Titles

Green Bay, Wisconsin is known as Title Town and nothing but a title would have satisfied me this last Sunday in the Packers game against Detroit. Many thought from the beginning of the season that everything would come down to this last game, and it did. Making the playoffs means nothing, titles usually mean something but sometimes nothing. Central Division Champions, Conference Champions and Super Bowl Champions mean everything in football. The Packer victory has been a joy among joys this Christmas season, which is now, still on, not over yet people.

I caught part of the Red Bull Rampage on NBC. It was in Utah with some truly scary mountain bike trails. The drops were incredible. When one mountain bike rider was asked about the injuries he has suffered he said something along these lines, “We’re the opposite of soccer players (what Europeans call football). Soccer players always want to fake that they are injured when they are not, we want to fake that we are not injured when we are.” Could I take from that, that real mountain bikers don’t play soccer?

Yes, it is still Christmas, something I have always promoted, through January 6th when our lights and tree will come down. My wife put a Christmas bouquet in the bathroom. With the new year, long vacation weekends, and family close by many of you will be going to the movies together. I had a blog with my MySpace account where I wrote about entertainment, but that is history. They obliterated my content and went to a strictly music sharing format. I deleted my account years ago. But let me share my opinions here about current movies.

We have from the last two Christmases nearly $200 in movie gift cards, so I have been paying more than a little attention to what is in the cinema proper. Through our Roku we can view Fandango and Flixster and have been checking the previews. And Marcus has $5 Tuesdays and a Magical Movie Rewards program.

We already saw the latest installment of “The Hunger Games; The Mocking Jay”. A good movie that creates a bit of curious suspicion as to what District 13 is really up to. You really have to watch them all in order. The second of the movies would be far less impactful if you didn’t see the first one. I believe the last two movies will be far less enjoyable than the first two, but part I of “The Mocking Jay” was still good.

“Woman in Black 2” looks horrifying. I say that because we saw “Woman in Black”. The plot and the the way the first story ended make simply viewing the trailer for “Woman in Black 2” completely horrifying; completely. “Luther” is a British series that one must follow entirely for the ending to take full effect. It makes you wonder what it is all for. The star of “Luther” was considered, according to the Sony hack, as a potential James Bond. My first impression, that he wouldn’t fit as James Bond, was not because he is black, but because his body type is too bulky. James Bond has always been lean and mean, not an initially physically imposing figure.

I haven’t kept up with “The Hobbit” movies. I never read the books. My brothers were not impressed with the last two Hobbit movies, and they read the books. “Interstellar” looks interesting but I fear a political agenda may make it a bust for me. “Maze Runner” looks good if I were decades younger. “Into the Woods”; a musical spoof of childhood fairytales; looks clever but I’m not that old.

“Exodus; Gods and Kings”? Okay, I knew I wasn’t going to see it, since I saw the previews. Moses was known for his staff, an inseparable accessory in the Moses story. Yet, in the previews Moses always has a sword in his hand. Enough said, …I could go on and on just on that one point.

I favor true stories. My wife was interested by the “Big Eyes” trailer. ‘Based on a true story’, always makes a movie more interesting to me. There are several biographical based movies out or coming out very soon. “Wild” looks grueling, a type of personal Exodus. “American Sniper”, and “Mr. Turner” (the British artist) are part of the list. “The Imitation Game” looks very interesting to me; a tale of the Second World War and the birth of the computer, but I fear a political agenda will destroy that story as well. My wife Misao does not seem interested in “Unbroken” though I continually remind her that Japan wont let it be shown there. My wife received a gift package from Japan from her sister. All kinds of interesting goodies inside. My wife’s package arrived at her sister’s on Christmas Day.

The latest “Night at the Museum” looks like a lot of fun. Maybe we’ll see that.

“The Interview”? Highly relative look at North Korea from what I heard on the BBC from someone who saw it, but any country will protest excessively if you make a movie where their leader dies. If chaos strikes the North, China will take it and claim the South as part of their empire, like they do Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Okay, I haven’t given you any reviews, but I see something I haven’t seen in a while movie wise; a large number of movies that appear to be worth seeing, at least from the previews.

The $80 question: What are my three most favorite WORS races? Yes, still the same question. Check out the Charity Jackpot Page link in the sidebar to possibly triple the amount.

Oh Holy Night

The multitude of angels are ready to pour down to the earth in honor of Jesus’ birth. Yes, four more days till Christmas and sixteen to the arrival of the three kings. I could use a multitude of angels to lend us a hand right now. First and foremost to bring Christmas greetings and joy to any and all who may believe themselves without. The Christmas lights are up and wondrous Christmas songs of our liking are playing over Pandora via our Roku.

Look! The angels are coming to grace our home. See the big green one kneeling in front of our house? Simple works. I should mention Fyxation again, if any are still looking for gifts. I hope I didn’t throw people off the rest of my previous post by my bit of a rant. Also Emery’s has gift cards. Buy a $50 card and get a bonus $5 card; $100 gets you $15. $15 is plenty for a gift.

Sometimes one wonders; ‘Just where are those angels?’ We finally have two cars working at the same time. For a day we had neither, and despite the great expense of repairs we were looking good to make it through the Winter, with its high utility bills, and past the tax man financially intact. Then our furnace stopped working yesterday. …No treble.

Here is a recipe for frosted Christmas Pecans. I have been replacing many of my meals with Christmas cookies and eggnog. We will be buying a ham for Christmas, big enough to take care of anyone who might drop by. Have some family visits planned also.

Yes, I am sitting in peace enjoying the Christmas music with strong family and religious themes. A consistent station on Pandora, unlike my ‘The Doors’ station which plays just about anything. My Frank Sinatra station is also consistent in giving me what I want to here in that genre; is it Swing, Jazz, Big Band; it’s city music. Glen Campbell as a station gives you the best country music. My favorite band, The Band Perry, just put out a rendition of “Gentle On My Mind” that is great. But Misao has decided to go over to ‘One Republic’ this Christmas, asking for their “Native” album.

But now it is time for Christmas music, devoted to the Glory of God. The shopping is almost all done. Flurries fill the air and the nights are long and cozy. Add hot chocolate and a comfy chair, and relax. (we don’t have a fire place)

Merry Christmas; Peace on Earth, Good Will to All Men.

The $78 question: What are my three most favorite WORS races? Yes, still the same question. Check out the Charity Jackpot Page link in the sidebar to possibly triple the amount.

Merry Christmas to All

Merry Christmas to all, and I mean all even as I speak truth to power. But before that I had a pleasant surprise when I stopped by Mayfair Mall Thursday evening. They have free food and music in the mall on Thursdays 5-8pm until Christmas, which means this week is your final opportunity.

Metro Mountain Bikers had their monthly meeting at the Bike Fed. Nice place, and suitable. Still not sure what the confusion was as to the location; the Bike fed guy invited everyone personally at our November meeting. Quite a set up. They even have an Architecture firm renting in the same space.

Yes, tomorrow our Alderman appear set to sell all Milwaukee citizens out by ratifying a streetcar project. I’m sure those in the know will line their pockets, the campaign coffers will fill and they will all tell each other how enlightened and wonderful they are when they all know the streetcar is a boondoggle on my dime and the dime of everyone paying taxes in Milwaukee. And if anyone of these almighty engineering firms or Architects tell you otherwise, they are lying. Shame on the media for not reporting the truth about streetcars. A streetcar does nothing a bus can’t do, and you can make a bus look like a streetcar if you really are that senile to be living over fifty years in the past. They are thieves; the worst possible. In my faith, one of the three greatest sins is to misuse public money.

Sorry to be so inflamed over the topic of streetcars. It is not only that these people lie and steal, but then they parade themselves around as something better than all of us. There are thousands, tens of thousand rich and poor in this region who would never stoop as low as these scumbags. Personal gain and not at the expense of others, but to the personal detriment of others.

Streetcars are famous in San Francisco because they always have been. Like rickshaws, something else one of our wacky mayors tried to establish, are famous in the orient (at least in the distant past) and Gondolas, another gimmick this city attempted, are famous in Venice, because the streets are waterways. But the grass is always greener, even when it’s not. It’s all about the green, the green in the right people’s pockets. Hey! If we all agree to let the city buy double-decker buses will you axe they streetcar? I actually think someone suggested double-decker buses years ago. Here’s an idea, let Milwaukee be Milwaukee.

Fyxation also rents space in the Bike Fed building though they are moving on to a larger facility. Very interesting company geared to the urban bike rider.

Minooka trail work is done for the season. The Rock site has lost the privilege of hosting the Collectivo Coffee Bean Classic, it’s a classic. Minooka, the new rising star in MTB trails, will be hosting. Yes, the new WORS schedule is out.

The Christmas tree is up, most all the cards are sent, and we have but one package to send in the next couple of days. If it stops raining I’ll get the outdoor Christmas lights up. In a few more days we can take in and enjoy the season all the way through the twelve days; even the streetcar can’t ruin Christmas.

The $78 question (it’s getting up there): What are my three most favorite WORS races? Yes, same question. Check out the Charity Jackpot Page link in the sidebar to possibly triple the amount.

The Christmas Tree

Yes, the Metro Mountain Bikers meeting is at the Bike Fed tonight, though an e-mail blind sided me last night. The location was suddenly in question yesterday but has been reconfirmed this morning. If you want to know who builds your local MTB Trails (not a gang of truant children) then come to the Milwaukee Bike Fed office tonight.

I told my wife we would put up the tree next week, after we get the cards out and I get the necessary work on our house out of the way. Of course Saturday I come home and find my wife has pulled out all the Christmas decorations and is planning for me to put up the tree. So it goes.

But what can one say? Here is the wonderful job my wife did on the kitchen chairs.

And we have piles of angels to spare; punched from our Christmas greeting cards. We received a package the other day but it was for a different address. Our mail delivery is soooooo bad, when you call the local post office to complain, on some days you just get a busy signal; they keep the phone off the hook. Then there are people getting their packages stolen. Not generally something you think of checking, postal delivery service, when one looks to buy a house. But I can still boost the jackpot with a new post so life is good.

The $77 question (it’s getting up there): What are my three most favorite WORS races? Yes, same question. Check out the Charity Jackpot Page link in the sidebar to possibly triple the amount.

It seems I need at least three hundred words for Google to put me in the search engine. I have heard 2,000 words is the sweet spot for getting hits. They also consider the relevance of your links. Okay, I made it.