Planning....

Everyone has a plan until they are hit.
- Evander Holyfield

This is something I have learned to a certainty over the last 30 + years. No matter how good your plan is going in you are going to get hit, things are going to change, you are going to get stunned.

Success is adapting to the new and unforeseen, being flexible and reasessing the outcome and purpose.

Milestones

I am approaching an invisible ominous marker. Fairly soon I will be older then my father at the time he died.

It is strange how time gives you hindsight.

I was ten when he died and he seemed so old and now that I am his age I feel so young and could not imagine it all being over this soon. He seems so certain so assured. I still feel so naive and uncertain.

I don't know why this has been creeping into the back of my mind lately it just has, its just a number, and age and invisible milestone that will come and go.

When it does I want you to know I no longer morn you but celebrate that day as the first day I realized how precious life is and that under no circumstances should I waste any of it. Life is too short to be petty. Spend it in gratitude. Enjoy every minute.

60 second worth of distance run.

The man who views the world at fifty the same as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life.- Muhammad Ali

A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes.- Hugh Downs

Damn...

Five Quick Things

Bitter feeling last night as the perfect kickball season went down in flames in the first round of the championship.

The over popularization of bacon is starting to drift to the Jon and Kate end of the annoyance meter. Yeah it tastes good...but in the end it is just a pork belly.

The more I study for this course I am taking the more I want to get my JD after I finish my masters.

My over reliance on computers and spell check has left my penmanship and spelling in a terrible state. I need to start writing everyday and looking words up again. Anyone want a pen pal? Seriously.

This weekend looks to be another great time. Halloween, Vikings\Packers I am off on Friday....Can't wait.

Counter Insurgency

I have the feeling that for the sake and stability of the country it is necessary to take up arms against the spreading epidemic that is befalling our great land.

I have started a revolutionary party called the peoples opposition to the popularization of vampires.

Seriously folks this vampire movement has gone way past bed time and we are joining in unison to bring this party to an end.

You have been warned.....

You remember when everyone thought the person who dressed up like a vampire to Halloween was the lamo who lacked imagination?

The peoples revolution for the opposition of the popularization of vampires will not stop until that day is born again.

Weekend ReCap

Friday

Went to a memorial service for a co-worker after work

Went home with the full intention of taking it easy and having a few drinks at home...

Woke up with a pirate costume on and a light saver in one hand and a bottle of karkov in the other.

Saturday

Did home work

Raked

Went to Pepitos

Went to Tailgate

After Party at my house....

Sunday

Woke up at 2:00pm...this is the latest I have ever slept in.

Watched the tail end of the Vikings giving it away.

Papa Murphys

Lots of couch time

Candians and Their Stupid Quarters

Living in Minnesota I think there is a large conspiracy of Canadians who come over the border and flood the city with their change to gain the 4% profit on the exchange rate....I can't prove it but I know they are there.

#1) Awesome spot downtown only have to plug the meter until 8 tonight then it is free, I have just enough change in my car change jar to do it....except after I get down to the last quarter I realize it is a Canadian Quarter and won't work in the machine....F@#$%.

#2) Walked into Super America made a purchase and got $1.13 back. The cashier asked if it was ok if he gave me the dollar back in quarters since he was waiting on ones....no problem...as I walk out the building holding the change he just gave me I noticed the current lottery jackpot and though why not so I walked back in...still holding the change and asked for a ticket...gave him the four quarters he just gave me..."I am sorry sir we don't accept Canadian Quarters...Do you have another quarter"

I was really proud of myself for not jumping over the counter and beating the living crap out of him. I just chose instead to stick my Canadian Quarter where the sun don't shine....you know..like inside of the credit card reader at the gas pump

Donation Drive....MPR

All you hear about in the new is how the ravages of the Internet and the introduction of the blogger have undermined newspapers and their profitability margins around the country.

News papers are folding....

Reporters are being terminated...

However,
I made out my annual contribution to MPR today...a free news service that I donate money too because I feel the news service feature that they bring into my life is that valuable.

I think a lot of newspapers are engaging in a downward spiral because they are trying to pander to the masses.

You see celebrity gossip.....trash talk....one sided talking heads spouting opinions...you see the news papers playing to the lowest common denominator. News via sound bites.

The problem then is this is exactly what the blog sphere for the most part already has to offer.

So as a consumer if you are going to degrade your quality to compete I have a decision to make if your trash talking quality is better then something I can already get for free.

And the answer is no..

So you will go out of business.

With the chilling exception of the Sunday paper and then I only put up the few dollars for the coupons inside...what is that sayign the coupons for soup in your paper are more valuable to me then your news coverage?

Spreading the Gospel a Hate Crime

Definition
A hate crime, also known as a bias crime, is a criminal offense committed against a person, property, or society that is motivated, in whole or in part, by the offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or ethnicity/national origin.

Crimes: Trespassing, assault, intimidation, disturbing the peace.

Taking a legal class right now and I just find this stuff fascinating.

Balloon Boy?

WHO THE FUCK CARES!!!!

Community is outraged because of the tie up in police resources?

1.)People always say what if there was a real emergency? Well what if there was a real emergency? Could I sue a cop who was eating in a restaurant and late to a someone breaking into my house? Lets look at all of the major disasters this country has faced...what are the chances that a disaster would happen in Colorado that would consume all available resources at a given moment? Pretty fucking low.

Here is a fun game to play even in a big city or especially in a smaller community.

Go to your towns\city\county or how every your taxes roll-up to pay for your police department.

Find out how many police are employed by your tax dollars and then how many reported incidents they responded to,....remember reported is different then citations issued. Since most communities employee a police force 24 hours a day you can figure out the rate of incident per hour or per day per officer. You will get an interesting number...take my word for it. Now factor in the citation rate...cops pulling people over for speeding, no seat belts ect. you will see another interesting number.

Instead of being outraged the community should be happy. Their resources got a free drill. The community got a break from officers protecting the public by stopping people for expired tabs and reporters finally got a store they could get their head around. If you want to cover a hoax that has extorted trillions of dollars out of the America public do an expose on religion in America and leave the balloon people alone.

Weekend ReCap

Friday

Happy Hour @ Azia it was pretty good.

Tailgate for a few after dinner cocktails.

Party in the basement...seriously who knew drinking @ home could be so fun..lol


Saturday

Day of Ginger

Went downtown to play some pool and watch the badger game.

Fat Lorenzo's for some Pizza

Back downtown to the Local to consume an indeterminable amount of big gingers.

Happy Birthday Dick ...picks from the day of Ginger are up on Facebook

Sunday

Homework

FOOTBALL

Mafia Wars.....Cocktails

Muscle Memory

Repetitive motions apparently get burned into your muscle. They make certain ones stronger. I wonder if you passed a low voltage current through the muscles of a dead person could you cause their muscles expand and contact and have them reenact what they did most often?

Like shocking a dead Tiger Woods and having him do a golf swing?

I wonder if the U of M is taking on research grants?

Taking a Hint

Taking a queue from Cory I put the end of Rudyard's Kipling's poem "IF" up in my cube at work...

If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

I have gotten and lot of questions as to what the hell is that supposed mean...

Here is what it means to me.

The unforgiving minute is a minute of your life you can never live again. It is time you can never get back and to fill that minute with 60 seconds of some equivalent of living it to the fullest, some activity that is worth the price gets you accomplishment, fulfillment, inner peace what ever you desire.

What you get is determined by how you spend that minute so it is important to know what brings you that sense of fulfilment.

LATE,
(The Crazy 88) Bizzio vSs


PS Tuesday night that minute brought the undefeated regular season of "Redballs are Better then Blue" to a close. Lets bring on the post season.

Goals for the post season:
Kick .500
Run up on balls
Stay a little more sober in the outfield.

Whose Gonna Run This Town Tonight?

I am :)

Not gonna lie I kind of like that sound well at least the hook and the beat.

It has kind of been a good theme song lately too since I feel like I am firing on all cylinders and in a weird way the removal of stress has left me feeling some what uninspired.

Work is going good. I have been bringing in projects and getting great results leaving a lot of people really happy with my execution....but mostly I am happy with my results:)

School is off to a good start the work load is a little more challenging then I originally planned for but it is sharp and keeping me engaged, and if it wasn't challenging what good would an MBA be for you anyways then...right?

All of a sudden we have a lot more privacy\ space at home and it feels kind of good:)

I just am starting to feel solid again and I like it. I know there is still a ways to go but damn it feels good to be a gangster.

Rough Start

This morning started out a little rough...

I was running a little late

Plugged the toilet went to plunge it...

Splashed toilet water on my pants

Had to iron another pair

The towel rack broke

I was getting stressed and snapped when I shouldn't have.

This was all placed into perspective when I walked into the office and everyone was crying. Yesterday a great co-worker past away. Healthy. Vibrant. Young. Died in his sleep way to early.

Made everything else I was stressing about just seem so petty.

I love you all and I am sorry I am such a prick sometimes.

Punto

I cheered for you all season. I loved you when you were hitting .112. I was the first to rub it in peoples faces when you started coming back half way through the season. I argued for your golden glove potential.

and you repay me by the baseball equivalent of premature ejaculation.....getting so excited you over run the bases...now what do I tell people?

Sad way to go out at the dome...but I guess there is always next year.

Fan in a really hard spot,
Brian

BNN

BNN Brian News Network

September 8th

Yesterday on my way to work I noticed the pavilion at veterans park was packed....at 7:00AM!! There was a line stretching close to two blocks long of people waiting to get in. Which is odd since the park is usually empty in the morning. It looked like there was a fair going on or something.

Then I noticed the sign on the entrance....Section 8 Housing Applications.

And I got scared.

The seriousness of the unemployment and reduced employment in Minneapolis suddenly hit home.

I asked one of the police doing crowd control if this was normal and he said he had never seen anything like it.

The line was still long as I took my lunch....5 hours later.

Yikes

Good Reminder.....

If by Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son

Tale of Two Cities

Twins Tigers and a comment that really pissed me off yesterday.

"Tigers deserve to win because of what is happening in Detroit. The city needs this more then Minneapolis."

WFT?

This is sports not charity and the team that trains the hardest, shows the most effort, makes the fewest mistakes and works together is the the team that wins.

Yesterday that was the Twins.

Now don't get me wrong I feel for Detroit they are on hard times right now.

But I couldn't help but think that quote and the attitude behind it was part of the problem.

Hard work, innovation, good management are going to beat hand-outs over the long run.

If teams win not because of how they compete but because of other factors every body loses...teams don't get better, the league doesn't get better.

#2) Lesson in money(City) management - Diversification

Weekend ReCap

Holy F @#in SQ@$

Friday

Bennett's in St. Paul for dinner. YUM

Independent for some cocktails...for some reason we ended up with a midget and a leprechaun?


Saturday

Maxwells for the Gopher Badger Game

Tailgate for the Twins Game

Frenchman for trouble...seriously when I am skunked enough to think going to Frenchmans is a good idea it is time to just go home.


Sunday

Pizza for the Twins game..went 3-3 on my picks - Twins force a play-off game on Tuesday!!

Phase I of Basement Remodel is complete

Watched Role Models - Dumb

Monday

Work -Then Monday night football(Packers Vikings Bitches) Probably will be Belly up @ TG with Ms Minneapolis if any of you kids are around. Did I mention it is Wing Night?

This Weekend is It for MN Sports!!

I don't think I have ever felt so much excitement in the City of Minneapolis as I do going into this weekend....now if it would just stop raining

People are starting to pour into town for several events that promise tons of drinking, bag tossing, tailgating, and down right shenanigans.

Twins Still in it and could win the division if they win out and Detroit loses.
(At any rate it is the last weekend Baseball will be played at the dome...Lets go Twins!!)

Friday - Uptown for the Birthday boy!!

Saturday Morning - Twins Cities Marathon (I actually hate this cause they jack up all the roads around my house for these healthy little fuckers)

Saturday 11:00am Gophers vs. Badger @ the new TCF staduim - Holla - I will be downtown @ a bar hit me on the chip if you are in the area.

Saturday 6:10 Twins

Sunday Twins!! Football!!

Monday Night: Vikings vs Packers

Tuesday Night: Wild Home Opener

Can't wait to see all of my Wisconsin peeps in town for this weekend. Lets get rocked :)

Inverted Theory

Maslows hierarchy of need states that all of your need have to be met to reach the pinnacle of self actualization.

What about the starving artists theory?

Or must of Eastern philosophy?

Having been on both sides of this coin I would say that the theory is probably inverted and that when you take away all of the rest is when you truly discover who you are, what you believe, what you are capable, what you believe the very essence of self actual and fulfilment.

The Parable of the Rut

A man was driving to visit his friend
As he approached his friends house he began to hear a wail
The closer he got the louder the wail became
As he stepped out of his car he noticed his friends dog lying in the entry way to the house
The dog was howling and wailing in pain
The door was open so he walked into the house
He saw his friend sitting on the couch watching TV
"Dude what's wrong with your dog?"
"Oh he is laying on a nail that is sticking up in the entry way"
"Why doesn't he move?"
"Cause it doesn't hurt enough."

What are you continuing to do in your life right now just cause it doesn't hurt enough?