What a difference a year makes

Dec. 22, 2008



Dec. 22, 2009

12 Days of Christmas

The only version of 12 Days of Christmas you'll ever want to hear.

Blogger has been hacked

Those Twitter updates you're seeing right now aren't mine. Don't click on any of the spam or malware links over there.

So here's my plan for June and early July

We just need HD before June 11!!!

2010 World Cup Daily Schedule
All Times EDT
FIRST ROUND
Friday, June 11
At Johannesburg, Soccer City
South Africa vs. Mexico, 10 a.m.
At Cape Town, South Africa
Uruguay vs. France, 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 12
At Port Elizabeth, South Africa
South Korea vs. Greece, 7:30 a.m.
At Johannesburg, Ellis Park
Argentina vs. Nigeria, 10 a.m.
At Rustenburg, South Africa
England vs. United States, 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 13
At Polokwane, South Africa
Algeria vs. Slovenia, 7:30 a.m.
At Pretoria, South Africa
Serbia vs. Ghana, 10 a.m.
At Durban, South Africa
Germany vs. Australia, 2:30 p.m.
Monday, June 14
At Johannesburg, Soccer City
Netherlands vs. Denmark, 7:30 a.m.
At Bloemfontein, South Africa
Japan vs. Cameroon, 10 a.m.
At Cape Town, South Africa
Italy vs. Paraguay, 2:30 p.m.
Tuesday, June 15
At Rustenburg, South Africa
New Zealand vs. Slovakia, 7:30 a.m.
At Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Ivory Coast vs. Portugal, 10 a.m.
At Johannesburg, Ellis Park
Brazil vs. North Korea, 2:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 16
At Nelspruit, South Africa
Honduras vs. Chile, 7:30 a.m.
At Durban, South Africa
Spain vs. Switzerland, 10 a.m.
At Pretoria, South Africa
South Africa vs. Uruguay, 2:30 p.m.
Thursday, June 17
At Johannesburg, Soccer City
Argentina vs. South Korea, 7:30 a.m.
At Bloemfontein, South Africa
Nigeria vs. Greece, 10 a.m.
At Polokwane, South Africa
Mexico vs. France, 2:30 p.m.
Friday, June 18
At Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Germany vs. Serbia, 7:30 a.m.
At Johannesburg, Ellis Park
United States vs. Slovenia, 10 a.m.
At Cape Town, South Africa
England vs. Algeria, 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 19
At Durban, South Africa
Netherlands vs. Japan, 7:30 a.m.
At Rustenburg, South Africa
Australia vs. Ghana, 10 a.m.
At Pretoria, South Africa
Denmark vs. Cameroon, 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 20
At Bloemfontein, South Africa
Paraguay vs. Slovakia, 7:30 a.m.
At Nelspruit, South Africa
Italy vs. New Zealand, 10 a.m.
At Johannesburg, Soccer City
Brazil vs. Ivory Coast, 2:30 p.m.
Monday, June 21
At Cape Town, South Africa
North Korea vs. Portugal, 7:30 a.m.
At Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Switzerland vs. Chile, 10 a.m.
At Johannesburg, Ellis Park
Spain vs. Honduras, 2:30 p.m.
Tuesday, June 22
At Rustenburg, South Africa
Mexico vs. Uruguay, 10 a.m.
At Bloemfontein, South Africa
France vs. South Africa, 10 a.m.
At Durban, South Africa
Nigeria vs. South Korea, 2:30 p.m.
At Polokwane, South Africa
Greece vs. Argentina, 2:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 23
At Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Slovenia vs. England, 10 a.m.
At Pretoria, South Africa
United States vs. Algeria, 10 a.m.
At Johannesburg, Soccer City
Ghana vs. Germany, 2:30 p.m.
At Nelspruit, South Africa
Australia vs. Serbia, 2:30 p.m.
Thursday, June 24
At Johannesburg, Ellis Park
Slovakia vs. Italy, 10 a.m.
At Polokwane, South Africa
Paraguay vs. New Zealand, 10 a.m.
At Rustenburg, South Africa
Denmark vs. Japan, 2:30 p.m.
At Cape Town, South Africa
Cameroon vs. Netherlands, 2:30 p.m.
Friday, June 25
At Durban, South Africa
Portugal vs. Brazil, 10 a.m.
At Nelspruit, South Africa
North Korea vs. Ivory Coast, 10 a.m.
At Pretoria, South Africa
Chile vs. Spain, 2:30 p.m.
At Bloemfontein, South Africa
Switzerland vs. Honduras, 2:30 p.m.
———
SECOND ROUND
Saturday, June 26
Match 49
At Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Group A winner vs. Group B second place, 10 a.m.
Match 50
At Rustenburg, South Africa
Group C winner vs. Group D second place, 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 27
Match 51
At Bloemfontein, South Africa
Group D winner vs. Group C second place, 10 a.m.
Match 52
At Johannesburg, Soccer City
Group B winner vs. Group A second place, 2:30 p.m.
Monday, June 28
Match 53
At Durban, South Africa
Group E winner vs. Group F second place, 10 a.m.
Match 54
At Johannesburg, Ellis Park
Group G winner vs. Group H second place, 2:30 p.m.
Tuesday, June 29
Match 55
At Pretoria, South Africa
Group F winner vs. Group E second place, 10 a.m.
Match 56
At Cape Town, South Africa
Group H winner vs. Group G second place, 2:30 p.m.
———
QUARTERFINALS
Friday, July 2
Match 57
At Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Match 53 winner vs. Match 54 winner, 10 a.m.
Match 58
At Johannesburg, Soccer City
Match 49 winner vs. Match 50 winner, 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 3
Match 59
At Cape Town, South Africa
Match 52 winner vs. Match 51 winner, 10 a.m.
Match 60
At Johannesburg, Ellis Park
Match 55 winner vs. Match 56 winner, 2:30 p.m.
———
SEMIFINALS
Tuesday, July 6
At Cape Town, South Africa
Match 58 winner vs. Match 57 winner, 2:30 p.m.
Wednesday, July 7
At Durban, South Africa
Match 59 winner vs. Match 60 winner, 2:30 p.m.
———
THIRD PLACE
Saturday, July 10
At Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Semifinal losers, 2:30 p.m.
———
FINAL
Sunday, July 11
At Johannesburg, Soccer City
Semifinal winners, 2:30 p.m.

Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

Peanuts: Specials: A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (Ep. 101)
Uploaded by Peanuts. - Check out other Film & TV videos.

The Muppets sing Queen

Dollar bill as beer opener

They used a $20 up in Canada. I think that means we'd have to use a $10, $5 and four $1 bills ...

Happy Halloween

Peanuts: Specials: It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (Ep. 101)
Uploaded by Peanuts. - Check out other Film & TV videos.

Hi, remember me?

Yeah, I've let this blog slide into the wasteland of non-updateville. Sorry.

It's just so much easier to post links to news stories I find interesting on Facebook. And it's easier to be pithy on Twitter.

Anyway, I've not forgotten about this place. I've got some ideas I'm kicking around. So those of you who bother to check in from time to time, be on the lookout for me trying things out.

Now that's a bear

Brownie, care to explain this!?!

Brownie, avert your eyes again!!!

Not a PhotoShop ...



Squirrel Crashes Vacation Photo

Yet another thing nobody warned us about

We expected less sleep, less me time, less us time, less time in general. We expected more shopping trips for cute little outfits, diapers, formula and groceries. I expected more garbage, thanks to a mountain of diapers.

But I damn sure didn't expect to be swamped under a pile of dirty dishes. Tiny, saucer-sized dishes and brightly-colored spoons.

Here are the dishes Jen and I used yesterday ...



Here are the dishes (except for a couple of cups) that Paige used yesterday ...



Now notice, the top drawer is packed. That's because every food utensil designed for a baby has a "top rack only" designation on it. It makes for a difficult time loading the washer.

Now I don't know what happens if you put a baby's spoon in the bottom rack with the adult spoons. Maybe it melts. Maybe the plastic turns into a poison. I don't know. I don't want to know. But I do want to know why every company makes this stuff "top rack only." Find me a "It doesn't matter what rack" baby plate, bowl and spoon and I'll buy every one I see.

Haircut

Happy now, people?

Brownie, avert your eyes!

This is a scarier video than that one of the woman in Little Rock crying at the town hall meeting.

Man, this is a sad little blog these days

Yeah, yeah. I know, I know. I've promised several times to update this damned thing more often. But then it falls through the cracks.

So what have I been doing besides updating my blog?

Riding my bike again - Originally, the plan was to commute to the radio show. Like updating the blog, that hasn't happened yet. But I have been going on regular rides. According to MapMyRide.com, I've put in more than 100 miles in the past month. This past Sunday, I did 16.4 miles at Ben Geren. I'm riding my old Diamondback mountain bike, which I bought probably 15 years ago. It's heavy and doesn't have a front suspension. I'd like to get a road bike, but those things are ex-freakin-pensive. Thanks to the bike and watching what I eat, I've lost 18.5 pounds in the past two months or so. I'd like to drop another 20. I just have to figure out what to do when the days get shorter and I can't go for a ride at 7 p.m. after work.

Tweeting - Yeah, I know. Some of you Luddites still aren't even on Facebook (Hi Craig!). But I'm enjoying Twitter much more than I thought I would. I use it basically as an RSS feed. Right now, I'm getting bombarded with Steelers info thanks to following five different Pittsburgh area reporters. Plus, I figure it's a good thing to be promoting my brand online given the current nature of journalism.

Bransoning - We met Jen's family up there for a mini-reunion. I was dreading it. Visions of the Baldknobbers and Shoji Tabuchi danced in my head. But Branson has grown so much in the years since I last went. Branson Landing is incredible. It's a pedestrian mall alongside Lake Tanneycomo. High-end shopping, restaurants and bars on the street level, with condos above that. Combined with Table Rock Lake for boating, Tanneycomo for cold-water trout fishing and the outlet mall, I could see the Party Squad having a grand old time in Branson.

Being Mr. Mom - It was only three days, but good gosh I liked it. I've always enjoyed my mornings with Paige. But I was a little nervous about having her all day. But that was a silly worry. I just wish the Martins lived here, so Craig could have brought Trevor to the mall one day to meet us. There were plenty of moms pushing strollers that day I went, but I was the only dad pushing one. As I walked around the mall, I got tickled at the idea of Craig and I pushing our kids through the mall arguing about some sports topic while we got odd looks from the moms who were there.

Not getting a haircut -



(No, I don't leave the house like that. Yes, I use hair product to make it look somewhat better.)

8.5

That's how many miles I rode my bike around Ben Geren today. Oddly, I'm not sore ... yet.

Running of the Bulls

Today in Pamplona, Spain, a bull gored to death one of the people participating in the annual Fesitval of San Fermin's "Running of the Bulls." The young Spainerd's death was the 15th since 1910.

Hemingway (who may or may not have been a KGB agent) wrote about it in "The Sun Also Rises." He helped turn what had been a local festival of bullfighting into a one of the biggest parties on the planet. More than 1,000,000 people crowd into a city of 200,000 for the fiesta. It's sheer madness.

As a Hemingway wonk, I've always been intrigued by the encierro (the run) and the corrida de toros (the actual bullfights). Most people don't realize the entire purpose of the run is to move the bulls from corrals to the bullfighting arena for that evening's bullfights.

Anyway, I've come to realize I'll probably never run in Pamplona. But I now know somebody who has attended the festival! Karen's dad is there right now. No word on whether he ran the encierro or attended the bullfights. I hope Karen gets a full report about what it's like over there for me.

In a rut

Every weekday for the past two weeks, I've had the exact same thing for breakfast and lunch.

Clif Z Bar and Lipton Citrus Green Tea before my radio show. Small bowl of Kashi Cinnamon Harvest cereal after it.

Subway club sandwich, Miss Vickie's jalapeno chips and tea for lunch.

I should probably shake things up. But, oddly, I'm actually enjoying not having to think about breakfast or lunch. In fact, when I've thought about getting something different, nothing sounds good at all.

Chalk it up to middle of the summer doldrums, I guess.

Special effects in local TV news

I guess they didn't have CGI, so they used cardboard instead ...

Random Thoughts

• The Fort Smith Classic was last weekend. As usual, the whispers are "That's it, that's the last one." Given this was the worst-attended tournament in the 12-year history, I think they might be right. It's sad more people haven't gotten on the bandwagon for the tournament. I admit, I thought it was ridiculous when they started. But now I realize we don't have anything else in Fort Smith that could attract national attention. It's a shame First National Bank, Arkansas Best or even Choctaw Casino hasn't taken over sponsorship rights to this thing. Fort Smith needs something to feel good about, and the tournament could be it.

• Speaking of the golf tournament, it ended on Father's Day. So my first one, I only saw Paige about an hour total all day. That kind of sucked. One of my gifts was "Home Game" by Michael Lewis, author of "The Blind Side," "Liar's Poker" and "Moneyball." He's married to former MTV personality Tabitha Soren. They have three kids. The book is about his adjustment to fatherhood. I give it two thumbs up. It's hilarious, non-Dads would probably enjoy it too.

• Speaking of books, "Idiot America" by Charles Pierce is on my wishlist. It's about how populism is actually a major dumbing down of our national intelligence. And before "Home Game," I finished "The Year of Living Biblically" by AJ Jacobs. It was a good skewering of the people who claim to follow the Bible word-for-word. Given there are 800-plus rules, laws and suggestions in the Bible, Jacobs shows it's impossible to do. Every denomination picks and chooses what they want, but most won't admit it.

• I still haven't gotten a haircut. This is the longest my hair has been since I had the 'fro. Only now I'm using product to tame it. At some point, I'll have to decide if I'm going to let it keep growing or make time to get it cut.

• Dad had knee replacement surgery earlier this week. I'm thinking that's a medical procedure I'd like to avoid, based on how much pain he's been in the past couple of days.

• The baby is whining in her crib, just waking up from nap. Jen's napping too. Got to go.

Mike Irwin gets angry!

"Me" time

Nash recently blogged about the importance of Me Time in his life. I have to say, while reading it I was a little jealous.

You see, Nash wrote about taking time to do his hobbies. And how he's lucky Karen understands he needs Man Time.

The last Man Time I had came after my old friend David's funeral. I had the day off (obviously), Jen was at work and Paige was at Mom's. I had a window of about three hours to myself. So I took the doors off the Jeep and went fishing. I caught one sad little fish.

Since then, the only Me Time happens late on Friday and Saturday nights. Since Jen is still nursing, she wakes up early with Paige each morning around 7:30 a.m. So that means 11-ish is about as late as she can stay up. The problem is, of course, there's nothing to between 11 and 1 a.m. So I've been reading a ton and squeezing in some PlayStation soccer games.

Don't get me wrong. I don't mind sacrificing my time for Paige and Jen. Getting married, you have to learn to be unselfish. But having a baby requires you to completely tamp down your own desires for Me Time.

Jen doesn't have it any better. She's lacking Me Time too. We need to carve out some soon. If for no other reason than I've not had a haircut in more than three months now. So I'm about halfway to having my "turning 30" afro* again.
_________________________

* - Thanks to hair product, however, it looks much better than it did back in 1998. Gillette Sculpting Paste gets the Scotty C. Flamingo Seal of Approval. Yes, I'll surrender my Man Card now.

Craig, this is why you should Twitter

DMB's resurgence

OK, enough of that. I didn't realize every time you hit the blog's main page that video about DMB would launch.

Sorry.

Where's Fort Smith?

Congratulations to Poteau for being named one of Outdoor Life’s Top 200 Towns for Sportsmen.

Poteau was ranked No. 145. That’s one spot ahead of Stuttgart, the duck hunting capital of the world. Poteau was one of only two Oklahoma cities to make the list and the closest town to Fort Smith.

According to OutdoorLife.com, the towns were chosen because they “offer affordable housing, low unemployment rates and the potential to earn a decent living, all within a short drive of first-rate hunting and fishing.”

And that begs the question — Why wasn’t Fort Smith in the top 200?

We sit smack dab on the Arkansas River, have several lakes, Frog Bayou and Lee Creek a short distance away and have the headquarters of PRADCO, yet Fort Smith isn’t known as a fishing town.

We’ve got Fort Chaffee and the Ozark and Ouachita National Forests, yet Fort Smith isn’t known as a hunting town.

Managing and improving our natural resources should be a higher priority for Fort Smithians. We’ve squandered them for too long.

Of course, that won't matter to city leaders. Not when they can rubber stamp yet another subdivision of McMansions to be built on Chaffee property. (Even during the economic crisis, they keep building spec homes out there. It just takes longer now, which ironically probably means they're built better than the slap-dash ones from two years ago.) And not when they start pushing for Pine Mountain Dam to be built on Lee Creek, one of the few free-flowing streams left in Crawford County.

Forced patriotism

There are several things I dislike about sports. At the top of the list is forcing patriotism down the throats of the fans.

Around the globe, few nations play their national anthem before every sporting event. In England, they don't fire up "God Save the Queen" before Manchester United matches. They save it for when the English National Team is playing. When two Canadian high school hockey teams are playing, I doubt they crank up "Oh Canada!"

But here in the USA, we do play "The Star-Spangled Banner" at just about every game played. And that's fine. It's become a tradition. It's probably the only time some people actually hear the anthem.

But since 9/11, there's been a new brand of patriotism that's spreading. At Yankee Stadium, you're not allowed to leave your seats during the 7th inning stretch where "God Bless America" is performed. You're expected to stand, remove your hat and be respectful of a song that debuted on a radio show.

Tonight, the rodeo went one step beyond that.

During the pregame festivities, they had the horseback drill team ride around the arena with American flags while a song called "American Pride." Again, you were expected to stand, remove your hat and show proper respect to a song ... recorded by country musical act Alabama in 1992.*

Even worse, the "sound man" for the rodeo had edited in some audio clips between the lyrics. So we got to hear President Bush announce two planes hit the World Trade Towers. Then we got to hear some clips of him talking tough about finding those responsible for the attacks and bringing them to justice. There were three or four more GWB clips, but I quit listening.

Naturally, that wasn't enough either. Mr. Patriotic DJ segued from "American Pride" to that Toby Keith song with the lyric about "putting a boot up your ass because it's the American way."

This brought a huge ovation from the crowd. As I sat there (yes, I remained sitting despite the glares from a couple of people nearby), I saddened that all these people were feeling so patriotic when few, if any, had bothered to thank a veteran or attend a wreath-laying ceremony on Memorial Day.

No, I didn't do either of those things either. But I'd damn sure rather do those things, than get all tinglingly feeling when Lee Greenwood's "Proud to be an American" was played. Which, thankfully, it wasn't.

___________________

* - Actually, they didn't even play the whole "American Pride" song. They edited out a stanza about how life is better in the South because Granny's biscuits and gravy taste so good. I learned this while looking up the song to find out who sings it.

RIP David

That's a photo of David, Beth and Tess at a Steelers game.

For those of you who don't know him, David was one of my childhood friends. He was also one of my roommates at the big downtown apartment I lived during my wild middle 20s.

He was murdered on Wednesday along with another man. David was working installing water pipes for a rural water company. The shooter didn't like David being on his property, so the SOB killed him. The shooter had served two previous prison stints for killing people previously. He's now killed four people.

Anyway, David and I drifted apart when he moved out of the Self's building. He moved in with Beth, they got married and had Tess. We never had a falling out. Never fought or anything. Just went in different directions and failed to keep in touch.

Beth has asked me to write a death notice for David. And to be a pallbearer. I'm honored and humbled by this request. At the same time, I'm worried I won't do David's life justice, since I wasn't part of it for the last 15 years or so.

That brings me to why I'm writing this post. Aside from the sadness and anger I'm feeling, I'm also guilt stricken. I should have made more of an effort to stay in touch.

Since you're reading this blog, you're already one of my close friends (or family). I do not want to lose any of you the way I lost David. Losing a friend is tough enough. Losing a friend twice is even worse.

At that age

The signs I'm an adult are everywhere.

The gray hairs. Having a mortgage. Being at the same job for more than 10 years. A baby. I accept and celebrate all of them. I like being an adult. I'm comfortable in my skin.

But, sometimes, things happen that make me think "Wow, I'm at that age now."

For example, last night I was surfing REI.com. The outdoors company has everything and anything I could ever possibly need or want. Armed with a 20 percent off coupon, I was going to make a purchase.

I was getting myself something I really wanted. Something I'd circled in a catalog. A new rain jacket, since my is 15 years old. Some new trail runners, since my North Face ones are threadbare. Or some hiking boots, since my Asolos are almost slick soled now. Maybe a tee shirt. Or a new pocket knife.

After 30 minutes on the site, I realized - I didn't really want anything. And I damn sure didn't need anything. That's when it hit me. I'm at that age where I've got enough — perhaps even too much — stuff.

In the end, I wound up getting two plain white Coolmax shirts that I wear as undershirts. I only bought them because my old ones are grungy from years of use.

And a sippy cup for Paige.

Rib Room VIP party

The Mayor swings by to do what he does ...



Click on the photo to see the wide view (including Nash and I) ...

Sign of apocalypse?

Or ultimate irony?

It's tough to find Busch beer at Busch Stadium.

http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dailyrft/2009/04/good_luck_finding_a_busch_beer_in_busch_stadium_this_year.php

L-I-V-I-N'

Obviously Matthew McConaughey thinks baby carriers are all right, all right, all right ...



Jen keeps saying I should wear ours ... mine ... at the IC Carnival next weekend. I keep telling her that's a no go, because if I'm wearing one it's a guarantee that I'll stumble (not fall) while holding a beer. That would lead people to think I was drunk while carrying the baby.

I'd rather push her in the stroller while sipping a beer. Safer for the image that way, I think.

Two cartoonists understand

Paige talking

Paige at bedtime

We bought a new video camera tonight. Here's the first video I shot with it.



Thumbs up to The Flip. It's about the size of my iPhone. Imagine the hilarity if we'd all had these on various Party Squad vacations.

Spokane declares war on squirrels

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - The Finch Arboretum is being overrun by ground squirrels, and Spokane Parks and Recreation is bringing in some special artillery.

The agency is using a special machine called the Rodenator Pro to detonate some of the estimated 100 to 150 squirrels tearing up the grounds.

The Rodenator Pro pumps propane and oxygen into the tunnels of squirrels, then sends an electric spark that causes an explosion. The shock waves kill the squirrels and collapse their tunnels - but in a humane way, the agency said.

http://www.katu.com/outdoors/news/42963927.html

I fully expect Craig to order a Rodenator Pro by the end of the week.

Paige

Today at Nana's house ...

Organic garden scares farming group

Michelle Obama's organic White House garden has upset a lobbying organization dedicated to "conventional" (chemical-laden) farming ...

http://www.thecleanestline.com/2009/04/keep-out-of-reach-of-children-industry-reps-fear-organic-garden.html

Mena took a direct hit last night

Three dead, so far due to tornado

Guinness launches new beer

The makers of Guinness are touting a new stout beer in the U.S., a maltier, fizzier version of its older, creamier sibling, the world's best-selling stout.

"This is more about refreshment and zing," said Guinness master brewer Fergal Murray, who created the new carbonated brew.

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/04/07/ap6266085.html

It doesn't sound very good, does it?

Olbermann's tribute to his mom

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Rib Room sign is up

Well, that's an interesting cutline

Squirrels in many neighborhoods ride the “fence highway” between trees and house rooftops. And with all the wet weather, traveling the fence highway might also be a way for squirrels to keep their nuts dry.

http://www.thecitywire.com/?q=node/3527

(WTH, is going on with my photos being cropped like that? Sorry about that, I'll try to figure it out.)

Colbert skewers Glenn Beck

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The 10/31 Project
comedycentral.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor NASA Name Contest

Dr. Evil doesn't approve

No, no, we don't gnaw on our (toy) kitty.

Vegas Strip during Earth Hour

Click on the photo to see the whole thing ...

Rib Room

Pretty cool, huh?

Sleep

Or not ...

http://jensamom.blogspot.com/2009/03/to-sleep-perchance-to-dream.html

Put this on your calendar

Plan accordingly ...

Season dates for the 2009-2010 deer hunting season:

Archery – All zones: Oct. 1 to Feb. 28.

Modern Gun - Zones 1, 1A, 2, 3, 6, 6A, 7, 8, 8A, 10 and 11: Nov. 14-Dec. 6.

Muzzleloader - Zones 1, 1A, 2, 3, 4A, 5A, 6, 6A, 7, 8, 8A, 10, 11, 13, 14 and 15: Oct. 17-25 and Dec. 19-21.

The statewide Christmas holiday modern gun deer hunt is Dec. 26-28 with two special youth modern gun deer hunts.

Diving right in

As y'all know newspapering is a dying business. As a result, we newspaper folks are trying all sorts of things to increase our Web traffic. And, frankly, it's also increase our personal profiles so it'll be tougher for the execs to cut us loose and if they do so it'll be easier to find a new job.

So I'm Facebooking. And Twittering at http://twitter.com/scottfaldon

Expanding sports betting

Right now, if you want to place a legal bet on an NCAA game you've got to be in Vegas. But thanks to the economic collapse, a legislator is trying to break the monopoly LV has on sports betting.

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — From March Madness brackets to Super Bowl pools to illicit back room wagers, people bet on professional sports games every day. But they can do it legally only in four states, and only two states currently offer state-sanctioned sports wagering.
With Atlantic City casinos in a financial free fall and New Jersey's budget in shambles, a state lawmaker filed a federal lawsuit Monday against the Justice Department that seeks to overturn a U.S. ban on sports betting. The casinos and their political allies say letting people bet legally on sporting events would let all 50 states in on a lucrative revenue source.

Lawsuit seeks to allow sports betting nationwide

Go to a bar, save America

The news is dreadful: According to the Census, since 2006 we have been living in a republic where, for the first time in the history of the republic, Americans drink more bottled water than we drank beer.

Why is this important? It’s important because beer is a socially oriented beverage, and bottled water is a privately oriented one.
There’s a reason that beer commercials tend to include lots of people hanging out in a room together, and bottled water commercials tend to include lone individuals climbing things and running around by themselves, usually on a beach at sunrise - even though they are not being chased.

Beer and Civic Life

The not-so funny pages

28? You're over the hill.

Hey, it's not me. It's science.

According to scientists, our mental abilities begin to decline from the age of 27 after reaching a peak at 22.

Old Age Begins at 27

And with that, Jen's jersey is out of date

Matt Jones was cut by the Jaguars today

This means the M. Jones No. 18 jersey I bought for her years ago will be shipped off to Goodwill, I guess. After all, you can't wear a jersey of somebody who was cut by that team.

(Unless, of course, you're a Cowboys fan who bought a TO jersey. Those people should be forced to wear those jerseys 24/7, so the rest of us can point and laugh at them.)

Many Americans wouldn't miss local newspaper

Maybe I should quit reading journalism Web sites, the news is just too depressing.

As many newspapers struggle to stay economically viable, fewer than half of Americans (43%) say that losing their local newspaper would hurt civic life in their community "a lot." Even fewer (33%) say they would personally miss reading the local newspaper a lot if it were no longer available.

http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1147/newspapers-struggle-public-not-concerned

Stewart vs. Cramer

And in a TKO, Stewart wins. Especially after showing old video of Cramer admitting to SEC violations while running a hedge fund.

Jon Stewart and Jim Cramer: The Extended Daily Show Interview

Stewart might be a comedian, but he can bring a heck of a fast ball when he wants/needs it.

From two to one to none

NYT on the future of newspapers in major cities. Hopefully, it won't trickle down to small markets like Fort Smith.

“In 2009 and 2010, all the two-newspaper markets will become one-newspaper markets, and you will start to see one-newspaper markets become no-newspaper markets,” said Mike Simonton, a senior director at Fitch Ratings, who analyzes the industry.

Many critics and competitors of newspapers — including online start-ups that have been hailed as the future of journalism — say that no one should welcome their demise.

“It would be a terrible thing for any city for the dominant paper to go under, because that’s who does the bulk of the serious reporting,” said Joel Kramer, former editor and publisher of The Star Tribune and now the editor and chief executive of MinnPost .com, an online news organization in Minneapolis.

“Places like us would spring up,” he said, “but they wouldn’t be nearly as big. We can tweak the papers and compete with them, but we can’t replace them.”

For Papers, A Downsizing Becomes a Flood

Growth or Virtue?

I stumbled across a Web site called FrontPorchRepublic.com recently. (Nash, I think you'd like it. It preaches fiscal conservatism without all the culture wars stuff of the GOP.)

Anyway, I thought a blog post today was pretty good.

If the ideal of perpetual economic growth requires a perpetually frenzied consumerism, it is time to consider a different indicator of economic health. President Obama’s stimulus package is clearly based on this false ideal of perpetual economic growth. This ideal is embraced by the leaders of both political parties, even as the Republicans reject the specific means to that end. As the slurry of dollars begins to wash over us, many Americans are looking for a new direction. A return to the virtues of self-control and thrift would signal something really radical. So would a return to the idea of sustainability, a return to the belief that conserving for future generations is our first duty, and a recognition that putting aside idols is the first step to wisdom.

http://www.frontporchrepublic.com/?p=1294

Oklahoma, Arkansas setting cell-phone trend

Estimates by the CDC on the number of households that have just cell phones, no land lines.

Oklahoma: 26.2 percent of households, 25.1 percent of adults

Utah: 25.5 percent of households, 23.9 percent of adults

Nebraska: 23.2 percent of households, 22.4 percent of adults

Arkansas: 22.6 percent of households, 21.2 percent of adults

Iowa: 22.2 percent of households, 18.9 percent of adults

Idaho: 22.1 percent of households, 21.3 percent of adults

Kentucky: 21.4 percent of households, 21.6 percent of adults

New Mexico: 21.1 percent of households, 20.5 percent of adults

Texas: 20.9 percent of households, 19.5 percent of adults

South Carolina: 20.6 percent of households, 19.2 percent of adults

Tennessee: 20.3 percent of households, 20.8 percent of adults

District of Columbia: 20.0 percent of households, 25.4 percent of adults

Mississippi: 19.1 percent of households, 20.3 percent of adults

Arizona: 18.9 percent of households, 17.1 percent of adults

Oregon: 17.7 percent of households, 18.1 percent of adults

Minnesota: 17.4 percent of households, 16.5 percent of adults

North Dakota: 16.9 percent of households, 18.1 percent of adults

Florida: 16.8 percent of households, 15.5 percent of adults

Kansas: 16.8 percent of households, 15.2 percent of adults

Colorado: 16.7 percent of households, 15.2 percent of adults

Georgia: 16.5 percent of households, 15.0 percent of adults

Illinois: 16.5 percent of households, 15.2 percent of adults

Michigan: 16.3 percent of households, 15.3 percent of adults

North Carolina: 16.3 percent of households, 14.8 percent of adults

Washington: 16.3 percent of households, 15.6 percent of adults

Wisconsin: 15.2 percent of households, 13.6 percent of adults

Louisiana: 15.0 percent of households, 13.8 percent of adults

Ohio: 14.0 percent of households, 13.1 percent of adults

Alabama: 13.9 percent of households, 12.2 percent of adults

Indiana: 13.8 percent of households, 13.0 percent of adults

Maine: 13.4 percent of households, 12.0 percent of adults

Alaska: 11.7 percent of households, 13.3 percent of adults

New Hampshire: 11.6 percent of households, 8.9 percent of adults

West Virginia: 11.6 percent of households, 10.6 percent of adults

New York: 11.4 percent of households, 10.6 percent of adults

Wyoming: 11.4 percent of households, 13.0 percent of adults

Maryland: 10.8 percent of households, 9.8 percent of adults

Nevada: 10.8 percent of households, 10.1 percent of adults

Pennsylvania: 10.8 percent of households, 9.2 percent of adults

Virginia: 10.8 percent of households, 10.0 percent of adults

Missouri: 9.9 percent of households, 8.4 percent of adults

Massachusetts: 9.3 percent of households, 8.4 percent of adults

Montana: 9.2 percent of households, 5.4 percent of adults

California: 9.0 percent of households, 8.4 percent of adults

Hawaii: 8.0 percent of households, 8.2 percent of adults

New Jersey: 8.0 percent of households, 6.1 percent of adults

Rhode Island: 7.9 percent of households, 5.3 percent of adults

South Dakota: 6.4 percent of households, 6.8 percent of adults

Delaware: 5.7 percent of households, 4.0 percent of adults

Connecticut: 5.6 percent of households, 4.8 percent of adults

Vermont: 5.1 percent of households, 4.6 percent of adults

Now I'm guessing some of that is due to the rural nature of the states at the top of the list. After all, why ask AT&T or whoever to string telephone lines to your house when you can get a cell signal? But I'm still a little shocked by just how many Okies and Arkansans are doing without a home phone.

Two sad stories about bars

I love bars. Don't get to go to them these days, thanks to the baby, and I miss it. It's not the drinking because you can do that at home much cheaper. It's the social atmosphere. It's the laughter. It's the people watching. It's the "Holy crap, I've not heard that song in forever" when the jukebox plays.

That's why the next two links make me a little sad.

At Boston's Bull & Finch, aka Cheers, Eddie Doyle was downsized by the owner. SK, I expect a full newsteam investigation into this travesty ...

After 35 years, a legendary Boston bartender is fired

And in the NY Times, there's a story about traditional Irish pubs dying, even in Ireland. And by traditional Irish pubs, I don't mean the TGIF-ified chain pubs here in America ...

In Search of a Pub

Update: Found another bar story on the NYT Web site. This one is about bars in NYC that don't have TVs.

The Few, the Proud: Pubs That Still Resist the Pull of the Television Screen

Matt Jones to jail

Seems the former Razorback had a few beers while playing golf last Thursday. No big deal, right? I mean, the boys and I have done the same thing several times. Of course, we never did it while being in a Drug Court Program after being caught with cocaine.

So Jones will go to jail for a week.

Jones to jail

The cutting edge of fashion

A baby as an accessory!

Jon Stewart on Rick Santelli's rant

I'm sure you've seen Santelli's CNBC rant about the buyouts and stimulus packages. Here's Jon Stewart's response ...

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

CNBC Gives Financial Advice

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things With Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Joke of the Day

This sums it up

We Are Everywhere

You know Obama was at a Wizards NBA game the other day, right? Did you notice the people sitting behind him?



Yep, more Steelers fans.

The importance of newspapers

David Simon, creator of "The Wire" wrote an op-ed piece for the Washington Post about how the Baltimore PD is playing fast-and-loose with FOIA laws now that the Baltimore Sun isn't working the crime beat.

No One Left to Press the Police

The New Republic says the end of newspapers means a new era of public corruption ...

End of Golden Age of Newspapers

Closer to home, I wonder what our local officials are getting away with now that our newsroom has shrunk to a bare-bones level. And I wonder what abuses will go unreported when the next round of cuts happen.

Time

Another thing nobody tells you about having a baby is how little time you'll have.

Now, I know what you're thinking — It should be obvious to anybody that you'll have little to no free time when dealing with an infant.

I knew that. I realized the days of watching uninterrupted TV were over. I realized wandering through hardware or book stores was coming to an end. I knew spontaneous long drives around town on the weekend were kaput.

I'm talking about not having time to do the simplest of things. Like showering, using the bathroom or even flipping through a magazine.

I thought of this because Jen messaged me today with the triumphant news that she's showered. For the past 10 weeks, she's only done that when I've been home to watch Paige. But, somehow, she managed to do it today.

So kudos to Jen, for showering before I get home today. I don't know if I could have pulled off that feat.

Obama is cooler than you

Hey, kid, the POTUS is sipping a frosty cold adult beverage next to you in some high-dollar NBA seats. Show a little respect!

Celebrate we will. Because life is short but sweet for certain.

Dave Matthews Band is playing North Little Rock during this year's summer tour. But Jen and I's favorite band isn't actually playing there during the summer.

Instead, DMB will play NLR on Sept. 29. A freakin' Tuesday. And they're not playing Alltel Arena. The concert will be held at Dickey-Stephens Park, the minor league baseball stadium.

Luckily, Jen's mom and step-dad have agreed to drive down from Walnut Ridge that night. They'll keep Paige at the Wyndham while we go to the concert right across the street. Good times will be had by all.

This year's tour is the first since the saxophonist, LeRoi Moore, died following an ATV accident. They've hired a replacement, but it won't be the same I fear.

BTW, the new DMB studio album is called "Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King." Groogrux was the band's nickname for Moore.

The final RMN

Click on the photos to see the whole thing ...

The Price of Tomatoes

Gourmet Magazine posted an article about how migrant farm workers in Florida are kept as slaves.

It boils down to this - if you've eaten a tomato during the winter, it was likely picked by somebody kept in virtual slavery. It even applies to tomatoes bought at places like Whole Foods or ones you had on sandwiches at major restaurant chains.

This is yet another reason to buy local, in-season fruits and veggies. 

The Price of Tomatoes

Rocky Mountain News - RIP

The oldest newspaper in Colorado will publish a final edition on Friday, and then shut the doors. Denver will now become a one-newspaper town.

This is a newspaper that was named one of the top 10 sports sections in America by the Associated Press Sports Editors on Tuesday. But less than 24 hours later, the publisher announced the paper was shutting down.

I hate this business. I love newspapers. I love reading them. I love writing and I even love editing. I love journalism. And I love reporting. But the business of newspapers is soul crushing.

What I should have blogged about

Here are the top 5 things I should have been blogging about during my hiatus ...

5. Goofy things I find on the Internet

Like sweet-tea flavored vodka. Or the coyote who got on an airport light rail shuttle. 

4. The economy

And how newspapers are cratering around the nation. Every other industry is getting federal bailout funds, why not newspapers?

3. The Steelers

Another Super Bowl victory should have given me license for dozens of posts about the Black & Gold.

2. My grandmother

Her death was pretty traumatic for me. Not because it was unexpected, she'd been in poor health for years and years. Instead, it was because I'd gone so long without a death in my immediate family. My paternal grandfather died before I was born. My paternal grandmother died in 1992. Both maternal grandfathers (biological and step) are still alive. A couple of uncles died in the meantime, but it was nearly 17 years between deaths in my direct bloodline.

On top of that, my grandmother helped raise me. I spent a lot of time at her house when I was a kid. Summers and after school and every Sunday after church for more years than I can remember. She was a constant in my life.

I'm glad she held on until Paige was born. I'd have been heartbroken if she didn't get to see her great-granddaughter. 

1. Paige

OK, I know I said I don't want to become one of those parents who talk about their kid constantly. But, seriously, she's the No. 1 thing in my and Jen's life right now. Everything else fades into the background thanks to her.

For Lent this year ...

... I'm going to start blogging again.

Usually, I give up something or somethings for Lent. I do this even though I'm not Catholic. I've always thought the tradition of Lenten sacrifice was a neat concept. I see it as a chance to improve yourself physically, mentally and spiritually.

So this year, I'm doing that and adding a few things as well.

Fast food is a regular on the list. Honestly, it's not that difficult now that I'm no longer on the road covering games. Back in the old days when I was trucking to Ashdown or Forrest City for playoff basketball games, I didn't have a choice. It was fast food or no food due to price and/or speed of service.

Cokes (which is Southern for "all sodas") is also on the regular sacrifice list. I'd pretty well weaned myself completely off the carbonated devils. Then Paige came along and I found myself needing the extra boost of caffeine from time to time. 

This year, I'm also adding Lifesavers candy to the mix. Jay Harshaw, our food editor, keeps a jar stocked with Wint-O-Green Lifesavers and they are like crack to me. I could eat a whole bag. My addiction has been so bad I've taken to buying Lifesavers for Jay's stash, because I felt bad for mooching so many. But as of tonight at midnight, I'm done with them.

I'm considering going vegetarian for lunch as well. I'm not sure about it, however. I'm 60/40 in favor of doing it right now.

Those are the things I'm giving up. The list of things I'm going to try to do for the next 40 days includes ...

Blogging - Yes, I've gotten lax about the blog. I blame Facebook. It's easier to do a status update about some odd thing or post a link there than it is here. Jen is shocked I've not been filling post after post with tear-jerking prose about my love for Paige. There's a simple explanation for why I've not done that. One, I don't want to be one of those parents who can't talk about anything except their kid. And, two, it's tough to explain just how much that little kiddo means to me. Words fail me.

Bicycle commuting - This one won't start right away. It's still a bit too cold. But once it warms up another 15-20 degrees, I'm going to ride my bike to the radio show each morning. It's only 1.8 miles, so I guess I could walk it. But instead, I'm going to pedal my way down and back.

Reading - Since Paige was born, my reading has plummeted. It now takes weeks to work through a magazine like Esquire or Outside or Men's Journal because I'm reading in five-minute increments. I'd like to find at least 30 minutes of uninterrupted reading time each day. (Maybe I should become the stereotypical Dad and start taking reading material with me to the bathroom.)

So there we go. I hope some y'all are still lurking. If not, I can't blame you for giving up on the blog.

We Are Everywhere

We've seen Terrible Towels at the Olympics in Beijing, so why not at Obama's Inauguration?

Nash, get to the newsstand again!

At this point, I'm worried about the SI cover jinx coming into play. Especially after that headline of "Who Can Stop The Steelers?"

Saving a Squirrel by Eating One

RARE roast beef splashed with meaty jus, pork enrobed in luscious crackling fat, perhaps a juicy, plump chicken ... these are feasts that come to mind when one thinks of quintessential British food. Lately, however, a new meat is gracing the British table: squirrel.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/07/dining/07squirrel.html?ex=1389070800&en=d20d8470bfd7c6e4&ei=5124&partner=facebook&exprod=facebook

Yes, I laughed at the headline too.

UPDATE ...

And now the squirrels go on the offensive by burning down a house of a former Member of Parliament.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Strange-News/Squirrels-Start-House-Fire-At-Former-Attorney-Generals-Cottage-Blaze-At-Lord-Mayhews-Property/Article/200901215199739?f=rss

Back to work (and blogging)

OK, so I've been a little busy.

Paige's birth and the two weeks I spent at the house totally wrecked my routine. But I'm back at the office now and should get back into the groove soon enough.

One thing I've learned during the past two weeks is people don't really warn you enough about the changes a baby will cause in your life. Sure, they'll say "It'll change your life" and "You won't know what hit you." But they don't go into much detail. For example, nobody warned me about the lack of sleep. More accurately, they didn't warn me about how sleeping in small doses messes up your internal circadian rhythm.

Sleeping in three and four hour doses is no fun at all. Especially when you're a prolific sleeper like me. It's thrown me off to the point I was checking my watch to figure out what day it was. And there were several times when Jen and I were talking and I'd say something happened "yesterday" to which she'd say "No, that was earlier today" or "Scott, that was two days ago."

It's totally worth it, but geez I need a nap.