WhoTom

This is our Black Lab/Shepherd mix - Shadow - on the day we adopted him from the pound. He was almost four years old, had a family who moved and couldn't take him with, so they returned him to the shelter where they got him as a pup. As you can see, he was quite happy to be out of "the joint." He made himself at home right away, and he's been a great addition to the family. Labs and Goldens are the best. Nice temperament, intelligent, and not hyperactive. A friend calls Shadow "steadfast and true." She's right.

I have a colleague who's a workaholic. He moonlighted as an engineer at a high-paced aerospace company while teaching college full-time. He has a patent. He wrote a textbook and he's working on another. He's got lots of money. By most "traditional" measures, he's more successful than I am. But I have more fun, and I wouldn't trade places with him for anything. Everyone's different.

Mama Jones has got some moves, too:

Regular banks - the kind that you and I use - are only insured for $100k per account by the FDIC. You don't deposit a multi-million dollar check into a bank like that.

Anthony Wiener is saying, "Damn! Why didn't I think of that?"

I never planned an actual bucket list, but now and then I think about stuff I'd like to do. Here's one done and one to come: Done: see a total solar eclipse. Next up (I hope): see a concert at Red Rocks. In 1989 there was a solar maximum that made some spectacular aurorae. We saw one where the whole sky was an eerie reddish tint and another where green wisps of light were shooting across the sky. I noticed the first one when I was taking the garbage out. (That aurora was caused by the solar flare that caused a major power failure in Canada.) The second one happened later that year while we were camping under incredibly dark skies. I stepped away from the bonfire to take a leak, I looked up, and there it was. Gugny, before you ask, no 'shrooms were involved. ;-)

He'll play Mongo in the reboot of Blazing Saddles.

The Bills did him a favor when they let him go. What they should have done, in the interest of the team, was have an open competition for the starting QB position. If Losman won, so be it, but at least they'd have had Bledsoe to take over when JP failed. Drew didn't want to be a backup, so they released him. He was still under contract, so they could have traded him or kept him. Releasing him was good for Bledsoe and bad for the Bills.

I've paid for NFL Sunday Ticket for the past two decades, just so I can watch the Bills. In a metaphorical sense, I've already eaten horse crap.

Yeah - that rug really tied the room together.

I use the H&R Block free version, but be careful - they try to trick you into buying the paid version. Other than that, I've been happy with it. I think I've used it for three years now.

I think she can afford an unlisted number.

Police broke down the door, smelled something funny, and asked, "Who smoked cannabis in here?" Malcolm's roommate replied ... (wait for it) ... "The Butler did it."

I didn't watch and I have to admit that part of me regrets it. I'll enjoy the replay, and I suspect that next year I'll watch, even if it's NE vs DAL.

I didn't watch but I was pleased with the outcome, so I'll enjoy the replay on NFL Network later this week.

Love the Scooby Doo ending!

"It'll get overturned on the replay."

If you predict it every year, you're bound to be right eventually.

There's a pretty big German-American population there, so I'd imagine there are quite a few mom & pop restaurants with a good selection of brats and such. We live a couple hours away, so we don't get there a lot. If we're there around mealtime, we usually hit one of the brewpubs I mentioned.

People said that when they played the Seahawks. I'd rather see them whither away than go out on top.

If you're into brewpubs, check out the Water Street Brewery and the Milwaukee Ale House. Good food, good beer.