Blues

The Blues hockey club is unique among St. Louis sports . Their games are the only ones which are far funner to attend in person than to watch on TV. There's the fast and unpredictable action on the ice, packed houses, "The Blues Come Marching In" song, Towel Man, and the 5-goal free taco incentive. It was even better in the smoky old Arena.

But the Blues are unique for another reason. In nearly 45 seasons, they've never hoisted the Stanley Cup. This defies all odds.

Consider:

• They went to the playoffs for 24 straight seasons.


• They've won the President's Cup for having the best regular season record.


• They've boasted talent such as Red Berensen, the Plagers, the Sutters, Gary Unger, Bernie Federko, Adam Oates, Brett Hull, Brendan Shanahan, Al MacInnis, Chris Pronger, and for a season, Wayne Gretzky.


• Fourteen Hall-of-Famers claim the Blues as their team.


• The Cardinals baseball team won three World Series in the same span.


• Even our football team hauled down a Super Bowl.

How is it possible they've never been NHL champions in all that time?

Pirates of the Freeway

Most people think law enforcement should be able to stoop to any measure to capture the citizenry messing up. I don't ... and this has nothing to do with my recent tickets!

My reasons follow ...

First, the fines are outlandishly jacked up. $500 for a red-light violation! $250 for being 1 MPH over the allowed threshold! Is this correction or piracy?

Second, municipalities are leveraging technology to generate revenue in these tough times rather than keeping the peace throughout their districts. The police cars all seem to be trolling the interstates.

Finally, where will it end? Cameras on residential streets to catch folks parking too close to the mailbox? Cameras in parks to ensure doggies are on leashes? How does all of this surveillance differ from phone tampering?

In another era, this blog might generate a ticket for me ... via automated text monitoring.

Couponing 101

Recently I've been reading online how to be a master couponer. Seems easy enough. I need lots of coupons, good sales at the stores and unlimited time to match up the two. So last week I thought I would give it a try.

My first stop was Walgreens. I had manufacturers coupons plus store coupons for nuts and cough drops. Now mind you, I didn't need either of those items, but I would be getting them for next to nothing. First lesson learned. When the ad comes out on Sunday, don't wait until Monday to shop. They were out of both items.

Next I went to Walmart. They had fabric softner on sale and I had a coupon!

Score! I bought 2 of them and they cost me $1.50 or .75 a piece. Now I was feeling good.

Finally, I arrived at Dierbergs. I was going to buy meat (they had it 5 packages for $24), glutten free chips and skintimate shave gel. After perusing the meat section for quite a long time and not finding the special, I went to the healthy food section. Couldn't find the glutten free chips either. An employee happened to be walking by and I asked about the meat and chips. Oh, they're not on sale yet. Our ads start on Tuesdays. Have they always done this? Ads come out on Sunday but don't start until Tuesday?

By this time I had spent way too much time at Dierbergs with nothing in my shopping cart. I skipped the skintimate and decided to live with hairy legs! It's winter. No one is going to see them!

St. Louis RV Show

I spent 2 hours at the St. Louis RV Show a couple of weeks ago ...

... and saw nothing of real interest.

I've been shopping for a long time because basically nothing has captured my imagination yet. Here's what I'm looking for (and why it's hard to find):

1. Something in which I can sleep comfortably (most RV beds are in small spaces and are a half-foot shorter than my freakishly tall body).


2. Something in which I can stand comfortably (most RVs require some stooping; otherwise they'd be too tall to tow)


3. Something less than 25-foot long (most Americans want BIG RVs ... I don't, but this conflicts with #1 and #2)


4. High-quality - I don't want a Motel-6 on wheels; a Marriott is required, at minimum (but most manufacturers skimp to cut cost and weight)

The following model is getting close:

Keystone's Bullet Premier is aerodynamic, high-quality, boasts a 7-foot radial height, but alas, features a bed made for little people, thus failing requirement #1.

Maybe they'll make a custom model for me.

Trying to dethrone the Queen

Lyla is trying to take over Bailey's spot on the couch. She made it half way up on the cushion and then gave up.

As you can tell by the smug look on Bailey's face she's not worried about Lyla taking over quite yet.

Sticks and Stones

My cultural wires are crossed ...

On one hand, there is a political move afoot to sanitize the language of all words and phrases with potential violent overtones. We can no longer set budget "targets", speak of a quarterback's "rifle" arm, or "kill" time. To do so, would potentially set off major riots, mass murders, and lawless behavior. I'm gambling with your safety by even speaking of such things.

On the other hand, there's Rex Ryan. He seems to hate every opponent, and openly declares his desire to beat the other guys senseless. It's ESPN vs. MSNBC.

In my perfect world, it'd be nice if someone stuffed a sock in Coach Ryan's mouth, and if our elected would unapologetically "attack" the deficit with a view to "annihilate" it.

Inject a little more civility into sports and a lot more focus (on actual issues) into government!

For Sale - Sold!

We are selling our dining room table. It is from Bassett Furniture, called a custom rectangular dining table. It is 42" x 60' and has one leaf that is 12". We also have a custom glass top on it and when we take it off we have a custom table pad for it. It has 6 chairs. If you look this up on Bassett's website you will see that this table is $1000 and the chairs are $339 a piece. We are asking $550 - for everything. If you are interested give us a call!

Loan Faults

Foreclosures continue to occur at a rapid clip, and one could say the housing market is still depressed. It’s a great time to buy; a horrible time to sell.

Who’s at fault here?

It’s easy to point fingers at the banks. They are offering loans to people who they know will likely default, and when the inevitable occurs, they heartlessly pursue repossession.

Then again, it was the social engineers of the ‘90s who demanded that banks drop normal business practices and approve loans to those who normally shouldn’t receive them. This was another example of well-meaning liberal policies leading to ruin and despair. Unintended consequences, indeed.

But neither the banks nor policy-makers deserve the blame here …

… those who pursued these loans are at fault.

Buying more than one can afford is never a good thing, and people bear the responsibility to know better. Balloon loans and interest-only notes are to be avoided, and no one forced anyone to sign those deals. The culprit can be best spied in the mirror.

It’s just like your mama always said: “if everyone else is jumping off the cliff, it doesn’t mean you have to”. Or something like that …

Cake and Cards

After we played pin the crown on the princess (see previous blog) Catherine blew out her candles and opened gifts. Mary seemed to have as much fun as Catherine did!

Son #3

Pulling up to the curb of the hospital to pick up Kim, I noticed that Tommy had followed her down. His silhouette was visible through the sheen of the sliding doors, and he was pulling the ever-present IV stand and tubes along behind him

This visual – Kim coming out and Tommy confined to the cancer ward – set off a train of thoughts which I consider my enemy: why did this happen? This isn’t fair.

But there’s another thought process which has developed over the last few months which goes something like this: no man is promised a perfect life, trials are inevitable and make us stronger, that what was meant for evil will be turned to the good, that many great things are in store for my son (all of them, really), and he will likely be in better shape than 95% of us the day he walks out of the hospital.

My heart tells me that the second thought process is the true one. I watch Tommy grow stronger every day, and realize that our hope is in the future.

Catherines 4th Birthday

Before all of the east coast gang left to head back home, we celebrated Catherine's birthday. You can't have a party without games so everyone (except Matt and Heather - I'll explain why later) played pin the crown on the princess. The birthday girl was up first.



Then is was Mary's turn.



And finally Aunt Jena. (I included this for Tommy to watch. He was in the hospital during the party and I thought he would enjoy seeing her!)



Back to Matt and Heather. Matt was given the evil eye by Catherine and therefore when crowns were being handed out he didn't get one. Heather was standing by him and therefore she didn't get one either. To get to Heather you had to walk by Matt and that was not going to happen.

More photos to come on Thursday.

The funniest guy in the world

Uncle Tommy has been proclaimed, "The funniest guy in the world"!

Another Rams Post

The Rams offensive coordinator, Pat Shurmur, is moving on to another job. While he was probably the right person at the right time for the team, I personally didn’t think he’d continue to improve them. The running game underperformed this year, and coaching seemed to be a major part of the problem. I was actually pleased to learn of his departure.

The leading candidate to replace Shurmur is Josh McDaniels, recently fired for running off several marque players in Denver and for being caught cheating (again).

Before being a head coach, McDaniels was a successful and innovative coach for the Patriots.

As long as he has no personnel decision-making authority and the job is limited to the offensive coordinator role, the hiring of Josh McDaniels would be an upgrade for the Rams.

Rams Off-Season

Many NFL cities are actively following their team's progress in the playoffs.

Not in St. Louis ...

In our city, we're in "next year" mode. After winning more games last season than the three previous campaigns combined, even more is expected next year. Dare I say, a winning record?

The other teams in the woeful NFC West promise to raise their levels, particularly in San Francisco where the arrival of Jim Harbaugh will improve the 49ers, and the Rams must match and raise against those competitive threats.

What must be accomplished this off-season at Rams Park (pictured below)?

First and foremost, the receiving corps must dramatically improve. The Rams should keep Mark Clayton, Danny Amendolo, Danarius Alexander, and Donnie Avery, and bid adieu to the others, even last year's fourth-round selection, Marty Gilyard. Further, they must recognize the fact that none of these existing names equates to a #1 receiver, or even a #2. In other words, they must acquire two receivers who are both better than anybody currently on the team. Julio Jones and Justin Blackmon should both be available when the Rams draft in the 14th slot this year.

Secondly, the Rams need two starting outside linebackers. Not "depth", but starters. The current talent is too slow.

Thirdly, the Rams need a big safety who can cover.

Fourth, the interior of the offensive line requires an upgrade, as does the coaching talent in this area.

Finally, the Rams require more depth at running back.

It'll be interesting to see what moves are made this offseason to address these needs. If the Rams don't "win" in the offseason, they won't win in the field in 2011 either. The players performed well last year; now we'll see if the front office steps up.

Chick-Fil-A

During a recent lunch stop-over at Chick-fil-a, I marvelled at how well-managed the place was.

Rather than cutting staff to minimal levels, they were bursting at the seams with helpful and friendly employees. As opposed to the usual grunginess we've come to expect from fast food establishments, it was shining and spotless. And rather than working their staffs on Sundays and holidays so as to not miss a minute of revenue-generating opportunity, the company closes on these days.

As a result, the place is rewarded with large crowds and healthy profits.

I love it when business-people succeed by being smart and sticking to their convictions rather than following the crowds.

The Chick-fil-a mission is "to be America's best quick serve restaurant" and their corporate purpose is "to glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us".

This honest and novel approach has led to impressive year-over-year growth, happy employees, and satisfied customers.

Zoo Trip

Tommy has a friend who works at the zoo. She told him she could arrange a private behind the scenes viewing. He accepted! It was a cold, rainy day but since we were inside in the secret places of the zoo, we were warm and dry! The girls got to see and touch many animals. The first thing we saw was a boa constrictor.

Then a horned lizard (I think).

This bird spread it's wings suddenly and one of them hit Mary. She was quite surprised!

Steve and Jena were ever vigilant keeping an eye out for stray animals that bite, scratch or squeeze.


This is the first live armadillo I've ever seen. They're usually dead laying along Highway 44.

We saw a ferrett,

a giant turtle,

a very good baby.

By the time we made it out, Steve & Tommy had to take a break.

I love these penguins. Had to share this picture of them.

Job Creation Simplified

The Index of Economic Freedom has been an accurate indicator of economic growth, and economic growth fuels job creation. You can't mandate or legislate jobs. You have to create the business environment which nurtures them.

In other words, if one were truly interested in job growth, they'd leverage the simple linkages which exist in the formula:

FREEDOM drives GROWTH, GROWTH creates JOBS.

This relationship is so undeniable and reliable that one could form a successful investing strategy simply by analyzing data from the Index of Economic Freedom and looking for countries which are free and showing upward momentum.

Here's where the United States ranks:

Our position is showing serious deterioration, and is falling faster. No longer number one in the world, we aren't even first in North America at this point.

Our poor job situation is not creating this slide ... rather, this slide is killing jobs. And, as stated above, the fix is to inject freedom into the economy.

It's alarming that we are doing the opposite of what's required. We should be slashing taxes which have risen to the world's highest levels. We should be trimming governmental debt, not piling it on. We should be creating a situation in which individuals can thrive, not become a ward of the state.

Blame has been deflected by sloganeering politicians to the "greedy"; the true culprit is a runaway government which has allowed debt to balloon from $3 trillion to $15 trillion since 1990.

Long Hair

The girls received these garlands in their Christmas stockings. They have worn them nonstop. Catherine likes to show me her "long hair".

Here they are showing off their new tutu's they received from PawPaw and Gigi.

Catherine beating Grandpa and Aunt Jena at another gameof Hi Ho Cherrio!

And the other angelic granddaughter, Mary.

There's More (Coffee)

My parents gifted me with a Starbucks card this Christmas. Very nice. And seemingly, very straight-forward.

But there’s more …

During the registration process, I learned that this card tracks my visits, and based on the level of my java-swilling enthusiasm, the program rewards me with special discounts and freebies.

But there’s more …

One of the confirmation emails from Starbucks informed me about a downloadable app available for my Blackberry to track my balance. Sure enough, after my first purchase, a quick online inquiry showed the balance properly adjusted within minutes of the purchase.

But there’s more …

I wondered, “wouldn’t it be smart if this online app reloaded my card automatically?”, and sure enough, it was there! You can set a lower threshold amount and a reload amount on the Blackberry, and - voila! - a bottomless latte!

Of course, this is all connected to my credit card. It’s a win/win for Starbucks and me.

Saddle up your horses!

Catherine came up with a really good idea.

She decided to take the strap off of a purse and attach it to Grandpa.

And ride him like a horse.

The Movie Critic

Here's a rundown of my last five movie experiences ... you heard right, this is the analysis you’ve been waiting for …

True Grit was engaging and entertaining. The Coen Brothers did well. With all due respect to the Duke, this flick was an improvement on the original.

Robin Hood was a pleasant surprise as it wasn't warmly received by the critics. It was a prequel to the classic story of Sherwood Forest, and historically interesting. With all due respect to the critics, this was a great movie.

The Expendables was an action movie involving several classic "tough guys", some throughout the plot, but most in short cameos. With all due respect to the stature of the actors involved, this was a waste of time and special effects.

Salt was an Angelina Jolie vehicle. She was a CIA agent who was unknowingly an elite Russian sleeper agent who, after killing about half of her former office buddies, turned out to be CIA-friendly after all. With due respect to the gigantic holes in the plot, it was a watchable movie (but only once).

The Social Network is drawing attention as a top film of 2010. These real-life business dramas are intriguing to me. With all due respect to my own misgivings about Facebook, the accolades this movie is drawing are well-deserved.

I would still like to catch up with a few 2010 flicks, including 127 Hours, Inception and The King's Speech.

Sunny's Birthday

We celebrated Sunny's birthday a few days after Christmas. Pio's was the location of choice. They put us in a party room downstairs. We had the place to ourselves. That was really nice because you know how rowdy we can get! The owner Ernie Dempsey came by and chatted. My Dad ran into some longtime friends upstairs and when they were done eating they came down and visited for a while.

Sunny requested a cake with fruit on top. So I bought a cheesecake with fruit on top, a strawberry cream cake, and for good measure a coconut cream pie.

Michael enjoyed the festivities.

Mary enjoyed the coconut cream pie.