It Happened!!

Yes we can! Yes we Did!

The campaign for the Presidency was long, it was difficult and at times divisive for the country and honestly I am glad it is over. I believe the country spoke loudly and clearly that change; real, meaningful change was what was wanted. It is my hope that this is more of a reflection on the man we elected rather than a distaste for the man that has been in office for the past 8 years.

Barack Obama showed tireless dedication throughout the campaign, deminstrating real leadership and a message that was positive over the negativity that has reigned supremely in the last several Presidential elections. I believe that message was one that the American people longed for, grabbed onto and raised up.

I believe John McCain to be a true leader and a man of great personal integrity who at times seemed to be put off by some of the things he had to do in order to win an election. What he has given this country in his lifetime of service cannot be measured. I hope he continues to be a voice of reason as a U.S. Senator in the future.

We are moving onto a new type of Democracy, one that we will be faced with tough decisions as a country, as a people and as a society. In 77 days it will be time for Barack Obama to begin delivering on the promise he has shown thus far and I believe he is up to the task.

Election Day

Today is Election Day 2008, a day I have been awaiting for four long years (seven really). Four years that have seen the economy continue south, four years that have seen America's place in the global marketplace shrink, four years that have seen the once high esteem with which our country was held, crumble. This slide began September 11, 2001 and has continued like a snowball rolling down hill, growing and growing at an ever increasing speed. Today we have a chance, perhaps out last, best chance to reverse this trend. It will take a lot of tough choices beginning with today's election and continuing into our personal lives. I only hope we are all strong enough to make those choices for the greater good.

Let's talk about voting shall we?

Voting is the most basic of our civil liberties, one that cannot and should not be taken lightly or ignored. It is the responsibility of each citizen to cast a vote for their candidate of choice and to not participate in the electoral process negates that citizens right to complain about how government is being run and the policies of our country.

Note I said "responsibility" when it comes to voting, not choice, not you can if you want or if it is convenient to. It is a responsibility that each individual must take seriously.

It is also the responsibility of the citizenry to make their vote an informed one, not to just vote for the popular candidate or the one that looks or sounds like themselves. To do otherwise cheapens the individual vote and the entire process. To cast a vote for or against Barack Obama based solely upon his ancestry is a vote I would rather not see cast, not even one. To vote for or against John McCain because of his choice in running mate being female is also a vote I would rather not see cast.

Vote your conscience. Vote on the issues. Vote for your candidate of choice, but please do not cheapen the process. This Election is too important for our present and our future to do that.

I'm Rick Underwood and I approved this message.

Perception vs Reality

In this hot political climate I have been bombareded with emails from supporters of both sides as Iam sure many of you have. I got one yesterday in response to a reply I had sent out regarding Barack Obama, whom I openly support in his candidacy for President. I am going to cut and paste a portion that I took very personally as well as my response to that particular part. The entire email chain is much longer and I made every effort to keep it on the issues with the exception of the parts I am cutting and pasting. I am very interested in your honest appraisal of the exchange.

Here is what was sent to me that I took personally:
"I vote the way I vote because of my fundamental economic & spiritual beliefs, as foreign as they may seem to you. I'm a religious man, an economically mindful man, and these are the principals I hold to... or would it be better to say that I'm just one of those ignorant mid-westerners clinging to my religion and my guns? Obama, and all he stands for, is everything I happen to be against. I'm against giving people hand outs, I'd rather give them an arm to help them up, I'm against having my vote negated by just one case of voter fraud, I'm for showing an I.D. at the polls to prove who I am and protect my right, I'm against taxation without representation, such as some state gas taxes that automatically increase annually, I'm for governments trimming the fat instead of adding pork, I'm against removing nativity scenes & changing sports team names because a few people complain, I'm for reciting the national anthem with "Under God" in the passages. These are the principals I hold true... what are your principals? "

Here is my response:
"I cast my vote for the person I believe will do the best job in making the best decisions for the good of the entire country, not what is necessarily best for me. I think of all the things you write this one is the most hurtful, to even infer that somehow your economic principals and spirituality are somehow superior to my own is incredible. You forget, I know as much about you as you know about me and there is little doubt in my mind that my morals can at the very least stand equal to yours and I would never remotely believe I am more or less superior than you. That is total invalidation and completely false. You want to eliminate the "fat", the "pork" get line item veto power, something that your party is dead set against, sadly too many Dems are too. You say hand out? Exactly what hand outs are you talking about? The programs being proposed are exactly what you say you are for, a helping hand to help people be able to make a better life, not to GIVE them a better life. Look it up. I am against people being able to have a gun designed strictly for the taking of human life. You want a gun for home protection, get a shotgun, you want to hunt get a rifle. How dare you presume your morality to be superior to mine. Under God, In God We Trust, the National Anthem are all words that we absolutely should keep IN our culture and Barack Obama is NOT against their use, if you think he is, please show me some offer of proof of this. You want to talk about principals? Mine are rooted in a lifetime of helping others and serving my country, have you ever served? Have you ever trusted the man next to you to protect you as you would protect him? Have you? My principals are very simple, those that can give back SHOULD. By the way, Under God is NOT in the Nation Anthem it is in the Pledge of Allegiance. Again your facts are faulty."

Obviously I was fired up when I responded, yet today, a day later I am still. I like to think that my principals and values are on display each day as evidenced by how I conduct myself in my life on a consistent day in and day out basis. Am I perfect, no, have I made mistakes? yes. Will I make more mistakes as I live, yes. Somehow this has really irked me in a way I probably should not let it, but yet it has.

I'd like your honest feedback for better or for worse.

Thanks,

Rick

Where is everyone?

This was a terrific idea when we started this, but it seems very little is actually happeneing as we all move on with our busy lives. I know Heather/Brent and Kim have expressed dificulty in being able to create new post subjects, I don't know why. I suggested to Heather that she and Brent join again and make sure they are deesignated as contributors, and would suggest to Kim the same course of action. Now sure of any other reaon you would be able to comment, but not able to create new posts.

None the less, I hope everyone is doing well and that this blog would get back to flourishing instead of the Dead Zone it has become lately. I know we all talk with each other periodically, but this blog was a quick way to update each other on what ever mundane happenings and goins on we all have in our lives.

Love you all and hope to hear/read/smell you in the coming months.

Brett Favre

I love the guy and always have. The man gave the Green Bay Packers and their fans some of the greatest moments in franchise history, but this has got to stop.
He's been the consumate professional on and off the field. He's been a team player since his arrival in Green Bay. What changed? Is it Ted Thompson? An ego thing? Mike McCarthy? Whatever it is, enough is enough. The Packers have moved on, why can he? It's not fair to the organization, it's not fair to the team (see earlier sentence), it's certainly not fair to Aaron Rodgers, and it's definitely not fair to his fans. Actually what it's doing is putting Packer fans against Packer fans. Some want him back, some don't want him back, and some don't care. Your time is up Brett, move on.

George Carlin

Another comedy icon has passed away, sadly George Carlin died. Here is a link to an article about his passing. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080623/ap_on_en_tv/obit_george_carlin

Now that George and his social commentary have left the building, that really only leaves a couple of the comic giants from my youth still with us, and as much as I loved Steve Martin, he hasn't done stand up in 30 years. This leaves me with Cheech and Chong as the last men standing from the great group of comedians I grew up with.

George was one of the best, and some would say, THE BEST ever. For me Richard Pryor stands alone as the best, but if there is a Mount Rushmore of Comedy, George is right there, carved in stone along with Richard. he had the ability to say what a lot of people think and to do in in a way that made you both laugh and think. Most of the things I have read or heard today reference his 7 words you can't say on TV bit, which was classic and a supreme court decency test case, but his decades long commentary on society and the things that happen around him, the world and in the country were what I always found the most funny. I don't know the count of HBO specialas he did, but i am sure he did fr many more than any other comedian and they were all funny.

I'd love to hear from you all about your Carlin inpressions. I will leave you with one of the lines I always remember from George...

A man attempting to walk around the world, died today.

Did you know you can prick your finger, but you can't finger your prick?

Dad

I know we've talked in the past about discussing some of the things that our father has done to us over the years. Since we all live far apart now and we've started this forum, I'm wondering if this is an appropriate setting to discuss those. Let me know your thoughts and I'll be glad to get the ball rolling (so to speak).
Love, Scott

YMCA REVIEW

As I mentioned in my earlier blog, this week has been crazy. One of the reasons was Brenna participated in a YMCA review this evening. This week has been filled with practice for the review and softball games. In any event, I wish you all could have been here to see her. It was her and 5 other children doing a "rocker" dance to Twisted Sister's We're Not Gonna Take It (hope I got the artist right, Rick). She dressed like an 80's rocker, funky hair, spray painted green, short skirt, leggins, etc. She had Scott's Guitar Hero Guitar and was jaming and jumping. It was so cool and we were so proud of her. She has a lot more guts than I ever did. Just wanted everyone to know. When you visit, we can show the video. It was great. Thanks for letting me indulge.

Happy Birthday My Brother!

I will be in the air tomorrow and I wanted to send out a birthday wish to my big brother! I hope you have a special day, wish I could be there to celebrate with you, but I will be in spirit! Congratulations on making it to Henry Aaron!!

I couldn't ask for a better man to be my brother than you!

Mother's Day Weekend

Judy and I want to say thank you for the wonderful visit this past weekend!! It was great to see everyone/talk to everyone else while we were home. The company was special as it always is, the grub was plentiful and delicious and everyone looked great.

Thank you all!

Rick and Judy

Whats Wrong With People

Sorry Folks, gonna vent here.

Whats wrong with people?

People take, take, take from you and when you need them to help you they turn the other cheek. Pretend like you don't exist or have been nothing more than a nuisance in their lives.
People decide they no longer want to be part of this world but before they leave they take innocent people with them. Even worse people take out their own family. That makes no sense to me whatsoever.
People never seem to learn from their mistakes. They make the same mistake over and over again and ultimately kill somebody and ruin many lives instead of taking the appropriate action.

Whats wrong with people?

Finally, a little nice weather!

Yesterday was the first weekday I have taken off since moving to St. Louis and I could not have planned a better day for it. 78 degrees, an almost couldless sky, a baseball game, sitting in the stands having a beer (sadly it was an AB product) watching the Brewers come from behind and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat thanks to a big time bomb from the Prince. All in all as close to a perfect day as I could have imagined. I can't even complain that it is raining (again) today, yesterday was THAT good!

Writing and creativity

Putting your creative thoughts down on paper is a magical thing, something most of us have been doing in one capacity or another for a lot of our lives. Certainly we have all read many things in our lives, this blog being the most recent incarnation of creativity.

In that vein, I was wondering if any of us had written items they have created they would want to share with the rest of us. I know I write regularly, though it may not be everyone’s cup o’ tea and it is certainly too large to share in a blog, but I could excerpt it in small pieces if there was an interest. Since I have no artistic ability, I guess writing is my meager way of creating some weak art form.

Also, I am fairly certain that Kim journals still. I did, but have gotten away from it and want to get back into it, does anyone else here?

Spring is in the Air "Finally" (I hope)

Well, it took until April 6th, but we finally hit 60 degrees. Yesterday and today have been the nicest so far. Was actually able to take the girls for a walk yesterday and will go again today when Brenna gets home from school. Spring is such a nice time of year. The weather is getting warmer, the leaves start to get leaves, the flowers start to bloom, you begin preparation for gardens (well, Scott does that), I just reep the rewards. Around here it also means snow is melting, creating lots of mud and puddles, wet grass and quite a bit of mess, but it does clear to brighter days. It is also the start of spring sports for the kids. Brenna starts softball and Ava and I start our morning walks, once it hits 60 in the mornings, probably not for awhile yet, but there is always hope. It also means school is winding down for yet another year for the kids and you start thinking about summer vacations, opening you windows, enjoying the beautiful weather, hoping you don't need your air conditioner too much this summer. Last year we only needed ours 3 days maybe even 2. I know that is not the same for Heather and Brent, who need it everyday and then some in Georgia. Virginia was the same. HOT, HOT, HOT.

What does spring mean to everyone else? That's a start for me.

It's Baseball Time Again

In one of the most eagerly anticipated baseball season's in recent memory, the Milwaukee Brewers kick off their season on Monday in Chicago.

Do they have enough pitching to compete?
Will the kids continue to develop as needed?
Can the revamped bullpen hold up?
Will Ben Sheet pitch an injury free season?
Will the emphasis on defense in spring training pay off?

These questions and many more will be answered over the course of the next six months.

I for one cannot wait for the season to start. This team has the most talent on it since the 1980's and now it's time for them to put it all together. They finished two games out of first last year. There is no reason to beleive they cannot improve on last year.

What are your thoughts???

Physical Therapy

This is my first attempt at a start of a blog. I have never done this before, so hopefully it works. As some of you know, I am in physical therapy for left lower extremity pain. I have been going for three weeks, and nothing really has changed. The PT thinks that my left inards are out of wack, i.e., the SI joint, pelvic bone and sacrum. The possibilty also exists that I have a bulging disc or nerve issues. My reason for this blog is to see if any of you have ever experienced these types of pains. I know Rick has back issues, but how they started and what exactly he experiences is not known to me. My basis issues are constant pain in the left leg, feels muscular, but all tests indicate it is not. It gets better as the day progresses, and is awful in the morning and when I become more sedentary in the evening. There is also pain associated with any stretching for the piriformis and tenderness to palpation in the piriformis, SI joint, sacrum, and hip area. I have been performing home exercises for nerve related issues as well as core strengthening, which is not very good. Any suggestions or information if anyone has had these same symptoms would be appreciated. Thanks. Love you all.

The Lonesome Blogger

Scott started this blog so we all could communicate with each other, offer up opinions on things and in general keep in touch. Maybe I am off my rocker, but it seems as though only he and I, and ocassionally Lisa, pop in here to say anything. I was hoping for more interaction.

In the immortal words of AC/DC:

"So while you're out there sittin' on the fence, get off your ass and come on down here"

Hope to se mor eof all of you.

Rick

March Madness

It is that time of year again, the lull between the end of Football and the start of Baseball is finally broken up college basketball. Wisconsin is once again well represented by two teams capable of making deep runs into the tournament. Marquette is led by one of, if not THE, best backcourt in the country. Jerrell McNeal and Dominic James are unquestionably the best defensive backcourt in America and when James is having one of his good shooting nights the pair are unstoppable and so are the Warriors, yes I said Warriors, not Golden Eagles. Wisconsin, a team predicted to finish 5th or 6th in the Big 10 (errrr 11 LOL) after the departures of Alando Tucker and Chris Rock, oh, that wasn't Chris Rock, I could have sworn it was, may be the best defensive team in the nation. They play within Bo Ryan's system as well or better than any of his previous teams at UW. Bucky was slighted by being given a 3 seed instead of the 2 they deserved, but I like their draw and believe they have a legit chance to make the elite 8 and if at that point they can upset Kansas, wow, what an amazing season it would be.

I see a lot of experts predicting a second round exit for both Wisconsin teams, and though I am certainly no expert, those guys are crazy in my opinion. Both teams are capable of much more than that and we will see that starting on Thursday!

Go Bucky and Go Warriors!!!

Elliot Spitzer (Swallows)

I hope you all got a laugh with the subject line, but his situation does affect some members of this blog who live in New York so I wanted to talk about it a bit.

I am not one to hoist my version of morality on them, everyone has to be able to live with them self and how they conduct themselves in their daily affairs. I've made mistakes, as have the rest of us, we are all human.

That said, unless I had a real bender and ordered some serious room service (wink wink) and don't recall it, I've never been *ahem* serviced by a call girl, not even a $5000 an hour one. Apparently "Client #9" seriously enjoys call girls, and expensive ones at that.

Going to hookers, oh, sorry, excuse me, Call Girls, is nothing new for men in general and politicians in particular, I have to wonder just how stupid this guy is. Some of the reports I have read indicate he had to sneak these "women" past the State Police details assigned to protect him. Did he seriously think he would not get found out? Morality aside, that is pretty stupid.

My view on prostitution may not endear me to many members of society, but I really don't think it should be illegal. I say legalize it and tax the hell out of it, force the workers to get regular HIV tests and STD tests, document them and let people have at it. I'm never going to go to one, but in my opinion it is a victimless crime. Going the route I suggest would also serve to remove the organized crime element from the "business" as well.

As for Spitzer, I am glad he is resigning, even his "apology" was weak. He didn't even have the courage to say what it is he had done. Pretty chickenshit if you ask me.

It is interesting that a legally blind black man will be taking over as Governor of New York now, surely he will be able to see things more appropriately than Spitzer did.

Congratulations Scott!

On beginning your new job, another chapter, another opportunity, another chance to shine. I hope it is everything you are looking for professionally and personally!

Best of Luck!

Rick

Politics

Apparently Politics are not going to be gettign responses, therefore I shall avoid it in the future.

Brett Favre Retires

As most of you know, Brett Favre has retired from the NFL after 17 years, 16 with the mighty Green 'n Gold. There are many memories of Favre during his tenure in Green Bay. Lets share some of them here.
Scott

Election 2008

Here is a new thread that we can probably continue up to and through the November Presidential Election.

I was wondering what everyone's take was on the candidates, who you have decided to support or if you haven't yet decided as I haven't.

The way I see it there are 4 (soon ot be 5 from what I hear) candidates that could potentially garner support. John McCain, Hilary Clinton, Barack Obama, Mike Huckabee and if he re-enters the race, Ralph Nader. Sure there are other parties, Libertrian and so forth, but I don't see any that could begin to mount even 1% of the voting.

We all have our criteria for decision making when it comes to what candidate to support and ultimately cast our ballot for. For me there are three critical issues that need resolution, ther are of course more significant issues, but for the purposes of this election I have three.
1) The economy - it is in terrible shape and going down hill, some experts have predicted no potential upswing economically until mid 2009 at the earliest. The current "economic stimulus package" is a joke. Giving people money I have no problem with, take it, spend it, but how is giving people a little extra money going to get the economy going? You can't buy a house or a car or anyting that can significantly impact the entire economy with a thousand bucks, sorry, but that is completely unrealistic.
2) Healthcare - I think we can all agree on one thing, the current system is broken and in dire need of repair. We may not agree on the who, what and why, but we all know it is broken and beyond repair in it's current form. We are the wealthiest country in the world and we take worse care of our people than most industrialized nations in the world. Can anyone explain whay my medicine costs $300 if I don't have insurance and only $7 is i do? Where does that extra $293 go then? I am 100% certain the the insurance company is NOT making up that difference.
3) The war in Iraq. You all know I have not spported this war from the jump, we shouldn't be in Iraq and should not have been. Don't misunderstand, I am totally in favor of pursuing terrorists where ever the evidence takes us, but after 7 years we still haven't gotten to the primary onjective Osama Bin Laden. With all of our resources and all of our intelligence we can't catch one guy? Only one reason for that, we aren't focusing our attention in that area. Unless we are that incompetent and i do not believe that is the case.

There are other major issues such as Immigration, but thee three I listed are the most significant for me to make my decision. I caution anyone who gets thrown off the scent by non-issues or hot button issues like Gay Marriage, Performance enhancing drugs on sports and so forth. Those are the issues that seem to get people riled up, but do they seriously impact the overall welfare of our people? I would suggest they do not, yet they are used by political machinery to deflect from the real core issues that do have a direct impact on peoples lives.

Please read this and post your responses and issues, there is a definite cross-section of beliefs at work here and I respect everyone and their opinions.

One more question for people who voted for George Bush-Dick Cheney last election, knowing now what you didn't then, would you have voted differently and why?

Rick

If you have the right to vote and don't excercise that right, in my judgement you lose the right to complain about the government for the four subsequent years.

Oscar Stuff

Since we are a movie watching group I thought a little Oscar talk might be fun. Judy and I had actually seen each of the movies nominated for Best Picture, All of the performances nominated for Best Actor and 4 of the 5 nominated for Best Supporting Actor. Not bad at all this year. Unfortunately we were not as lucky with the femal acting nominees having seen only one of the Best Actress and 3 of the Best Supporting Actress nominees.

I felt like there were several locks coming in, Daniel Day Lewis, Javier Bardem, No Country for Best Picture, Diabolo Cody for writing Juno and The Coen's for adapting No Country. The rest were wide open and proved to be just that with both female acting winners in the upset category.

If there is one category they can do away with it is best song. How exactly Eddie Vedder get totally bypassedm, his soundtract to Into the Wild was AMAZING!!!! 3 crappy Disney songs get nominated for the same movie? Give this category over to te Grammy's or something. It is just a terrible category. Just remember.............."it's hard out here for a pimp" Need I say more?

Blasts from the Past

Since it is just the three of us to far I thought it might be fun to reminisce a little bit. What I am going to do is put a name out there and you guys give some memories you might have about that person, then you do the same. Hope you like it.

First Name

Dan Van Evenhoven

Family Blog Introduction

Hello all,

I have created this blog in an effort to keep the lines of communication open between all of us. We are a family that enjoys each other and just because were are in the Northeast, South, Missouri, Southeastern Wisconsin and Northeastern Wisconsin does not mean that we cannot keep the lines of open.

I'd like to use this blog as a method of communicating thoughts, ideas, pictures, and any other pertinent information. I hope you all feel the same way.

I welcome your input and posts.

Love,

Scott Underwood