Carbon Offset Indulgences
I wish I could take credit for this term, but I have to give credit to Charlie Sykes for linking today’s carbon-offset mania with the Reformation. Being a Lutheran, I was raised to know about the grounds for the reformation. I have to chuckle at the lengths we are willing to go to ease our guilt for living on this planet. I am in the process of replacing some windows so I save money and use less energy. I recycle more than the average person. I don’t think we should destroy the planet just for the heck of it. I believe we should take reasonable steps to keep the planet clean for future generations. What is a Carbon Offset Indulgence? It’s hard to define, but I know one when I see … Read entire article »
Filed under: Humor, News/Insight, Techie
The Cy Young of Youth Baseball
I came across this article today about the pitcher who is “too good” to play in a nine-year-old league. What cracks me up is that there were kids like this in our league too. I don’t know if this is a select league or not, but it makes for interesting reading. The displaced barber who runs the league is a nice touch. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Humor, News/Insight, Sports
My forty-five seconds of fame?
I wasn’t listening to Charlie Sykes when he read my County Parks blog post this morning on the radio. Thanks to my friend Melissa and the wonders of podcasting, I got to hear it after the fact. You can hear the audio here; the topic begins at 1:35 and ends at about 5:00 in. Two things: Mr. Sykes called me “a writer” and omitted the last sentence of my post because it was “somewhat tasteless”. Given his history with the McGee family, I could certainly understand. I’m honored to think this was worthy of his airtime. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Humor, News/Insight, Reads, Screens, and Sounds
The Pepsi toilet in the Harley Davidson stall in the Associated Bank Men’s room, brought to you by Miller Coors…
The Milwaukee County board is discovering something any regular parks user knows: many bathrooms are in bad shape. I’m sure some people will blame this on Scott Walker. But the fact is Tom Ament and his board cronies were letting these facilities deteriorate while considering free needles for addicts and voting themselves fat pensions. Those fat pensions are crippling our budget and leave Mr. Walker with few options. I don’t know what the proper solution to fixing up the parks is. But I smirk when I hear the idea of naming rights in bathrooms as suggested by Supervisor Coggs in this article. What company would shell out $500 to put its name on a urinal? Doesn’t Kohler already have that covered? I personally like the idea of naming the facilities after politicians. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Humor, News/Insight
Famous Lutherans
I need to give props to my friend Paul Streufert (a fellow Lutheran) for sending this video to me. Lost and Found is an acoustic band that is best described as a cross between They Might be Giants and the Violent Femmes. This song is about famous Lutherans, and if you are one (like me) you will relate. If you aren’t, we are always looking for a few more, so ask me how to join. We’d love to have you on our team! … Read entire article »
Filed under: Humor, Reads, Screens, and Sounds, The Christian Walk
The shake-down for a Twix
To all of you outside the Milwaukee area, a brief back story. Former Alderman Michael McGee Jr. is on trial for extortion and bribery charges. The charges allege he demanded money, prepaid cell phone cards, and other compensation for liquor licenses and other government action. Apparently money and cell phone minutes were not enough to satisfy his appetite. Literally. This morning’s Journal Sentinel describes one “meeting” in which he asked for cash and a Twix bar. It reminded me of the Seinfeld where George is fascinated with the Twix in the vending machine. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Food & Drink, Humor, News/Insight
A blunt trauma to my middle-aged psyche
After the game last night, Nicole and I went to the Chancery in the Wauwatosa village for a small bite and a beer. My parents were nice enough to take the kids overnight for our anniversary, and we relished the chance to be spontaneous. I wore my ML baseball hat to the restaurant. We had a nice waitress and as we wound down our meal, she asked if I coached at Milwaukee Lutheran. I answered in the affirmative, and then the blow came: “Cool, I graduated from there in 2006.” Ouch. It’s always nice to run into a fellow alum, but 2006? You have to be kidding me. We confessed to graduating in 1989, and she didn’t look surprised. We all had Mr. Heinkel for PE, but on the other hand, one … Read entire article »
Filed under: Humor, Marriage/Family, The Christian Walk