Catch of the Week

Ashley hauled in this massive seventeen inch Kentucky bass on Wednesday morning in some deep water on Table Rock Lake here in Missouri. One of only two caught during the week, it was easily the source of greatest excitement as far as fishing goes. Ashley will be appearing on Babe Winkelman's program next week where she'll show viewers a few tricks the pros use.

World's Best Root Beer

The NY Times today examines the root beer universe and determines the number one brew comes from Wisconsin's Sprecher:

Our No. 1 root beer, from Sprecher in Wisconsin, a wonderfully balanced and complex brew, uses a combination of corn syrup and honey, while our No. 2, the restrained and flavorful IBC, uses only corn syrup. So even with the importance of the sweetener, something more is at play with root beers. For me, it was the integration and balance of flavors, which raises the question of what exactly root beer is, anyway. Originally, root beers were more like herbal teas, bitter infusions of roots, vines, herbs and spices, including sarsaparilla, sassafras and licorice. Nowadays, the basic components include anise, wintergreen and vanilla, with the addition, perhaps, of flavors like ginger, cloves and mint. At times, the tasting felt almost like analyzing a medicine cabinet, and indeed, one of the components of the IBC aroma was described by a taster as liniment, no doubt from wintergreen.

For my high school graduation party, I had a keg of Sprecher root beer on hand. Let me tell you, nothing was better than the week following the party when I was able to pour a frosty mug with leftover root beer whenever I wanted.

The Beautiful Game

My attitude toward soccer has changed considerably over the past decade or so. In high school, I remember railing on the game arguing that it was one of the most boring sports ever created. "That many people can be wrong," I would answer when someone would point out that it is by far the most popular game on Earth.

I started to change my feelings, however, while studying in London and soccer was the only sport regularly accessible on television and in newspapers. In addition, our group of friends got into the habit of playing pick-up soccer games in the park - usually on a Sunday afternoons. I began to see that while watching it could still be dull, playing definitely wasn't.

By 2006, during the World Cup in Germany, my perspective toward soccer had undergone a complete 180. I watched virtually every game of the tournament and continued watching the sport regularly following Arsenal - the team from North London whose home stadium is only a few blocks from London Metropolitan University where I took classes while in college.

In continuing to track the game for the past couple of years, I've had the desire to play the game competitively to take my understanding of the sport to a new level. While I think it's possible to be an avid fan of a sport you've never played, I also believe that having played a sport competitively provides a whole new perspective to being a fan. Take golf for instance: Tiger's 380 yard drives are impressive whether you've played the game or not, but they become amazing when you compare them to the 200 yard slice you hit into the woods, or better yet, the one you crush down the middle, the one that you feel is as perfect as you could ever hit, and it flies a measly 270.

With that spirit in mind, a friend and I decided to join a local soccer league in the area that plays games throughout the summer. Last Sunday was our first game and although our team was defeated six to two, I had a great time. Through playing, the most striking similarity I've found is that between soccer and basketball - especially while breaking toward the goal. The thought processes the mind engages in while dribbling the soccer ball are much more like playing basketball than I'd considered in the past. While my soccer skills certainly are in their infancy, I've been able to hold my own for the most part. I'm looking forward to future games and am crossing my fingers that I'll be able to avoid serious injury.

Garage Sale Day One

The opening day of the garage sale is almost complete and according to Ashley, "It was definitely successful." Highlights of the day include:

1) Selling our couches downstairs to a fellow whose entire basement was flooded. His mother actually purchased the couch and one of his friends came later in the afternoon to pick up the sofa and loveseat with a trailer. His home in Fond du Lac, his mother explained, was completely flooded and the water was up to the ceiling in his basement.

2) Ashley's sale of a picture she bought a few weekends ago for two dollars and moving it for ten dollars today. That's a profit margin of 500% folks!

3) A lady wondering if our road had a Piggly Wiggly on it and then asking us for directions to the nearest one.

Beautification of the Grounds

The brief hiatus from blogging a few weeks back was due to a fairly large landscaping project we undertook around our house. Work included laying a row of brick to divide the rock and lawn, adding new rock, refreshing mulch, and planting new shrubs and flowers. A huge thanks to my parents who expertly helped us in the process!

Because we created a new dividing line a foot or so further into the lawn to get a clean edge, we needed to add more rock. We had a yard and a half delivered by a local company who charged us $25 for the rock and $60 for delivery. While I raised my eyebrows at the charge, they explained that their dump truck only gets four to five miles to the gallon and that gas prices have been killing them.

We also bought two evergreens and four of the lighter colored bushes you see above. I've been watering them faithfully, although the rainy weather we've had hasn't made it too difficult to keep them moist.


Ashley took charge of planting annuals around in the pots around the house. Again, the rainy weather has made keeping them alive a breeze. Come the dog days of July and August, it could be a different story.

Getting to Iowa

We're scheduled to leave for one of our Iowa visits this coming Thursday evening. The DOT is showing multiple closings throughout the eastern half of the state and with yesterday's rain one can only expect more roads to become impassable as the water rises. Hopefully there are no major storms in the coming days and the state receives a respite from the awful weather its been receiving.

The Des Moines Register is reporting that Interstate 80 will close today and remain closed for two to three days. As the most traveled road in the state, the closure is sure to have a huge impact. As one of the commenters on the story put it, "That's big."

ADDED: John Carlson examines the tremendous scale of flooding:

The Coralville dam is releasing 20,000 cubic feet of water per second into the Iowa River. It’s heading through the heart of Iowa City and points south. The Cedar Rapids Gazette quoted an expert of some sort who said that at that rate, the water would fill an enclosed Kinnick Stadium in 16 minutes and 42 seconds.

Ponder that when you think about the fact that around 40,000 cubic feet of water a second is coming down the Des Moines River from the Saylorville dam into Des Moines. That presumably would fill the Hawkeye stadium in 8 minutes and 21 seconds.

Another expert — there are a lot of experts around these days — said the comparatively small Cedar River is now flowing at a volume equal to the Mississippi River when the Mississippi is at flood stage.

Gives some perspective, doesn’t it?

Scenes from a Garage Sale

Preparation for the rummage sale we're hosting tomorrow and Saturday is well underway. If anything catches your eye, let me know and I'll pull it from the showroom floor. Otherwise, the garage door opens to the public tomorrow morning at eight.

Tiger vs. Phil (I hear there are a few others playing this weekend too)

Tomorrow the U.S. Open tees off at Torrey Pines outside San Diego, California. In a mouthwatering pairing, Tiger and Phil will be playing with each other for the first two days of the tournament. Time will tell if they'll be playing together when it counts over the weekend.

Rick Reilly, who has returned from a brief hiatus from column writing now with ESPN Magazine, takes a look at Tiger vs. Phil. While his pro-Mickelson hyperbole seems a bit strong to me, there's definitely a lot of truth included. Phil makes decisions during the heat of the battle that make you shake your head.

Sports Illustrated in the meantime, now without a regular writer for its last page column, imagines a world where Tiger never existed a la George Bailey and It's a Wonderful Life. Fuzzy takes one on the chin again.

DirecTV has announced that it will offer an interactive mix of four dedicated channels to the tournament similar to what it did for the Masters which makes me even more excited for the opening rounds. Word is, Tiger and Phil will have an entire channel dedicated to their round so it will be possible to follow them from start to finish without missing a stroke. I have to believe that ESPN will have a hard time cutting away from them, however, so my guess is that the national feed will cover virtually all of their shots as well. Looking at the success both players have had at Torrey Pines in the past (Tiger six wins; Phil three) it seems likely at least one will be near the top of the leaderboard come Sunday. Time will tell. My prediction is that neither of them will come out on top. I like the way Kenny Perry has been playing. He's my pick. Watch out for Anthony Kim and K.J. Choi as well - two players who have the type of game to succeed in the nation's championship.

July 11

Apple announced yesterday that the follow-up to the iPhone will be released in July. Major upgrades include real-time GPS, expanded battery life, and faster browsing on AT&T's 3G network. The best part about yesterday's announcement was the shift in pricing to a more affordable $199 for the 8 GB and $299 for the 16 GB.

To see Steve Jobs, the mastermind behind Apple, presenting the iPhone yesterday to software developers and reporters, click here. The whole thing lasts over ninety minutes, but scrolling ahead to the 1:22:00 mark will get you to the good stuff.

Lost...

...and found. Great story.

Tiger is Back; Stricker Auditions for the Rockettes

With the U.S. Open starting this week, many eyes will be turning to Tiger to see if he'll be able to rebound from the arthroscopic knee surgery he underwent on April 15. He played a practice round yesterday at Torrey Pines and was trailed by a couple camera crews and reporters. A highlight from the round:

While Tiger was putting on the green, he was spotted by Steve Stricker, who was teeing off on the 18th. Stricker waved and made a kicking motion with his left leg — think a pale impression of a Rockette — and hollered: “How is it? How’s the knee?”

“I can keep up with you,” Woods yelled, smiling.

“What are you doing here so early?” Stricker asked.

“You know me — sleeping in,” joked Woods, who is known for usual zero-dark-thirty practice rounds.

"He actually bloodied my ear"

Bob Anderson, best known for playing the adolescent version of George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life, passed away at age 75. In one of the most memorable scenes from the film, the young Bailey points out an error made by Old Man Gower who has been drinking heavily because of the death of his son. In an obituary at CNN.com, it's pointed out that H.B. Warner, playing the role of the soused Gower, was quite the method actor:

Warner took the role seriously and on the day of shooting had been drinking and was "pretty ripe," Victoria Anderson said. The scene called for Warner's character to slap the boy. Anderson told the Los Angeles Times in 1996 that the scene and its rehearsals were painful. "He actually bloodied my ear," Anderson told the paper. "My ear was beat up and my face was red, and I was in tears." "At the end when it was all over, he (Warner) was very lovable. He grabbed me and hugged me, and he meant it," Anderson said.

If you've never seen the film, here's the abridged version which includes the scene described above:

Magic 8-Ball as Part of Evolution

I'm no neural scientist, but Mark Changizi of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York seems to have made a discovery that amazes me: Humans can predict the future:

When light hits your retina, about one-tenth of a second goes by before the brain translates the signal into a visual perception of the world. Scientists already knew about the lag, yet they have debated over exactly how we compensate, with one school of thought proposing our motor system somehow modifies our movements to offset the delay. Changizi now says it's our visual system that has evolved to compensate for neural delays, generating images of what will occur one-tenth of a second into the future. That foresight keeps our view of the world in the present. It gives you enough heads up to catch a fly ball (instead of getting socked in the face) and maneuver smoothly through a crowd. His research on this topic is detailed in the May/June issue of the journal Cognitive Science.

What first comes to my mind is that moment that occurs during a car crash in which you not only have that split second to slam on the breaks, but your brain also takes that mental snapshot that embeds itself in your brain. For me, that snapshot is of two deer in front of my old PT Crusier.