MVP '05 Update -- First Win

I've finally gotten around to playing MVP '05 for the second time since I bought it last Monday. After losing my first game to the Seattle Mariners, I won the second game of the three-game series by the score of 3 to 1. Brad Radke got the win with Joe Nathan picking up the save.

Nothing too spectacular, just hits that drove in runs. Only one home run for the Twins so far this season, and that came from Justin Morneau in the first game of the series.

I am still very impressed from the game, as I am seeing more and more "motion-captures" from the players on the field. I'm also looking forward to playing in my "new" stadium -- the 20,000 seat capacity "Centennial Park" (an homage to the softball field where many of us played back in my home town of Hanley Falls).

My difficult level is set on "Pro," but on last year's version of MVP I had it on "Pro" and it was almost too easy. So, if I'm pulling off winning streaks of 10 or 12, it might be a good time to jack it up to "All-Star."

Dawson's Creek

When this show was actually on television a few years ago, I never did watch one episode of the show. The only reference I remember to the show was back during the "Asche Bash" days when Mike and Tim (pretty inebriated) were yelling across the lake:

"Joey, Joey! Row your boat on over!" or something like that. It took me a while to figure out what they were talking about. Was Joey a guy ... ?

Katie loves the show. She loves the show so much, that she received the first two seasons of the show on DVD and she just recently picked up the third season. As for myself, being new to the whole "Dawson's Creek" thing, I gave it a shot.

After watching the first two seasons -- is a great show about high schoolers living near the east coast and dealing with issues that teenagers usually deal with? Hardly. Talk about constant drama. It's so unbelievable to actually think that these characters are living lives such as these. I do realize that it's a television show -- but c'mon, the teenagers are acting (and speaking) like adults and have more problems combined than the continent of Africa.

Would the third season get any better? Ha.

Andie (Pacey's girlfriend) gets out of the nut-house but then finally admits to Pacey that she slept with a guy while in the hospital. Pacey dumps her right there. Oh, and Andie has a gay brother named Jack. Go figure -- what can a show be without a gay character?

Then this chick named Eve (who's hotter than all-get-out) shows up and wants to de-flower Dawson so bad that it pisses off Joey. With all that drama going on -- Dawson throws a stripper party at his house while his dad is away and ends up crashing the boat into a dock (right where Joey works!).

I tell ya ... it's a headache. Why do I keep watching? Just to see what other bull these writers pull out of their butts and subject these characters to.

But I'll tell you this: I'm glad that Abbie chick from seasons 1 and 2 died, because man, she was a Class-A bitch.

MVP '05

With the new influx of spring video games, I had to take up on the offer for my love of baseball to get EA Sports' MVP 2005.

It was either that or Fight Night Round 2 after an impressive viewing at Mike's house. Although I do have a love for boxing -- MVP sounded better, for now. Especially when EA Sports is selling it for $30 at Wal-Mart.

New, added options to MVP '05 really turned me to this game. I've only played one game in my (all-new) Owners Mode -- lost, 3-2 against the Mariners -- and I'm pretty impressed. This year, MVP includes not only the Triple-A and Double-A teams from last year, but Single-A teams as well. More ballparks, including the old Metropolitan Stadium where the Twins used to play (now the Mall of America) and your option to create your own stadium for your team to play in.

As soon as I get more playing time with this game, I should be diving deeper into the options that the game presents. But overall, I'm impressed with the improved graphics and body movements that the players present on the field.

Maybe I'll have to create "my boys" again from the old "Super Baseball Simulator 1.000" on the Super Nintendo. That'll be fun.

Spring is Teasing Us

After a wonderful 70-plus degree day yesterday, the rains fell in South Dakota today and has dropped the tempurature near 40.

I just wish we could get some warm weather, for once.

Just Plain Weird

At the Land of Suck, I showed up at work yesterday around 4:00 and was immediately approached by Al (from the "Hot Beef Sandwich" fame) who asked me a favor.

Right away, I thought: "oh, no."

Al asked me to kill his pet rat. His PET RAT! Apparently, this rat was a large, over-grown tumor on one of his back legs. Al admits, he should have been put down a LONG time ago, but he has become attached to it over the past few years.

I suggested to take it to the vet to put it to sleep. Nope, he doesn't want that. He'd rather have somebody else do it -- he'll bury it -- but nothing too nasty. All I told him that I had a shotgun, and with some spread-shot at close range, there'd be nothing left. At last, I suggested that he'd find somebody else to do it.

I declined.

Ya think?

Easter Wrap-Up

I'm still fighting the effects from a Saturday Night outing in Minnesota.

I never have really gotten the opportunity to recover, or at least sleep in, during my stay back in the home state. On Friday, although I didn't have to teach that day, I had gotten up early to return a leather jacket in Sioux Falls, then I worked much of the night.

On Saturday, Katie and I drove up to Watertown to pick up a few bridesmaid dresses and got the tuxs ordered and ready to go. Afterwards, we drove to Minnesota. Then, the fun began.

Katie was anxious to give Lacey her bridesmaid dress, so we stopped by. While there, Mike and his younger brother Kevin were busy with their career in the new boxing installment from EA Sports called "Fight Night Round 2." A mighty great game, especially when your boxer is maxed out and giving his opponent haymakers left and right.

One moment in particular that I really enjoyed was when (I cannot remember who was fighting -- Mike or Kev) but one of the guys knocked a guy down to his knees and he continually threw punches at the poor guy's head. He probably took three or four more shots before he finally fell -- and the replay was hilarious. A classic moment -- reminiscent of Ray Mercer kicking the crap out of Tommy Morrison a few years back.

As the night wore on, I was feeling a little sleepy, but Katie and Lacey were rip-roarin'-ready-to-go. We both knew that we had to be up early Sunday morning in time for Easter services (7:00 a.m.), so we decided that we would not stay too long in Granite Falls so we could be in bed early.

Yeah, right.

The minute we stepped into the Legion, it was a bee-line towards the bar. Jarrod, a good ol' friend of ours, we also there to help celebrate his mother's 50th birthday. Karoke was going hard that night -- and after a few Miller Lites, it was time to sing.

Katie and I finally didn't get out of there until midnight, where we immediately headed home for some much-needed sleep. We knew with church at 7:00 in the morning, we were still in it for the long haul towards the Twin Cities to see family.

Getting out of head at 5:45 wasn't the hard part, staying awake in church was. The service lasted about an hour and a half. Then, it was make-way for the Cities.

Blah, blah, blah. Eat, eat, and more eating -- plus my brother Dan blastin' his ass left and right causing us to gag.

On the way home, I took a little cat-nap, but was suddenly awakened from Dan's butthole once again.

At least we stayed until Monday, where Katie and I both got some sleep. But Monday was an odd day -- I really didn't feel that all too well. We didn't take off for South Dakota until mid-afternoon and already I had work to do. I had to start preparing for Tuesday's lessons for school.

Overall, an exhausting trip. I really didn't much done that I wanted to while I was at home (grading papers, other business) and my problems were still there in South Dakota when I returned.

Now, my focus is back on school, getting my crediential files in order to send out to prospective schools in the area to see if I can get a job!

Gag Me

Man, I got a get out of this article from CNN.com today.

I'm never eating at a Wendy's again ... like I ever did in the first place.

The Land of Suck, Part IV

Since the company that I work at started its unforgivable 12-hour days, 7 day a week run, the upper management didn't even think about the upcoming Easter holiday. Usually on regular weekends, two shifts would come in and put in their 12-hour days. Now, with Easter this Sunday, everybody wants to be at home with their families.

Ha ... that's what they think.

Upper management has decided that since they NEVER HAD TO DEAL with Easter before, they're not going to worry about it. Work will still be on the schedule for the Easter holiday.

Talk about a morale buster! Ever since the advent of the 12-hour day, people have been hired and quickly walked out due to the work-strain. Granted, I'm only part-time and I roughly put in 5-hour days so I cannot imagine what that is like. Even shift supervisors are considering walking out due to exhaustion.

I really do not see this 12-hour day to work much longer. Upper management tells them that they'll like it more and more as they experience it. My gut tells me that there's going to be a HUGE walk-out, or somebody's going to come in with guns blazin'. Especially with not having people having Easter off, that problem might happen.

But hey, I got a raise yesterday! A whole, whoppin' 23 cents!

Easter Break

Again, we get a few more days off from school due to the Easter holiday.

We've got many things planned for the weekend, starting off with driving to Watertown on Saturday to FINALLY getting the tuxedos ordered for the wedding. Katie has to pick up a few more bridesmaid dresses and we're going to compare the color of the dresses to the vests that the groomsmen and the ushers will be wearing.

Katie and I will be spending Easter in Minnesota this year. After a 7:00 a.m. church service in my old home town, my family will be driving near the Twin Cities to visit a relative's family. We're not driving back to South Dakota until Monday, and Katie and I have taken the day off.

Back to work Tuesday.

Beef Commercials (or Hot Beef Sandwich)

Boy, what a great discussion to get into when two people are arguing over South Dakota and Minnesota.

Although I no longer address the issue between which state is better, I still love to bring up the "similarities" between South Dakota and Minnesota regarding the small things in life, like food.

This discussion came up at work on Monday night. It came about when a co-worker, Al, brought up some of his stories while working at his grandparent's cafe in Brandon. Then, it came to me: Ask him what a "hot beef sandwich is."

I asked, and he explained: "Two pieces of bread, filled with beef. It's cut down the middle and a scoop of mashed potatoes placed in the middle. Then, the whole thing is covered by gravy."

I shook my head in agreement. Then I asked him what we called a hot beef sandwich back in Minnesota -- "a beef commercial."

Al's reaction was priceless. He just kind of shook his head in Lewis Black-fashion and said, "What? Isn't a beef commercial something you see on the TV -- like 'beef, it's what for dinner.'?"

And there you have it. You're typical South Dakotan response to a "beef commercial."

Gas

$2.11 in Mad-Town.

And I have to make another trip back to Sioux Falls on Friday. At least I do not have to teach that day, due to Good Friday.

But damn, I have to fill that sucker up either today or tomorrow. Well, that's $50 I'll never see again.

More on Steroids

I was thinking back to my junior high years and we were watching this video in Health class regarding the dangers of using steroids. It was a story about a couple of gymnasts who were taking steroids to help them better physically, but in the end, their careers were over.

After the video, there were a list of symptoms that a person typically shows when they are using steroids. Some of them were: mood swings, nose bleeds, small "balls", furrowed brow, etc. But one of the symptoms caught me by surprise -- Death.

When that scrolled across the screen, we had one funny guy in class that said, "Well, no shit!"

It was pretty funny -- guess you had to be there.

"Revenge of the Sith" Trailer

Jewett, prepare yourself for a phone call sometime before May 19.

I watched the 2-minute trailer on the official Star Wars site. Tears. The End of a Saga.

This looks like the most promising prequel yet. Lots of blowing shit up, BETTER ACTING, and yes, more lightsabers.

It was surprising to see "who-fights-who" in Episode III. Looks like Chancellor Palpatine will take on Mace Windu (right there in the Chanellor's office!), Yoda and Darth Sidious, Darth Tyrannus (Count Dooku) and Anakin Skywalker, and finally -- Obi-Wan and Anakin (now, Darth Vader).

My dear Lord.

Then I think back to my college career. During my time at college, I have lived through the entire "Star Wars" prequel trilogy. Yes, I graduate on May 7th and the movie is premiered on May 19th, but close enough. I'm pathetic!

"Whaaa! Jedi! Schooka, schooka! Then we crawl inside Tubby to keep warm."

-- Jay, "Clerks: The Cartoon."

I Finally Got Out

After about a month or so of not having an alcoholic beverage and actually visiting a bar, I caved in Saturday night and had a pretty good time.

Rule of thumb: do not hit it up too hard if you've been off the wagon for a while. With a mixture of Miller Lite and Captain Morgan, it all came on hard and strong. Katie and I were up 'til 2 in the morning -- the latest I've been up for a while -- and around 5 a.m. I was about ready to barf.

I woke up drenched in sweat, feeling the spins. I stared at the water in the toliet for a few minutes, praying that I could get something up, but nothing. No dry heaves or nothing, thankfully!

But the ladies (Katie and her friends) are already planning on another excursion to hit it up all night, but God-knows when.

Again, I guess I'm getting old!

Poor DeLorean

John DeLorean died last Saturday due to complications of a stroke.

Well, who is this guy?

Anybody who's seen the "Back to the Future" movies should know: it's his namesake on the time machine that Marty McFly took back to 1955.

The car, the DeLorean, also makes an appearance in the new Gran Turismo 4 driving simulator on the PS2. I, for one, still have not purchased it.

The CNN article has a pretty good history about the guy. DeLorean only produced 8,900 DeLoreans and went broke. The only way to save his fortune: he tried to sell $24 million worth of cocaine. Good Lord ... and he was acquitted!!!

A great looking car with its only claim-to-fame was the "Back to the Future" movies. Too bad it didn't catch on!

Vegetable!

In light of the Terri Schiavo case of the brain-dead woman whose husband wants to pull the feeding tube, Katie and I had an "enlightened" discussion about whether or not we should keep each other alive if we happen to be brain-dead.

Boy, wrong discussion!

The discussion ended with Katie all pissed off. I told her if she was brain-dead, I'd pull the plug. There would be absolutely no "real" way to save her, so instead of prolonging her suffering, I'd let her pass away.

I got yelled at.

Then, I had an idea. I told her we'd cut her head off, but it in a deep-freeze in nitrous oxide (see "Ted Williams") and wait for a procedure to be found to save her from the brain-dead-ness.

Still, that didn't go so well due to the fact that Katie still had the idea that I wanted to kill her.

I explained that if I were in that position, I wanted to be let go. For one, I would not live to my full potential. I just do not want to be somebody to take up space and have no real meaning in life. It sounds selfish, because obviously people do care for me -- but that leads to my second reason: it's a financial burden for the family to take care of my brain-dead-self. Nah, I don't want to put them through that.

Katie refused to talk about it, but I told her: once we get married, we're going to have to sign some legal document addressing those issues.

Reality bites!

Baseball and Steroids

What do I think of all of this congressional crap?

Well, I can see it. Major League Baseball thinks that they can just fine players' pocket change and suspend them for a short while. I think it was about time Congress stepped in.

I know a long time ago, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that MLB is not a monopoly and they can govern themselves. For years, they could. I think the tide turned with the advent of free agency in the 1970's and that led to money-hungry owners and players, which led to the whole Pete Rose-thing and the strike of '94.

I just cannot figure out how MLB was so blind to the use of performance enhancing substances. They cracked down so hard on cocaine use in the late '80's that they totally forgot about steroids. They should have perked up especially in 1988 when Ben Johnson of Canada was stripped of his gold medal in the 100 meter dash after he tested positive for steroids.

Now with Jose Canseco's book on bookstands, Congress has finally stepped in and basically taken control of MLB's steroid use policy. People say that Congress should not be involved. I say they should in one case-in-point: they are our representives. Not only they are politicians, they are fans and they represent us at Capitol Hill. MLB is not the players' league, it's the for the fan.

The testimony given by players like Mark McGwire, Curt Schilling, Sammy Sosa, and Raphael Palmeiro was ... eh, truthful? After McGwire's statement, everybody could see right through the guy. What did he constantly say on the stand: "I'm not going to discuss my past or implicate any other players." ... ??? McGwire pleaded the 5th Amendment. It's his right, but it basically implicates himself of some wrong-doing earlier in his career.

I cannot help to think that some of his injuries in his career are due to steroid use. A person can get so strong but there is always going to be a breaking point where a body just can no longer take the abuse. Steroids accelerates that and that's proven.

McGwire, if he has taken steroids, didn't need 'em! Look back at 1987, his first full year in majors with the Oakland A's. He hit a rookie-record 49 home runs -- and he looked like a twig! Now look at Sammy Sosa. For a few years, he toiled with the Chicago White Sox and the Texas Rangers, then all of a sudden -- BOOM. He's huge and swinging the big lumber with the Chicago Cubs. Hmm....

Now look at Palmeiro. I don't believe his a 'roid user. He's just got a natural, beautiful swing that produces home runs. He's been so consistent over the years that it's unbelievable.

What they should have done was subpeona Barry Bonds. It would have been interesting to get his input on the whole deal to Congress instead of lashing out at the press eariler in the month. Now reports are coming in that Bonds did use steroids, not that "cream" he applied to his joints.

For crying out loud!!!

MVP Baseball 2005

I have not decided whether or not I should pick this game up yet for the PS2. I never really did finish my season on 2004.

But the added in all-new Owners Mode sounds pretty sweet! Again, nothing compares to RBI Baseball!

Spring Break

I'll tell ya, my spring break this year is tons o' fun!

Actually, I'm not really going anywhere. For the many, many years that I have spent in college, I have not ONCE left the country (or state) for a warmer climate. Canada -- as close as it is -- never even bothered going, although Winnipeg is a popular spot for the under-agers.

On Tuesday night, I got my first-hand experience of parent-teacher conferences. I actually got to sit on the OTHER SIDE of the table and tell a few parents how their kids were doing. It was disheartening at times when we had long periods of silence -- meaning that parents were actually few and rare that night. For the five hours that I sat there, I only talked to eleven sets of parents. I guess computers really isn't that important, compared to English class or math.

But before that, I had an all-day seminar on campus regarding our up-coming Praxis exam on April 16 and getting together our creditential file in case if we want to start applying for jobs this spring. Lucky for me, I've already signed up on a South Dakota teacher's database that will send me job openings that fit my field of expertise. Just today, I received nearly 10 job openings. The closest -- Arlington. New school, only 15 miles away from where I live now -- I just might have to send them an application!

Other than that, I'm just sitting around, playing some Gran Turismo 4 (I'm up to 33% complete) and going to work to make some bucks. I'm trying hard to put in more hours at work and that probably means that I'll have to work some Saturdays.

If I Ever...

...had a "sports" web site that reported on anything that WILL NOT appear on SportsCenter, this would be it ("homina, homina, homina!").

Where Did The Time Go?

March 11.

In three short months, I will be married.

Cold feet? Nah.

Under-prepared? Oh, yeah!

Josh tells me that it'll get a little more hectic within a couple of months, so I guess I have until April 11 to ATTEMPT to get something organized. But according to Katie, I just have to show up!

Seriously, I have been getting on Katie's case a little bit about getting things together, like invitations, and she's been stepping up. Things will fall into place, so I'm not really worried about it, yet!

Driving in South Dakota

I get a kick out of this.

Being raised in Minnesota and learning how to drive in that state, a person becomes observant of watching other drivers as they pass you on the highway. One of the most common things a driver sees is a gesture -- not obscene -- but a simple lift of a finger from the steering wheel to say "hello" to the passing driver. This is most common among farmers and other rural folk in Minnesota.

On the other hand, driving through South Dakota is something different. As I would pass cars on the highway, I would do the "finger-hello" to other South Dakotan drivers as they would pass by. Absolutely no response in return. Soon, it become a mission of mine to keep doing that to passing drivers to see if I could get a response.

On our trips to Sioux Falls or Brookings to get some shopping done, I would constantly do this. At the same time, I would drive Katie crazy. If there were two, three, or even four cars in a row, I would flip my finger two, three, and even four times in a row. Most of the time, no response.

Lately, it has become a lost art of mine to display my "finger-hello" in South Dakota. In Minnesota, it still is in full-use as I cross the border.

The reason as I bring this post up is that lately on my trips to Chester, every morning I notice this woman who passes me does the full "hand-wave." Maybe this woman knows me somehow -- but then one day she did her "multi-wave" to a series of cars. Okay, she doesn't know me -- she's just overly friendly!

So next time, when you pass somebody on the highway, give 'em the ol' Minnesota "finger-wave" and see what they'll do!

I Wish I Was Getting Paid

...because, it would be nice!

Three days this week, I've basically ran the computer classroom all to my lonely self. That's the way I love it -- I have all of the control and the kids actually do what I tell them to do (with the exception of the freshmen). My cooperating teacher has been gone for training, so I've been a free substitute for the school district while he's away.

Sure, I would be nice to be paid substitute wages, but I'm doing this for a grade for college. All I'm saying is that it would be nice, but it's understandable.

Still Sick

I'm still fighting a nagging cough for the past week, while Katie is still struggling with her sickness. She's been keeping me up most nights with her cough, although she's literally drowning in cough syrup and drops.

And man, my right knee aches to all-get-out.

Sucks getting old.

Gran Turismo 4 Update

I'm up to 22.5% complete. I just finished all of the American events and will probably do the Gran Turismo Championship (professional-level, 10-race event) tonight.

I'm simply in love with this game. It may get a little boring after a while, but the fact that they keep on giving more and more cars to tinker around with -- how can you get bored with 650 cars to choose from?

I won myself a Chevy Camaro race car. I top-speeded that thing out at 220 mph. I kind of helps when I'm packing 900 horsepower, thanks in due to a Level 4 turbo booster.

Rarr!

Lowered the Boom

I finally let loose on my seventh hour students yesterday. I gave them the ol' "Tony-kick-ass" smack-down and put them in their place.

These kids were completely off the wall.

"Hey," I said. "Do your projects."

"No," they replied.

After the bomb was dropped, it was quickly known throughout school that "Gee, Tony's not such a nice, cool guy after all. He yelled at us!"

But damn, was I pissed. I thought that these kids were pretty good. They continuely defied me yesterday after numerous requests to find something constructive to do. They have a unit test on Thursday (tomorrow) and I just have this gut-feeling that they will not do any good at it at all. Today, absolutely no computers -- just books and review.

I even woke up this morning all pissed off. Absolutely no respect. Unbelievable.

I even got on their case (to the boys) about wiping their snot on the walls in the bathroom. If they're going to show that kind of maturity, they might as well eat the damn things.

Wooo, Boy

Hehe, Katie got sick.

I gave her my nasty illness that I had been suffering from last week and she TOTALLY hates me for it. The doctors were surprised that it wasn't influenza -- they did not know exactly what it was. So, Bone, hopefully you didn't get what I had!

I'm back on my feet again, although I occassionally cough from time to time. Katie, on the other hand, kept me up all night last night because of her nagging cough and her attempts to get rid of some of that nasty build-up of "boogers" in her throat and lungs.

It helped a lot that the weather was so nice last weekend. We actually opened all of the windown in our house for the first time since last fall and aired out everything. Katie's spirits were up to the point that we actually did some cleaning.

The weekend was a boring one, to say the least. We just took it easy -- I drove some more on Gran Turismo 4 -- up to 20% complete.

Simply Beautiful -- Gran Turismo 4

I picked this game up last weekend in Brookings. I've been looking for this for almost a month now.

The opening scene to the game kicks ass. It's what racing is made to be.

What really impresses me is that if you have GT3 on the same memory card, you can transfer over some of your basic licenses and some cash. My old B and A licenses transferred over, along with 100,000 credits. My first vehicle -- a brand-spanking-new Dodge Ram pick-up truck ("does that thing have a HEMI?") Yes!

Since then, I probably have over 20 vehicles at my disposal. I have won most of them by completing the small blocks of races that the game presents in the different difficulty levels. My most-used vehicle? My 2002 Chevrolet Silverado SS Concept pick-up truck.

Along with my steering wheel (that I did pick up with GT3), I'm finally achieving the response that I need with the game and the wheel. With GT3, I really didn't get it. And I'm not prepared to go out and spend over $100 on the new wheel (with stick-shift) that GT4 was designed for.

There are a few surprises as well. For one, in the American vehicles stable, you can buy the ever-rare DeLorean, but you may know it as the "Back to the Future" car. I haven't picked this car up yet -- but I'm sure if I do hit 88 mph, I won't be sent "back in time."

Last night, I just picked up my International-B and -A licenses and completed another driving level on the Professional circuit. Before long, I'll be driving Daytona prototypes and rally cars!

One Long Week ... and it's only Thursday

I guess it all started on Sunday. My throat was feeling very scratchy. I thought nothing of it and went on.

Then Monday hit. Whoa ... talk about the bottom of the barrel. I was taken out by a major headache plus the sore throat. My eyes felt like they were about to burst out of my head. I managed to get along -- although I badly needed to go home to BED -- but I took the night off work to get some rest.

Tuesday -- Jason' funeral. Troy drove up from Mitchell and we drove (along with Katie) to Marshall to attend. Although we got there an hour early, the church was already packed. We had to sit in the basement and watch two television monitors (reception was terrible), so we made-do with what we had. My sickness worsened ("oh, hell," cried Tony), and instead of driving to the cemetary near Green Valley, we drove back to Madison. Again, I took another night off work to rest.

It was on Wednesday that I found out some of the details of the funeral. It was probably the biggest media event so far of the year. Cameras from television stations were set up everywhere, representing the Twin Cities and Sioux Falls. On the Argus Leader's front page was the picture of my old DSU friends (including Josh, Chris, Rick, and Steve) carrying Jason's flag-draped casket to the hearse. Teresa stood at the top of the stairs following close behind, flanked by Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and U.S. Senators Mark Dayton and Norm Coleman. A very emotional picture.

As far as my sickness goes, yesterday it got a little better, but today I'm almost there. I'm still a little stuffed up, my throat is a lot better and my headaches are gone. I've decided to work on Saturday to make up a few hours from missed work.

Eh...