Keep 'em coming.

First, I need to start out this post by taking a moment to mention Hunter S. Thompson, who died over the weekend. His book and then subsequent movie "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" gave me a famous catch phrase which I still quote to this day, " Wait! We can't stop here... this is bat country!" Yeah, that sounds stupid but hey, I'm all about the phrases.

The phrase that encapsulated this last weekend was:

"Need a beer?"
"Yeah, keep 'em coming. You don't even have to ask."

NASCAR, Tiger Woods on PS2, Outback Steakhouse, lots of beer and Hooters all contributed to the weekend being a break from the monotony that we all needed. As Kurt put it, "This was just what the doctor ordered." Just really relaxing. In our worlds of loan payments and mandatory overtime, it's good to know that we can still kick back and be our old selves over a game of PS2 or a sports debate at the bar. Also, I found out this weekend that I am standing in a wedding as co-best man. This will be my first and possibly only appearance in a wedding party. So, that'll be fun.

Did something this weekend that I haven't done in a long time. I waited more than 20 minutes to get a restaurant seat at Outback Steakhouse on Saturday night. Usually when I walk into a restaurant and the "clipboard-holder-with-the-lighty-up-thingies" tells us it will be more than 15 minutes, I'm usually the one saying, "Screw it, let's go home and order pizza." This time it was 60-70 minutes. I almost swallowed my tongue. We found out later that there was some formal dance going on in the Appleton area that night and the whole joint was populated by high school girls who spent way too much on dresses and guys who looked uncomfortable as hell wearing a shirt with a tie. That's where the greatest invention in restaurant waiting technology comes in handy: the restaurant bar. Nothing hits the spot more than a place where you can shag $3.50 bottles of beer while you wait forever for a table.

Ashley and I also made a decision on a vacation in May. We decided on Seattle over Boston because of the close proximity of friends Beej and Kate in the Seattle area. We can get there and back for something like $500 in airfare. I always thought flying cost somewhere in the ballpark of about a kajillion dollars. We also found that it is cheaper to fly to Seattle than it is to Boston for obvious reasons. No, wait. Boston is closer! That doesn't make sense. The one flight we are looking at has 1 stop. Now get your U.S. map out and take a gander at this flight schedule: Milwaukee to Seattle, with a stop in Atlanta. Yes, the Atlanta in Georgia. That's like saying I've got to drive from Marquette to Escanaba...but I have to go through Munising first.

I'm finished,
Nate

Gentlemen, start your engines.

Yeee Haw! The Great American Race is back and miraculously, there will be a 2005 edition of the "Nate and Grant Daytona Day." Hopefully making his third appearance at the Great American Party will be Kurt (he's got an ailing great grandma right now, Hoss wishes all the best.) For those that don't remember the legend of last year, I had drank a 12-pack before the race was over... at like two in the afternoon. This year I think the hard drinkin will be reserved for Saturday night and Sunday will have to be a sippin on a brewsky type of day (got that job and all that to go to Monday morning.) The irony is, this is one of the few weekends I look forward to every year... and I probably won't watch another race all season. I mean, I like NASCAR and all but if I watch too much I get the urge to chew tobacco and drop a tranny in a Chevelle. Nobody wins when Redneck Bizarro Nate is on the loose.

The real loser in all of this is my girlfriend, who has now had to endure the MLB playoffs, a whole NFL season, now NASCAR, and it is only a few weeks until NCAA Basketball and Hockey tournaments. The point, as always: I am a horrible boyfriend. She's probably looking online right now for ways to work strychnine into my diet. She was quoted the other day saying that she was happy that the NHL season is going to be cancelled. Doesn't that sounds like a person with no soul? And yes, she does read this page. I'm so dead.

ALERT! My last mention of football until draft season! (Which starts in about 2 weeks.) I guess it is a fact: Everybody dislikes the Patriots. They are the new Dallas Cowboys, except for the scandals with the drugs and the prostitutes. People have this overwhelming disdain for teams that win consistently. Dallas, San Fransisco, the Lakers, Red Wings, the Vikings... wait, strike that last one. In response to Jaime's plea for me to pull for the Vikings...um, not a chance. Three reasons: a) ugly colors 2) Dante Culpepper bores me d) ugly colors. If the Patriots had a press conference tomorrow stating, "We officially change our colors to violet and gold!" I think I'd be on WDUZ 107.5 with Bill, Kurt and The Rookie callin in about "With the same Packer team as last year and a new coaching staff...WE'LL go 13-3 next year... maybe 14-2. It could happen!" OK. That wouldn't happen, I could never be a Packer fan. Or could I?

One great quote from the post Super Bowl stuff:
Talking about the comparison between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning:
"Tom Brady played three playoff games against teams with a combined 45-8 record... and finished with five TD passes and zero interceptions. According to my math, he's also 9-0 in playoff games, although he has never thrown for 49 touchdowns in a regular season. So there's still some work left." -Bill Simmons

Also, Valentine's Day went well. I got probably the single best present (birthday, Christmas or otherwise) I got a new Playstation 2! A small, thin little half a pound of PS2 goodness! All my games work! It rules. Gotta go.

RANDOM TV QUOTE!
Michael Bluth: "Tobias, I want you to get a tape recorder and record your conversations throughout the day. You'd be surprised at some of the phrases you use."
- Arrested Development

I'm finished,
Nate

How do you spell DYNASTY?

Another year, another title. When I look back on the things that have worked out the best for me in the long run, one of those things has got to be becoming a Pats fan back in 1996. I had many years to think about what it would be like if the Pats ever won a Super Bowl. I never ever expected that I would be sitting here less than a decade later pondering a third world championship. I think I've proved one thing through all of this:

"Teams that I root for become champions."

Look at my resume: The Red Sox have won the world series, Patriots have won 3 Super Bowls since 2001, I've seen Northern win a hockey national championship, and the Avalanche have won 2 Stanley Cups (my boy Patrick Roy has 3 since I became a hockey fan.) To a lesser degree (because I am more a fan of the sports themselves rather than any one team) I've seen the Pistons win an NBA title and Michigan win a college football national championship. Not a bad life.

This is the first Super Bowl I can remember that I have not been at a gathering of friends to watch it. Ashley and I took in the pizza and wings buffet at The Bar on Lynndale (which was awesome), but there just seems to be something missing when you don't have your boys around. I did recieve several calls from Marquette, Hoguhton, Rapid River and Seattle immediately after the game was over with well wishes. That was pretty cool.

Three huge disappointments from the weekend: The Super Bowl Commercials, Super Bowl halftime show and Saturday's SNL with Paris Hilton hosting. The commercials were just plain uninspired, they got Paul McCartney for the halftime show (which was an excellent choice...in 1975) and Paris showed once again that she is absolutely devoid of any acting skill that doesn't include amateur porn. This episode of SNL is perhaps the worst one in the history of the franchise. The musical guest was Keane. Yeah, I've never heard of them either.

I'm finished,
Nate

The Crue is back...and they brought The Doctor!

Doesn't it seem that the more we progress on this crazy timeline the more we yearn for days gone by? Last night I purchased Red, White and Crue, the Greatest Hits/New Album of hair band superstars Motley Crue. It is one rad compact disc, let me tell you what. Sometimes we forget what made hair bands great: big guitars, big drums, a minimum of one guitar solo per song, and of course the occasional obligatory ballad for the slow dancin'. Just look at the list: "Girls, Girls, Girls", "Kickstart my Heart", "Home Sweet Home", "Dr. Feelgood", and my personal favorite "Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)."

The Crue and Guns and Roses singlehandedly created the rock star persona of the 80's, full of booze, women, inner squabbling and drugs. Lots of drugs. I mean, Nikki Sixx was declared legally dead at one point. When someone claims to "Party like a rock star" think of Nikki Sixx. Now that guy partied like a rock star. All of this brought me back to my elementary school days when times were simpler: no jobs, no bills, no fear of terrorism, etc...

What I want is a new band to emerge and bring the hair band back. Not neccessarily the actual hair, but the music. There were some new songs on the album from the Crue but they are kinda bland except for "If I Die Tomorrow." So, who's with me? Who wants MTV to do a show called "Making the Hair Band?" Who!?!? I know my boy Kurt in the UP is with me. Kurt was talking some noise earlier in the year about hitting up the "Red, White and Crue Tour" when it comes to Milwaukee. With all four original Crue members together, that's going to be hard to pass up.

Was I right about the Super Hype on T.O.? As Rodney Harrison said, "I hope he does play. I hope he's 100%. I don't want any excuses on either side." So at least two doctors have now come out and said that a hit below T.O.'s knee could end his career. Not the kind of odds I like. Can you imagine being the guy that ends Terrell Owens's career? He could be making a legal tackle and still blow up that pieced together lower leg. People would be freaking out the next day: "Bruschi maliciously snaps T.O.'s leg off!" OK, I'm done with the T.O. thing. Patriots by four. T.O. has B.O. Seriously, I'm done now. Go Pats!

I'm finished,
Nate