Innocent Bystanders

  While watching Iowa’s Shawn Johnson win the Gold Medal on the beam last night, I heard the announcers talking about how her parents took out multiple mortgages on their house to keep her training with Coach Liang Chow.  This got me thinking, how do I steer Moses the Wonderbaby away from costly sports? 

  My cousin’s boy Tyler played on a regional traveling hockey team when they lived in Little Rock, and when they moved back to the family farm South of Earlham, he started playing with the club teams in the Des Moines area.  Since they’ve already experienced the travel & equipment costs, his younger brother Noah has already been told “You’re NOT going to play hockey, bub.” 

  The usual youth sports aren’t too bad for costs.  Soccer, baseball, football & basketball all can be played without plunking down thousands for specialized equipment or costly coaching, but what if he wants to get involved in an obscure olympic sport?  I could use some ideas for Olympic sports to steer Moses into, just in case he wants to do something unusual. 

  Here’s a few starters: 

  Trapshooting/Air Rifle/Smallbore Rifle:  I could teach him a few of the basics, but then I’d send him off to the “Camp Geezer Olympic Shooting Preparatory Academy”.  I hear that they offer scholarships to kids who can eat their own weight in bacon.

  Swimming/Diving/Hammer Throw:  If I got Moses a Greyhound ticket to the Dallas area, he could train at the prestigious “Dave in Texas Waterpark”.  As far as the hammer throw goes, I’ve never watched the Olympic event, but it’s got something to do with frustrated homeowners tossin’ tools at beagles, right?

  Beanbag Toss:  I know it’s not a sport yet, but I’m sure that by the 2032 games they’ll have it on the agenda.  Since Kevlarchick lives in the Cinci-tucky region, she’d be the logical coach for Moses if he wants to go for a gold in THAT sport.

  Drinking Budweiser with a Camel:  eddiebear, I’m counting on YOU for this one.

  And before you ask; NO.  The wife has already said “There’s No.  Way.  In.  Hell.  that Moses will go train with WP for an Olympic Sport.”  So don’t go there, or you’ll feel the wrath.

Does your dog wink at you?  What is the meaning of this mystery? 

Do you wink back? 

The Fonz

I’m so proud.

Paris has its Eiffel Tower. Rome’s got the Coliseum. And Milwaukee?

Well, we’re now the proud home of the Fonzie Statue, a 5-foot-6-inch, teal, white and bronze monument to Henry Winkler’s character in the 1970s TV sitcom “Happy Days.”

Update: I’m a glass-half-full kinda guy so I have to say this could be worse. It could be rubber sidewalks.

Ames, IA, and Iowa State University, the alma mater of a certain fella we know, has determined that the weight of kegs hitting the sidewalk is a major problem. In fact, the sidewalks near an area where many bars are located and the required beer distributors unload their liquid goods are becoming cracked and damaged.

So, how did Ames overcome this dilemma, without disrupting vital beer supplies?

Why, they made rubber sidewalks!

The city of Ames is installing a rubber sidewalk at a spot near the Iowa State University campus where beer distributors unload hundreds of kegs from trucks for area bars.

The heavy kegs have been cracking the concrete pavement. So officials have decided to install sidewalk pavers made by a California company using recycled tires.

The city’s streets supervisor tested the project by taking a sledge hammer to it. The new sidewalk didn’t even dent.

Apparently, the sidewalks also saved a bunch of tires from being burned. But who cares about that? Beer supplies will continue unabated.

Yep.  With a post on puppies and pooters.

I don’t even have to explain it, do I?

Just how cool is the pool lookin these days?

Awesomeness.

Last pics (sans sewer pipe), all the plants were itty bitty.

No more. 

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DrewM at Ace’s blog isn’t too happy about this.  (Ditto NRO’s Andrew McCarthy.)

Maybe my disagreement is more about the language of the agreement than its effect.  Drew and Andy are both concerned about the US agreement to pay reparations to Libya (Drew calls it a “spectacularly ugly bit of moral equivelance”).  I’m more concerned about the diplomatic relations.

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In a thread below, we were talking about zombie songs.   (Yes, we talk about stuff like that.)   Sobek came up with my favorite,  a protest song about the conflict in Northern Ireland.  So I’m going to post it as a main page comment.

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Except in a few places, like Texas.

It sucks in Ohio.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — More homeowners than ever are selling at a loss, propelling the real estate market deeper into crisis.

In the 12 months that ended June 30, nearly 25% of all homes sold nationwide fetched less than sellers originally paid, according to real estate Web site Zillow.com.

While the nation’s double-digit decline in home prices has been well documented, the new report underscores the economic force of those price declines. Homeowners are walking away with much less in their pocket when they sell.

Me too.

25 percent of home sales result in loss - Yahoo! Real Estate.

In a thread below, Dave and I were talking about heavy metal fixtures on the target cables of gun ranges.

That reminded me of an obscure, but excellent, song from way back called “Heavy Metal.”  It’s a song that offers the raw beat of heavy metal, but also features singers that can harmonize and serious work by the lead guitar.  Not just showy arpeggios, but real Clapton-worthy artistry.

I found it on YouTube, because it was featured in a truly bizarre South Park episode called “Major Boobage.”

Heavy metal.  South Park.  Major boobage.

I’m the kind of guy who needs to share.  I’m all about the love.

NSFW.

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Idahodians turned out in force today to congratulate Olympic Gold Medalist Kristin Armstrong.

She won the Gold in the Wimmin’s Cycling Individual Time Trial.

The mayor gave her the Key to the City. It has only been awarded twice before; once to the Davis family on the 100th anniversary of Julia Davis park, the other time was to Chris Peterson, the coach of the BSU football team that trounced Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl.

“People ask me why I live in Boise Idaho” she said to the thousands of supporters, at the ceremony. “This is why”.