Ace Wisdom

Collin and Audrey.  September 29, 2015.  It promises to be a great day.  Congratulations.

Your Mom and I ventured over to Green Bay to watch Sheboygan North (and Grandson Dominic) open the conference schedule against Green Bay Southwest.  Dominic helped cause a fumble in the fourth quarter.  He tried to pick the ball up.  It kept sliding away.  Finally he fell on the ball to complete the recovery.  It is tantalizing to have the ball bouncing in front of you just ready to be run in for touchdown. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be.  Dominic will always remember the one that was so close and “got away”.  I have a couple of similar memories.

Grandson Tommy kicked off his Freshman football career last night for the Sheboygan North Freshman team.  He had a few “bone crushing” tackles!  Maybe I’m exaggerating a little.

Jordy Nelson tore an ACL in Sunday’s Green Bay-Pittsburgh game. Repair requires taking a tendon from somewhere else on the body and replacing it in the knee.  In a year, he will be as good as ever.  Sure he will!  Nelson’s injury is big.  He has had the ability to stretch the opponent defenses with his speed.  Now the Pack goes to plan B.

I’m beginning to crave Apples.  It must be close to Labor Day.

Love,

Dad

 

 

 

Grandson Collin found out my gutter on the garage was flooding when it rained.  Obviously something was clogged up.  So Wednesday night, Collin risked his life to crawl up my only ladder (someone borrowed my good ladder 25 years ago and has never returned it) and “fixed it”. Pine needles!  Thank you Collin.

I did battle with my local cable company.  I was armed with an article from Consumers Reports describing my options and suggesting ways to keep my costs low.  I found the “key” variable was me.  I apparently am the problem.  Every station I wanted came in a “bundle” meaning you will pay more.  I wanted ESPN but it comes with 5-6 sister ESPN programs in a bundle.  I wanted NFL network for Thursday night NFL games but I need to include Fox Sports and MLB (major league baseball).  Another bundle. I wanted TNT because they have NASCAR and PGA golf.  TNT only comes in a bundle with USA and TBS.  And then your Mom wants HGTV which is bundled.  Don’t forget Oprah. And so it goes.  By the time you get your favorite programs picked and bundled, the costs have gotten out of hand.  The cable company forced expensive choices by requiring me to take programs I don’t want in order to receive the programs I do want.  Does that make sense.  All I know is that I am apparently “weak” and I let the cable company lead me into the same quagmire that I’ve been in.  In the end, I reduced my monthly costs slightly, got a “premium” subscription for free and attained a $50 gift certificate.  I can’t imagine life without ESPN.  I guess you might say I’ve been bundled.  I am so weak.

Labor Day falls “deep” into September this year on the 7th.  It makes everything seem out of sync.

High School football dreams begin tonight.

Love,

Dad

Grandson Dominic has a part-time job at the local “Pig” in Sheboygan. He handles “check-out”.  The same people go through his register as I observe while I’m waiting in line at my local grocery store.  You know, the lady with “piles of coupons”.  The lady with an item needing a “price check”.  The lady with a credit card that won’t register.  Yep, same people, different place.  Dominic is going to play right guard on the High School Raiders football team, work the Pig is his spare time and finish his senior academic year with straight “A’s”.  I don’t know if he has a girl friend?

The official High School football season kicks off Friday night.  Really?

I haven’t heard from Grandson Mitchell, also a High School senior.  I assume he is playing tight end for the Middleton Cardinals.  His final football season should also begin Friday night.

I watched the Whistling Straits extravaganza over the weekend.  I was stricken by the fact that the professional golfers (the good ones) don’t play Par 5 holes anymore. They hit the ball so far with their drives that a Par 5 becomes a drive and a wedge.  Essentially it is now a Par 4. The equipment is so good. The physical conditioning of the golfers is superb. It is a game that I will never play.

Is it just me?  World oil prices have plunged to 20 year lows of $40 per barrel.  Oil prices are really low.  Natural gas prices are low. Why then, were gas prices 50 cents per gallon higher when I filled up my car yesterday. Yeah, yeah, yeah!  There is a refinery someplace in Indiana experiencing equipment problems and they are causing gas shortages. Somebody is screwing us over.

I am in the process of mortal combat with my cable company.  You all have been there.  They just raised my rates 25%.  It is me against Darth Vader (the dark electron monopoly).  I know I can’t win but maybe I can inflict some pain.

I was awakening every morning to sunshine just 4 weeks ago.  Now I get up in the dark.  What does it all mean?

Love,

Dad

 

We’ve been told that Grandson Collin and fiance’ Audrey have picked a “date”.  Congratulations!  Life is meant to be shared.

Our season tickets for UW-Badger football games have arrived.  Most of September is played at Camp Randall in Madison.  Stalwarts such as Troy (who the hell is Troy), Hawaii, and Miami (of Ohio, not Florida) are the opponents. Not exactly a “who’s who” in college football.  I wonder what those tickets would yield on Craig’s List?

Bo Ryan, UW-basketball coach recently announced he would retire after the upcoming 2015-16 season.  Wait!  Just yesterday he indicated that Barry Alvarez was encouraging him to stay for another 4-5 years. So the retirement plan might change.  Could money be involved?  Once you are the “Music Man” (like Bo), the leader of the band, it is hard to change.

The PGA Golf Championship is being played at Whistling Straights just north of Sheboygan.  The biggest issue?  Blood sucking mosquitoes. Apparently the deep grass hazards boarding the fairways are filled with the little critters and people attending the event are stirring them up as they walk around.  So if you go to the tournament, take you money and mosquito repellent.

The Packers won their “yawner” preseason opener last night.  What is puzzling is pregame radio programing started on WTMJ just after noon and the game kick-off was 6:30 PM.  What do you talk about for 6 hours before the game?

Elvis left the blue planet on Aug.16, 1977.  He makes more money now than when he was alive.  A lot of good his money did for him.  Sunday is your day to remember.  I was in Memphis the day he died.

Love,

Dad

 

My favorite chiropractor in Madison suggests I don’t need to take over-the-counter medication for my headaches.  She offers chiropractic adjustments!  Free!  Too bad she lives 2 hours away.

Your Mom and I went to see Pump Boys and Dinettes at the Fireside.  Great food.  Great music.  Great musicians.  What’s not to like?

I have lots of negative opinions about the direction of healthcare ranging from the “costs of Obamacare” to “the misuse of personal medical information” by the doctors and hospitals.  Having said that, I do like the availability of information on a “real time” basis.  I had a test scheduled early this morning at Thedacare for blood glucose. I arrived for the test, went for my exercise, ate a light breakfast and sat down at the computer.  Lo and behold, my results were waiting for me.  I have to give credit when it is due.  They did good!

The PGA Championship is being played at Whistling Straits this weekend.  The location of the course is never accurate.  The company, Kohler, owns the course.  Kohler in an effort to promote it’s own products suggests that the PGA tournament is in Kohler, Wisconsin. Nope, Kohler is 10 miles away.  The City of Sheboygan which wants to promote it’s own businesses, claims the PGA.  Nope, the course is 5 miles north of Sheboygan.  The closest “burg” to the course is Haven, Wisconsin.  You can walk from Haven to the course.  Nobody refers to Haven because it is not a recognizable landmark.  The course is along the Lake Michigan shore in the township of Mosel.  So if you are going to the PGA, it is northeast of Kohler, north of Sheboygan, east of Haven in the township of Mosel.

Thursday night the Green Bay Packers kick off the 2015 preseason. Here we go!

Love,

Dad

 

Your Mom and I cruised down High 41 yesterday which posts the new 70 mph speed limit.  The State Highway Patrol has indicated that they will not allow motorists to go 6-7 miles over the new speed limit as they did when it was 65.  All I know is I had my speedometer set at 74 and other traffic was “flying by me”.

I see Netflix is for “motherhood”.  Their new policy is “Mom and/or Dad can take off for up to 12 months with pay and benefits upon the birth of a child (or adoption)”.  It is all in the interest of retaining valuable employees.  Let me see?  If a young couple wants to raise a family and decides to have 6 children, neither Mom or Dad needs to work until 2022.  The pay and benefits continue.  Really? Of course Netflix gets the ultimate laugh because anyone wanting to be surrounded by 6 kids under the age of 6 has bought into their own kind of hell.  Did I (a father of five) say that?

This last thought is about all the advertising by the medical/drug companies on TV (along with all the disclaimers).  Last night’s national news broadcast proceeded as follow:

Ad 1 – AT&T Universe

Ad2-5  Phillips Probiotic for colon issues.  Advil for pain. Zantac in preference to Nexium.  Then an invite to join a “national walk” to raise funds for Alzheimer research.

Ad 7 – Medical aids for dog ticks.

Ad8-12 A supplement Prevagen to prevent memory loss.  Breathe-Rights Strips to help you sleep.  Alka-Selzer for heartburn.  Belsoma to discourage neurosignals causing insomnia. Lastly, Lasik surgery to give you Opti-vision.

I have a headache from listening to all the medical ads.  I just realized, there was no ad for curing my headache.

I need to get ready for Packer Family Night.  We love our Packers!

Love,

Dad

 

Does anyone realize that the Presidential election is one year and 3 months from now.  We have to listen to all the political bullsh– unnecessarily until next year at this time.  How much Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, and the Bush legacy can we stand?  No more polls! Please!

I signed up for one of the “premium offerings” from my cable network.  The devil made me do it.  Actually, the series “The Outlander” made me do it. Starz produces the Outlander and your Mom and I would have had to wait until Sept. 29 to get the video series release of Season two. Grasshopper No.4 would say “Dad, do you need to Starz or do you want it!  At my age, I want it!  Besides there was a deal!

The Milwaukee Brewers have sold every quality baseball player they have except Ryan Braun.  My guess is that after the drug scandal, Braun might be hard to trade.  Trust me.  All the players that are moving have big salaries and the Brewers are trying to reduce expenses in an already miserable year.  The Brewer “spin” is that they are trading for players with potential, hence the Brewers are committed to building for the future.  Yeah, right.

State Fair starts Thursday.

The Mile of Music kicks of in downtown Appleton on Thursday.

Whistling Straits in Kohler hosts the PGA starting a week from Thursday.

Whoa!  My heart can’t take the excitement.

Love,

Dad