2009, it's been real. It's been fun. It's been REAL FUN!

Recently, my boy Addy D joined the working world after finishing his grand and adventurous college experience. He chose his 1st big boy job in Phoenix, AZ, mostly due to the weather and Cactus League baseball. Naturally, a visit to the southwest was in order soon after the transition, to check out his situation and bring some enthusiasm to his life via the Big Guy Express. I have been a part of the so-called ‘Real World’ for 18 months now and I still don’t know what the big deal is. Can anybody tell me how getting paid to do the same work you did in college with no tests and no homework is worse than college itself? Anyone? Bueller?

Here’s the deal, I’ll give my take on why it is much better to be a working stiff vs. a college student simply based on the places I’ve been in the last 12 months. If you can make an argument for the other side, feel free to give it a shot. It seems fitting, as this will be my last post of 2009, to have a little recap of my travels around the country. I don’t mean to toot my own horn but, let’s call it what it is, exactly that. I even surprised myself after I compiled the list. So here goes….TOOT! TOOT! (This post was originally going to be about what happened in AZ with Addy and DC, and maybe some Christmas highlights but I don’t know if I’ll get to that now. I don’t know if I’ll have enough time. Sometimes these posts have a mind of their own).

Places I’ve been for leisure in 2009:

The Vegas (New Years 2009), Winter Park (Feb. Ski trip), OK City (Mar. Cowboy search), MSP* (6th consecutive Twins home opener), Dallas (April new ballpark trip), Bemidji* (May Memorial Day weekend), MSP* (May Bro/Sis b-day Twins game), Boston (May DMB shows), Boston (4th of July), Chicago (July Cubs/Cards at Wrigley), Roseau* (Aug. Wedding), Bemidji* (Aug. vacation week), MSP* (Sep. Gopher football) Des Moines* (Sept. DMB show), MSP* (49ers vs. Vikes), Kansas City* (Sept. DMB show), Grand Forks* (Oct. Gopher/Sioux hockey), MSP* (Oct. Gopher football/Halloween), Orlando (Nov. caddie for my Aunt’s Future’s Tour qualifier), Lawrence (Nov. Husker/KU football), Bemidji* (Turkey Day), Phoenix (Dec. Shawn’s b-day celebration), Bemidji* (Christmas).

Places I’ve been for work in 2009:

Wichita (58 days over seven months), Panama City, FLA (19 days during July and August), The Vegas (5 days in August).

* These places aren’t really special because of their location (since they are cities in my home state and the place I went to college) but, I’ve included them because of the distance I did travel to reach them. Once I got further in to this post it changed again from trying to prove how being a working stiff is better than a college student to finding out how many miles I've traveled in the 2009 calendar year. What a turn of events. If only someone took the time to google map that information and display it in an easy to read format. Oh wait! I already did that.

The Vegas - 1,287 mi. (I only drove one way, accompanying Addy on his way to AZ for his internship)
Winter Park, CO - 1,196 mi. roundtrip
OK City - from Wichita 320 mi. roundtrip
MSP - 780 mi. roundtrip times 5 = 3,900 mi.
Dallas - from Wichita 740 mi. roundtrip
Bemidji - 1,142 mi. roundtrip times 2.5 = 2,855
Chicago - 994 mi. roundtrip
Roseau - Omaha/Roseau/Bemidji/Wright/MSP route 1,024 mi.
Kansas City - 400 mi. roundtrip

Grand Forks - 1,110 mi. roundrtip

Lawrence - 450 mi. roundtrip

Add those all up and I have willingly spent approximately 14,276 miles in the car. Couple that with my air miles:

Vegas to Omaha – 1,100 mi.
Omaha to Boston – 2,560 mi. roundtrip times 2 = 5,120
MSP to Orlando – 2,620 mi. roundtrip
Wichita to Phoenix – 871 mi.
Phoenix to Omaha – 1,040 mi.

Total leisure highway miles and air miles equals 25,027. Now, if you’re like me, numbers like that don’t really mean much unless there is a comparative figure. As it turns out, I've thought of everything today. The circumference of the Earth is 24,860 miles. I circumnavigated the globe just during my spare time. Remember that book Around the World in 80 Days? According to my rough estimations, I would have done it in 40 days. So I got that goin' for me, which is nice.

Now getting back to the second point of this post, there is no way I could have enjoyed all that awesomeness traveling around the country as a poor college student. I did go on some great trips but most were funded by other means. As I said before, make your argument if you have one. Maybe it starts being the 'Real World' when you get married and have kids, which in turn sucks all of your extra flow in to real expenses. That must be it.

Finally, I'll come full circle and say that I had a great time in Phoenix celebrating Shawn's birthday with DC and Addy. Unfortunately for Shawn, he was unable to attend his own birthday weekend celebration due to some miscommunication in the Whiting family. Despite missing the birthday boy, we tried to make the most of it. We paid tribute to our missing friend with every drink or shot with this toast: Here's to Shawn! Happy Birthday!

The trip was an all around great time but one story sticks out in my mind. We didn't really have a plan for Saturday afternoon so when talks of summiting the great Camelback Mountain came about, we thought, why not? How hard can it be? It won't take us very long, right? We certainly won't be coming down in the dark, right? Well, to answer the last three questions: harder than we thought, longer than we thought, and yes we would be coming down in the dark.

It took us a good 1.5 hours to get to the top and, not that you need climbing gear or anything, I was not in the right attire (or the right shape) for that kind of activity. Most everyone climbing it had on athletic gear, weren't carrying cameras, and had water bottles. After a look around at the top and some nice photogs, we began our descent with the sun near setting. Quite soon it was dark and we were having trouble staying on the so-called path. Halfway down, Addy realizes that his watch broke and fell off his wrist. Addy and DC decide to go back for it, in the dark, with only a vague idea of where it fell off. I took this opportunity to inform them that I would be staying in my current location, for safety reasons. How were they to find the way down if I wasn't there as a guiding light? Obviously the real reasons I wasn't going back up was because I gave them a negative 3000% chance of finding the watch and I simply didn't want to climb back up the steepest part of the mountain given the chances of success. I even included Shawn, telling him of the situation via text message. Here's our conversation:

Me: We climbed camelback mnt and made it half way back down when addy realized his watch fell off somewhere. Its dark and they went back for it. Might not make it

Shawn: Wow. addy would do that. watch out for rattlers.

Me: Ridiculous. Isnt that watch from [ex-girlfriend]? I say good riddance.

Shawn: I'd leave it too.

Me: We could come back tomorrow and look in the light. Its pretty treacherous, especially in the dark. I cant see shit

Shawn: Are u at the bottom?

Me: I'm where addy realized he lost it. U rnt gonna believe it but someone founmd it and they r almost back to me

Shawn: So your only half way down? criminy x mas trees. u best be cussing them out. i cant have them falling off a mtn on my bday trip that im not on. blundercity.

Me: No worries mate. We got down safely. Saved a chicks life and got a $50 parking ticket for being in there past sunset. All in a good hike

Well that text convo pretty much wraps up the story. Happy New Year!!

Near the bottom. I still thought it was going to be a walk in the park. Anyone see Addy? I do!

TEAMWORK! (See! Tougher than we thought.)

All fun and games until the sun goes down...

At Four Peaks Brewing Co., a Mesa Vikings bar

Who got this hip hop on lock hit? Kozmic Prophet.

I was recently jamming to my music on shuffle when a song came up that brought back some good memories. It took me back to last February when some friends and I were on a little ski trip in Colorado. I was separated from the rest of the crew for some reason, wandering aimlessly. Little did I know my life was about to change. Down at the base of the mountain, I was approached by a prophet but, not just any prophet, Kozmic Prophet. Who is Kozmic Prophet? Kozmic Prophet is so many things, a rapper, an entertainer, a fellow snowboarder but, mostly he is a guy that peddles his demo CDs to people at the base of Winter Park Mountain.

He caught my attention with this opening line, 'Hey man, do you want to support the local hip hop community?' Tractor beam, sucked me right in. The main reason I was so intrigued is because I was asked the same question just 1.5 months prior in The Vegas while walking in to a liquor store on New Year's Eve. I guess I just look like a gangsta, I mean, as gangsta as a white boy in cargo shorts and a polo can look. In Vegas, I simply nodded and kept on walking. I treated this second encounter slightly different. I couldn't get asked that question twice in a lifetime and not take the opportunity to give my full support on both occasions. I felt like I owed something to the hip hop culture.

After the Prophet gave me a little rundown of what he does, he showed me his CD. He told me it was 'pure fire' or something very close to that. He was very enthusiastic and as you may know, I thrive on that. I asked how much it would take to support his community. He told me $5. SOLD! I had to carry it in my jacket for the rest of the day while I snowboarded because it was morning when I bought it. I had soon forgotten of my purchase but, imagine my suprise and excitement when I found that little gem in my pocket that night. It was close to the excitement level I reach when we play 'The Warrior' on repeat at the bar. Extremely high. We returned to the condo that night, the disc was played and it was played LOUDLY. We bumped those tracks on repeat for hours. I recommend 'The Next Level,' it's my jam.

I have to admit that I didn't purchase the CD for the musical value (which I was pleasantly suprised by) but, more for the story I would someday be able to tell about it. That day has arrived. I hope you enjoyed. I waited this long because I hoped Kozmic could get off the ground and onto the airwaves alone but, after almost a year, it's clear he needs my help*. I put Dan Patrick on the map, why not Kozmic Prophet.

I have one more exercise for you all. Close your eyes and purge your thoughts of everything. Now, think of the Kozmic Prophet. Picture him in your head. If you are picturing a freckled, red-headed, white guy, the Prophet himself has spoken to you. If not, shame on you!

I really like the lyrics in the song 'Datz Wack' (not listed above)

*Turns out he doesn't need my help as much as I thought! I found his album on iTunes for $9.99! Looks like I got the deal of a lifetime!

Don't read if thirsty

The Thanksgiving weekend was an enjoyable one. Despite the drive, I was able to arrive at 10 pm. Unfortuanely, the drive itself did not go as smoothly as I had hoped. I wasn't in a crash or got a speeding ticket (not that those things weren't well deserved) but, something happened that I feel was odd and extraordinary. It never happens to me and that is why I feel this story must be told.

There was an extremely uncomfortable, dare I say painful, stretch of my journey that spanned basically the entire state of South Dakota. As I left Omaha, or 'The HUH!!' as I like to call it, my silver chariot had just over a quarter tank of gas. This led me to have a planned stop in Sioux City or thereabouts to re-fuel and get some of my normal road trip drinks: diet mtn dew (it’s not mountain anymore folks, just look at the logo), Amp, Starbucks Frappachino, and Arizona Arnold Palmer Lite. Anytime I travel, some combination of these drinks will be consumed. Despite the amount of liquid I have on any given trip, I NEVER need to relieve myself outside the normal fuel stops that are necessary whilst driving long distances. I pride myself on that fact. I see it as a weakness and, if you are riding with me, I won't hesitate to ridicule you for your shortcomings. This stems from my father never stopping on road trips, which got me used to it, and from me wanting to get where I’m going absolutely as fast as possible, so I would hold it for hours at a time. It's almost as if my pride swells in unison with my bladder. Obviously being able to fight mother nature longer than the next guy makes you more of a man.

I figured my 2nd stop to be in Fargo which google maps tells me is 300 miles away from my aforementioned planned stop in Elk Point, SD where I did purchase fuel for the car and body. I must not have shook hands with the governor long enough at my stop because I had to go the second I got back on the interstate . Thinking about it right now makes me have to go. An hour or so later, I was considering going for the 1 liter DMD bottle. That's an easy move to pull off if you aren't driving but, since I was and I didn't want to risk missing my target, I held off. Even though I was feeling real pain and actually dancing around in my seat as I drove, I still thought it would pass and I could make it to Fargo even though I was a good 250 miles out. I really thought I could beat it and it kind of became a challenge. That's the kind of stubborness I have sometimes, usually about something little i.e. saving 7 minutes on an 8 hour drive home. It's important.

I finally broke down and stopped in Sisseton, SD (irony anyone?). That's 90 miles from Fargo. Imagine if I would have tried to hold it for another hour+. I might have exploded, quite possibly putting others on the road in danger. That's where I draw the line. I can endanger myself all I want but, I value the lives of others. What can I say, I'm a caring person. In the end the stop literally cost me 7 minutes. I was shaking hands with the governor for 6.5 of those minutes. That includes filling up with gas. I know one is supposed to wait for the pump to stop before going in but, obviously I was in crisis mode here, so the rulebook went out the window; sue me.

Now I realize that I have written 4 paragraphs on a pee story and I apologize. Here's something that sticks with the theme of this post to cheer you up. Some of you may be wondering if I learned my lesson. Seriously, you all should know better than that. Next time I will make it to Fargo. Mind over matter kids, that's all there is to it.

Getting back to the original intent of this post, which was to recap some of the Thanksgiving weekend. I did somewhat accomplish my goal of eating two Thanksgiving meals. I stated in my last post that I wanted to eat one meal, puke it all up, then go back for round two. Instead, I ate the amount of food that would normally be considered two Thanksgiving meals in the same time it took the rest of my fellow pilgrims to eat one Thanksgiving meal. I'd like to say the feat I pulled off is greater than my original goal but, after sleeping on it I've decided that the ralphing is really the toughest part to go through with and, since I failed to do that, my goal will live on.

My weekend can be summed up by a text I received from my boy Addy that read: 209, keg, and perkins for dusty tonight?

The 1st two are bars and the 2nd is the best place in America to get a chicken tender melt in the wee hours of the morning. Although I didn't make it to Keg, I did enjoy a tasty treat at Perkins which was, in a word, glorious. Another highlight of the trip home was the absolute destroyal of some Dave's pizza. It's a local diamond in the rough. Good times in B-town.

My brother told me a story that I had a hard time believing. He told me a random person came up to him and said 'I read your brother's blog.' So here's an experiment. If you read this post you must make some kind of comment. You don't have to have an account, anyone can do it. I suggest something light and fun. Sample comments: You are awesome and I love you! or I can't live without reading your brilliant writing, don't ever stop (that's what she said)! Anything to that effect would be super.

Soccer breakdown in 3, 2, 1...

Thanksgiving is finally here and I can't tell you how badly I needed a holiday. This is the time of year where work seems to get less important for everyone and the shift of importance goes to eating and watching football. I like that shift. This time of year is awesome. My company has 8.5 paid holidays and 5.5 of them are crammed into the time between the last Thursday in November and the glorious 1st day of the new year. For those of you counting at home, that's 5.5 days out of what would normally be 27 work days. Three out of the next six weekends are the ever so coveted '4 day weekends.' My Minnesota High School math tells me that is half, or 50% in layman terms. Those are the kind of numbers I can deal with.

There are some downfalls to the next 27 days, however. Should I so choose to spend these holidays with my immediate family, I will have to make the 16 hour round trip up I-29 to the great white north for two of the three weekends. I suppose I could try and fly home, but that gets expensive, even for someone employed by Dan Patrick, and there is no guarantee that the plane will actually land in Bemidji (see paragraph 5). The possibility of a blizzard could strand me there (which wouldn't be so bad....no work!), but mostly it will force me to drive back in horrible conditions because I don't know when to admit defeat when regarding weather, which will put me in the ditch somewhere on White Earth Reservation. At some point I got it stuck in my head that my Grand Am has a 3.5 foot clearance with 4 wheel drive, kind of like a Hummer.

I am making the journey today, and to combat the drive I will be listening to the daily podcast of who else but DP. As I said before, it's radio gold. Once that is over and I still have 6 hours of driving left, I plan on watching some blu rays on my laptop. If that gets old/dangerous, I'll put iTunes on shuffle. Yes, you have that right, I don't have a working iPod, so my computer doubles as an iPod for long car trips. It's the only way to road trip in my opinion. iPod screens are way too small to watch movies while driving.

Anyways, wish me luck and I wish all 3 of my readers, dubbed the Dangelettes by Reggie Miller, (Meow, Jim, and SSWY) a Happy Turkey Day. Here's to eating one big meal, throwing it up, and going back for a second. That is one of my Turkey Day goals.
You may be wondering what the title of this post is referring to. Wonder no longer. Soccer breakdown in 3, 2, 1.

Arcade Fire!

After a long, drawn-out, 46 day negotiation between DG (the talent) and Blogger© (upper management), a contract extension agreement has been reached that will keep a stream of impeccably written satire on the world wide interweb for the greater part of our lifetime. The original contract for blog author of These pretzels are makin’ me thirsty was set to expire at the end of 2009 but, due to the great success and massive cult following, the critically acclaimed writer demanded a mid-season re-negotiation of contract.

The details of the contract have not been released but sources close to DG say the demands were met. When asked of his demands DG was quoted as saying this, “I’m tired of people talking about money, money, money, money, money. I just want to write the blog, drink Pepsi, and wear Reebok. We [writers] might make a lot of money but, we also spend a lot of money.” Obviously words to live by.

This hold-out during negotiations left many fans in a state of distress yet anxious for a deal to be reached. Not all readers were impressed, however, as shown by this man’s take on the situation, “What? The guy has eight posts and thinks he can make demands? That’s like if Joe Montana demanded a contract re-negotiation after his first completion in training camp. Grow up Peter Pan.”

Although the contract has been signed, the frequency of future posts is still a question mark. Only time will tell if this new contract will motivate brilliance or complacency.

The above was an article taken from the USA Today and was thought to be relevant to my readers. I will not deny or confirm the statements made by the article. I hope to put this alleged incident behind me and move forward as if it did or did not happen.

I’d like to take some time to tell you what I’ve really been diggin’ lately. My favorite part of every weekday is listening to the greatness that is The Dan Patrick Show. It’s so good, I can’t fathom how I ever lived without it. I’m having trouble even writing this because I am so intently listening to the podcast right meow.

I think the best thing about it, aside from its riveting interviews and tremendous sports insight, is the humor that is interweaved throughout the entire program. It’s the type of humor that is so subtle, you might think that Dan and the Danettes were serious if you weren’t a regular listener. The guys on the show call it tongue in cheek, which is a phrase I have always heard, but never cared enough to figure out what it meant. As it turns out, that is exactly the humor I get down with. It’s almost as if DP doesn’t want you to know for sure if he is joking even though he most certainly is, and yet he says it so seriously. I love it.

The show has also been on Direct TV channel 101 since the beginning of August. Sure, I know what you're thinking, how can radio show be on TV? The mothership has radio shows on TV (i.e. Mike and Mike in the Morning, The Herd with Colin Cowherd) and it's pretty much what you expect, guys sitting, talking into mics. What if I told you the DP show has a basketball hoop where they shoot jumpers during the break? What if I told you there is a golf simulator where DP plays Pebble on Fridays? If you haven't heard the term 'Man Cave' before, google it. There is actually a show called Man Caves hosted by former NFLer Tony Siragusa that built the studio for them. Watch this and tell me that you don't want this job. That shows the lighter side of the program but I recommend listening for the interviews if you're a sports fan. It's radio gold. I'll admit, I laugh out loud.

What's that? You don't know where you can hear this amazing radio program? Let me tell you all the ways to access the DP show aside from Direct TVs channel 101. You can subscribe to the free podcast from iTunes (commercial free). Go to his site and listen live, find your local affiliate radio station, or listen to individual segments from the show. It is also broadcast over Sirius XM radio.

Does this sound like a commercial yet? Hope so. DP, I can do what Seton does. I'd be on that show in a minute. My goal in life is to become a Danette. I know it's pretty lofty, but that's who I am. I aim big. Oh, another reason DP is awesome, he is down with the Oregon Rap Community.

En Fuego

Cowboy Friday

Since I started work at my office, every week ends with Casual Friday. Basically that means I wear jeans and a polo to work instead of slacks and a button down. For most other people at the office here in Husker Nation, that means you wear Husker gear. As long as it is red and has some form of Husker logo on it, the shirt can be ratty with holes and stains. In fact, that is the preferred look. The appearance and quality of the shirt are irrelevant. I even wear a Husker shirt once in awhile. This is a story about how Casual Friday was reborn and it is AWESOME.

Wearing business casual to work doesn’t bother me. I wouldn’t even get mad if they made me wear a tie. I like ties. Anyway, back in March, I was on a 3 week business trip in the wonderful city of Wichita, KS. I was with 2 other guys from my office, GLVJ and Meow. Sometime during that stint GLVJ got the itch to buy some cowboy gear. He was asking all the locals about which store was the best for said gear. His enthusiasm was always very contagious, and soon both Meow and I were on board to go full retard, er I mean full cowboy. You never go full retard. Ask Sean Penn.

There was somewhat of a plan involved with the cowboy gear. Oklahoma City, aka OK City, is only 2 hours away from Wichita. None of us had ever been there, AND the Big 12 Championship basketball game happened to be the next Saturday. Why wouldn’t we dress up like cowboys, go to a basketball game, and hit up every bar in Bricktown? It would’ve been stupid not to, really.

After work one day we hit up a little place called Sheplers. When I say little place I mean biggest country western store in America, maybe even the universe. You could get lost in this store, literally and figuratively. We did the latter. Now, I’m not sure why we were so excited, I mean, I was not (still am not) a big country western wearin’ feller and neither were GLVJ and Meow. I’d never even tried on a pair of cowboy boots before. That changed quickly. I may have tried on every pair of size 13 boots in the store. GLVJ and Meow were right there with me. Boots were strewn everywhere up and down the aisles. We made a mess in that place for 2+ hours before we finally settled on boots, hats, shirts, and belt-buckles. All in all the 3 of us dropped a grand in that place. Meow bought the sweetest boots in the store. No doubt in my mind. If only they would have had the same in my size. I would have Indian wrestled him for the rights.

We did have a little work to do Saturday morning, so we got on the road just after noon. We didn’t have a hotel reservation yet. We didn’t have tickets to the game yet. We didn’t know anything about OK City except where it was on the map. We did, however, have our cowboy gear, our cowboy mustaches, and a whole lot of enthusiasm.

Our plan on arrival was to find a hotel within walking distance of Bricktown, change into our sweet gear while pre-gaming, take some cowboy pictures, and find a scalper to really rip off. The Residence Inn by Marriott took care of our first need. I happen to be a Platinum Elite Marriott Rewards member which means I pretty much get the key to the city. If you believe that, I’ve got a bridge to sell you. Shortly after check-in we had accomplished nearly all of our tasks and hit the streets.

The game was just starting and we were about a mile or so away. We didn’t feel like walking. Especially since they had rickshaws! So there we were, three guys in one rickshaw driven by a 130 lb kid from Becida, MN (small world right?) when we approach a scalper. GLVJ handled this guy like he’d done it a thousand times. Scalper offered three tickets for $40 each. GLVJ countered with $40 total. Mind you, we are still all three sitting in the rickshaw on the street. GLVJ tells the rickshaw operator to start it up again. We begin to leave and the scalper stops us. This sequence happened 2-3 more times before the scalper gave in at the fabulous price of $40 for three tix. That’s just over $13 for a $55 face value ticket. That’ll do GLVJ, that’ll do.

From there we saw the game, had some BBQ, and hit up every bar that we could find, in search of any OK City cowboys. We were decked out in full cowboy gear. Turns out OK City isn’t exactly what we thought it was. There wasn’t another cowboy in sight for the entire night. We may have gone to every bar in Bricktown without seeing one of our kind. The preconceived notion we had that OK City was a rip-snortin’, wild-western, gun-slingin’, spur-wearin’ place was so wrong it was mind blowing. Of course it didn’t stop us from having a great time. We had one rule: no one else is allowed to touch your cowboy hat. That was tough to uphold because there were chicks grabbing for our hats all night long. GLVJ gave me the best line for when anyone asks to wear your hat. Look ‘em square in the eyes and say, "Only in the bedroom sweetheart." I used it on multiple occasions. It was tough to beat. Here are some other things that happened during our journey.

I guess we had another rule for the night. Anytime one of us said "Yup!" the other two guys would chime in with "Yup!" and "Yup!" in order, with a few seconds in between. It was funny to us and that’s all that matters. Don't judge me.

A heroic young man broke up a fight, saving a little guy from a serious beating. Somehow we got kicked out of the bar after that like we started it or something.

Meow told a lesbian he had pointier shoes than her. True story in two ways: it happened and he did.

Some chick ended up snagging GLVJ’s hat and he got it back from her by stepping on her toes with his boots. She didn’t like him very much after that.

We wandered in to a wedding reception, liked what we saw, stayed. We even made friends with the newlywed’s parents.

We met some people in the hotel elevator just when we thought the night was over (Meow’s night was over but he played hard). GLVJ and I went to their room for an after hours gathering. Those people we met just so happened to be former Chiefs RB Billy Jones and his entourage (how he still has an entourage is beyond me, google it). We were just a couple of cowboys, livin’ it up in OK City.

The Players

Meow, aka Sweetest Boots in the Store

GLVJ, aka Mexi-stache

Yeah those are handlebars, what of it?

When we told some of our coworkers this story, one of them told us he'd buy us lunch if we all came in wearing our full gear on Friday. Thus, Cowboy Friday was born, replacing Casual Friday forever here in our office. Shockingly, I am the only one in our office of 100 some employees that observes Cowboy Friday. I'm not sure why it hasn't caught on yet. Anyway I’d recommend checking out OK City if you have a chance. It's OK in my book. As it turns out the very last bar we went into was the cowboy hang out. We got in just in time for them to kick us out because it was closing. Live and learn.

PS Twins need to sweep the Royals and the White Sox need to take 2 of 3 from the Tigers. Let’s make it happen!

Sweet Up and Down

The day has finally arrived. I am leaving shortly for Des Moines for a Dave Matthews Band concert. It is gonna be legendary. Not only is it the baddest band in the land rocking out for 3 solid hours, Robert Randolph and his Family Band are opening. I don't know about you peeps, but I think Big Show Bob is ridiculously good. He plays the Pedal Steel like no one you've EVER heard. It's a guarantee that he'll come out and play a song with DMB. The only question is which one. I love him on Bayou and Watchtower but I wouldn't mind seeing what he can add to Time Bomb off the Groo Grux King album. Timmy Reynolds and Bob could start some serious shit and I know I would dig it.

I hope Dave threw that hat in the fireplace immediately after this performance.

Yeah, Robert Randolph doesn't mess around.

If going to the concert isn't awesome enough, I am going to the Vikings 1st home game on Sunday. The Vikes are playing the 49ers and I am going with a 49er fan. On top of that we are playing each other in Fantasy Football this week. On top of that, I have Favre, AP AD, and Berrian on my team. On top of that, he has Franklin Gore on his team. That's like something right out of a storybook! It's a once in a lifetime happening and I'm going to enjoy it to the utmost. That also means I'm not working Monday, DOUBLE BONUS! Might even slide in a round of golf on Monday. I don't know, I don't know if we'll have enough time. Either way I literally cannot wait to see what hap