"Winter howling at my face"

It was a great Valentine's Day weekend. We went to Matteo's and had a nice dinner, came back and listened to Dean Martin records, watched Yes Man and an all around nice evening. I had off of work today thanks to President's Day. But I have to be in by 7 a.m. tomorrow for a meeting.

David Gray is coming up in March...hopefully Jay Z too.

"I can't tell you that, can I?"

Madden says we lose even with Freeney?! Come on! I think the key words are: "Intangibles such as nerves and inexperience are not reflected."

That and the Saints are all going to be distracted by Kim Kardashian, right? I mean, yeah the Colts have Kendra Wilkinson cheering for us, but she's still losing some of that baby weight so she's not as distracting as she usually would be.

Saints Win Super Bowl, says Madden NFL - Plugged In - Yahoo! Games: "Saints Win Super Bowl, says Madden NFL
by Joe Dodson

And the winner is...Madden NFL popped into headlines today, predicting a sunny Super Bowl win for the New Orleans Saints, and eight months of winter for the Indianapolis Colts.
Every year, Electronic Arts runs a Super Bowl simulation within their video game, Madden NFL. And five out of the last six years, the game's results have predicted the Super Bowl winner correctly. The simulation's only miss was the Giants' Super Bowl XLII victory over the Patriots, and even Nostradamus couldn't have seen that one coming.
This year, Madden NFL predicts a close Saints victory, with a final score of 35 - 31 over the Colts. According to the game, Drew Brees will be named the MVP after passing for 299 yards and three touchdowns. Reggie Bush will account for two more touchdowns, one rushing, and one on a punt return.
On the other side of the football, Colts' QB Peyton Manning will throw for 322 yards and three touchdowns in a great-but-not-good-enough performance.
But before Saints fans start celebrating and Colts fans call for a new coach, it's important to note that the Madden simulation only takes into account the perceived skill levels of each player on the field. Intangibles such as nerves and inexperience are not reflected. And according to this G4 video of the simulation, neither is Dwight Freeney's questionable ankle, as the Colts' defensive superstar can clearly be seen running and jumping down the tunnel at the head of his team before the game.
But whether he plays in the real Super Bowl or not, Madden NFL sees the Colts limping home on Sunday, and all of New Orleans jumping for joy."

"The good sense to refrain"

• The week is off to a tiring start...trying to get a jump on upcoming MBA assignments. So it's time for bed, which will be nice.
• Tomorrow is the last season premier for Lost. Should be a good night!
• Rogers seems to be doing much better after staying home from work today.
• Been listening to Margot and the Nuclear... a lot the last few days. Man do I love their music.
• Looking forward to...David Gray in concert.

"Probably thinks he's cooler than you"

Maybe a quick post before the first month of 2010 is gone forever? January 2010 was full of:

• Colts fever -- SuperBowl next Sunday!
• Spending iTunes Gift Card from Christmas -- Fanfarlo, Beach House and a couple of songs from Kings of Leon and Josiah Leming so far.
• Playing Super Mario Bros. Wii with Rogers. We powered through that game.
• Spending the weekends trying to stay warm. Our downstairs is always cold. Our upstairs is extra hot. So typically the tempature is about 67 or 68 during the day and 65 or 66 at night.
• Studying for Midterms. 97 in Finance, 78 in Accounting (ouch!)
• Taking care of Rogers. She's been sickly this month. The weather disagrees with her.
• Planning a vacation. We're heading West for a few days this summer.
• Watching Noel and Preston for a day last weekend. A glimpse of our lives in 10 years?
• Flashforward. We watched the first half of the season in about three days at the beginning of the month. It's decent.
• Jennings -- Squatch is back on for 2010 in the Packers jersey. Last year he made it through a full quarter before Rogers and I pulled a pop in at their apartment. We'll see if he makes it further this year.
• Movies watched: The Boondock Saints -- I enjoyed it, but I'm not sure what all the fuss is about. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe with my niece and nephew -- already seen that a few times. Jennifer's Body -- dumb. Youth in Revolt -- thought it was hilarious.

Onward. To February.

"So I can have a happy new year"

A few things to do in 2010:

• Complete half of my MBA at Indiana University.
• Remember to say "Twenty-Ten" instead of "Two Thousand and Ten" (we never said "Nineteen Hundred and Ninety Nine" did we?) -- thanks for forwarding this suggestion, Ricker.
• Dish out High Tens when greeting others like there's no 2011.
• Finish reading the Bible. I only made it to Exodus in 2009. Pathetic.
• Not move from this house.
• Organize the office and hang my setlists.
• Take a vacation with Rogers.
• Lose the weight I gained during the holidays.
• Begin using a budget.

A decade begins...

"Oh, history involved itself"

Oh what the heck, I've got to get some of this down before 2010, right?

I'd say these are my favorite 10 songs of the decade, based primarily on iTunes playcount along with a few of those that really are my favorite but don't always get played the most.

Honorable Mention:
Closer -- Joshua Radin (2006)
To Run -- Josiah Leming (2008)
Indiana -- Jon McLaughlin (2006)
William Fitzimmons (I love most of his songs, so none in particular rise to the top)

The List:
10. Yesteryear -- Rosi Golan (2008)
9. Look After You -- The Fray (2005)
8. Skeleton Key -- Margot & the Nuclear So and So's (2006)
7. The Minnow and the Trout -- A Fine Frenzy (2007)
6. Slow Show -- The National (2007)
5. Viva La Vida -- Coldplay (2008)
4. Flume -- Bon Iver (2008)
3. Jolene -- Ray LaMontagne (2004)
2. Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois -- Sufjan Stevens (2005)
1. The Blower's Daughter -- Damien Rice (2003)

I just couldn't -- and in most cases still can't -- get enough of these songs. For the top 10, I've spent about 58 hours listening to these songs on iTunes since I got my iPod in 2006. But I generally listen to the CDs in the car, so that's nowhere close to the real number.

Several of these are from the last 2-3 years...it'll be interesting to see if I'm still listening to them a few years from now.

"How they resemble one another"

A decade gone. I want to opine on what a decade ending means. I want to list my top 10 favorite albums of the last 10 years. I remember what I did at the close of the last decade. It was December 31, 1999. Lisa and I had professional pictures taken at Wal-Mart. We had a sketch drawn at the Mounds Mall. We watched Bicentennial Man at the movie theatre. Then I think we went to an all night party with the North Anderson Youth at Cross Street gym...although I'm kind of thinking that may have been 1998. But the other stuff was 1999. And it seems like a long time ago...but then ten years have passed quickly. It's hard to imagine that another decade could bring so much change and then I'll be 36. To think about the people I didn't know in 1999...many of my best friends today that I didn't meet until I moved into Myers Hall a couple of years later.

So anyway, perhaps I will capture additional thoughts during this decade's waning days. I noticed the other day that one of the first things that happened in the year 2000 was I scored my 1,000 high school basketball point that January. I have two basketballs in the garage...mementos for 1,000 and 2,000 one from the year 2000 and one from 2002.

A rambling jumble of thoughts before bed. (Wow, bed's a lot earlier than it was circa this time in 2005.)

"Yuletide by the fireside"

If you're worried about Global Warming, you'd better...

Maybe I'll make this into a t-shirt next year.

"With the wild wolves around you"

Well I finally turned the corner and started working on some accounting problems. I'm looking at a balance sheet right now. I'd spent the last week reading, and it was time to start working through some stuff. Now that I've got that rolling, should be off and running.

Right now, I'm really enjoying Bon Iver, and I just found a sweet live show that is available to download for free here:
http://radiomilwaukee.podbean.com/2009/10/12/bon-iver-live-at-the-riverside/

Go to the web site and you can stream it or click on the "download" button underneath the player. The first song is Flume, which is my favorite Bon Iver song, but this is an unbelievable version.

I've also been listening to William Fitzsimmons and David Gray a lot recently. All good music for the depths of fall.

Christmas...here we come...hooray.

"On to the next chase"

I started my new classes on November 30. Since that time, I've found it incredibly difficult to study. Last term I was really moving. I'm finding it challenging to get back into the swing of things. First Quiz is on December 18 over approximately 8 chapters in accounting. I got my book today. However, 7 of those chapters are review of undergrad. Unfortunately, that was many moons ago.

I'd rather watch Christmas movies and shop for people...

"A glimpse you let me see"

I'm looking forward to the weekend...it's been just an OK week. Trying to get back into the swing of new classes...minus one of the books that I need. (Woops!) So my Saturday will be spent working ahead in the other class, I guess. We'll see how it all shakes out over the next few weeks.

Tomorrow morning we have a conference call in our "Great Lakes" market with the CEO. That should be interesting. I don't think I've heard her talk to any group smaller than the whole US, so this will be a group about 5% as big as our whole country...if that makes sense. I'm kind of tired.

Highlights:

• The fireplace works
• Hanging out with my sister on Tuesday
• The house is so nicely decorated
• Listening to William Fitzsimmons while sleeping on the bus
• mondaytuesdaywednesdaythursday!!FRIDAY!!
• Footie pajamas
• Christmas is coming

Lowlights:

• Starting classes again...yeah it was only one week off, but it was so great
• Losing HBO (Lisa had negotiated 2 or 3 free months and we got like 8, so I guess I can't complain)
• Heating issues in the house
• The dog refuses to use her new stairs to get on the bed

"I will possess your heart"

Having a 30 gig iPod consistently challenges me with difficult decisions...like do I remove songs by Deep Blue Something (of course I'm leaving Breakfast at Tiffany's) or Weezer's Green Album...neither have ever been played in iTunes, but I just like having the option for when the mood strikes.

I think I might give last year's Madden game a try on the old Wii tonight. Ah the luxury of a one week break from the old Kelley School of Business.

"Chant like an army"

Good catching up with you tonight, Phil.

"Talk of the town"

What if there were something other than light at the end of the tunnel? What if it was a door in the dark...maybe one that led to another tunnel...or something surprising? Or what if instead of a light, there was just a bed, so you could lie down and rest?

Tomorrow morning, I'll put Quantitative Analysis to bed and Saturday, I'll put Economics for Managers down too. Then I'll turn my attention to an integrated Accounting and Finance course. If there's one thing I didn't come out of the Falls School of Business with, it was a strong grounding in Finance. Maybe I'll take what is weak and springboard into a Masters of Science in Finance in 2012. (It's only 4 additional classes beyond my MBA, if I take certain electives.) It might be fun to be a CFO someday. I guess I'll shoot for an A or a B in this entry level course next quarter and go from there.

While I can't say I'm enjoying school all that much - which I think in part is a reflection of taking courses online - I am enjoying using more of my brain than I do in my day job and learning things outside of the norm. There is some useful stuff that I wouldn't have learned otherwise, and I'm only two courses in. So that's how I feel today.

Song of the Day: Skeleton Key - Margot and the Nuclear So & Sos

"I need some old times"

It's been a blogging hiatus of late...not by intention. I've been learning how to simulate scenarios and determine optimal solutions given constraints. While I did not really enjoy my statistics course as whole, I feel really clever knowing how to do a bunch of Excel stuff, that I have no intention of using in the future. But perhaps my career will surprise me. Or maybe I can optimize our savings or determine the risk of us getting in a car crash and needing money for a new car or something. All this knowledge and no place to apply it...maybe it'll be useful next quarter in Finance or Accounting.

So I just finished taking 1 of 3 finals. I think it went well. I predict a 95%ish, unless I really missed something. Still a humbling experience, as there was stuff the Lord just made work that didn't seem to be working previously. Thanks be to Him if I can get out of here with an A or a B, and therefore be refunded by the Company.

I've been on a huge Margot kick of late. Can't get At the Carnival out of my head. They have so many great songs. I wonder if/when I would have discovered them if it weren't for Parliament pointing us in the right direction?! I think they might be moving into my top 5 favorites. We'll see if the new album and new lineup next year matches their warranted high expectations.

Holidays are coming soon. Hip hip hooray. I'm tired.

"We should be in perfect harmony"

Well tweeting is one thing, but this is my first full-blown blog update via blackberry. I'm waiting for the bus in the rain...well more of a drizzle and the bus is late. Traffic is horrible due to the Pacer game - opening night - tonight. So I decided this is the ideal time to blog...while listening to Vampire Weekend in the drizzle.

The biggest news this side of the pending health reform legislation is that B-Nasty, Big N*ts, Brian Roberson himself is moving back to Central Indiana after many years of exploring the Alaskan wilderness. He'll once again be a mainlander.

Happy Halloween!

"Over fall break, you're coming down to see me"

I'm surprised I haven't been blogging more often...I've certainly been trolling facebook regularly now that I'm up to my eyeballs in online MBA work.

Friday was an exciting day, so I took a day off of work. The morning was spent doing my first MBA midterm. It was tough...ended up with an 88 and the class average was 81, so I was happy with that. The afternoon was then spent anxiously awaiting the arrival of Rosi Golan and company for the house show she was playing at our house that night.

It was a bit surreal to receive a phone call around 2:30 with a "this is Rosi" on the other end after planning and preparing for the show for so long. She, Jake (guitarist) and Ben (boyfriend) arrived around 5 and we hit McCallisters for some pre-show fuel. Very, very nice people. Easy to talk to, laid back, very gracious and kind. And not too harsh when I couldn't find my way back home after taking the back way through the neighborhood.

So they relaxed for awhile and before long Chase Coy showed up to settle in, do a soundcheck and hang out for a bit before people started arriving. Ultimately, the soundcheck was unnecessary as no mic was needed for the two rooms that would be filled with 25-30 people. But I enjoyed chatting with Chase for awhile, hearing some of his new songs. A genuinely good kid with genuinely enjoyable music.

More to come on the adventures in concert hosting...

"I'm caught up and bruised"

Tonight we went to Morty's to watch a couple of comedians, including one who was the overeater on Sex and the City and one billed as the funniest man in Milwaukee. Both were pretty funny. I like comedy. Some pretty good stuff.

Rogers surpised me with the new Pete Yorn and Scarlett Johansson duet album today. When you mix one of my top 10 favorite musicians with one of my favorite actresses, it's got to lead to some good things.

Off to bed soon.

"Seal it for thy courts above"

I'm starting to remember what it was like in college when I would take a 10- to 30-minute break to play Tetris every half hour or so. Now I can't afford such breaks, so I make them 5-10 minutes to look up a long-forgotten artist on MySpace or check Facebook. Thoughts I had during homework tonight:
* What happened to Josiah Leming ? (Turns out he co-wrote a song with Kevin Griffin last month.) Kevin Griffin gets around like a who-re on the weekend. But boy does he write good music.
*I should make a playlist of my 1,000 favorite songs. (I didn't undertake this yet.)
*I should make a best Christmas song playlist. (I started this one.)
*What is Sufjan Stevens working on right now?
*Should I or should I not ride the bus tomorrow?
*What's the minimum amount of work I can do tonight and still finish my assignments on Saturday?
*I should email my study partner and tell her I need to push back our time to chat on Saturday, because I haven't gotten enough homework done yet.

"Everyday things change, basically they stay the same"

Another week ends. September is coming to a rapid close. Four years ago...around this time, I'd be gearing up for a drive over to the old Applewood 9 for a midnight movie complements of Mr. Ricky Lehman. Yes, I suppose the year was 2005 and into 2006. 2005 was a good year. 2006 had its challenges. Ups and downs. The ebb and flow of life. Four years sounds like a long time ago...but heck Detroit seems like a long time ago and that was only 16 months. Four years? Yesterday?

I just downloaded David Gray's new album, which I'm very much looking forward to absorbing over the next week. I remember being at Darren Rayl's house when he first had White Ladder by David Gray. Now we're moving back in time...2000. It took me awhile to see the light, but ultimately White Ladder became one of my top 5 favorite albums of all time. Perhaps number one or two. If you don't listen to David Gray yet, just download Please Forgive Me and maybe This Year's Love for a couple of strong samples from that album...it's great music for the fall.

We're on a huge jumpstart for Christmas shopping this year. If you're reading this blog, you may already be the owner of a Christmas present bought specifically with you in mind. Don't get your hopes up yet though...Really we do have a lot of gifts already though. Kind of nice to spread it out from a budgeting perspective.

Perhaps the most interesting news today is that I road the bus to work. Public transportation = good study time for MBA.