Monday, September 29, 2008

Uhm, Really?

As the markets began to tank as Wall Street recoiled from the defeat of what was supposed to be a bipartisan effort to shore up the nation's economy in the wake of massive fears of bank failures and polluted lending practices, some Republicans want us to believe they voted against the plan Monday, not because of what was in the actual bill, but because of this speech:



Now, they, of course, were not voting for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's speech, but for an actual bill to stave off a Wall Street meltdown. What did they get because they didn't like the speaker's speech? The beginning of a Wall Street meltdown...

Someone explain that logic to me.

We are witnessing some strange, if not historic and somewhat scary times.

Stay tuned.

More later,


Mark

Bears Win!

What a game: A fantastic fourth-quarter goal-line stand en route to a 24-20 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football.

All the news and the stats are here:

Super Bowl-Bound Bears

Highlights are here:



More later,


Mark

Thursday, September 25, 2008

David Letterman Takes on McCain

What happens when you cancel your appearance on "The Late Show" because of the economic crisis and then show up down the street getting made up prior to an interview with Katie Couric? Well, you make Dave kinda angry. And, last night, the guy who has struggled in the ratings against presumably hipper shows like the "Colbert Report" showed why he is still a force to be reckoned with...



More later,

Mark

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

A Real Sleeper!

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The new kitty Sammy is enjoying more freedom every day and running himself – and everyone else (especially Mary) – ragged as he gets to know his new home better. Tonight he fell asleep in a basket next to my chair where I keep magazines, cords for my computer and, for a reason I can't explain, a roll of paper towels...

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Clyde is really enjoying the new addition to our family (this might be the best toy we ever got him). Louie is hissing less loudly... Well, at least he's trying and his hissing is really reserved just for those moments when Sammy hides beneath/behind/around the corner from his prey (any of the other four of us) and then pounces quickly before running away with a hysterical sideways bounce/hop. I'll get some video.

Right now, I have to stop and explain to Clyde for the 1,000,000th time that he is no longer a kitty and much bigger than Sammy....

More later,


Mark

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Exclusive Bears Game Footage!

In case you missed the fourth quarter and the OT...

It's On!

For the third week in a row, the Bears will be broadcast in our fabulous Tiki Bar room in living plasma this week, courtesy once again of the bright folks at Fox.

So, with next week's return to Sunday Night Football, we are guaranteed the first quarter of this season from the comfort of our abode. Now, if the power just holds out...

It's almost a shame, though, because we have found a second cool hangout for our road games (what we call those game we have to watch from the comfort of a bar with the NFL Ticket). Already we have named Smokey Bones the official road game headquarters for the second year in a row. However, stumbled into a local gem yesterday:

Jillian's

This place is a WOW: Four bars, a million TVs, a game arcade, pool tables, a bowling alley and great food. It's huge! We had no idea a place this cool was so close to our house! On gameday, 23-ounce frosted beers are $2!

This area is full of pleasant surprises! We watched some college ball and played some games and had a blast playing Saturday. I ruled the cranes,

Today, however, we get to find out whether Ron Turner has figured out what to do with a second-and-one when he has one of the top rookie running backs in the game...

More later,


Mark

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Here's Sammy!

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Yes, we have a new member of the Sweetwood household over here in the Boardman Brady Bunch house:

Sammy!

Sammy was rescued by a neighbor last week. She's a realtor and was showing a foreclosed home when she heard some noise in a padlocked garage. She could see a mama cat through a window and proceeded to rip the lock off the door and rescued three kittens, one of whom was quite small and quite ill.

Debby got food and water to the mama and raced the emaciated kittens to a vet and nursed them back to good health. When another neighbor mentioned we were a cat-inclined household, they brought the trio over to Mary who was smitten by the kitten who was the runt of the bunch.

The night the three kitties played in our foyer while Clyde and Louie looked on was a lot of fun. Sammy is slowly being introduced to his new brothers. Clyde is a great big brother. He plays with Sammy and loves to groom him. Louie hasn't progressed much beyond an occasional hiss or growl.

I am sure they will all become fast friends...

Here's another pic of the little guy:

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More later,


Mark

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Our Long Boardman Nightmare is Over

The cable (as well as most of the Constitution) works.

Our cable, phones and Internet came back on for a short time Tuesday and then went out again shortly after I got home from work. Unbelievable! But at least circumstances afforded us the opportunity to watch a screener of the first two episodes of this season's "Entourage."

By Wednesday, everything worked again. I can live without the phones, since I mostly use my cell, anyway. And I got re-introduced to broadcast TV again, albeit a 2-inch version of it. But to make me wait DAYS to get caught up in my fantasy football leagues??

Pure evil. I am 2-0, 1-1 and 1-1 in three leagues, by the way and am currently getting caught up on the crazy Monday Night Football game courtesy of the NFL network... But I miss Jon Stewart. Tell me: Is he still funny?

Work has been a little crazy lately as we are literally experiencing the perfect storm of political season convergence. If you have watched any cable TV at all lately, and I have been unable to, you probably already know John McCain campaigned here Tuesday and had dinner with some locals in Youngstown that night. Good Morning America was live from nearby Gustavus (I never heard of it either until a few days ago when we found out that Good Morning America was going to be live from nearby Gustavus) Wednesday and Brad Paisley gave a free concert. Joe Biden will be back in Youngstown, again, Thursday. We're going to try to get Biden over for dinner.

OK, I made that last part up. But, heck, it's almost like the Iowa caucuses all over again. I wonder what he'd like for dinner?

Ohio is a presidential campaign battleground state – perhaps the most important swing state – and that means lots of interesting news. Add in a colossal windstorm, an upcoming fight by middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik, a recent gridiron showdown between Oho State and Youngstown State, a new GM car many hope will save the company that will be built right here and it is starting to feel a bit like we're near the center of the universe...

More to the point: It's never boring here.

And, I have arrived at the end of this without sharing the biggest news of all: There's been a roster change at the Sweetwood household. No, Mary has not been traded to another team! Stay tuned...

More later,


Mark

Monday, September 15, 2008

That's The Night The Lights Went Out in Boardman

The remnants of Hurricane Ike made it all the way to Boardman, Ohio shortly after Blowhard Turner ruined the Chicago Bears shot at a perfect season.

I know this because things started getting dicey right about the time Dave from the tree company came by to, ironically, give us a bid on removing 11 trees from the homestead.

Don't fear. We have about 20 trees left. More, if you consider the back 40...

As he attempted to write out the bid, limbs began crashing around us as the winds shifted to between 20-30 mph. Later, we learned, gusts as high as 61 mph roared through the area. There was no rain, just a warm, fierce wind.

After the tree guy left and after the neighbor with the new kitty came by, we settled in to enjoy the Sunday Night Football clash between local favorites, the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers. As dinner ended at about 8:40 p.m., I had just made the decision to turn off the 42-inch plasma because of the flickering lights when we lost all electricity.

Our entire neighborhood was in the black. How would we survive without lights, TV or even a fan to move the thick, warm air around?

How, indeed.

The answer: our emergency kit. We had put it together in Florida and never used it. When we moved to Ohio, we just moved the plastic containers carrying our Red Cross-certified hurricane preparedness kit expertly crafted by yours truly and stuck them into the basement with the rest of our treasures...

After, of course, plugging in the Black and Decker Storm Station Power Inverter.

I dare say we were the most prepared family in Ohio. Bring on the black out!

Battery-powered florescent lights went on. We shifted from a 42-inch plasma to a 2-inch analog baby (that will make a nice paperweight after the world goes digital next February) so we could continue to enjoy the game. We switched on a battery-powered fan. I answered my cell phone.

And I typed this.

Now, I won't be able to post this blog until power and cable returns (no cable modem). But, frankly, we are riding this out in pretty decent style. The cats have no idea what the hell is going on or why we are living like this, however...

Wait until they see how the rest of the week turns out...

More later,


Mark

UPDATE NO. 1: I woke up at 2:23 a.m. to power being restored. Thank you utility company emergency crews!

UPDATE NO. 2: As of 7:40 a.m., many schools are closed and there are big branches down in our neighborhood. We are still left without cable, which mean no TV, phones or Internet access... BUT: We have electricity.

UPDATE NO. 3: One of the 11 trees chosen to be taken down by the tree company was a victim of the wind.

UPDATE NO. 4: I am updating this during lunch at work. Still no cable/Internet/phones at home.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

"I Hate Ron Turner!!!"

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No, those are not my words. They are actually the title of a series of posts over at ChicagoBears.Com

Check it out:

I HATE RON TURNER!!!

More later,


Mark

P.S. OK, I hate Ron Turner, too. His play calling for the last two offensive series was, in a word, offensive.

This Just In...

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The local Fox affiliate has decided to show the Bears-Panthers game!

Hence, we'll be in front of the plasma at home today enjoying the game, wings and Breckenridge Autumn Ale and, perhaps, some Great Lakes Brewing Co. Oktoberfest. We also have some of the Samuel Adams seasonal brew...

Life is good!

More later,


Mark

Sunday, September 07, 2008

Revenge!

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I have two explanations for the Chicago Bears win, especially as juxtaposed upon the rather snotty Sunday prediction/post.

1.) Someone hacked my site. Really, I love Papa Bear Bob Babich.

2.) In an brilliant plot to confuse the league, these Bears did NOT play in the preseason. Instead, it appears the preseason team was made up largely by the touring company of "Mama Mia."

Take your pick. Either answer works.

Meanwhile, while the Bears don't get a trophy for their performance, all Bear fans must feel completely vindicated for Super Bowl XLI. Revenge is a dish best served by allowing just 53 total yards in rushing. I am excited about the season ahead!

Go Bears!

More later,


Mark

Bear Down!

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Ah, yes, the start of another NFL season. In September, hope springs (summers? falls?) eternal and every team starts out undefeated and at the top of its division with visions of Lombardi Trophies dancing in each player's respective head. Now, how the season will end, well, that's why they play it all out on the field.

Now, I am known for my annual, dead-on Bears predictions. For example, last year I predicted "The Bears will be plagued by injuries and will be unable to stop the run, hence they will end the season 7-9."

So sure was I, that I launched this Web site:

Super Bowl-Bound Bears

Well, OK, that wasn't my real prediction, but it's not like you were going to go back and check, anyway...

This year? The Bears defense scares me. No, not because they are so fierce and awe-inspiring. Quite the opposite. They showed us NOTHING during the preseason and I fear that the real problem is not injuries or Brian Urlacher's off-the-field distractions or Mike Brown's fragile state. No, the real problem might be the schemes of defensive coordinator Bob Babich.

Babich was brought in by Coach Lovie Smith after Super Bowl XLI NOT because Ron Rivera had done a poor job, but because Babich was Smith's buddy. And if the preseason was any precursor, Babich has yet to figure out how to coach these guys...

So, I hold my breath and predict:

A 6-10 season causing me to find all sorts of mean nicknames/phrases for Bob Babich, including:

• Son of Babich!
• Bomb-bomb-bomb-bomb-bomb-Babich!
• Your inability to stop the run is Babichin'!

However, for now, I am, uhm, optimistic...

More later,


Mark

Monday, September 01, 2008

How Beautiful Was The Day?

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FROM OUR DECK

While we keep a good thought for anyone who is dealing with Gustav (or, who will be dealing with Hannah and Ike), it was a gloriously gorgeous day in northeast Ohio.

Sunny. In the 80s. Breezy.

In other words, a perfect day for sitting on the deck sipping Tiki Punch and listening to the iPod and, occasionally, Jerry Lewis. Wireless is a wonderful thing...

We made our annual MDA donation and sent a couple of bucks to the Red Cross. They do great work and 'tis the season...

If you forgot about Jerry's Kids (and/or are in need of good karma), go here:

MDA.Org

If you want to help the Red Cross help others, go here:

Red Cross Donations

Feel good. Help someone. Perform a random act of kindness.

You'll feel just as good as if you've spent the day feeling the breeze in your own backyard.

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GREAT SUMMER DAY

Although, just looking at these pictures, I find myself contemplating the fall and all of those leaves...

More later,


Mark
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