St. Louis

Spent a nice weekend in St. Louis with the Mrs. and our son and his roommate.  I really like St. Louis.  I can remember vacationing there as a kid, and vacationing there with my kids, heck the Mrs. and I even honeymooned there (saw a Ray Charles concert under the Arch--incredible!).  Decided to take a little time here to compare and contrast Milwaukee and St. Louis--the place I live and one of my favorite places to visit. 

Guess I'll start with some of the obvious---both cities are beer towns.  Probably the two biggest in the country.  Now it is down to just the two big boys, and neither is locally owned anymore.  Milwaukee has Miller/Coors, and St. Louis has Budweiser.  Both have eliminated the local competition over the years, but now both have been bought by larger companies.  It's close, but I give the nod to Miller---they have Leinenkugel, and didn't screw up Michelob.

Milwaukee has the Brewers.  St Louis has the Cardinals.  Brewers are a nice team, Cards are the Cards.  Big edge to St. Louis.  St. Louis has the Rams.  Milwaukee has the Packers (don't start!).  Big edge Milwaukee.  Both cities at one time had the NBA Hawks, now neither does, but Milwaukee has the Bucks.  But St. Louis has the Blues--one of the great teams names.  Call it a push.

Milwaukee has Summerfest, and all the other festivals.  St. Louis has Veiled Prophet Fair, Taste of St. Louis, bunch of other festivals.  Summerfest is world class.  Easy edge to Milwaukee.  Milwaukee has the Calatrava.   St. Louis has the Gateway Arch.  Easy edge to St. Louis.  Both cities have all kinds of ethnic neighborhoods and the foods and fests that go with them.  No advantage there.  St. Louis is on the Mississippi.  Milwaukee is on Lake Michigan.  Both could probably be utilized more.

St. Louis has Ted Drews, on historic Route 66.  Milwaukee has Leon's, on Highway 41.  One would have taken you all the way to Arizona in it's day, the other to the tip of Florida.  Both have great custard and history.  I highly recommend both, it's a push. St. Louis has the Fox.  Milwaukee has the Riverside.  I think they both use tye same booking agent.  Another Push.

Both of these cities have wonderful zoos, museums and park systems.  A good number of years ago the people of St. Louis voted to tax themselves to pay for the parks and zoo and museums, and they continue to this day.  I think this is a wonderful thing, and the current residents of St. Louis owe a big thank you to those who originally taxed themselves.  I have seen the increase of admission fees to different attractions in Milwaukee and what I see as a decline in the park system here.  It saddens me that things become out of reach for some and the quality declines in other areas. Edge to St. Louis.

Milwaukee has Marquette.  St. Louis has St. Louis University.  Both urban Jesuit schools.  Both Division 1 schools.  Both have worked hard to revitalize their neighborhoods. Both fine institutions.  Edge, easily, to SLU, because campus is more complete (athletic facilities, dorms, etc.), I know more people who go there, and a Billiken is better than a Golden Eagle.  Now if they were still Warriors......

Sadly, both of these cities have probably seen better days.  Many industries have moved from these cities over the years, taking jobs with them.  They both have plenty of urban blight.  Both have high unemployment, and high crime rates.  Both have work to do on these issues, no advantage here.

I like both these towns.  Dig a little bit and you can find plenty to do in both of them.  Hate to say it, but the deciding factor may be the weather.  Milwaukee gets hot, but St. Louis gets hot AND humid.  Quite.  I think the winter weather last longer in Milwaukee, but more tornadoes in St. Louis.  Guess you'd have to pick your poison there.  A person could make many arguments about why one of these cities is better than the other, but they could be countered.  A lot of it would probably come down to civic pride, where you're from, where your people are.  Objectively?  I gotta' go with

The Presidential Election

Figure it is about time to weigh in with my two cents, so let's get started.  First of all, make sure you are REGISTERED!!  This is especially true to my first time voting friends, and to those of you away at school who will not be coming home to vote.  If you forgot to sign up for ABSENTEE voting, you are TOO LATE!!  You now need to get yourself  REGISTERED to vote wherever you are living.  It  isn't that hard, call up the local election commission or check on line.  You CAN do it...

Now on to the candidates.  Please take a little time to find out about the candidates, and their running mate for that matter.  Please DO NOT simply vote the way your parents did, or the way your employer tells you to, or because of the way a person looks or the religion they practice.  I think you need to look at how the ISSUES are going to AFFECT you.  I don't think that either candidate (I'm sticking to the nominees here, don't think and third party folks have a chance--or a voice, sadly) is going to have the perfect answers for you on EVERY subject, so you need to pick the things that are most IMPORTANT to you and go from there.  Things like JOBS, and TAXES, and  EDUCATION, and DEFENSE, and WOMAN'S RIGHTS and any of the other issues that affect you and your family. 

And then you need to get your butt out and VOTE!  You can go stand in the lines on election day, or in many parts of the country you can VOTE EARLY in a place like your local city hall.  People often say we have the RIGHT to vote.  I feel it is more like an OBLIGATION to vote.  If you vote you can talk about he way things are going, if you don't as far as I'm concerned, you CAN"T.  And once the voting is done, one way or another,  I hope we can come together as a country and get things done--because there is much to be ACCOMPLISHED.

Oh, I almost forgot, I'd like to encourage you to vote for.....

It Sucks To Be Me?????

So some of you may know that I won a trip to Jamaica from a local radio station.  Nice trip, but lacking a passport and a few other things  meant I couldn't go--no big deal.  Then I get a call from the general manager of the radio station  and he wants me to call him back.  I'm thinking some tickets or a dinner or something.  I finally get a hold of the guy and he says "It sucks to be you".  That's it.  No nothing.  Just "It sucks to be you".  Really?  Time for a little inventory.......

I'm still kicking, so I got that going for me.  I'm not cold, not hungry, have a nice place to live.  I have a job that lets me actually live rather comfortably.  I have a loving wife.  I can think of a dozen people right off the bat that would be here fast if I made the call. Easily.  I'm not in great shape, but I'm not complaining.  I'm actually rather healthy.  Like it or not, I live in the greatest country in the world.  I have been able to travel and see many parts of it.  I have cable TV.

I have two healthy children who have never, ever given me any kind of problems.  They have also given me a lifetime of memories, things I will never forget.  I have accumulated more stuff than a person should ever need.  I throw parties, and people come to them.  I get to broadcast games on TV.  I know stuff.  Stupid stuff, interesting stuff, important stuff.  People seek my opinion, and use my advice.  I can build things, I can fix things.  I have tools.

Just about anything I have ever wanted to do, anyplace I have ever wanted to go, anything I have wanted to own I have done it.  I have simple wants and desires.  Is everything perfect?  Of course not.  But it sucks to be me?  I don't think so.  More like who wouldn't want to be me......luckiest guy I know........

Fall---or is it Autumn?

So I've been spending the day kind of putting away the summer stuff and getting ready fall--or is it autumn?  Whatever...I used to really enjoy fall, the changing of the colors, the cool evenings and what not.  The thing is I'm not all that wild about it anymore.  Putting out fall decorations?  All that means is they have to be put away.  I don't even care to carve up pumpkins anymore.  I enjoyed all the fall activities when the kids were young, the decorations and the costumes and the trick or treat.  Now I just want it to get over so we can get through winter and get back to summer. 

There are things to do.  There are harvest fests and Octoberfest beer and various homecomings.  There is playoff baseball, and football season.  But there are also leafs to rake, furniture to put away, lawn to get ready for winter.  The cars need to be serviced, and the furnace needs to be checked out as well.  And there is less daylight to get all this stuff done in.  I don't like the short gray days.  And going to work when it is dark and then coming home when it is dark is no treat either.

I think I'm just getting old.  I don't seem  to care put in the effort anymore with the decorations and what not.  I'm always looking for shortcuts now.  The thing is I always like it when the house is decorated or the chores are accomplished.  So what am I going to do?  Well, keep raking leafs and putting away the summer stuff and putting up the Halloween decorations.  I'll even go and get a couple of pumpkins to carve.  And I'll remember all the fun Autumns I had with the family, and think about those days ahead when I won't be doing all this "fun" stuff.

Dad's Birthday

Today is my Dad's birthday.  He would have been 78 today.  He was born in 1934 in West Allis, Wi to Fred and Henrietta.  His was the youngest of three, his sisters being Janet and Sue.  His dad died when he was in grade school.  He hung out with the Werry boys, graduated from West Allis Central, went to Korea with a mess of other guys.  He came home married to mom, had me and my sisters, and set about living life.

Some of my earliest memories of Dad are him driving truck for the bakery (sometimes I got to go with), playing catch, going to grammas and grampas on Sundays and holidays.  Christmas presents and traveling around the country.  Cub scouts, George Webbs.  Watching Packer games. Watching all sports. Guess I had it pretty good as a kid.  There were some choppy times after that for the both of us, but got it all worked out eventually.

Dad was happy when he turned 50.  He was the longest living male in his family line.  He smoked way too much.  He drank too much.  He didn't get exercise, and ate poorly.  Eventually he needed bypass surgery.   He did take better care of himself after that.  Him and mom were divorced by then.  He was working at the car parts store, and seemed okay with it.  And he started fishing.  All he would do and talk about was going fishing on the weekend.  In the first 25 years or so of my life I don't recall him ever fishing.  I never fished.  He said he loved fishing---always had.  Seemed strange.

Dad was so happy when Stew and Aleah came along.  They were showered with gifts, and doted after  as grand kids always are.  He took them fishing!   He died when Stew was in 4th grade, Leah 3rd.  Dad was just starting to figure out soccer---he would have been so proud of both kids with all they have accomplished in school and sports and what not. 

I have a picture around here somewhere of the last time I saw my dad.  He was living in Arkansas by then, retied and fishing.  It was the summer summer of 2000, and we were heading home on one of our family vacations.  We spent a couple of days with him and Arlene.  He seemed okay, was just starting to embrace the computer age.  He would have been amazed.  We would talk on the phone (not enough), and he seemed okay.  He was getting ready to take an Alaskan cruise in 2001 when he decided to have a physical before his trip.  They found something with his heart, told him he needed surgery.  He called from the hospital.  I offered to go down t Arkansas, but he said not to worry, he would be okay.  He never made it out of surgery though. Dad died Feb 12, 2001. 

I tried to learn from pop, both the good and bad.  He definitely wasn't flawless, but he was my Dad.  So happy birthday Dad.  I miss ya......