Fun and Games
November 15, 2012

At the Vikings game last Sunday, I was looking around at how others were doing and noticed the sidelines photographers. It's a game that I play called, "What's that guy thinking?"

I don't want to get anybody in trouble but some of them looked like they refused to believe the game would ever get to their part of the field. Pity the photographers who pray for the game to come their way only to have the game come barreling their way.

But then there's the photographer at the New England Patriots v. Buffalo Bills game on September 30, 2012, who took this shot of Patriots WR Brandon Lloyd flying and smiling his way into the end zone for a touchdown.



I took some good football pictures, but this is a great football picture.

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Music Association: The Spinners- Games People Play








I Get These Sorts Of Looks
November 13, 2012


This photo by Tana Helene (bodypaint by Alex Hansen) was taken at the July 2012 World Bodypainting Festival at Pörtschach in south-central Austria.

Wasn't this costume on sale right after Halloween?

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Music Association: Chicago - Saturday in the Park






The News
November 12, 2012

While tailgating near the StarTribune building yesterday, some Strib employees came up to us with a flyer that said:


Some time ago, we set up a link to the StarTribune (along with other media outlets) on the Twin Cities Calendar. The StarTribune is unusual, a moderate newspaper in a sea of media divisiveness with a respectable audience. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulation for the third quarter of 2012, the Star Tribune had an average circulation of 300,277 (daily) and 578,657 (Sunday). According to Alexa, startribune.com ranks 860 in U.S. websites and 4,366 globally; the Strib website is primarily accessed by older, educated women accessing the web from work.

Consider this support from the Twin Cities Calendar.

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Music Association: The Beatles - A Day In The Life  "I read the news today, oh boy."






Football Veterans Day in Pictures
Minnesota Vikings Beat The Lions 34-24
November 11, 2012

It was a cold and rainy morning.


Tailgating served lobster tails. The lobster started out gray and brightened up, just like the weather.


The Minnesota Vikings celebrated Veterans' Day 2012.


Minnesota Vikings Quarterback Christian Ponder was throwing the football like a veteran.


And passing to Adrian Peterson like it's his job.


The players tried to take the field. The marching band refused to yield.


The Minnesota Vikings played as if the Detroit Lions defense had missed their flight.


The Minnesota Vikings cheerleaders danced.


Minnesota Vikings defensive great Jared Allen, DE (and on-field cheerleader)


Minnesota Vikings cheerleaders rallied the troops.


Minnesota Vikings fans


Minnesota Vikings cheerleader Whitney (sailor) waves.


Minnesota Vikings kicker Blair Walsh had a perfect day.


And the Metrodome honored United States veterans.

Kudos to Christian Ponder for crediting his girlfriend, ESPN reporter Samantha Steele for the Vikings win, after some had blamed her for their losing streak. Ponder told the press, "I want to thank my girlfriend, because she obviously has such a big impact on how I play, which allowed me to win. So thank you."

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Music Association: Token - Lion Sleeps Tonight














You Should Move To Minneapolis
November 9, 2012

That's what The Slate (from the Washington Post) says you should do -- move to Minneapolis. They mean the Twin Cities because they are talking about high income and low prices. And then, they bring up the weather.

Right. We've got hurricanes and Nor'easters and all that stuff. We actually haven't had a real snow yet. The west has. The east has but not us.

So the post is kind of odd, it says move to Minneapolis but don't.

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Music Association: Bruno Mars - Move On






The Opposite of Wrinkly is Irony
FEMA Disaster Center Closed Due To Weather
November 8, 2012

Yesterday, FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers in New York City, providing aid due to Hurricane Sandy, closed due to the Nor'easter (wow, the storm really knocked the T-H out of Northeaster).

Disaster Centers should never become part of disasters, but still it is kind of funny, at least from a distance.

When people started taking pictures of the sign, they took it down and promised to re-open soon.

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Music Associations: Spaniels - Stormy Weather & Tears For Fears - Head Over Heels  
"I wanted to be with you alone and talk about the weather"





Strength Through Diversity
November 7, 2012

Yelling for a pair of scissors, I was surprised by what I was given.

I was given Paris scissors, not a pair of scissors.

Yelling is not a clear form of communication.

We've become a nation under the bullhorns of yellers, magnetized and polarized puppets pulled by communication companies looking for attention. The election is over. As a nation we have all won, and we have all lost.

You can't always get what you want. No, you can't always get what you want. But if you try sometime, you just might find, you get what you need.

It's time for national healing. It's time to stop yelling and start talking and listening.

Enjoy your day.

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Music Associations: Rolling Stones - You Can't Always Get What You Want & John Lennon - Give Peace A Chance
Minnesota Association: Jimmy Hutmaker, roving ambassador of Excelsior, Minnesota, met up with Mick Jagger in Excelsior's Bacon Drugstore on June 13, 1964 and told Mick, "You can't always get what you want." Jimmy had ordered a Cherry Coke but got a regular Coke.










Obama Elected to 2nd Term*
November 6, 2012, 11pm central time

President Barack Obama has been elected to a second term according to ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FoxNews, Huffington Post, The Daily Show, and the Colbert Report. This is historic.

This is the first time a Democratic incumbent has ever defeated a taller challenger. It is an electoral precedent.

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Music Association: Frank Sinatra - Second Time Around
* ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FoxNews, Huffington Post, The Daily Show, and the Colbert Report.





Voting
November 6, 2012

Historically, Minnesota has a higher voter turnout than any other part of the country. From what I saw at the polls this morning, the turnout will be as high or higher than usual.

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Music Association: Moody Blues - The Voice









Breaking News
Ohio Surrenders
November 5, 2012

Relentless months of attack ads, special interest angles (thanks to the Citizens United case), political signs, rallies, and mudslinging have taken their toll on the battered and beaten state of Ohio. Mere hours from election day, but with the threat of continued scrutiny due to recounts, Ohio surrendered at 1:15pm Eastern Time today.

The 17th state of the union has forfeited its 15 electoral votes in a desperate attempt to return to normalcy and get some groceries.

"Some of my neighbors haven't left their houses since July," one Ohioan cried, wiping her eyes with a white surrender flag that, in a happier time, had once been a handkerchief.

"Could the rest of the country just leave us alone?!?" she pleaded, as pollsters descended to determine what caused Ohio to sit out the 2012 election.

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Music Associations: Cheap Trick - Surrender & Dido - White Flag











Product Review
The Light of the Party
November 2, 2012

I am an expert at all things balloon. I am a zoo keeper of balloon animals and a conductor of balloon noisemakers. I have launched water balloons great distances in four states (five if you count the time we launched water balloons across state lines). And I keep current on balloon news by reading dozens of balloon journals.

Did you know there is a helium shortage? I knew that. The headlines have read:

When the sun burns hydrogen, it creates helium. Helium is the second most common element in the universe, but there's a shortage. The United States creates 75% of the world's helium as part of the processing of natural gas. Demand is increasing, but supplies are decreasing. (Helium dissipates into space.) Helium is used to cool MRIs and create electronics.

Outside a party store limiting balloon purchases to ten, a woman was pushing ten balloons into her minivan. One balloon said, "Pop." She said, "S---!"

Balloon technology continues to expand. illooms is the maker of led balloons. Led balloons are balloons with a tiny led light and a tiny battery in each balloon.

The batteries are rechargeable by rubbing the balloon against someone's hair for ten minutes or a cat's fur for five.

Just kidding. The led balloon light is not rechargeable. The package says the light will last 15 hours. Actual experience showed otherwise. I opened the package. Whoa. They stink! I put them in the airlock room to air out. I breathe easier by putting all toxic smelling things in the airlock room for detox.

After they aired out, I pulled the tab from a balloon to turn on the led light. The tab was covered with warnings that people (other people) should read. I blew up the first balloon. It didn't light up. Maybe it knew I didn't read the warnings.

I pulled the tabs and blew up three more balloons, and they all worked. They lit up. The package was stuffed with warning stickers that they want people (other people) to put on the balloons. Right. If I followed warning labels, do you think I would launch water balloons across state lines?!? Probably not.

It wasn't just the tabs and the stickers, the package was covered with warnings. If you believe the Internet (don't do that), illooms led balloons can be filled with helium (sources: 1, 2), but the package says don't fill the balloons with helium. I'm guessing something happened.

A plane was heading toward a light that wasn't appearing on TCAS. The plane pitched up; the light followed. The plane increased altitude again. The light also rose on a collision course. The pilot radioed the local ground control, but they had no other planes on VOR. Then the plane collided with the led balloon. ("Pop!" "S---!")

Or maybe that never happened, but lawyer-types get all freaky. Compare the early package for the illooms led balloons to the latest package.

                           

The earlier package (on the left) was clear, to clearly show what the product is. The current package (on the right, shown front and back) is covered with warnings and cautions. The current package answers the consumer question, Why should I buy this?, with the Perfect for Parties caption. The change in packaging probably was caused by Wal-Mart. According to Frontline (Is Wal-Mart good for America? 2004), Wal-Mart has a reputation as a bully to its suppliers and manufacturers.

The led balloons light up and glow. They're cool. They have lasted nearly a week. The balloon that didn't light up was used in an indoor volleyballoon game that got rough and the balloon popped. No one was injured. The balloon was thrown away. Several nights later when I took out the trash, the garbage bag had a little night light at the bottom.

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Music Association: Nena - 99 Luftballons













Image Gone
November 1, 2012

Gone
they were here just a minute ago

vision and memory work in tandem
we see what we want to see
people moving about the way they always did
but they aren't there

Hey, I wanted to tell you
we say to the phantasm
it wisps away to nothingness
and we're left alone with the unshared thought

Recycled memories drop into bins
and we are left

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Music Association: Barry Goudreau - Dreams

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