and fans, you tend to believe it. The article below, written by a Lousiana-Lafayette broadcaster visiting for the game, really sums it up well - worth the two minutes to read. Keep in mind that this guy is a broadcaster that follows his team to many games and stadiums and sees a lot of different fans.

http://scubasblog.com/2009/09/30/there-is-no-place-like-nebraska/

Go Huskers!

Precious Cargo

Yesterday we took the kitties to the vet for their 1.5 year checkup (really just over one year of when we got them, so one year since their initial vet visit). Madame was mewing sadly all the way there, almost like she thought we were getting rid of her or something. Fluffy Face seemed a little more excited about the field trip.

We love the vet we go to - Heritage Pet Hospital on Hwy 52 just north of 19th St. I'm sure there are many good vets in town, but if you're looking for one I would recommend them - besides being very friendly, they donate a lot of services to area animal shelters.

Both kitties did fine with all the poking, prodding and checking, and Fluffy Face was a trooper for his rabies shot. Madame was not so much of a trooper, and flinched and I think got double poked :( and was kind of lethargic for awhile after, but today all seems to be forgiven. Fluffy Face is now 11.6 lbs (I guess 11.5 is ideal for his age) and Madame weights in at 9.9.

Two years ago I never thought of myself as an animal person, a pet person, or a cat person, and now I am strongly all of the above. I certainly never hated animals or anything, but having two of them has brought a lot of fun and joy to our lives!

Here's one of their most recent pictures - their eyes don't actually glow, that's the camera :)

Coffee Mate

Yes I obsess way too much about coffee...but this is a treat most coffee drinkers would enjoy. Every year, Coffee Mate releases their holiday flavors, including "peppermint mocha" which my sister introduced me to a couple of years ago. I guess it's so popular it sells off the shelves within a few days. I managed to get some last night at Target and am enjoying my peppermint mocha coffee this morning.

It's the little things...in about an hour I get to start a new adventure for me, taking the cats to the vet for their yearly checkup (Erin has done all the previous ones). Should be interesting!

Election Day

I don't generally notice an off-year election, but I did read through the headlines this morning, including 2 governors races (I thought the states alternated each even year?) and sadly, this one from Maine:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-11-04-gay-marriage-maine_N.htm

Yes I know we live in a democracy, but somehow things like this and what happened in California last year just seem kinda wrong to me - if people can put anything on a ballot and vote on it and win by simple majority, it seems like they could vote in just about any sort of discrimination. I guess there's not a good solution to this...just frustrating.

Funny for the day

Being sick a week I'm way behind on posting stuff, but this is a good corny joke for the day and the season - thanks to Mary Jo for this one.

Bob and Betty Hill were vacationing in Europe. They were driving a rented car along a deserted highway, not far from Transylvania. It was late at night, and it was raining so hard Bob could barely see the road. Suddenly, the car skidded out of control. Bob tried to control the car, but it swerved and smashed into a tree.

In the silence that followed, Bob sat dazed, shaking his head to clear the fog. He looked over at Betty and saw that she was unconscious, and her head was bleeding. He had to get her medical assistance as quickly as possible.

Bob carefully lifted his wife and carried her down the road through the rain. In a short while, he saw a light and headed towards it. It was coming from a large, old house. He approached the door and knocked.

A small, hunched man opened the door and Bob gasped, "My name is Bob Hill, and this is my wife Betty. We've been in a terrible accident and my wife has been seriously hurt. May I please use your phone?"

"I'm so sorry," replied the hunchback. "We don't have a phone. My master is a doctor; come in and I will get him!"

Soon Igor returned with the doctor who said, "I'm afraid my assistant has misled you. I am not a medical doctor; I am a scientist. However, it is many miles to the nearest clinic, and I have had a little bit of medical training. I will see what I can do. Igor, bring the Hills to the laboratory."

With that, Igor carried Betty to the lab, and Bob followed closely. Igor placed Betty on a table. Immediately Bob collapsed from his own injuries, so Igor placed Bob on an adjoining table.

After a brief examination, Igor's master looked worried. "Things are serious, Igor. Prepare a transfusion." Igor and his master worked feverishly, but to no avail. Bob and Betty Hill were no more.

The Hills' deaths upset Igor's master greatly. Wearily, he climbed the steps to his conservatory to his grand piano. He often sought solace in music, so he played, and a stirring, haunting melody filled the house.

Meanwhile, Igor tidied up the lab. As he worked, his eyes caught movement. He saw the fingers on Betty's hand begin to twitch, keeping time to the haunting music. Stunned, he watched as Bob's feet moved in perfect rhythm. With wide eyes, he was shocked as Betty and Bob suddenly sat up straight.

Unable to contain himself, he dashed up the stairs to the conservatory.

He burst through the door and shouted to his master, "Master, Master! The Hills are alive with the sound of music!"