I spent the weekend in Marquette to take in some hockey and enjoy the company of Gabe, Gabe's sister Rheannon, Ashly Shannon (with her crew) and the Puckheads. "Oh how I hate" Ohio State was in town for two games to finalize the seeding for the CCHA playoffs. I put off going to the game on Friday night until Gabe's sister got into the MQT. By the time Rhea got into town, we ended up deciding not to hit the game and hit the town instead (Nickel, Shamrock, Remie's, Upfront.) After the bar we made some late night dinner then spread pizza sauce on each other while purposely pouring beer on ourselves and the floor. Don't ask.
Saturday was a typical day of Gabe and I running some Roxbury and having some beers. Also, there's this stuff in the Northern part of Michigan that is white and falls from the sky. The locals call it "snow" and apparently it's not uncommon to get 6-8 inches of it in one night.
Northern hockey came out very flat on Saturday night against the Buckeyes. After falling behind 2-0, the Cats got it together and scored 4 unanswered and with Nebraska-Omaha losing, locked up a first round bye with a 14-12-2 record in the CCHA. Not as bad of a finish as I was predicting. I thought as a whole, the CCHA was down this year, but after some research, I found that the 30 points we earned this year would have dropped us in 4th place in the CCHA last year as well, when UNO held down the spot with a 13-11-4 record (30 pts.)
Saturday night was more of the same with stops at Overtime, Nickel, Skybox, and ending up briefly at The Matrixx. Then things got loopy. Rheannon and I decide to leave because it's getting close to 2am and Gabe's finding his own way home. We see some obviously intoxicated kid stumbling down the side of the road and looking freezing. Because Rheannon is a generous, we pick this kid up. Here's the conversation that ensues:
Nate: "Where are you going?"
Kid: "I don't know."
N: "Where do you live?"
K: "Houghton."
N: "Are you staying with someone?"
K: "Yeah, but I don't remember where they are. Either Marquette or Negaunee...with my truck."
Voice in Nate's head: "God damn it."
So, after ignoring my idea to drop him off and let the police scoop him up, we take the kid up to Econo Foods, where I spend the next 2 hours getting ahold of his mom in friggin' Gaylord and getting a relative from the area to come pick him up. Can you get good points for karma if you didn't really want to help the person in the first place?
MOVIE REVIEWS
Four Rooms (Tim Roth) - An older movie told in four seperate but intertwined segments about the night of a bellhop at a past-its-prime luxury hotel on New Year's Eve. Each segment was directed by seperate folks, including one each by Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez. I love this movie (especially the final segment) and have since back in the day. Always fun to watch a movie that you know is going to deliver beforehand.
Waiting (Ryan Reynolds, Anna Faris) - Hilarious. Although it was not received well at the box office ($16 mil), I have a feeling that this movie will have a huge cult following. Maybe not quite as big as a Napolean Dynamite, but probably along the lines of an Office Space. Ryan Reynolds delivers the goods in his signature deadpan style (when doesn't he.) There's a lot more to this film than the gross out gags and the male genitalia references, but even if you just focus on those parts, it's not bad. I'll let you decide for yourself.
Rent (Rosario Dawson, Taye Diggs)- Of course this is the film adaptation of ultra-popular Broadway musical. That being said, I actually enjoyed this movie for the most part. After a slow start, the second half is definitely worth the price of admission. Plus, few things put a smile on my face like the fact that a movie about AIDS, drugs, sex and poverty is directed by the guy who brought us Home Alone and Mrs. Doubtfire.
Havoc (Anne Hathaway, Bijou Phillips) - This thing was just a mess from start to finish. Just a formulaic and uninspired movie about white kids acting black. (And poorly I might add. Some of the worst "gangsta" dialogue in the history of movies.) The plot was fairly predictable and I'm not sure there ever was a defined point or goal. So, how could anyone find any redeeming value in this clunker? Oh, I forgot, Anne Hathaway (a long way from the Princess Diaries) and Bijou Phillips get naked in the same scene. Tastefully done, of course.
RANDOM MOVIE QUOTE!!!
Manager: "We need to seize the day. Be enthusiastic."
Floyd: [enthusiastically] "Aw yeah! Carpe Deez Nuts! God, I can't wait to quit this job!"
-Waiting (2005)
I'm finished,
Nate
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Friday, February 24, 2006
What the...?
Hilarious article from the Post-Crescent which I had to reproduce on this blog...
The Post-Crescent
APPLETON — Appleton police, believing someone was hurt inside the second-floor apartment at 121½ Atlantic St., broke through the front door to find 46-year-old Ronald O. Johnson lying on the floor in extreme pain.
Johnson’s assailant had opened a window, broken out the screen and jumped from the second-floor window to escape before officers entered the apartment.
Police are still searching for the 26-year-old man who apparently lived at the same address. Officers had responded to the address after a neighbor heard parts of the disturbance and made forced entry when no one answered the door.
Johnson was transported to an area hospital with broken ribs. When it turned out he had a bench warrant out for his arrest from Shawano County, he was booked into the Outagamie County Jail. He was released Friday morning after posting a $10,000 bond on a non-criminal matter.
Johnson told police his roommate began beating him after the two had an argument about a cribbage game they were playing.
The Post-Crescent
APPLETON — Appleton police, believing someone was hurt inside the second-floor apartment at 121½ Atlantic St., broke through the front door to find 46-year-old Ronald O. Johnson lying on the floor in extreme pain.
Johnson’s assailant had opened a window, broken out the screen and jumped from the second-floor window to escape before officers entered the apartment.
Police are still searching for the 26-year-old man who apparently lived at the same address. Officers had responded to the address after a neighbor heard parts of the disturbance and made forced entry when no one answered the door.
Johnson was transported to an area hospital with broken ribs. When it turned out he had a bench warrant out for his arrest from Shawano County, he was booked into the Outagamie County Jail. He was released Friday morning after posting a $10,000 bond on a non-criminal matter.
Johnson told police his roommate began beating him after the two had an argument about a cribbage game they were playing.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Thoughts On That Thing Going On In Italy
A few observations from Torino (about a week after everybody else.)
Is it just me, or is the short track speed skating relay look like the single most difficult thing known to man? These people are skating around a hockey rink trying to time the tagoffs perfectly so as not get out of control and run into things, like other skaters... or the audience. In one of the women's relays last night a Chinese skater got her team disqualified and looked like she was about to charge someone WWE style. I think we need more of this. I propose in the next Olympics we have an exhibition sport: speed skate derby. Just like roller derby, only with contestants on sharp skates. As I've always said, nothing personifies the spirit of the Olympics quite like a double clothesline.
As far as Olympic hockey goes, I'm sick of hearing people who are shocked about the USA men's hockey not getting a medal. Who decided that we were better than Canada, Sweden, Russia and Finland all of a sudden? At hockey? We have over 4 million children born in this country every year and approximately 25 of them get into hockey as a youth sport. And we're surprised that we didn't get a medal in hockey? Shamus O'Toole has a better chance beating Ethiopia's Hailu Negussie in the next Boston Marathon. OK, that's not a fair example, but judging from the way these games turned out for the Americans and Canucks, the balance of power in international play has definitely shifted to Europe.
The US Olympics team was full of "disappointments" this time around (Sasha Cohen, Bode Miller, hockey, that snowboarder that decided it would be a good idea to show off in the single biggest race of her life and crashed.) I think this will give the red, white and blue a chance to suck it up and look ahead to what we can do to make things better for the Vancouver games of 2010. First priority: Add more sports that we're good at. An artificially created advantage is always welcome. Some early favorites are: Snowy Road Auto Crashing, anything with snowboards (polo perhaps) and Using Feet and Inches to Measure.
Of course I won't sit here and say nothing good came from these Games of the XX Winter Olympics.
Tanith Belbin. 'Nuff said.
I'm finished,
Nate
Is it just me, or is the short track speed skating relay look like the single most difficult thing known to man? These people are skating around a hockey rink trying to time the tagoffs perfectly so as not get out of control and run into things, like other skaters... or the audience. In one of the women's relays last night a Chinese skater got her team disqualified and looked like she was about to charge someone WWE style. I think we need more of this. I propose in the next Olympics we have an exhibition sport: speed skate derby. Just like roller derby, only with contestants on sharp skates. As I've always said, nothing personifies the spirit of the Olympics quite like a double clothesline.
As far as Olympic hockey goes, I'm sick of hearing people who are shocked about the USA men's hockey not getting a medal. Who decided that we were better than Canada, Sweden, Russia and Finland all of a sudden? At hockey? We have over 4 million children born in this country every year and approximately 25 of them get into hockey as a youth sport. And we're surprised that we didn't get a medal in hockey? Shamus O'Toole has a better chance beating Ethiopia's Hailu Negussie in the next Boston Marathon. OK, that's not a fair example, but judging from the way these games turned out for the Americans and Canucks, the balance of power in international play has definitely shifted to Europe.
The US Olympics team was full of "disappointments" this time around (Sasha Cohen, Bode Miller, hockey, that snowboarder that decided it would be a good idea to show off in the single biggest race of her life and crashed.) I think this will give the red, white and blue a chance to suck it up and look ahead to what we can do to make things better for the Vancouver games of 2010. First priority: Add more sports that we're good at. An artificially created advantage is always welcome. Some early favorites are: Snowy Road Auto Crashing, anything with snowboards (polo perhaps) and Using Feet and Inches to Measure.
Of course I won't sit here and say nothing good came from these Games of the XX Winter Olympics.
Tanith Belbin. 'Nuff said.
I'm finished,
Nate
Monday, February 13, 2006
Wedding Bells
I spent the weekend in the Gurnee, IL area for the wedding of my best friend Grant Murray and Julie Schenning. I have a slew of pictures which I will put up the link to hopefully within the next week or so. This was my first time being in a wedding party as well as being the best man and I thought that I would document the timeline for nostalgia's sake.
Thursday
12:00pm - Done with work.
2:30pm - Navigate surprisingly smoothly through Milwaukee traffic.
3:45pm - Arrive at Casa de Murray
4:45pm - Murray and I grab a couple of brews at a local dive bar called T.G.I. Friday's while we are waiting for Adam (the other best man) and his sister to get into town. Gurnee, IL is the type of area that we had to drink beer in a T.G.I.'s because there are no local bars in sight.
5:30 - Adam, Grant and myself go to After Hours to get our tuxes. You should have to spend a minimum of an hour in your tuxedo when you try it on. That way you'll be able to know things like: the elastic that makes your pants "adjustable" is woefully inadequate in the "keeping your pants up" department, you should have professional assistance available for cufflinks and buttons, and your shoes are going to feel like midieval torture devices after a very short time.
6:30pm - A gourmet dinner of tater tots, roast chicken, and Blue Moon beer.
7:00pm - More Blue Moon.
8:00pm - More Blue Moon and the arrival Dave Graham (groomsman) and his wife Diane who get in from Florida and inform us that they drove most of the way up on a semi-flat tire. Pure guts on his part. I was afraid to drive down there from Wisconsin without getting an oil change first.
8:30pm - No more Blue Moon. B double E double R U N.
9:10pm - Grant, Amanda, Adam and myself return with a case of Miller Lite and a couple bottles of wine.
9:10pm to 11:00pm - Gabbing like kids who haven't seen each other since school got out for the summer.
11:00pm - Lights out.
Friday
8:30am - Donuts and bagels.
9:15am - Go to Sports Cuts for a trim. Apparently telling the haircut specialist that you want the sides and the back trimmed up and to leave the top of your head alone is not enough. You must have to actually wear a cap on your head to indicate: "I really mean it. Don't cut anything off the top of my head." Every person that has ever cut my hair is in agreement that I look simply dashing with a flattop. Jeez.
10:00am - We run into Dave and Diane getting tires changed at Sears Grand in Gurnee Mills Mall.
10:15a - Shopping ensues. I've been to Gurnee Mills just about every time I've visited Grant over the last two years. This is what I've bought: Nautica lanyard ($2.50), Nautica Towel ($12.00), Perry Ellis Belt at T.J. Maxx ($9.99) Not exactly keeping the economy strong.
2:30pm - Grant and I meet his parents and Brian at the hotel the reception is going to be at. We proceeded to pick up the tuxes for Grant's dad, Brian, Pat (his brother) and Pat's two kids. Surprisingly, this turned out to be less of a circus than we'd expected.
3:30pm - Competitive Playstation begins. This is also the point that Brian comes up with this gem: "Nate, there are two types of people in this world. Wolves and everybody else. I'm watching you play this hockey game right now on the Playstation, and you don't look much like a wolf." The mantra of "Be a wolf." stayed with us for the remainder of the weekend.
6:00pm - Wedding rehearsal, which should be renamed "Attempt to keep both families happy." Stand here. Turn now. Walk out now. Got it.
7:30pm - Rehearsal dinner at In-Laws Bar and Restaurant, known far and wide as the "Home of the six dollar rum and coke." Had some good pizza and chicken, though.
9:30pm - The groomsmen retire to Grant's house for some hot cocoa and a rousing game of charades. I'm just kidding, we got lit and Brian tried to burned the house down. The rest of the night we swapped stories with topics including life, love and "Guess who's having another kid."
2:00am - Everyone is in bed except for Dave and myself who are up drinking wine straight out of the bottle and discussing how the government spends $500 on a hammer. Hey, to each their own.
2:30am - Bed time.
Saturday
7:45am - Miraculously, Brian and I are both awake and able to check into our hotel rooms so that we don't have to handle it between the wedding and reception. Very nice rooms in this place.
9:00am - Grant, Brian and I have two jobs: a) drop Grant's car off at the hotel they'll be staying at and b) getting Julie's car washed. Do you know how many other people are getting car washes at 10:00am on a Saturday morning. I'll give you a hint, it's somewhere between "a lot" and "everybody."
11:30am - We show up "late" at Jack Daniels's house (not a joke, Jack Daniels is Julie's brother in law) to make a quick change into our tuxes and then... wait around for two hours. Unfortunately, at this point my head is still pounding from the night before and Jack doesn't have any pain relievers in his possession. No problem, not like I have to stand around for four hours before I get back to the hotel to get some ibuprofen.
2:30pm - What time is it? Wedding time! Hoomph!
3:00pm - I have two jobs in this wedding as best man. Give the rings to the pastor and walk out with Jessica (Julie's sister and matron of honor.) It would have been FANTASTIC if the pastor had said at the rehearsal, "Make sure the rings are not in the box when you give them to me." Help me to help you.
3:30pm - Pictures.
4:00pm - Pictures.
4:30pm - Cocktails! Nope, more pictures.
4:45pm - I have the distinct honor of driving Mr. and Mrs. Murray to the reception. Thankfully they decided to shun the tradition of driving around in a convoy honking the damn horn. That I would not have been able to handle.
5:30pm - Cocktails and a speech from Adam and then yours truly. That was followed by a great dinner featuring chicken, mashed taters and some roast beef.
7:30pm - I get the 45th comment from an Illinoister about how everyone "loved the Yooper accent" in my speech. Whatever.
8:00pm ish - A hilarious ritual ensues after the food is carted away. A time honored tradition designed to stimulate the endorphines and entertain the masses. Of course, I refer to "White People Dancing."
9:00pm - The "great night spot" next door begins filling up with thug like folks, some of whom are getting full-body, airport style searches from the security guards. Ummm, this is the place we are supposed to hang out at after the reception?
9:30pm - Erich, Deana (hope I spelled that right), Melissa, Grant and myself dance to a Puckhead classic, "Sweet Caroline" while each taking turns with the Puckhead helmet on.
10:00pm ish - The garter toss and bouquet toss. I catch neither.
10:30pm - We've now graduated to "Drunk White People Dancing."
11:00pm - Grant tells me that someone "might have shot out the front door of the hotel." Ummm, what!?!? Apparently someone ran a drive by on the front door of the country club. I am not making this up.
11:30pm - Reception is over and we now have two choices. Either go back to the room where we have 10 beers for 5 people -OR- go to the scary night club where there may or may not be several people with handguns. Not a tough decision.
1:30am - The crew that had been hanging out in my room, Erich, Deana, Mel and Shawn retire for the evening.
Sunday
9:00am - Within mere yards of the shot-out front door, my crew and I fearlessly eat a complimentary buffet style breakfast.
10:00am - Grant calls my room to inform me that he left the keys to his car in Julie's vehicle, so I have to go scoop them up at the other hotel.
12:30pm - I head home, left with some great memories and pictures from the weekend I gave my hetero lifemate away.
Congratulations to Grant and Julie. As soon as I have the pictures uploaded, I'll put up the link.
I'm finished,
Nate
Thursday
12:00pm - Done with work.
2:30pm - Navigate surprisingly smoothly through Milwaukee traffic.
3:45pm - Arrive at Casa de Murray
4:45pm - Murray and I grab a couple of brews at a local dive bar called T.G.I. Friday's while we are waiting for Adam (the other best man) and his sister to get into town. Gurnee, IL is the type of area that we had to drink beer in a T.G.I.'s because there are no local bars in sight.
5:30 - Adam, Grant and myself go to After Hours to get our tuxes. You should have to spend a minimum of an hour in your tuxedo when you try it on. That way you'll be able to know things like: the elastic that makes your pants "adjustable" is woefully inadequate in the "keeping your pants up" department, you should have professional assistance available for cufflinks and buttons, and your shoes are going to feel like midieval torture devices after a very short time.
6:30pm - A gourmet dinner of tater tots, roast chicken, and Blue Moon beer.
7:00pm - More Blue Moon.
8:00pm - More Blue Moon and the arrival Dave Graham (groomsman) and his wife Diane who get in from Florida and inform us that they drove most of the way up on a semi-flat tire. Pure guts on his part. I was afraid to drive down there from Wisconsin without getting an oil change first.
8:30pm - No more Blue Moon. B double E double R U N.
9:10pm - Grant, Amanda, Adam and myself return with a case of Miller Lite and a couple bottles of wine.
9:10pm to 11:00pm - Gabbing like kids who haven't seen each other since school got out for the summer.
11:00pm - Lights out.
Friday
8:30am - Donuts and bagels.
9:15am - Go to Sports Cuts for a trim. Apparently telling the haircut specialist that you want the sides and the back trimmed up and to leave the top of your head alone is not enough. You must have to actually wear a cap on your head to indicate: "I really mean it. Don't cut anything off the top of my head." Every person that has ever cut my hair is in agreement that I look simply dashing with a flattop. Jeez.
10:00am - We run into Dave and Diane getting tires changed at Sears Grand in Gurnee Mills Mall.
10:15a - Shopping ensues. I've been to Gurnee Mills just about every time I've visited Grant over the last two years. This is what I've bought: Nautica lanyard ($2.50), Nautica Towel ($12.00), Perry Ellis Belt at T.J. Maxx ($9.99) Not exactly keeping the economy strong.
2:30pm - Grant and I meet his parents and Brian at the hotel the reception is going to be at. We proceeded to pick up the tuxes for Grant's dad, Brian, Pat (his brother) and Pat's two kids. Surprisingly, this turned out to be less of a circus than we'd expected.
3:30pm - Competitive Playstation begins. This is also the point that Brian comes up with this gem: "Nate, there are two types of people in this world. Wolves and everybody else. I'm watching you play this hockey game right now on the Playstation, and you don't look much like a wolf." The mantra of "Be a wolf." stayed with us for the remainder of the weekend.
6:00pm - Wedding rehearsal, which should be renamed "Attempt to keep both families happy." Stand here. Turn now. Walk out now. Got it.
7:30pm - Rehearsal dinner at In-Laws Bar and Restaurant, known far and wide as the "Home of the six dollar rum and coke." Had some good pizza and chicken, though.
9:30pm - The groomsmen retire to Grant's house for some hot cocoa and a rousing game of charades. I'm just kidding, we got lit and Brian tried to burned the house down. The rest of the night we swapped stories with topics including life, love and "Guess who's having another kid."
2:00am - Everyone is in bed except for Dave and myself who are up drinking wine straight out of the bottle and discussing how the government spends $500 on a hammer. Hey, to each their own.
2:30am - Bed time.
Saturday
7:45am - Miraculously, Brian and I are both awake and able to check into our hotel rooms so that we don't have to handle it between the wedding and reception. Very nice rooms in this place.
9:00am - Grant, Brian and I have two jobs: a) drop Grant's car off at the hotel they'll be staying at and b) getting Julie's car washed. Do you know how many other people are getting car washes at 10:00am on a Saturday morning. I'll give you a hint, it's somewhere between "a lot" and "everybody."
11:30am - We show up "late" at Jack Daniels's house (not a joke, Jack Daniels is Julie's brother in law) to make a quick change into our tuxes and then... wait around for two hours. Unfortunately, at this point my head is still pounding from the night before and Jack doesn't have any pain relievers in his possession. No problem, not like I have to stand around for four hours before I get back to the hotel to get some ibuprofen.
2:30pm - What time is it? Wedding time! Hoomph!
3:00pm - I have two jobs in this wedding as best man. Give the rings to the pastor and walk out with Jessica (Julie's sister and matron of honor.) It would have been FANTASTIC if the pastor had said at the rehearsal, "Make sure the rings are not in the box when you give them to me." Help me to help you.
3:30pm - Pictures.
4:00pm - Pictures.
4:30pm - Cocktails! Nope, more pictures.
4:45pm - I have the distinct honor of driving Mr. and Mrs. Murray to the reception. Thankfully they decided to shun the tradition of driving around in a convoy honking the damn horn. That I would not have been able to handle.
5:30pm - Cocktails and a speech from Adam and then yours truly. That was followed by a great dinner featuring chicken, mashed taters and some roast beef.
7:30pm - I get the 45th comment from an Illinoister about how everyone "loved the Yooper accent" in my speech. Whatever.
8:00pm ish - A hilarious ritual ensues after the food is carted away. A time honored tradition designed to stimulate the endorphines and entertain the masses. Of course, I refer to "White People Dancing."
9:00pm - The "great night spot" next door begins filling up with thug like folks, some of whom are getting full-body, airport style searches from the security guards. Ummm, this is the place we are supposed to hang out at after the reception?
9:30pm - Erich, Deana (hope I spelled that right), Melissa, Grant and myself dance to a Puckhead classic, "Sweet Caroline" while each taking turns with the Puckhead helmet on.
10:00pm ish - The garter toss and bouquet toss. I catch neither.
10:30pm - We've now graduated to "Drunk White People Dancing."
11:00pm - Grant tells me that someone "might have shot out the front door of the hotel." Ummm, what!?!? Apparently someone ran a drive by on the front door of the country club. I am not making this up.
11:30pm - Reception is over and we now have two choices. Either go back to the room where we have 10 beers for 5 people -OR- go to the scary night club where there may or may not be several people with handguns. Not a tough decision.
1:30am - The crew that had been hanging out in my room, Erich, Deana, Mel and Shawn retire for the evening.
Sunday
9:00am - Within mere yards of the shot-out front door, my crew and I fearlessly eat a complimentary buffet style breakfast.
10:00am - Grant calls my room to inform me that he left the keys to his car in Julie's vehicle, so I have to go scoop them up at the other hotel.
12:30pm - I head home, left with some great memories and pictures from the weekend I gave my hetero lifemate away.
Congratulations to Grant and Julie. As soon as I have the pictures uploaded, I'll put up the link.
I'm finished,
Nate
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