The Ugly Gold and Ugh

Regardless of how my Boilermakers perform against Hawaii tonight, they are going to the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando late in December. I bleed old gold and black as I have said many times, but I cannot help but think about what a lame 8-4 record my team actually has. Don’t be fooled by the eight wins:

-- One was against a very lame 1-11 Division 1-AA Indiana State.

-- Two were against lame MAC schools with losing records, Ball State and Miami of Ohio.

-- One was against a 6-6 Big Ten opponent, Minnesota.

-- The other four were against Big Ten opponents with losing records, Michigan State, Northwestern, Illinois, and Indiana.

Purdue lost to Notre Dame and Wisconsin, two teams having excellent seasons. I guess there is no shame in that. They also lost to Iowa and Penn State. Iowa is 6-6, so you could argue that the Boilers should have won that game. Also, Penn State is 8-4, so again one could argue that Purdue had a shot at winning that game.

Oh, get this: Hawaii has scored 60 or more points four times this year. Purdue has a Swiss-cheese defense just ripe for the picking. I don’t have a great feeling about this game tonight.

Consider this: Purdue did not have to play either Michigan or Ohio State this year. How lucky is that?

So, here is the bottom line: I am not sure that Purdue is worthy of being in a bowl game. I think that their record tells little about their season. There are no signature wins against good teams.

buck on 11.25.06 @ 10:47 PM EST [link]

Random Notes on a Saturday Night

I have three random notes I would like to share with you tonight.

1. Katelyn recognizes Ford Mustangs. It stems back to the March trip when Heather took Dylan, Katelyn, and special guest Megan down to Georgia in a yellow Mustang they dubbed “Pegasus.” She again got to be in a Mustang for a week in August; this time it was a red convertible. So, she knows her Mustangs, and always points them out when we see them on the street. “Look, Daddy, that’s like Pegasus!” I’m not sure how many other vehicle models she recognizes, but that would be fun to discover.

2. Did I ever tell you that we can hear the drawbridge horns here at our house? The bridges are about three miles away, and they run over the St. Joseph River. When tall ships come in or out of the harbor, the horn blasts to warn nearby vehicles. We can hear it clearly during the summer months.

3. For those of you who live in Michigan, I assume you are familiar with the left-hand turn signs? They are lighted, and are four-sided. I have never seen anything quite like them anywhere else in the United States. I distinctly remember them from my early childhood growing up in Munith, which is in the eastern half of the state. We moved from Michigan to Indiana when I was a first-grader, and I took the memories of those signs with me. Of all the uniquely Michigan memories I still have from those few early years, I remember the lighted left hand turn signs. When we first moved here to St. Joseph, I found myself staring at the signs constantly . . . a reminder of my roots. Although I do not stare at them much anymore, I still fondly remember them.

buck on 11.25.06 @ 10:05 PM EST [link]

Thanksgiving Pictures

listening to: GameNight on ESPN AM 1000
reading: Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein

All the work we put forth on Wednesday night to get ready for our Thanksgiving meal was well worth it. We prepared the sweet potato soufflé, green bean casserole, stuffing and the turkey all in advance. All we really had to do was pop these items in the oven and focus on the more immediate items. We had even set up our tables, chairs, plates, silverware, and table settings Wednesday as well.

My parents showed up around 9:30 or 10:00 AM, and that gave us all plenty of time to visit. Katelyn latched on to them, and would not let go to save her little life! They had also brought the van they had bought for us about three or so months ago. My dad finally had the title, so it was time to bring it up.

I am simply delighted with it. It’s an ’88 Astrovan with nearly 200,000 miles. There is some rust around the wheel wells, and some underneath the rear windshield wiper, but those are the only obvious flaws. It’s a really clean vehicle inside. I was especially surprised with how nice the two backbenches were. I drove it across the street, and liked what I felt from the van. I even played around with the radio a bit. Once we get it plated and insured, I am sure that it will be perfect for going back and forth to work.

My sister Lori, Jamie, and my nephews David and Jacob came by before noon, and we all marveled at just how bit Jacob is! He will be one year old in December, and can walk and crawl. He looks just like his dad Jamie.

Dinner started right on time at 12:30 PM. We had turkey, green bean casserole, sweet potato soufflé, stuffing, and Parmesan cheese rolls. Afterwards we enjoyed cookies, pumpkin pie, cheesecake with cherry topping, and chocolate no-bake cake. Brenda and Josh came by about a quarter until 1, and were also able to enjoy our bounty of food!

The picture you see above is a shark’s tooth my mom brought back from Florida a couple of weeks ago. She had gone down to visit my grandmother. This was a gift she bought for Dylan! He’s really delighted with it. He loves science and wildlife.

My parents had to take off to go open the video store, but Lori and her crew were able to stay until about 4:30 PM. It was good to visit with them, and Dylan really enjoyed having cousin David over for basketball, football and pool. One of these days, we need Lori and Jamie’s older boys to come spend a weekend with us. I am sure they would love the beach.

buck on 11.25.06 @ 09:42 PM EST [link]

Somewhere in Time

listening to: Wonderpets on the Noggin Network . . . ugh

Cosmic Log : Time after time travel

Again, I invoke the "Time Travel Is Cool" clause in my contract.

I have seen the promos for both Deja Vu and The Fountain, and would like to see them both.

I have also read the short story mentioned in the article, "Mimsy Were the Borogoves." I have read it a couple times in my life, and I think I have read it since I have been here in Michigan. I was on a streak where I was reading science fiction short-story anthologies from the library. I just cannot remember exactly how the story went.
buck on 11.25.06 @ 11:05 AM EST [link]

Judge Not Lest Ye Be Judged

listening to: Christian Contemporary - Comcast Channel 937
reading: Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein

Polygamists say case distorts image - U.S. Life - MSNBC.com

"A criminal court case here paints a polygamist sect's leader as a controlling abuser who breaks up families and forces girls to marry men sometimes decades older. But polygamists who aren't associated with Warren Jeffs' group say the case is giving people unfair perceptions of their way of life."

I'll grant that not all polygamists are cruel overlords. I'll grant the same thing about Muslims: not all -- in fact few -- are fighting a jihad against us.

Nevertheless, I find myself performing a bit of head-shaking at the whole idea of polygamy. Mormons read pretty much the same Bible that we do, albeit a different translation. So I wonder how they glean the acceptable idea of polygamy from the Bible. However, they also use the supplemental Book of Mormon. Perhaps polygamy is discussed in that document. I really do not know.

However, here is one thing I have to remember: the thought of having multiple wives as the ticket into Heaven is as alien to Christians as is the thought of believing in a ManGod who died on Earth, was buried, and rose again to save us from sin and give us eternal life is to non-Christians.

Let's be very very careful how we speak of Mormons and their beliefs. How vigorously we put down their beliefs is how vigorously those around us will feel about our beliefs.

buck on 11.25.06 @ 09:59 AM EST [link]