The Peltgrande Blogger

Even Bret Michaels knows Sioux City rocks.....

2010-05-11T18:49:00.002-05:00

I haven't had much time or gumption to post lately, but this HAD to be shared!

2009 on the way out....

2009-12-25T04:00:00.001-06:00

2009...

I think it's definitely en vogue to pull together a end of the year post. Especially since I blog about every other month these days. As I start this post I am working overnight in the ER, Christmas Eve.

Right now we are in a blizzard. Should have 18 inches of snow by the end of the storm, and wind gusts outside 40mph. Visibility is near zero. The patients I have had that had to come in on this unfortunate night from outlying communities have been via ambulance. Each ambulance came with an entourage of a snowplow leading their way and a rescue truck behind them in case one got stuck. One of them did too.

What should I put in a grand end of the year post? So much to share. I want to rant about healthcare. I want to boast about The Hawkeyes. I have had some great music discoveries in 2009 that I would love to share. ER stories? Man, have I got your ER stories. This year in the ER in Sioux City I have had some doozies. Celebrity deaths captured headlines and Sammy Sosa turned white. So much to discuss.

Being 3AM now, I get off in 1 hour. Who has the damn time to blog all that? I will share some memories from 2009, the most important ones with my family. And I will give you my New Year's Resolution at the end...

Christmas 2009...

November, thanksgiving cooking with grandma...

October, Halloween and Olivia's 2nd birthday!....

Late Summer Baptism for Anna... June rings in our new home....
May finds The Brownells with a new family member...
Dad and Anna...
2009
How will I remember 2009?

I will remember 2009 well. We are very fortunate and I am very thankful for all the great things in our life recently. It is now Christmas morning, and I am wondering how I am going to get home in an hour...several nurses who got off earlier had to turn around and come back and sleep at the hospital! No way I'm not getting home to spend Christmas morning with my girls though, even if I get stuck and have to walk!

So I shall say farewell to you for now. My resolution to myself in front of those few of you that read this meager blog: I will crank it up a little in 2010. I know a couple of you check in from time to time and read up on my blathering. I am excited to make my 2009 MUSIC post. I had some great finds this year and will make a "Peltgrande's Top Ten Songs of 2009" post soon.

Hawkeyes vs Michigan State from the sidelines...

2009-10-31T00:20:00.000-05:00

Last weekend I got a great chance to go to East Lansing and see the Hawkeyes play the MSU Spartans. I have to say, I was more than a little worried heading in there.

We left from Sioux City at 1pm Saturday, stopped by and picked up some people in Iowa City on the way and then flew the rest of the way to Lansing, MI. After landing there, we geared up and went to a pre-game place called The Landshark for some food before the game. Among our entourage was former Hawkeyes John Derby and Jared DeVries. Tailgating with an NFL Defensive End to go root on the Hawkeyes made me feel even more pumped up than I already was.

Around 6pm, we started our way to the stadium. The MSU fans weren't too friendly, but nothing unexpected. We crossed a beautiful campus with trees changing every color as both dusk and gametime neared. Our final approach to the stadium we crossed the famed "Red Cedar River" and entered the grounds of Spartan Stadium.

I had a benefit of a sideline pass, and a great Canon lens borrowed from a friend. My photography skills and then posting the pics on a blog don't do justice to document the game, but I will share what I got. I still ended up with some pretty great pics, and the benefit of watching the whole game literally on the sideline with the players. And now that we all know the outcome, it's one of those games where someday I will reminisce...."I was there"....

The Spartan fans were ready to rock. Not just the jocks, but the Star Wars nerds like myself donned their war gear and showed up to watch The Spartans take on the Undefeated #6 Iowa Hawkeyes.
We started with the ball, (surprise!). The game started like many of our games so far this year, trading punches to the jaw. Holding our ground and weathering the initial rush of emotion from the crowd and home team environment.

To get the crowd pumped up on third downs they play a clip of Leonidas shouting, "SPARTANS! What is your profession?" The crowd responds with an emphatic "Haroo! Haroo! Haroo!" while thrusting their fists in the air as if they were carrying spears like in the movie.
Here's Sparty! Ok, I love Herky, but Sparty is pretty damn cool. He's been in some great commercials and is the first non-athlete to grace the cover of NCAA Football, (Wii edition, 2009). During half time Jon Thorburn and I went upstairs to get some hot chocolate and in a very surreal moment Sparty walked on to the elevator with us. I felt like I was in an ESPN commercial riding up to the Press Box with Sparty.
Adrian Clayborn and the defense showed up to play.

I went to the end zone for some pics for Brandon Wegher returning.

I really like this pic. Brandon Wegher waiting for and wanting the ball while 75,000 Spartan fans cheer against him.

Ummm, sadly this is where I would curl up in the fetal position.

D-Line chomping the bit to feast on some Spartan.

Hunter and Binns

I had to look this guy up. Next man in.

Ferentz and staff watching the D-Line hold MSU to a field goal.

More pics of the offense. I really like the last one just above with CL Rocker in focus. He gave us fits all night, and almost got away with a defensive holding that would have ended the game for The Hawks.

Ballard lays out Cousins just after the throw.

The Defense walking up to the line.....

....while Cousins gets ready to make a play. The stadium was rocking. Chants of "Go Green!...Go White!" back and forth every time a timeout was called or Iowa touched the ball. MSU drives....hook and ladder to Blair White? No! With 1:37 left in the game MSU takes the lead, 13-9 a few plays later with none other than Blair White catching a pass in the end zone.

Stanzi and Vandenburg discussing the play just before the drive down the field.

I grabbed this last pic before I put my camera away so I could just cheer on The Hawks the last few plays of the game. As you know, with goal-to-go, Iowa used every second and down, coverting the 4th down play to Marvin McNutt for the winning touchdown. We went nuts. The crowd went silent. An unbelievable moment. It may not have been the 1985 field goal, or Tate to Holloway, but it was certainly special. An ending every Hawkeye fan will remember for years to come, marking history as The University of Iowa Hawkeyes move to 8-0 for the first time. Ever.

A few more pics below I uploaded to share...with a couple from the end of the game celebration.

8-0

A happy Peltgrande after the game. It's great to be a Hawkeye!

Go Hawks!

ER doctor analyzes health reform debate

2009-10-23T12:24:00.004-05:00

Not this ER doctor, but another one, Dr. Rey. I read this and want other people to read it too, so I am sharing it. The first couple of paragraphs are key to me, describing the problem. The solution is debatable, but the need for a solution is real.

ER doctor analyzes health reform debate
Dr. Michael T. Rey • October 23, 2009 12:15 AM

This country needs radical reform to fix a health care system that currently encourages poor-quality medical care and costs too much. A universal single-payer system would put the focus back on patient care, where it belongs, and reduce costs.

In my 30 years as an emergency room physician, I have seen the quality of patient care plummet as a result of a lopsided reimbursement system. Family physicians and general internists cannot make a living providing basic health care unless they cram more patients into every hour, spending less time with each. Other doctors can make a very good living if they are “procedural specialists” (doctors who treat a few medical problems, in a limited anatomic area, and do so using a diagnostic or therapeutic tool).

This happens, in part, because billing codes favor “doing” over listening, talking and thinking, even when the “doing” has no proven medical benefit. An example is the “vertebroplasty” procedure that has proliferated recently, in which a physician injects glue into a patient's spine to bond vertebral compression fractures. A Mayo Clinic study published in the New England Journal of Medicine questioned whether vertebroplasty works, yet this lucrative procedure, performed by orthopedic subspecialists, attracts more and more doctors, while the number of general orthopedists, surgeons, internists, and family practitioners declines.

Third-party payers (health insurance companies, preferred provider organizations and HMOs) have tried to improve efficiency and increase profits by controlling the behavior of doctors and nurses, rather than by reducing paperwork and redundant documentation. Thus, under the current system, doctors focus on producing patient records that are designed less to document important clinical events or enhance patient care, and more to maximize revenue and reduce liability. Nurses spend less time at patient bedsides and more time at computer workstations. Medical conferences now allocate large blocks of time to coding and billing strategies.

Each insurance company has its own forms, fee schedules and documentation requirements, resulting in wasteful duplication of effort. Out of every health care dollar, a cut must go to the transcription service, the company that assigns billing codes and makes sure the physician's documentation supports the codes, and collection services. Hospitals hire less clinical staff (nurses and medical technicians) and more clerical staff (billing, coding, and insurance collections experts). Entire floors of hospitals are devoted to appeasing the administrative requirements of hundreds of third-party payers.Forcing doctors and nurses to focus more attention on record-keeping, coding and reimbursement does not promote good patient care, and is not cost-efficient. A single-payer, public plan would eliminate wasteful administrative requirements and ensure that economic factors unrelated to patient care no longer drive health care decisions. Physicians and nurses should do what they do best and continue putting the needs of the patient above shareholder and institutional interests. We can afford quality health care but only if we eliminate the middlemen.

The need for universal care is undisputed — our nation already acknowledges that no one should suffer pain, disability or death as a result of being unable to provide proof of ability to pay. The federal Emergency Medical Treatment And Labor , passed in 1986, requires all hospitals and ambulance services to provide care to anyone needing treatment.

Having acknowledged the principle that everyone is entitled to care, we should now fund that care. Like automobile insurance, health insurance must be required, available and affordable for everyone.

Some opponents of health care reform argue that taxpayers will have to pay too much for a single-payer public plan or see it as a “government takeover.” They forget that most health insurance is already government insurance. Medicare and Medicaid payments provide more than half of the average hospital's revenues. Few of those who heckle the president at town hall meetings will refuse Medicare insurance when they turn 65.Our nation can no longer afford to accept the propaganda of third-party payers, who claim that a free-market model is appropriate for health care. Their free-market model has resulted in a slow but unrelenting decline in the quality of medical care.

Dr. Michael T. Rey lives in Waynesville. He is a board-certified emergency physician and fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians. He has practiced in Western North Carolina for 27 years.

Enjoying Summer with The Girls

2009-10-01T01:33:00.001-05:00

Black River Killer

2009-09-16T18:53:00.002-05:00

Here's Blitzen Trapper's official video for Black River Killer. I love this song and was hoping they would make a video for it. I think the song alone paints a creepier picture than the video, but still worth a watch.

Tron, Legacy

2009-08-11T16:23:00.001-05:00

Can't decide if this looks great or terrible.

American Stonehenge: Monumental Instructions for the Post-Apocalypse

2009-07-08T08:41:00.003-05:00

American Stonehenge: Monumental Instructions for the Post-Apocalypse

Posted using ShareThis

The strangest monument in America looms over a barren knoll in northeastern Georgia. Five massive slabs of polished granite rise out of the earth in a star pattern. The rocks are each 16 feet tall, with four of them weighing more than 20 tons apiece. Together they support a 25,000-pound capstone. Approaching the edifice, it's hard not to think immediately of England's Stonehenge or possibly the ominous monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Built in 1980, these pale gray rocks are quietly awaiting the end of the world as we know it.

Called the Georgia Guidestones, the monument is a mystery—nobody knows exactly who commissioned it or why. The only clues to its origin are on a nearby plaque on the ground—which gives the dimensions and explains a series of intricate notches and holes that correspond to the movements of the sun and stars—and the "guides" themselves, directives carved into the rocks. These instructions appear in eight languages ranging from English to Swahili and reflect a peculiar New Age ideology. Some are vaguely eugenic (guide reproduction wisely—improving fitness and diversity); others prescribe standard-issue hippie mysticism (prize truth—beauty—love—seeking harmony with the infinite).

What's most widely agreed upon—based on the evidence available—is that the Guidestones are meant to instruct the dazed survivors of some impending apocalypse as they attempt to reconstitute civilization. Not everyone is comfortable with this notion. A few days before I visited, the stones had been splattered with polyurethane and spray-painted with graffiti, including slogans like "Death to the new world order." This defacement was the first serious act of vandalism in the Guidestones' history, but it was hardly the first objection to their existence. In fact, for more than three decades this uncanny structure in the heart of the Bible Belt has been generating responses that range from enchantment to horror. Supporters (notable among them Yoko Ono) have praised the messages as a stirring call to rational thinking, akin to Thomas Paine's The Age of Reason. Opponents have attacked them as the Ten Commandments of the Antichrist.

Whoever the anonymous architects of the Guidestones were, they knew what they were doing: The monument is a highly engineered structure that flawlessly tracks the sun. It also manages to engender endless fascination, thanks to a carefully orchestrated aura of mystery. And the stones have attracted plenty of devotees to defend against folks who would like them destroyed. Clearly, whoever had the monument placed here understood one thing very well: People prize what they don't understand at least as much as what they do.

The story of the Georgia Guidestones began on a Friday afternoon in June 1979, when an elegant gray-haired gentleman showed up in Elbert County, made his way to the offices of Elberton Granite Finishing, and introduced himself as Robert C. Christian. He claimed to represent "a small group of loyal Americans" who had been planning the installation of an unusually large and complex stone monument. Christian had come to Elberton—the county seat and the granite capital of the world—because he believed its quarries produced the finest stone on the planet.

Joe Fendley, Elberton Granite's president, nodded absently, distracted by the rush to complete his weekly payroll. But when Christian began to describe the monument he had in mind, Fendley stopped what he was doing. Not only was the man asking for stones larger than any that had been quarried in the county, he also wanted them cut, finished, and assembled into some kind of enormous astronomical instrument.

What in the world would it be for? Fendley asked. Christian explained that the structure he had in mind would serve as a compass, calendar, and clock. It would also need to be engraved with a set of guides written in eight of the world's major languages. And it had to be capable of withstanding the most catastrophic events, so that the shattered remnants of humanity would be able to use those guides to reestablish a better civilization than the one that was about to destroy itself...

--The rest of the article can be found on the link above to the full article in Wired mag. Really interesting story of how it came to be.

Recent Favorites I wanted to Share...

2009-06-13T02:51:00.004-05:00

"Zombie" Ants Controlled, Decapitated by Flies

In South America female phorid flies have developed a bizarre reproductive strategy: They hover over fire ants (pictured in a file photo), then inject their eggs into the ants with a needle-like appendage. The egg grows and the resulting larva generally migrates to the ant's head. The larva lives there for weeks--slurping up the brain and turning the ant into a "zombie," in some cases compelling the ant to march 55 yards (50 meters) away from its colony to avoid attack by other fire ants.Finally the baby fly decapitates its host and hatches, exiting through the ants head.

Fox steals more than 100 shoes
BERLIN (Reuters) - A fox has been unmasked as the mystery thief of more than 100 shoes in the small western German town of Foehren, authorities said Friday.
A forest worker stumbled upon shoes strewn near the fox's den and found a trove of footwear down the hole which had recently been stolen overnight from outside locals' front doors.
"There was everything from ladies' shoes to trainers," said a local police spokesman. "We've found between 110 and 120 so far. It seems a vixen stole them for her cubs to play with."
Although many were missing laces, the shoes were in good condition and their owners were delighted to reclaim them, he said, adding that no reprisals were planned against the culprit.

From Belly to Baby

2009-05-28T22:54:00.004-05:00

Day 1

Anna Claire, you just wouldn't flip the right direction, so you entered this world by Cesarean Section. I had seen plenty before, but never from the dad perspective. So many things were going through my head at this point. I thought this turned out to be a really great picture of the first few moments just before we met you.

Day 2

They plopped a little bow on your head today, just like they did with Olivia.
A peach from the start.

Day 3

This is our 3rd day with you, and while you sure look like Olivia, so far you seem much more content. Maybe you can sense we're more relaxed this time, not scared for dear life what we are going to do with a baby. Either way, a good start for all of us, and in less than a day we head home!

Welcome, Anna Claire Brownell

2009-05-26T20:43:00.003-05:00

Anna Claire Brownell

7 lbs 7 oz

May 26th, 2009 @9:09 am

K'naan and The Dreaded Swine Flu

2009-04-30T21:04:00.004-05:00

The media sure is having a feast on the Swine Flu, eh? I am guessing we'll consider this overblown in a month from now, but maybe I'm wrong. I'm just an ER doc, car wrecks and heart attacks, not epidemiology and infectious disease. For the record though, I am still more scared of an impending social breakdown, cats and dogs sleeping together, zombie attacks and everything else associated with the end of the world when you cross the streams.

On a side note, I still love you little porklets! I used to raise pigs and show them at the fair for 4-H.
More important than the swine flu is the new album I am addicted to:
K'naan, 'Troubador'
Growing up in Somalia, in a district named, "The Lake of Blood" during the Somali Civil War gave him more than a little ammo for his lyrics. If you like hip-hop at all, check this album out. If you want just a sample, download: "Wavin' Flag", "Take a Minute" and "America" (the last featuring Mos Def and Chali 2na from good 'ol Ozomatli!)

If you're too lazy to go check K'naan out, here's a completely different genre that is on my favorites right now- "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song", by the Fleet Foxes, covered by 2 girls who go by 'First Aid Kit'. Chad had this on his blog a while ago, but it's worthy enough to post again.

Wanna know where your healthcare dollars are going?... Just One of the ER Problems...

2009-04-02T10:46:00.002-05:00

We've been pretty busy lately at the Brownell Household, what with baby on the way, Olivia at 18 months and wild as ever and building the new house. Throw in my crazy work schedule, and it's hard to spend time with many of my hobbies, including reading your blogs and blogging on mine. I did want to share this story I just read though, and you can get a glimpse of one of the problems with our healthcare system...and why I'm so damn busy in the ER some days:

9 patients made nearly 2,700 ER visits in Texas

19 hours ago

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Just nine people accounted for nearly 2,700 of the emergency room visits in the Austin area during the past six years at a cost of $3 million to taxpayers and others, according to a report. The patients went to hospital emergency rooms 2,678 times from 2003 through 2008, said the report from the nonprofit Integrated Care Collaboration, a group of health care providers who care for low-income and uninsured patients.

"What we're really trying to do is find out who's using our emergency rooms ... and find solutions," said Ann Kitchen, executive director of the group, which presented the report last week to the Travis County Healthcare District board.

The average emergency room visit costs $1,000. Hospitals and taxpayers paid the bill through government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, Kitchen said.

Eight of the nine patients have drug abuse problems, seven were diagnosed with mental health issues and three were homeless. Five are women whose average age is 40, and four are men whose average age is 50, the report said, the Austin American-Statesman reported Wednesday.

"It's a pretty significant issue," said Dr. Christopher Ziebell, chief of the emergency department at University Medical Center at Brackenridge, which has the busiest ERs in the area.

Solutions include referring some frequent users to mental health programs or primary care doctors for future care, Ziebell said.

"They have a variety of complaints," he said. With mental illness, "a lot of anxiety manifests as chest pain."

Brynn's Baptism- our new Goddaughter

2009-02-22T12:52:00.000-06:00

Nicole and I with Brynn. She was a peach through the baptism. Slept for most of it.

OG got to run riot around the church afterwards. She kept trying to climb up in this fancy chair that looked like it was only meant for Jesus, The Pope and the local priest on a special occasion. I peeled her off it.

Does it look like I am having fun or what?

Same Sex Marriage and Sioux City City Council Schlubs

2009-02-03T22:15:00.008-06:00

Let me count thy ways I can describe the flavor of the Sioux City Council Decisions since I have been in Sioux City...
biased, illiberal, intolerant, narrow-minded, partial, prejudiced, sectarian, small-minded
Or you could go a little different direction...
abhorrent, abusive, annoying, biting, cutting, detestable, disagreeable, discourteous, distasteful, dreadful, embarrassing, evil, foul, ghastly, grisly, gross, hideous, horrible, insolent, invidious, irritating, nauseating, objectionable, obnoxious, odious, off-color, opprobrious, outrageous, repellent, reprehensible, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, rotten, rude, shocking, stinking, terrible, uncivil, unmannerly

Ok, so there are a few of those words I had never heard, (opprobrious? thaaank yoouuu thesaurus.com). But here is the gist:

This is a very conservative city. About a year ago I started to notice the circus that is the Sioux City Council when allegations were brought up about two council members, (Aaron Rochester and Brent Hoffman) allegedly promising to institute spoken prayer before council meetings in return for campaign funds. While there was and is no official proof of this, where there is smoke, there is often fire. The mayor, Mike Hobart spoke out and questioned whether Rochester and Hoffman had conflicts of interest on two issues -- on switching to a spoken prayer and continuing the downtown taxing district.

The council took out their stick and beat Hobart with it. It seems they really have never let up, at times questioning his place and role in the city publicly. Now, the council, led by the very conservative, (and by conservative I mean prejudiced and close-minded, not republican) Dave Ferris, Brent Hoffman and Aaron Rochester have just voted to publicly express "Sioux City's Opinion" about the definition of marriage. Wow, they continue to amaze me with how inclusive they are. A snippet is below, or the full story here.

SIOUX CITY -- The City Council majority will send a message to the Iowa Legislature that voters should decide how to define marriage.

Voting 3-2, the council Monday adopted a resolution supporting the legal definition of marriage as between one man and one woman, opposing efforts to redefine the institution as anything else and urging the Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot.

SIOUX CITY IS NOT WHITE BREAD

Here's the thing, when I moved to Sioux City, I was sort of expecting white bread Iowa. It's far from that. We have a big cultural potpourri that surprised me when I got here. There are Somalian and Laotian refugees here. There is a large Hispanic population here, along with many Native Americans, Whites and Blacks. I see many different people, with various cultural and religious differences that I take into consideration when treating them.

However, the 'ruling class' here seems to want to enforce their beliefs on everyone else. I think councilman Ferris, Hoffman and Rochester would edict that all attend a Christian Church and follow in a straight line behind them if given the power to do so. The problem is, we don't have to. I am Christian. But I believe my neighbor has the right not to be, and also not made to be felt bad for NOT being so.

Did you know that at one time the Sioux City Council voted against an ordinance that would have protected people of all sexual orientations from discrimination in housing, public accommodations, and in the work place?

As a straight white christian male professional, I feel pretty included and wanted in Siouxland. However, if I wasn't any of these I think I would feel very rejected in this city. Thumbs up to those who continue to stand up against these outrages, including our Mayor, who voted against this.

Goodbye 2008, thanks for These Finds...

2008-12-31T17:39:00.004-06:00

2008 had lots of interesting events, and I am sure you can find them all over, top ten's of everything. But there is only one place you can get Peltgrande's best music finds of 2008. Here they are, in no particular order:
BLITZEN TRAPPER

Download These:
"Furr" (title track)
"Dark River Killer"
-thanks to Chad Fields for introducing me to these mesmerizing and lyrical geniuses

FRUIT BATS

Download these for a delish taste of Fruit Bats:
"Union Blanket"
"When U Love Somebody"
Mouthfuls actually came out in 2005, I just ran across it a few months ago. They have actually had a hiatus as the main frontman, Eric Johnson, played with The Shins the last couple of years, but now The Fruit Bats are back touring.

DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE

Narrow Stairs is Death Cab's 2008 album, and is great, but if you haven't listened to them before start with Plans, also from 2005, which is even better. I just started listening to Death Cab this summer and fell in love quickly. Benjamin Gibbard, lead singer has a great voice and his lyrics keep you interested.
Download:
"I Will Follow You into The Dark"
"Carolina" (solo by Benjamin Gibbard)

VAMPIRE WEEKEND

A little uptempo from some of the above bands, which have been described as a mix of "suave sound that incorporates ska, New Wave and Afro-pop "...ok, I don't even know what Afro-pop is, but I like it. Download these:

"Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa", "Oxford Comma"

THE RACONTEURS

Consolers of The Lonely was one of my most listened to albums of 2008. I actually won it by calling into an XM radio station right when it came out. It's hard for me to even pick which songs to tell you to download. It's an album experience. But, if you need just a taste:

"Salute Your Solution", "Old Enough" and "The Switch and the Spur"

Here are a few other songs I recommend downloading:
He Doesn't Know Why by Fleet Foxes
Back in Your Head by Tegan and Sara
27 Jennifers by Mike Doughty
Ghost Town by Shiny Toy Guns
No Sex for Ben by The Rapture
Night Vision Binoculars by Wicked Man's Rest

NORAD Santa Tracking

2008-12-24T12:49:00.003-06:00

Recent Santa dropoffs shown above. NORAD's official position is that, yes, there is a Santa Claus. "Based on historical data and more than 50 years of NORAD tracking information, we believe that Santa Claus is alive and well in the hearts of children throughout the world," the agency said in a formal statement. Santa Claus was over Japan early Wednesday and heading south toward Guam, the Marshall Islands, New Guinea, and ultimately Australia.

12 Inches of Snow

2008-12-21T16:46:00.005-06:00

BLIZZARD! Ok, I think a little sensationalized by the weatherman, but we did have a foot of snow and lots of winds. Tonight the low is supposed to get to -18. Wind Chills even worse. Welcome back to Iowa Sam and Meredith.

I do love Christmas, and snow. We've been very busy at the Brownell household. Deer hunting in eastern iowa, lotsa working, christmas preparation and chasing Olivia.
Not much time for me and the 'ol blog right now, so I'll see you after Christmas. I really would like to share a couple posts I have in mind, including my favorites of everything of 2008.

My last thought I'll share is a reminder I had about a legendary rapper...

Thanks to mother nature, I was reminded of a mysterious part of junior high where I walked around like a zombie repeating a tune in my head for which I had no idea what the lyrics were...This was before the internet, at least for me and the internet. Tell me you don't remember, "Informer, blah blah blah, licky boom boom down."

Here's the real lyrics:
Informer, you no say daddy me snow me Ill go blame,
A licky boom boom down.

Glad you know, aren't you?

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Medical Terminology Concerto

2008-12-02T04:52:00.004-06:00

I found this video which explains a bit about the first 2 years of medical school, and how primarily it deals with learning a new language. It is presented in a nice concerto format, and will especially appeal to those in the medical field. If you're not, you might just be disgusted and offended. Unless you're Cullen. If you're not up for medical terminology, you can still be rewarded by visiting today by skipping down to watch the strangest musical compilation we have ever seen, an oldie but a goodie, Chocolate Rain by Tay Zonday.

1,000th Post!!!

2008-11-12T12:02:00.005-06:00

Ok, actually that is totally made up. I have no idea how many posts I have done, but it's nowhere near 1000. I have been lacking on posts the last month, although the Obama post was fun. So, what should I post about today?

Well, I could post about Obama and the win. Nah.

I could tell you all about how the Hawkeyes win in Iowa City over #3 Penn St was the best football game I've ever been to. Fantasmal win. Superific ending....

But I want to bring you to the most important thing I could blog about today. My friend, Cullen, remade a local meat store commercial. He thought it needed spicing up a bit, so he did. I would be doing you an injustice as a human and friend if I didn't immediately direct you to go there now and watch it. You can click on The Oak Lair over on the side bar, or just right here to go to the Post.

The Warrior King prepares for battle.
Ok, yes, I thought about making a crack about a Pantene Pro-V commercial here with this pic, but this guy is a stud and can wear his hair however he wants. Now, get over to the meat vid if you haven't already.

The Final Push- Obama for President

2008-10-31T12:01:00.018-05:00

For the most part, ok for the whole part, I lack the rhetoric and wit to write anything inspirational. But I wanted to share a couple of things I came across reading some articles these last few weeks.

I won't spend this time making fun of Palin. That's too easy, like shooting fish from a barrel. Or like chasing wolves with an airplane and gunning them down when they are too tired to run.

I am voting for Obama. I buy into his whole change thing. Sure, I have a few concerns, but I would with any candidate. I am not sure I want too much socialism injected into our country, though I point out McCain voted for the stupid bailout too. I don't think Obama is going to take away our hunting guns. Conversely, I don't think McCain could get Roe vs. Wade overturned. I think a lot of issues like that wash out for me. Here's the thing though, McCain is the same thing we've had. He is everything Washington stands for. Maverick? No.

Not too long ago I thought and told some of my friends that of the Republicans out there I thought McCain was one I really respected and could vote for. He seemed inspirational. He'd had it with dirty politics and negative campaigning. If we didn't stop our partisan bickering, he was going to turn this car around. Well, WHAT HAPPENED?

The last few months have brought about character assassination and political attacks like no other. If McCain had less time attacking Barack, I think he would have been better off. Remember the celeb ad? I loved this tidbit I read in GQ referencing it:

"As character assassination goes, the Celeb-ad was about as subtle as the old pretending-to-cough-while-actually-saying-the-word-asshole trick. But our real problem with it isn't the creepy subtext. It's that Britney and Paris are so politics-of-five-minutes-ago. McCain is fighting a firecrotch war in a topless-Miley Cyrus world. Like, whatevs."

Tell me fellow Wingnuts, why have you waited to release the story about how Obama likes to kick dogs and club baby seals?

One thing that comes up a lot is the tax issue. I don't really see how either candidate is going to not raise taxes to dig us out of this hole, but lets compare. McCain says Obama is going to raise taxes and spread the wealth like a socialist. Here's a great article in the New York Times this week, a study of the tax plans by an independent source, The Tax Policy Center. Below is the jist:

"Independent analyses of the presidential candidates’ tax proposals show that those who make less than $250,000 a year would not see their taxes raised under Senator Barack Obama’s plans. Further, Mr. Obama would generally cut taxes more than Senator John McCain would for households with incomes less than $100,000 a year. Mr. McCain would cut taxes generally on par with Mr. Obama for those making $100,000 to $250,000 a year, the analyses found, but those making $250,000 a year and above would typically pay less in taxes under Mr. McCain."

Ok, fewer than 3% of households make 250,000$. I just don't like the same old Republican ways of giving breaks to the rich. McCain wants to extend Bush's tax cuts for the rich. And big business? On paper their taxes may sound high, but loopholes often require them paying much less. (Here's where I like Ron Paul platform and flat taxes!)

I won't go on and rant and make this post any longer, I don't want you to tune out if you haven't already. But, I want to hear from you. I am calling a few of you out. Tyler, Terry, Mom, Dad, Tim, and a few others- What is McCain going to do for you? How is he going to be good for you? Bad for you? How is Obama going to be good and bad for you? I want to hear both sides, the good and bad or I'll have a hard time thinking you are being objective. I will post my good and bad for both in my comments too.

In the meantime, make sure you get out and vote. On Wednesday morning, I anticipate an Obama victory, but if not, it will be fun to watch McCain ride around on his Rascal. Just make sure someone tells Palin that he needs to have his adult diapers on before they have a tickle party to celebrate.

Seriously Cute

2008-10-26T15:44:00.002-05:00

Big Sioux City Weekend

2008-10-21T12:29:00.008-05:00

Saturday morning started out chilly. 36 degrees, here are Dr. Benzoni and I preparing to run the Sioux City Marathon. He has what I call real running genes. Different breed. He is 52 and can run me into the ground. His Marathon time was 3hrs and 20min, a 7:39 pace for 26.2 miles.

Forrest Gump. This guy has ran the marathon the last 3 years in full Forrest Gump gear. He registers as "Forrest Gump". No one has figured out who he is yet. There was an article in the paper about him. Oh, and he beat me too.

Coming into the finish line, I wanted to curl up and die for the last 6 miles, so I was feeling pretty good with 100yds to go.

Ahh, here I am crossing the finish line. Well, I finished. I ran the first half, (13.1 mi) in 1 hr 50 min, so I was on pace for a 3:40 marathon. Let's just say the second half got pretty painful. But, I toughed through it and finished. I am still paying 3 days later, hobbling around. But, did I mention I finished?

I came home after the run and found my Hawkeyes whupping up on the Badgers. Shonne Greene was a total stud, tearing off 217 yds, 4 TD's including a whirling dervish of a 34 yd TD run the got him nominated for the All America Player of the Week.

That night was Olivia's 1st birthday party. Her actual birthday is Oct 31st, on Halloween, so we want to take her trick or treating that night. She had a cake with her best pal Daisy on it. There are lots of other great pics to share, but I'll let Nicole put them up on Olivia's site. Check there in a day or so and they'll be there.

DAD'S VERY PROUD MOMENT
My daughter likes Vampires.
Ok, so last year I picked up this vampire Halloween decoration. A couple of weeks ago I got it out of storage and as soon as she saw it she picked it up and gave it a hug. I was sitting there laughing to myself with no one else around to appreciate it. (And really, only those out there who know who Count Strahd von Zarovich is would really understand my delight of Olivia hugging a Vampire.) Anyway, at the party Saturday, someone got out the vampire and all the kids were afraid of it, except one. While the other little kids cringed at the creepy little rubber Vampire, Olivia just grabbed it and gave it a hug in front of everyone. I'm not sure what this means, but I think it's because she was born on Halloween. And maybe something to do with the fog that Cory and I had to get rid of by shooting a shotgun over our shoulder while looking into a mirror.

Noah arrives for the Fields Fam, OG Visits the Pumpkin Farm

2008-09-27T21:55:00.008-05:00

Superchad the Dad. It was great to meet Noah.

OG was loving the pumpkin farm. Lots of pointing to do.

Family photo op.

We let Olivia sit in a pile of pumpkins. I wish a pile of pumpkins brought me that much joy so simply.

Jordy and OG went for a wagon ride.

They had a petting zoo too. This guy seemed like the leader. Also, with the long hair and nice horns all the girl goats want him.

They apparently love pumpkins. Convenient then, living at a pumpkin farm and all.

Olivia got to meet Noah. She didn't know quite what to think, but she liked sitting with Papa Chad.

For all of us Iowa Fans, here's the hard truth:

2008-09-20T21:30:00.000-05:00

Keeler: It's not Christensen's fault his coach has too much faith in him

By SEAN KEELER • REGISTER SPORTS COLUMNIST • September 20, 2008

Pittsburgh, Pa. — Let’s make one thing clear: This is not Jake Christensen’s fault. He is what he is. He’s short. He’s inconsistent. He’s inaccurate. The next pass he throws with any touch will be his first.

It’s not for lack of effort. Or toughness. Or heart. Christensen is a stand-up kid. He’s faced tough questions from the media. He’s been booed at home by his own fans. He’s taken it like a man.

But, by God, if he’s the quarterback that gives Iowa the best chance to win, I’m Brad Pitt.

“I just thought that Jake had more of a feel for what they were coming at us with defensively,” Hawkeye coach Kirk Ferentz said of Christensen after Iowa fell today at Pittsburgh 21-20. “And what we needed from our quarterback to win the game.”

Wait.

What?

“Just a feeling I had,” Ferentz continued.

No, this one wasn’t on Christensen. It’s on the coaching staff that kept trotting him out there, hoping to catch lightning in a bottle.

The Hawkeyes’ other quarterback, Ricky Stanzi, had completed 7-of-10 passes against the Panthers in the first half, including a 48-yard strike to tight end Tony Moeaki. Christensen in the first half? Two-of-six. Conventional wisdom says you ride the hot hand in the third quarter, right?

Not Ferentz.

He had a feeling.

Stanzi never played again.

Hey, if it works, you’re a genius. If it doesn’t, you lose to Dave Wannstedt. And you have to live with it for the rest of your life.

“This game could be a blessing or a curse for us,” said Christensen, who was sacked four times. “We can either get better or fold. I think everybody in our locker room thinks we’ll get better.”

They might. He won’t.

It’s time to turn the page on Christensen. Isn’t it? For his sake and yours. It’s time to cast your lot with Stanzi, the skinny sophomore from Ohio. It’s time for him to get his feet wet in the Big Ten Conference, to see what you’ve really got.

“Going with only Jake Christensen in the second half,” Ferentz explained, “was more of a gut thing than anything else.”

Don’t trust your gut, coach. Trust your eyes.

Yes, there will be roller-coaster moments. Stanzi forced some throws against Iowa State that nearly cost the Hawkeyes dearly. Yes, he’s prone to the occasional brain cramp. At the end of the second quarter, time running out, he completed an 8-yard pass to tight end Brandon Myers on third-and-9. That forced the Hawkeyes to punt the ball back to the hosts with 17 seconds left, and offensive coordinator Ken O’Keefe looked none too amused.

Still, sitting on the young man isn’t going to speed up his development. Is it? He’s not going to get any wiser standing on the sideline watching Christensen throw balls at his receivers’ ankles.

It was there. There for the taking. That’s what should gnaw at the Hawkeyes. Iowa had the ball three times in the last 9 minutes. When Pitt punts the ball to your 1-yard line with 2:19 left and no timeouts and all you need is a field goal to win, it shouldn’t smell like the game is over. It shouldn’t smell like 2007.

And yet it did. A short pass on first down, a sack on second down, a third-down fumble and good night, nurse.

Another 100-yard game by Shonn Greene, wasted. Another chance to make a statement on national television, to nab a marquee nonconference game on the road, gone.

Somewhere, an Insight Bowl scout is crying. Again.

He had a feeling.

So did you. Deja vu.

Iowa over ISU

2008-09-13T21:18:00.007-05:00

Today was the annual big game between Iowa and ISU. You probably know Iowa won, and W is all the counts in the end, but it was an interesting day. Mike Galles, Nicole and I met up with our old crew including Tate and Amy and had fun cheering on the Hawks in the rain.

Stanzi started, much to the fans delight. The pregame feel? Pumped. I think everyone expected us to run Shonn Greene, (above) about 35 times today. He did end up with his third straight 100 yd running game, but we let Stanzi throw the ball a lot.

STANZI TIME! Well, I hope this guy sold all his shirts before the game. Stanzi was benched by the end of the third quarter. I still think he will end up being the better of the two QB's, but he just wasn't ready today. Jake came in and led us to a 14 point lead and ultimately the win. Now, I think the fans were left with more questions about the QB position than answers.

Rain made things interesting, including the running game on the field. End result? Iowa wins, great day. I guess we'll learn more next week in Pittsburgh about this team.

As Tate said, Stanzi is The Manzi

2008-09-08T23:59:00.003-05:00

This is how I feel about Rick Stanzi. Just consider me the guy in the white shirt and suspenders dancing and professing my love for him.

The Press Citizen just reported he got the nod for the start on Saturday against ISU. Cyclones beware, Rick Stanzi, Shonn Greene and DJK are going to eat your D up.

You just got Ricky (Stanzi) Rolled.

Rove, O'Reilly and Other Conservative Liars

2008-09-07T23:41:00.003-05:00

Take 5 minutes and watch this video, it is well worth it. More examples of blatant lies from the likes of Rove, Bill O'Reilly and their conservative cohorts. Conservative might be the dirtiest word I know.

Tsk. Tsk. They're all liars. I think my favorite ticket for President after Obama/Biden would be Bill Maher/Jon Stewart.

Go Left.

SNOWBILLY MELTDOWN!!?!

2008-09-02T21:47:00.007-05:00

Barack Obama hit 50% in national polls for the first time today, with the McCain-Palin ticket down to 42%.
The InTrade futures market is now offering bets on Palin dropping out.
Other tidbits lingering, her supposed "Troopergate" and a connection to the AIP, an Alaskan Independence Party who wants to secede from the U.S. I think Alaska should be allowed to secede from the U.S. after they invade Canada and take it over.

I heard Fred speak tonight. I liked Fred better on Law & Order.

Also, I ran 17 miles tonight. Why? Because I can.

Weekend at Okoboji, Part 1

2008-08-24T06:32:00.014-05:00

The Fam took a little trip to Okoboji this weekend, and we are still up here for a couple more days. Olivia, Daisy, Nicole and I came up thursday. Jeremy, Gina and Jordy joined us friday. We have been taking in all 'Boji has to offer and having a blast. Yesterday we went to Arnolds Park and Olivia rode the merry-go-round. She had a grand time on that, lots of smiles hollers of glee.

WATER BABY! Friday afternoon we got in the indoor pool at the water park here at Bridges Bay. Olivia loved it. She cruised around in her little floatie turtle, splashed and couldn't get enough of it. She also swam the lazy river with us in her turtle and was smiling the whole way. Clearly got mom's genes for the water, as her dad is sort of a sea cow.

Joe Liewer let us use his boat for the weekend, (thanks Joe!), and so we went did some cruising on East and West Okoboji. Here's Jordy loving it.

The Sitzmann Family

Daisy loves the boat, as she always did in Iowa City, too. By the way, try getting a dog and an infant to look at the camera on a boat at the same time. Good luck.

Jordy and Daddy

It didn't take long for Olivia to be put to sleep on the boat. Loud white noise and rocking? She was cashed.

To end off Saturday night here's Jordy serenading us. Mainly she was rocking for her mom, which at 11pm after a long day Gina was really enjoying. We were ready to go to bed, Jordyn was ready to head down to Bracco's and party.

**Update**: Today I turned 30! Goodbye 20's, it was fun. Today I celebrated my thirtieth birthday by: 1. Running 15 miles this morning 2. Boating in Okoboji 3. Stuffing myself like a pig 4. Hanging out with Mom & Dad here in Okoboji 5. Going to stuff myself a little more before I go to bed.

The Real GenCon post

2008-08-21T15:23:00.008-05:00

This last weekend I went to GenCon in Indianapolis. Complete Nerdfest fun. Here are five of us that went, all friends from undergrad in Cedar Falls: Paul Gorecki, Cory Scanlan, Chad Delp, Michael Devin and I.

For those of you that don't know what GenCon is, it is a big gaming convention. Everything from D&D to Halo to Board Games. Many are played with a 20 sided dice, just a wee bit smaller than the one Chad is showcasing here.

Paul.

Here's Hans House, he joined us for a few gaming sessions. This was the Tower of Gygax, DM'd by Cory, and in honor of Gary Gygax, the creator of D&D who died this year.

This is the infamous COUGAR. Much different than the cougars Devin fancies in California, but equally open to trying new things. He was a bit creepy. I initially feigned fright and asked:

"Are you a bear?" ...His response, best put by Cory over on Scantabulous, was this:

The Cougar responded in a thick effeminate southern accent "Nawww, Ah'm a Cougar, can't ya tell from the looong taaail?""

I no longer had to feign my fear. A real furry.

GenCon, New Pics of Olivia and Stormtroopers.

2008-08-20T01:04:00.004-05:00

I have a couple of GREAT pics to share. Tate, you wanted a new post. Here it is. Better than you could have ever imagined. I made it special for all the devoted Peltgrande followers out there. Here it is: CLICK HERE!

Rustic Run and Mighty Mo 1/2 Marathon

2008-08-03T16:07:00.008-05:00

Here's Chad and I after the 23rd annual Rustic Run. I didn't have a great race, but it was a good day, finished 3rd in my age group and I beat Jeremy Dunlavey. Of course, he didn't run, so I had a pretty good shot to start with. Chad nailed 2nd in his age group, hence the green mug prize.

My first meeting of Maura Kay. She's a peach. So is Cullen.

Last weekend I decided to run the 17th Annual Mighty Mo' 1/2 Marathon. It was in South Sioux City, Nebraska. Pretty flat course, and AllSport was there with chip timing which was nice. I kept a pretty decent pace, and finished with a 1hr 45min 13.1 mile run time. It got me 3rd in my age group and hopeful to break the 3hr 45min 26.2 mile time mark this fall.

I called Mike friday afternoon after registering him for the 8K and told him he was running. He was glad he did. He set a PR for the 5K (at the 5K mark) and finished the 8K in 38 minutes. Good for 2nd in his age group, nice work!

In completely unrelated news, George Noory spoke with SkyCar creators at 4 am this morning on my way home from work. The M400 goes around 200mph at economical speeds and can hover and take off straight up. Moller, the company that produces them also has a M200 model which they plan to have released with at least 40 available in 2009.

Paris, Britney and Obama? Really? McCain, REALLY?

2008-08-01T00:00:00.004-05:00

Ok, somehow I don't think Obama is quite in the same celebrity ballpark, or universe for that matter, as Britney and Paris. (Fun Fact: Hiltons donated to McCain. What does Paris' daddy think of that commercial?) Obama, celebrity? Sure, I guess. But a little different celebrity than Paris and Britney. And McCain, why did you pick two white girls to compare him to? What about Ashanti or Lil' Kim?

I have a hard time understanding how there is even a presidential race at this point.

As if I wasn't already excited about GENCON. The Catwoman is a Libertarian!

18th Iowa Football player in 15 months arrested. Yikes.

2008-07-23T05:10:00.005-05:00

Another Iowa Football Player Arrested. Suprised? Not Anymore.

It just keeps happening. 18 players since April of last year, or 18 in 15 months. Are you kidding me? Most of them scholarship players too.

Just in case you missed these, here is the brilliant Anthony Bowman and Dominique Douglas posting some pics of themselves online after some thefts. GUINESS COMMERCIAL VOICE: BRILLIANT!

What? We just getting our Goose on in the IC. Hellz yeah.

I am really disheartened with the program the last 2 years. Not sure what the problem is, and I don't have any suggestions to what could be done. All I know is that these continued social/off field problems are destructive to the program that we love.

In other news, summer is going fast. I haven't posted in a couple weeks without even realizing it. A lot has been going on. Olivia is crawling, waving bye and pointing. Working a ton. Did the Rustic Run with Chad. I need to get my pics loaded from my camera, and I will get some of the good ol Rustic Run up on here soon enough....

Summer in Full Swing in Sioux City

2008-07-05T23:34:00.010-05:00

Olivia is 8 months old now. Sitting well, pulling up to stand, crawling all around...

...and pretty adorable too.

Mike and I did the Missouri River Runners 5K today. It was a pretty fun race. Flat, fast and it rained on us the whole race. I kept a 6:45 pace for the run which I was pretty happy with. It got me 2nd in my age group, and Mike finished 1st in his. (I make sure to point out to Mike who was in the 30-35 group and all you other old farts that I still fall in the 20-somethings age bracket. Ok, so maybe for only 2 more months, but still...)

We met up with a couple of other guys we know who did the run too, Jeremy VandeZande and Brian Soenen, a UNI alum, (who happens to be the one and only Tony Cooper's cousin). They entered the Pump 'n' Run side of the race where you get time taken off for benching a certain amount.

Last but not least, Jeremy and I took a kayak trip down the Big Sioux near where it flows into the Missouri River.

It was a good day for kayaking.

The 500 Mile Club

2008-07-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

500

I know Nike is kind of like the Starbucks of the sporting world, but I love 'em. I get to keep track of all my runs and get little electronic 'trophies' for certain goals and milestones. Actually a pretty good motivator for someone like me. SO, I probably got sand kicked in my face in 2nd grade, developed a little insecurity and now I need Nike to tell me how awesome I am. Well, it works, I've logged 500 miles running since moving to Sioux City and am still running baby.

Our Other Roommate

2008-06-22T00:54:00.001-05:00

Meet our other roommate. For those of you who know me well, you know what this was like for me. I wanted to curl up in the fetal position like I was suddenly overcome with dragonfear, but I held my ground and slayed the beast. (5 ft away with spider death spray.)

I photographed him primarily because I hate spiders, (and want to sleep at night), so much that identifying every spider I find in my house has become routine. This is a fisher spider. Not poisonous, but large and evil. Let this be my official warning to all you spiders: You show up at my house, you will suffer the consequences...

Flooding Peaks

2008-06-16T09:46:00.010-05:00

More Flood Photos

In case you haven't seen some, I wanted to post what it was like in Iowa City this weekend. We still had a great time. (See Here), but it was sad to see what people are going through all over Eastern Iowa.

Got some aerial photos from the Press Citizen. This is the spillway and dam, normally just a trickle below the dam.

One of many historic things destroyed, sadly the Sutliff Bridge was one.

Houses down by city park.

Taco Bell, well I just wouldn't eat there in Coralville ever again no matter how much they clean.

The Coralville strip under water.

The picture above is water from the spillway, washing down where it has only been once before.

Here's an aerial photo of the spillway flow. Note, normally NO water is flowing right there.

Just North of Iowa City along 380.

Flood 2008, June 13th

2008-06-13T21:56:00.001-05:00

Iowa City Flood

Just going to share pics from today in IC. It really is pretty bad here, and worse in CR and other communities. The water is going to keep rising for a few days in IC, and is already over the record set in 1993. They are calling it a 500yr Flood. I don't think anybody recorded floods that long ago, but maybe I am wrong.

Just below the Burlington Bridge

Sandbagging by the river to keep water out of the UI Library.

Water is almost lapping up against the Burlington St bridge in IC. Any higher and they may have to close it off, making travel between east and west IC even harder.

Sandbags ready for the rise to keep water out of the Lindquist Center.

Nicole, OG and I still managed to have a good time. We filled ourselves well at the Atlas.

While I had the locally famous Buffalo Chicken World Burrito with Blue Cheese, Olivia had stinky formula.

Billy the Insane Duck

2008-06-12T00:49:00.004-05:00

I think Cory Scanlan might be right. Oil and gas skyrocketing, never before seen flooding, record tornados, cats and dogs sleeping together: the point is get your survival plans ready. Anyway, with all the disheartening things going on, I wanted to share a simple laugh with the duck next door....
BILLY, The Duck
Ok, so I was mistaken. I thought ducks were simple, water loving herbivores who like to have a little bread now and then. Turns out they are at least omnivores, and we have a duck next door who also slays rabbits. I want to give you a little history of Billy, The Duck.

Billy was brought home by our neighbors son as part of a class project. He agreed to let his son, Sam, keep the duckling figuring the thing would die before the end of the schoolyear. That was 13 years ago. Billy still lives next door here in Sioux City, roams the neighborhood in search of grubs and generally seems like a peaceful duck. Until rabbits in our neighborhood started disappearing.

After slaying the timid creature, Billy feasted on the fruit of his labors. I was getting a little too close taping, and either it just plain 'ol torqued him off, or I smelled good enough to eat too, and he tried to attack me. See Below-

I lived and Billy went right back over to the rabbit and began where he left off.

Billy, you rock.

Hawkeye Football 2008: Guest Post by Scott Murray

2008-05-30T02:57:00.019-05:00

COMING SOON: 2008 Hawkeye Football

Ok, here is Scott Murray with an excellent in depth guest post on the outlook of Hawkeye Football 2008. I took the privilege of adding some photos from spring practice with my own captions and opinions.

After a disappointing 6-6 2007 season, Hawk fans are looking forward to the future. We are loosing starters at the middle and weak side linebackers with the departure of Klinkenborg and Humpal, defensive ends of Iwebema and Mattison, cornerbacks of Godfrey and Shada, full back Bush, and running backs Young and Sims. Are we going to be any better this year?

Offense Jake is seen here getting ready to lay another big egg. Jake, don't push!
What was the cause of the anemic offense? Travis would have us believe the blame solely rests on the head of Christiansen. I think JC may be the future savior of this program for the next two years, but maybe not. I believe the blame last year can be spread over several areas. At the beginning of the year we lost several receivers before and in the early season leading to back ups who likely hadn’t had many reps starting. It’s OK to have an occasional receiver step in, but to completely replace the crew with new players, is asking for mistimed routes, miscommunication, and variable game play. As well, there was definitely inconsistent line play with JC being one of the most sacked QB’s in the country (arguably because he doesn’t know how to either scramble or throw the ball away). But, I would have to argue that poor pass protection and receive mistakes may be part of the blame. Most of the key pass offensive players are returning, and I see this being vastly improved from last year.

Receivers

The receiving corps is full of brand names like Don Nordmann, and Kyle Steinbrecher, (seen above).
At tight end, this year, we have Moeaki (a likely key to our offense, with soft hands for short passes) will return as well as qualified back ups in Meyers and Reisner. We will have Brodell, Stross, DJK, Sandeman (aka sandman), and Cheney back from last year. Quite inconsistent last year, but I expect improvement for this year. Even though we have had remarkable attrition at the WR position, we still have a fair amount of depth. Incoming recruiting class includes Shane Prater, and a likely position change of David Blackwell to WR from QB (who received a scholarship from LSU), there as well is some talk that Demarco Paine may play both ways. With the arrival of coach Campbell, I can easily see this going from a weakness to a position of strength. As well, there are strong leans for Jordan Cotton and Keenan Davis (Iowan) as well as strong interest from many highly recruited WR in the nation.

Running Backs
Paki, get used to this.
I’m hoping for the elimination of the full back position, but that may not come quite yet. I see a need for the full back in our play action passing schemes with a small running back or a poor blocking running back. With a RB like Greene in the backfield, a FB is just an excuse for the defense to put 8 in the box. At the outset, the RB position looks to be concerning with only 3 new recruits coming in. However, with Greene returning as well, I foresee little if any drop off from last year. Last year, I blame much of the trouble running the ball with the offensive line, not with the running back. In general, I think you can have a very average running back and have a very good running attack with a strong offensive line. The incoming recruits will likely have some roll in a combined effort at running back. Nathan Guillory, junior college transfer, on first glance doesn’t look like a prototypical Big Ten running back, looks a little small and not as fast as advertised-think of a slower version of Fred Russell. Jeff Brinson carried a scholarship offer from Florida, but chose to go to Iowa, likely for early playing time. As well, Jewel Hampton was highly recruited out of high school.

Quarterback

As the Hawkeyes go, so goes the favor of the quarterback position. If the offense is doing well, the quarterback is praised, and if not so well, the first to blame. No matter what Ferentz says, I would be shocked to see anyone but Christiansen start at quarterback. But, to be fair, Stanzi looked about equal on my observation at the spring game, and does throw a nice ball. Right now, I would say it is Christiansen’s position to loose. Everyone talks how we don’t get any “star” power at Iowa. Christiansen was the #2 dual threat quarterback in the country as a senior recruit, received “Mr. Accuracy” at the elite 11 competition. No one would guess that after witnessing last year. I think if Jake gets some unpressured time in the pocket we will see great improvement, or at least some accurate throws to the sidelines. If not, I wouldn’t be shocked to see Stanzi step in. McNutt, likely the next in line, is behind these two by a fair amount. It will be interesting to see what happens with Vandenburg (most prolific Iowa passer, among the records Vandenberg set are: most yards passing in a season (3,729), most TD passes in a season (49), most yards in a career (7,677) and most TD passes in a career (93). However, the likely jewel of the quarterback recruits is John Wienke, who turned down an offer from Michigan to go to Iowa after the Lloyd Carr departure.
(Peltgrande editor note: I heart Marvin McNutt)

Offensive Line
With everyone back, I can’t help but believe in improvement. It would be a miracle to see Dace Richardson back, but would be fortuitous. Before an injury last fall, Bruggeman was pushing for a starting position and now is again pushing Eubanks. About the only spot that is set in stone is Seth Olson. Otherwise, there are several players vying for each of the other positions. This competition should spurn better play. There are several incoming Freshmen, but I would be shocked if any played a role this year. As well, we do have a commit from a 4 star OL from Des Moines in David Barrent, boding well for the future.

Defense

I see new names, but in most positions stronger players replacing the graduating seniors. We had a strong defense through much of the year, but often it seemed as though extended guest time of possession led to a fatigued defense, and subsequent mistakes. With improvement on offense I would foresee improvement on defense for this reason alone. The more 3 and outs the offense puts up, the more the defense is going to struggle.

Defensive Line
With the departure of senior ends, Iwebema and Mattison, I feel we will see improvement with Ballard and Clayborn more than replacing their productivity. They play with purpose and are unrelenting in quarterback pressure, as was often witnessed with their 3rd down replacements during the latter half of the year. What can you say about King and Kroul. They will be sorely missed after next year. They have been the backbone of the defense in the recent past, and were actually held out of the “spring game” because they were solidified in their role as starters. I wouldn’t be too surprised to see King move to DE and Clayborn move back inside to DT. Reportedly, Hundertmark, Geary, Daniels, and Klug have been making strides this spring. But, have played so little, it is difficult to assess. Hopefully they will get some playing time this year, so they are ready to go next year. As with the offensive line, there are some good recruits coming in, but will likely not play much role this year. Of note, Bigash from Ohio did receive strong interest and a reported offer from OSU, which he reportedly ignored to come to Iowa.

Linebacker
Klinkenborg and Humpal are gone, we will see a more explosive middle linebacker in Jacody Coleman and little drop off in the WILL position with Tarpanian and Hunter still fighting it out. AJ Edds will continue to be solid at outside, and has looked a little like Greenway with his excellent pass coverage. Coleman brings passion to the game, and hopefully it will be transmitted to the rest of the defense as he is in the “quarterback” position of the defense. There are some exciting players waiting behind these, who will hopefully get some experience on special teams.

Defensive backs
Fletcher and Greenwood return with significant playing time, otherwise, much of the two deeps are young. There is more speed in the d-backs than we have had in recent memory, but as well, there is more inexperience than in recent memory. It should be exciting to see Des Moines native Jordan Bernstine play at corner. As well, it will be nice to have Amari Spievy return from a one year banishment in JUCOland to boost the d backs. This year we have a deluge of d backs recruits incoming including Castillo, Cato, Lowe, Paine, Shaun Prater, and Jack Swanson. Some may be moved to other positions.

Special Teams
Here is Don Nordmann, (who HASN'T heard of him?) warming up for special teams. And, I mean really really SPECIAL teams.
Donahue will show us this year, as he did toward the end of last year, why Ferentz gave up a scholarship on a punter. Hopefully the new recruit, Trent Mossbrucker will step in and start kicking for us. Murray and Signor continued to struggle thru spring practice, and the competition for kicking will likely go on until the Friday before the first game. I hope with all the young players available that we will see special team to start to become special again, with punt and field goals blocked. DJK should be exciting on kick returns.

Predictions We continue to have Michigan and OSU off our schedule, and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Although, I would expect to see Michigan flounder this year with a new spread offensive coach. All of our difficult games are played at home and our easy games are on the road, aside from an early challenge in Pitt. Not that we aren’t prone to losing games to easy competition at home, i.e. Indiana last year, I think we will see a stronger finish this year and wouldn’t be surprised to go anywhere from 8-4 to 10-2 with a Florida bowl being likely. As last year proved though, never underestimate underachieving.

Chance of winning

Maine 99.9%
Florida International 99.896%
Iowa State 95%
At Pitt 42%
Northwestern 94%
At MSU 82%
At Indiana 87%
Wisconsin 72%
At Illinois 84%
Penn State 67%
Purdue 91%
At Minnesota 93%

If anyone wins any money off of these picks I expect at least 60%.

Final Pelt Editor Note: Scott's analysis is excellent, thank you! Much better and in depth knowledge of football than I could ever hope to provide. I do want to point out though, I think the final win-loss outlook is a little rosier than what I expect, but I hope he's right.

Visit to Wyoming

2008-05-22T20:02:00.019-05:00

Olivia, Nicole and Daisy and I made it back to Eastern Iowa for the weekend. Good to be back to the farm. This was a shot on a beautiful day from behind mom and dad's house.

This photo is special for a couple of reasons. This was the first time Olivia and her great-grandparents had met. A 4 generation shot.

Olivia with her Great Grandma Baldwin

OGB and Great Grandma and Grampa Baldwin

Here's OG checking great gramps out for the first time.

Daisy also got to meet her first kitten. Curious but cautiously she sniffed the little guy over good.

Daisy and Charlie, Terry's dog chillin' in the front lawn.

Mom dug out my old walker, and OG gave it a try.

I think Lindsay is one of Daisy's favorites. When they stayed with us, Daisy was Lindsay's shadow.

Mom found out how OG loves to bounce now. Lots of bouncin. And bouncin. And bouncin.

Tyler got back from his UAV schooling in Arizona, and so on our way home we got a quick stop in Waterloo for Olivia and Tyler's first meeting as well. This is the first time we have had a chance to see Tyler since he left for Arizona last fall. He now has his wings and can fly drone planes! I will get some pics coming up of his graduation, it was pretty cool.

TIMMAY!

Public Notice: Tim Rushford has agreed to run the Rustic Run on July 18th, 2008.

I have a new camera, and under Tony Cooper's guidance am attempting to beef up my photography skills. Here I got artsy with a close up of a bee.

Terry and Lindsay Visit

2008-05-11T17:19:00.002-05:00

Terry and Olivia trying out the computer together.

Lindsay had fun getting OGB dressed a couple of times.

Diz made a couple of trips with us out and about. We went fishing at Scott Murray's pond and she had fun with us on the boat, but not as much fun as running hot laps with their black lab Buddy afterward.

It was a good time had by all.

SIOUXperman Sprint Triathalon

2008-05-05T06:42:00.007-05:00

I survived my first sprint triathalon. Joe Liewer and I headed up to Sioux Center Saturday morning, with temps in the 30's. A little chilly, but got nicer as the morning went on. It was a total blast, and left me wanting to do more. We swam 300 meters, then biked 15.6 miles, (25K) and then ran 3.1 miles, (5K). My swim was better than I expected, and my run went great, but I got destroyed on the bike. I was pretty ignorant of how this all goes down, so having Joe there who had done some before helped. We had a big indoor transition area where you put your bike and gear that you change into from swim to bike and bike to run. They also take a big permanent black marker and write your race number on both legs and arms, which I thought was strange, but sort of a badge of honor.

Pre race pose.
I finished in 101st place out of 236 individuals, (there were about 300 total, but some were teams.) I was pretty happy with that with it being my first, though I think I can make up a lot of time on the bike. It's monday morning now, and I am still moving a little slow, but it's a good hurt. Back on the bike tomorrow, I have to pedal a lot more hours before I catch up to Joe on the bike.
Biking action photo.

Flight of the Conchords

2008-05-03T06:46:00.002-05:00

Well, I am off to swim/bike/run a mini tri this morning. It sounds downright horrific in this 40 degree/30 degree wind chill weather. Anyway, I started my morning off with a smile watching a Flight of the Conchords video. These guys, who Mike Schwemm turned me on to, are fantastic.

Rant: Frosted Mini Wheats

2008-04-27T23:45:00.006-05:00

I love Mini Wheats. Or rather, Mini-SPOONERS. Mini Spooners are the Malt-O-Meal companies version of Kellog's Mini-Wheats. I normally buy the Mini-Spooners, but the other day I grabbed a box of Mini-Wheats. Here is my analysis:

Point 1:

Mini-spooners come in a resealable bag. No box.

vs.

Mini-Wheats come in a box, then with inner packaging in plastic.
After wanting to tear my eyes out trying to open the damn inner plastic on the Mini-wheats, which results in a large tear and Mini-Wheats flying across the kitchen with me grunting bench press type efforts, I swore off all Kellog's cereal. Besides REALLY pissing me off, I realized what a waste it is for Kellog to do the redundant packaging.

Point 2:

Mini-spooners actually taste a little better, IMHO.

So, I believe you can do the environment, your wallet and taste buds a little better by buying Malt-0-Meal cereals in resealable bags if you are going to buy cereal. Who needs Lucky Charms when you have MARSHMALLOW MATEYS?

I was actually mad enough the other day, and apparently had too much time on my hands, so I wrote Kellog's an email. I should have saved it, it was pretty funny, with tact. I haven't heard back a response. I have never contacted a company before, so I will be interested to see if they write back, or if a Kellog's sniper shows up in my lawn. I know a fellow from Kingsley, Kevin Sheibley, contacted Life Savers to discuss his idea of mass production of Life Savers flavored body spray. He did get a response, though it was something to the effect of, "Uh, We have a marketing department already."

ADDENDUM:

I received the following response from Kellog this am:

kellogg@casupport.com
to me
show details
9:31 pm (6 hours ago)

Dr. Brownell,

Thank you for contacting us to let us know you would prefer that a different material be used to package Kellogg's® Mini-Wheats® Maple & Brown Sugar cereal.We base our choices for both inner and outer packaging materials on our need to deliver fresh product to stores in the best possible condition. We look at our packaging to control the absorption of moisture, control breakage and prevent any other type of damage that might occur during the shipping and handling of our foods.

Kellogg Company cares very much about maintaining the good reputation we have with our consumers and we do not want to have our name and products associated with any negative meanings. Kellogg Company is committed to minimizing the environmental impact of our business while also being socially and economically responsible. We conduct our business in a manner that is sensitive to the environment and demonstrates good stewardship of the world’s natural resources.

We are sorry to hear that you did not enjoy this product. Our research indicates that many consumers approve of its aroma, taste, texture and appearance. Although you do not share this opinion, we appreciate your letting us know that Kellogg's® Mini-Wheats® Maple & Brown Sugar cereal did not measure up to your expectations.We appreciate the time you took to share your views.

Your comments will be shared with the appropriate departments to help us continue to achieve our goal of providing you with great-tasting and high quality products.

Sincerely,Pablo A. Martinez Consumer Affairs Department4PAM/cl013358570A

Kellogg North AmericaPO Box CAMB

Battle Creek, MI 49016-1986

Happy Earth Day

2008-04-23T06:25:00.004-05:00

EARTH DAY 2008

Well, I enjoyed Earth Day yesterday. I spent the afternoon mountain biking in Stone State Park. Absolutely beautiful park, 70 degrees and sunny. A spiritual nature experience and a workout as well. I am a long way from being 'green' though, so Nicole and I talked about a few things we want to change at our house to do our small part. So, in honor of you, Mother Earth, I pledge:

1. To increase recycling at our house: Since we live outside city limits, recycling hasn't been as easy here, but I am going to the recycling center to get some big boxes to separate our recyclable plastics/metals/paper and have our own little organized recycling area in our garage.

2. Use less water: Turn off while brushing teeth, shorter showers.

3. Use products that use less waste and pollution: Uggghhh, I am going to try to give up canned pop, and only have pop from a 2 Liter at home, or at a restaurant. No more 100 calorie packs at our house.

4. Use less gas. Big one for me. My gas guzzling Explorer has got to go. Sooo:

FOR SALE:

2003 Ford Explorer

Limited Edition, All leather, 3rd row seating.

I am going to put an ad in the paper and going to sell the old beast. When I do, here is my next car:

Estimated 45 mpg on the highway
AT-PZEV CARB Emissions Rating
Idle-stop feature

I'm stoked. Unless someone can convince me there is a better car out there that gets 40 mpg or better, Travis is getting a Civy Cat. (I am open to other options, anyone?)

The Doughnut Run

2008-04-15T19:03:00.008-05:00

If you read my last post, I mentioned the Doughnut Run coming up. Well, here we are, Mike and I pre-race. This was a 5K where you eat as many doughnuts as you can and get time deducted for each doughnut you eat. Mike has some good pics as well.

Here are the top 3 results:
Fastest adjusted time - Male
Steve Stenzel (15 doughnuts eaten)
10:24
Brad Shipman (20 doughnuts eaten)
11:10
Travis Brownell (15 doughnuts eaten)
14:05
Here's all the RESULTS

Here's my post race hardware. 3rd place for doughnut adjusted time, not bad.

Feeling a little nauseated crossing the finish line.

This is the stick Paul Brady pinned to my shoulder before the race. He said the stick wanted to see the course. So it did.

Spring Thaw 10 Miler

2008-04-06T08:55:00.009-05:00

I ran the Spring Thaw 10 Miler on Saturday. It was a beautiful day out for running. The run was down along the Missouri River, a little windy, but warm. It went pretty good. I kept just at 8min pace for 10 mi. Tom Benzoni is with me above in this photo, one of the other ER docs in our group. He might be almost 52, but he finished far ahead of me in the race. I've got a little work to do if I ever plan to run with him.

OGB came to the race. She was supposed to walk in the 5K with her mom, but she had a long night the night before. See that smile there during the day? She has the same smile from about Midnight to 4am except with two horns. Let's just say she hasn't been sleeping at night.

Just after I finished the run, with a nice senior photo style pose in front of the Seargent Floyd Welcome Center.

Next Race? The Doughnut Run. Ames, IA. Me, 3.1 mi and Krispy Kremes. I think a few people will be joining me, including Tate Featherstone.

In other sad news, Village Inn declared bankruptcy and closed many of its stores. They closed both stores in Sioux City, one which was by my house. I love Village Inn. Dammit. They closed citing the poor economy for the main reason. I'll give you my wife's quote on this, "Great, now we don't have a Village Inn, all thanks to George Bush." That made me laugh.

Operation Rescue Daisy and Star Wars Easter Eggs

2008-03-24T17:57:00.008-05:00

Easter weekend was a big one at the Brownell household in Sioux City, IA. My parents, aka proud new grandparents came to Sioux City for the weekend. Olivia had her baptism. It went great, and her godfather, Mike has all the details and pictures here. Also, Nicole put up some baptismal shots on Olivia's page too. We made sure to get some Easter egg coloring in too, and since I got to pick the coloring kit, out, well, you can see the results above.
For all you out there that know my dad, Brad, isn't this funny to see? He does great with Olivia.

Cake shot.

Olivia post baptism photo op. With all the grandparents. She went from crying baby to happy child of God after the water was poured on her head. Mike and Jenni Galles, are OGB's godparents.

Last but not least, especially by her standards, is Daisy. Also known as Dizzle. On Sunday I decided to let her run off leash in our back yard because my parents dog, Lady, a lab was running around. If Lady can run around off leash, so can Daisy. Again, my mistake. Daisy is a wonderful dog, but she has a few issues. One of those is a legitimate psychiatric diagnosis of R.O.D., or Rabbit Obsession Disorder.

So, off she goes, not to play with Lady, but to head for our deck where rabbits apparently have secret meetings that she knows about. We have this large step off the deck, and it is just mainly rock underneath it with a space much too small for Daisy. Or at least kind of. She went to this little crack, flattened out in a way I thought not possible, and squirmed and flailed her legs until she disappeared underneath the wood. To make a long saga short, the next 30 minutes involved her becoming completely lodged, lots of howling, me shoveling rock out from under the deck and pulling a semi scared and muddy beagle out from the little rabbit crawlspace. She then got an impromptu bath and shivered for 2 hours despite the blanket wrap pictured above. Gotta love Diz.

The Best Catch I've Ever Made, and I wish I didn't.

2008-03-13T22:04:00.006-05:00

So, I went to drop off a birthday present for Nathan Murray, a friend of ours 3 yr old who just had a birthday. I took Daisy for a ride with me, and we stopped over at their house. I wish I had a picture of it for you. It is a beautiful big log home, between two well sized ponds, and the interior is gorgeous- and immaculate.

Soooo, Dizzle, aka dog who has a healthy sense of entitlement, and I are standing outside of Scott's house talking to him. I was just getting ready to leave, to head over to Outback and pick up Nicole and I's to go order when Scott asked me to come in for a second. Really, I need to go, otherwise food is going to get cold, and Nicole is going to be wondering where I am at, because I have already been there a while talking. But, I say sure, because I wanted to see the deer mount and his saltwater fish aquarium which I love.

Now, Daisy can't be off leash, so she steps in with me, and I initially asked Scott to hold her leash so I could go look at the deer mount and tank. Innocently, Scott asked, can I go ahead and unhook Daisy? Foolishly, I answer, 'yes, as long as you don't care'.

My mistake. I should have remembered what Daisy has done every time she goes into a new house she's never been in before. I should have said, 'Sure, you can unhook her if you don't care if she runs around like a possessed monkey howling and possibly dropping a present off on your carpet for you.' But, I didn't. I had forgot. Daisy is a good dog. She hasn't pooped or peed in our house since she was a puppy. But the first time she was in my parents house, Nicole's parents house and several others....well, there was some cleanup to do.

OK, the next minute went fast. Scott unhooks Daisy, she starts howling and takes off like a wild beast. She is essentially doing her famous hot laps around his house, and I realized my mistake, and what was coming. She bolted for the stairs. I followed in pursuit. As I am racing up the stairs, I see her, just starting to squat at the top of the stairs. I am closing in, but I can't make it in time to stop the inevitable. So I dive. In slow motion, picture me diving up the last few stairs. My arm stretched, palm upward and scooping underneath the dog poop now falling, just arriving to catch the pile in my hand before it hit their nice carpet. I was relieved and disgusted all at the same time. It was really a magnificent catch.

So there I am, dog poop in hand. I startled Daisy enough when I dove at her I interrupted her, so she ran across the room and finished off her business on their carpet in the corner, with me helplessly watching. Scott was laughing the whole time. I don't think he and Jen were mad, but I felt stupid, and more than a little mad and annoyed at Daisy, who really somehow had no clue she'd done something wrong.
So, next time we go to Scott and Jen's house Daisy is staying outside. I also won't plan on making any more magnificent catches, I would have just been better off letting her go in one spot. I'll add though, while it was the best catch I've ever made, it wasn't the best catch I've ever seen. That involves a softball player, a farmer and his hat, an umpire, and a really efficient sequence of events. But I'll let Cullen tell that story if he feels like it.

More Babies, Please

2008-03-09T22:15:00.002-05:00

Introducing William "Will" Theodore Steen

Sharon delivered a healthy 8 pound 10 oz baby boy 3:45 AM, 2 March 2008. Mom and baby are doing well.

He probably looks like Stewie, except loves his mom more. For those of you who know Jamie and Sharon, they are doing well with their new addition. Jamie and I were in ER Residency together, and he is now working as an ER doc in Mississippi.
CONGRATS JAMIE AND SHARON!!!!

Joining the many babies in our midst of this last 12 months or so. Olivia, Ainsley Proud, Ava Trigger, Gabrielle Burkett, Jack MacLagan, Sophie House and now Will Steen! Holy baby town.
Next Up: The Brights' and The Fields' babies on the way...

Blogtastic

2008-03-02T22:41:00.005-06:00

Olivia Launches New Blog!

click here

Given that my posts on such topics as oil hungry dark matter producing gorillas, star wars minis and the like are a little off topic for Olivia, I launched a blog just for Olivia, as many of my smarter friends have already done for their new kiddos. I will put a link off to the side under my friends links so moms, grandparents and family who know my site but really just come for Olivia can always find it quickly.

I have lived with Travis and Nicole for 3 years and I still don't have my own blog. Hmmmpphh.

DelpCon 2008! Star Wars Minis, D&D, pure nerdom fun. It was a blast. When I get my pics from the Con, I will make another post.

Fallen

2008-02-26T23:47:00.009-06:00

KINGSLEY, Iowa -- Spc. Chad Groepper, 21, of Kingsley passed away Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008, in Diyali Province, northeast of Baghdad, Iraq, from combat injuries suffered while serving in the U.S. Army.

Services will be 2:30 p.m. Wednesday at Kingsley-Pierson High School. Chad Groepper was born Oct. 24, 1986, to David and Darcy Groepper in Sioux City. He graduated from Kingsley-Pierson High School in December 2004. During his childhood years, he enjoyed fishing, building, tinkering with anything mechanical, helping his dad with the cattle and his mom with yard work. He loved his pets. His dogs, Jack and Gunther remain on the family farm with mom and dad. His favorite childhood dog, Celie, is buried in the Groepper family year near the pasture. If it were up to Chad, he would have most likely wanted to be laid to rest next to her.

One of the reasons I wanted to share this with you, is to share what some people are planning to do at his funeral tomorrow: The crazed people from Westboro Baptist Church are going to picket at his funeral.

THESE PEOPLE MAKE ME SICK

They have a very sickening website, and even a link to their picket schedule. Tomorrow they are going to protest at Chad's Funeral. Here's tomorrow's listing:
Upcoming Picket Schedule
02/27/2008
1:45 PM - 2:30 PM
Kingsley, IA

I am not sure how these people do this. I suppose the same way I don't understand how terrorists do what they do. Well, one thing I know is, if they showed up at some families I know funerals from Wyoming, IA there would be some physically challenged individuals limping back to Kansas. That is, if they lived. You may think I'm kidding, but for any of you from a small town, imagine some of the people you know having these people showing up at their families funeral. There would definitely be hell to pay. Kingsley is a pretty small town, awfully brave or stupid of these people if you ask me.

Proper Use of the term 'You Guys'

2008-02-26T23:06:00.003-06:00

I came across something today that I have thought about before. The term 'You Guys'. I say it all the time, regardless of who I am referring to. Men, men and women, or just women can be 'you guys' to me. Sometimes I have walked away from a group of females after calling them 'you guys' wondering if I might have offended them. Well, I will no longer care, because it's within the appropriate definition. Here are the sources:

Merriam-Webster's:

3 a: man, fellow b: person —used in plural to refer to the members of a group regardless of sex

This is also in other dictionaries as well. So there it is. Guys is an english colloquialism that can refer to groups of men, men and women, or just women.

He-Man undercover? Adam in Drag? Or just their really manly cousin, Tina?

I'm one of those Beta Guys...

2008-02-19T21:36:00.002-06:00

Well, the HD DVD vs Blu-ray war is officially over. When Wal-mart and Netflix went solely Blu-ray, HD DVD was dead in the water. So, which losers bought an HD DVD player? ME! Yeah! Ok in my defense, I mainly got it because it upconverted all my regular dvd's, and since I bought it with my TV the discount made it almost as cheap as a regular upconvert DVD player.

Man, the movie 300, Shooter and a few others I have watched in HD DVD have looked fantastic. Oh well. At least I am not old enough to have bought betamax and made the wrong choice twice. Here's to Blu-ray!

Bath and Bumbo Time

2008-02-17T14:28:00.009-06:00

Ok, I was supposed to be in Eastern Iowa today celebrating my mom's 50th Birthday. In comes another dump of winter weather that they stated on the news: "Travel is not recommended, and if you do have to travel, bring an emergency survival kit." I am grounded in Sioux City.

So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY Mom!

I know you can't see Olivia today, but really wanted to, and we wanted to be there too. I took some pictures today and from this week and here they are.

This is her Bumbo. Think of it as her workbench.

Getting scrubbed today. She actually loved her little tub.

Geared up to go for a ride while rocking the cute headband. I got a couple of videos too, I will send the links to you once I get them uploaded.

Olivia Says Hello!

2008-02-11T21:55:00.000-06:00

Finally, I think I have figured out how to get my videos from camcorder to computer to blogger. Between firewire and vista problems, it was a few headaches. Anyway, solved.

She is really changing every day. Lifting up her head, cooing lots, grabbing things now. It makes it really fun, and worth every minute. Otherwise, all here in Sioux City is good. A little snowy, but I don't have much to complain about with all the snow you have had in eastern Iowa. We are getting about 5" tonight. I have been running a ton, (on the treadmill), and getting in race shape for the spring. I did a long run of 10 miles yesterday, and I am a little sore today. I have to have a better showing this year at the good 'ol Rustic Run, so I have good motivation to keep it up. I'll try to update you, moms and grandmas, with a few new vids of Olivia over the next week.

Maybe I will throw in a good 'ol Political Post too, and poll the Peltgrande viewers, though I know most of you are REAL patriots. The question is though, Barack or Hillary?

Super Duper Snowy Week

2008-02-06T05:50:00.000-06:00

Well, it's Super Week. Super Bowl. Super Tuesday. Super Snowy Town in Eastern Iowa. I am currently attempting to upload a video of Olivia if I have installed my firwire PCI card correctly. We'll see.

While I am waiting for that I will just blog my thoughts for the week. First off, Go Giants. Glad to see the Pats lose. Did anybody see much of the SuperBowl commercials? I only saw a few, as I was working in the ER and would occasionally sneak back and watch a few minutes here and there. I liked most of the ones I saw, but I have to say I will now never drink Amp. They had a guy hooking car battery charger cables to his nipples advertising Amp Energy Drink. Well, suffice it to say, when you go battery cables to nipples, I'm out. You lost me on that one.

Super Tuesday. McCain will be the GOP nominee, and the Dems are still too close to call. Daisy, our Beagle has clearly made her choice on party lines. I had a Hillary flyer come in the mail, and she chewed it up. She really doesn't chew up anything anymore, but for some reason she wanted to voice her displeasure for Hillary. Besides, Daisy is a Republican. She really liked Fred Thompson, but he's out, so she's torn. A little known fact is that the reason Daisy is a Republican is because she likes Elephants better than Donkeys.

I spoke with some of you Eastern Iowans today. Holy snow land over there. I believe some schools haven't even had school this week, after 6-10" snows Sunday night followed by 12-14" more the last 24 hours. Nice work. Sounds like fun. My parents are landlocked on Madison Road. Tim Rushford couldn't drive to work today, or anywhere for that matter, so he walked to the 'ol Swinging Door for his snow day. Say hello to the regulars for us Tim.

Ok, so my firwire card worked, I finally got videos from my camera to the computer, but still a glitch uploading. That's ok, I will work on it tomorrow for you mom. In the meantime I posted some pics from Mom and Dad's house from today. The two pics at the bottom here are pics looking up and down THE ROAD. You can't even really tell it's supposed to be a road. Jones county gets all the fun. I love snow pics, so if any of you have any other cool ones to share, email them to me, I will post them if you want.

Groundhog Day!

2008-02-02T11:19:00.000-06:00

I have been really wanting to get outside and run, and supposedly this morning Punxsutawney Phillip said 6 more weeks of winter. I believe strongly in the power of the predictive abilities of woodchucks, and so I accept our future as deemed by Mr. Phillip. I however, will not lay down for you, evil Phil, and so I ran my 8 mile run on the treadmill this morning despite your gloomy predictions.

D.U.S.E.L.

2008-01-30T22:00:00.000-06:00

There's some strange stuff going on in the upper midwest. When I first moved here to Sioux City they kept referring to "The Gorilla Project" and showing pictures of a concrete gorilla in a field near Elk Point, SD, which is just 25 miles from Sioux City. It turns out that a company called Hyperion has been optioning thousands of acres to build a 10 BILLION dollar "green" oil refinery. It would be the first oil refinery constructed in the US in 30 years, producing upwards of 400,000 barrels PER DAY.

Natural questions are: 1. What is exactly 'green' about the oil refinery? (Probably the color of the building only.)
2. What the hell do gorillas have to do with it? (Probably more than we think.)

OK, stick with me here. Here is the next interesting part, DUSEL. What is DUSEL?...
"The Deep Underground Science and Engineering Lab (DUSEL) at Homestake will address particle and nuclear physics, geology, hydrology, geo-engineering, biology, and biochemistry. Homestake is the deepest mine in North America with rooms at 8000 ft., well-suited for experiments that require extremely low cosmogenic backgrounds: in particular, the search for neutrino-less double beta decay and relic dark matter." They are building the DUSEL as we speak.

Ok, so they are going to study "dark matter" in a big hole in South Dakota, and build a giant new oil refinery nearby. Hmmm. I think likely this sits for a good conspiracy theory. I still have to tie gorillas, a huge oil refinery and a dark matter laboratory together. I'll let you know when I do.

In the meantime good news: I bought a PCI firewire card for my computer. (Moms and Grandmas, this means I can finally transfer home videos of Olivia to the 'ol blog.) Next Installment of the Peltgrande Blogger: Why it is helpful to refer to your significant other as ridiculous creatures from the AD&D Monster Manual when frustrated. I particularly like 'Duckbunny'.

That just isn't right.

2008-01-24T08:00:00.000-06:00

If you can see it from my saved screen shot: NEGATIVE 22 degrees below zero at 7:45 am. ACTUAL temp, mind you, not the wind chill. Ridiculous. The Wind Chill is -36. Brrrrrrrr.

01.18.2008

2008-01-18T22:29:00.000-06:00

Olivia has been working on the head strength thing. Initially, babies heads are as I describe them, like golf balls attached to a string. She now is lifting her head up. Baby steps, and might not seem like much, but I amazed at what I now am amazed with when it comes to the small things with her.

January, Boards, Subpoenas and Ninja Babies

2008-01-09T02:24:00.000-06:00

Below I present to you Ninja Baby Olivia.

She's practicing her ability to camouflage in with her surroundings. She's got a way to go. Lots of stuff going on in the Brownell family in January. I got my board results, they were good. Now I just have the oral boards left and I will officially be an board certified ER doc. Yeah!

While I am speaking of firsts, I also got my first subpoena. Yeah! It is kind of interesting, and a little intimidating, I guess. I am just a witness for the trial. Docs get subpoenas not infrequently I guess. This one is a public trial, with a jury, and I have to go give my medical findings. For example, I may be asked from my findings, what can I deduce? To which my answer will likely be, "In fact my deduction, good sir, leads me to...Colonel Mustard! Yes, it was Colonel Mustard, with the candlestick in the library!" Ok, maybe not that crazy, but I have watched too much Law and Order and I picture the defense attorney getting crazy with the cheez whiz. Probably won't be that exciting though.

Here mom is! Olivia loves being strapped in to the Baby Bjorn. I highly recommend one for kids if you are having any soon. It frees up your hands so you can actually hold the baby and get stuff done, like wash bottles, make new bottles, wash baby clothes, fold baby clothes... You may or may not be able to play Super Mario Galaxy for the Wii with her strapped in sleeping as well. (I won't officially admit anything in the off chance Nicole reads this.)

Christmas in Wyoming

2008-01-02T21:21:00.000-06:00

Before I headed east with Daisy, Olivia and I took a cat nap on the couch. Or at least that's what I found out by seeing this picture on the camera.
Daisy got in a nap as well.
Daisy buried her head fearlessly when she met 911 the cat.

I had a great drive back, the fog had lit up the trees in white and I was able to snap a few great photos. Know this level B road? That's right, The Seven Hills. Countless people have been stuck on this road, and more than a few high schoolers have gotten air in their Ford LTD on at least 2 of the hills.

The Eve of Christmas Eve

2007-12-24T00:41:00.000-06:00

In exhibit A at the left you can see Olivia doing her best Zack de la Rocha impersonation and giving a 'power to the people' fist in the air, and you can also see Dizzle's enthusiasm as well.

In Exhibit B, Daisy and Olivia are having a contest to see who's longer. Daisy still wins. For now.

Elf? Sailor? Colorful Inmate? Regardless, a cute little peach.

On a random side note, since Cory does a great job of doing movie and game reviews I am going to just give a shout out to the few recents I have seen, and will highly recommend both of these to Cory and Chad as well. For my other readers, for example, mom, I would say not so much.

Movie #1: A Boy and His Dog- A 1975 film that developed a little cult following. I had heard of it, but never watched it until Netflix recommended it to me by my selections. At times a little sophmoric, but it's set in a post-apocalyptic world, and the ending is charming.

Movie #2: The City of God- 8.8 on IMDB, that is tough to beat. Other than subtitles, no qualms from me. Gangs, drugs, revenge, struggle between right and wrong in a different way. Gotta watch it.

Also, after years of Chad hinting at me to read Dune, I just finished it. It was my favorite sci-fi book I have ever read, edging out Ender's Game. I am hooked and want more of Paul Atreides and the Fremen people of Arrakis.

Once again, Merry Christmas, I hope you all have safe travels and good eats.

Merry Christmas!!!

2007-12-19T11:51:00.001-06:00

I need to get a few new pics of Olivia and get a firewire PCI card so I can get my movies of Olivia on the computer. In the meantime I wanted to say Merry Christmas. Cory has a post that he mentions one of my favorite holiday shows, Rudolph. I still like it, and we even had an interesting discussion the other night in the ER, mainly about Hermie.

I am pretty sure most people our age know that Hermie, the toy maker turned independent dentist elf was unique. What most people don't know is that Yukon and Hermie moved to the Netherlands after the shooting of the film, and have lived there together unoficially betrothed to one another since. Hermie fulfilled his dream of dental work, mostly catering to the red light district, and Yukon opened a jewelry store, aptly titled, 'Yukon's Silver and Gold'

He recently had Pharell do a promo for him. You can view it here.

Merry Christmas to all of you and your families!

The First of Olivia's Christmas Gear

2007-12-12T23:39:00.000-06:00

Olivia got dressed up in a little Christmas dress for a pic or two. Don't worry Mom and Dad, you will see her in the Santa outfit too. I really liked this picture of her, though it got vetoed for the Christmas card by Nicole. I think it is one of the best pics I have taken of her, minus the left foot movement. I think the lighting is good, and she is a peach in that outfit by the tree.

Anyway, she is doing much better now that we got her milk allergy figured out and put her on a special formula. She inherited that from her dad. We had to take her to a Peds GI specialist in Omaha and he put her on Neocate, hella expensive, but works, and now we have a happy baby. In Omaha last week we stopped by Von Maur, were there about an hour, and walked out of the store moments before the shooting started. Surreal moment, and lots of what ifs run through your head.

Ok, I have to get up in 3 hours for an ER shift, and I need a wee bit o sleep. I have to show you, and proudly so, why sleep will be uncomfortable and I will be walking around like an old man tomorrow....

Winnebago

2007-12-05T05:03:00.000-06:00

Since moving to Sioux City, I have heard this phrase often on the other end of the line in the ER, "Dr. Brownell, transfer call from Winnebago, 96"... I pick up and accept whatever patient needs to head our way from the small Indian Reservation just south of Sioux City. I hear they have a brand new hospital, yet they transfer everything to us, which is great for us, but I wonder why? I meet many of the Winnebago tribe in our ER and begin to learn bits and pieces of what they are like, at least the ones who come to the ER, and what is going on in this little land of its own.

I decided to find out a little more. Yesterday morning I found myself at a 630 am mass at the St. Augustine Indian Mission. There were 6 of us in attendance, 4 nuns, one Winnebago Indian who was very nice, and me. After mass, I met up with Father Dave, and had coffee at the rectory, where I met the Priest's dog Duncan, and was slightly surprised at his array of hunting gets, including turkey and deer with his bow. Not your everyday Priest.

In a short hour and a half, with a tour of the St Augustine Indian Mission, school and town I was astonished at some of the things I learned. How dependent the reservations had made the Native American people, a truly oppressive system. How after generations of dependence, you will be chastised for success. Some times when kids do well, give a right answer, they may hear the cat call of "What do you think you are, white?". In 2007, 20 miles away. Seriously?

I learned of the brand new hospital, with xray and lab, but nobody to run the machines for much of the time. I learned of the rampant health problems of the Winnebago and Omaha tribe, with the mainstays of alcoholism and diabetes afflicting many. It truly is a fascinating culture, with many sad stories of the tragic inevitability of their future, though this may be changing. I hope to learn some more about them in the next months.

I will be getting more involved with the Mission over the next few months, and will share any interesting stories I find. The first of those being the story of a small Winnebago Indian child, raised by his dad crippled with Polio. The short of it is a story of a kid raised by an incredible and loving father, who used to play catch with his son, and from a 3 dollar box of balls, bats and gloves from the Sacred Heart garage sale, a future star born. He barely made varsity in high school, got offered not one scholarship to college initially. Eventually landed on a smaller college team in Kearney, NE, and 2 years later was drafted to the Majors. In one year he jumped from Single A ball to the majors, and he strikes out 20 in his first 15 1/3 major league innings, all scoreless. He hits 100mph on the fastball. He finishes the regular season 2-0 with a 0.38 ERA, handing the ball Mariano Rivera with ninth-inning leads again and again and fueling New York's late surge to the wild card. His name? Joba Chamberlain.

The best story I have ever read in Sports Illustrated: Joba Chamberlain

Olivia's Checklist: 1. Have 1st ever Thanksgiving. 2. Meet Grandparents.

2007-11-26T01:51:00.000-06:00

Proper attire for turkey day, would you expect any less from a daughter of Nicole?

It was a big weekend for the Sioux City Brownell's. Olivia had her 1st Thanksgiving. Celebrated mainly by eating, sleeping, filling her diapers, and repeat. I worked friday, so I felt like I missed out on the pop culture Black Friday, which I take some guilty pleasure in. Come on, Best Buy doorbusters? Not so secretly love 'em.

Then on Saturday, Mom and Dad, now also known as Grampa and Gramma, made the trip to Sioux City. It was the first time they got to meet Olivia, and she is their first granchild, so it was a pretty special weekend for all of us. Ok, 2am, time to go to bed...enjoy the pics.

Mom still has the touch to make 'em sleepy happy time. Apparently it spilled over onto Daisy as well.

Olivia meets grampa for the first time.

Nicole has a few cooking talents, with one of her specialties being paci soup. Mmmmm.

Dizzles' Cave

...The Other Dog...guest post by Daisy "Dizzle" Brownell

2007-11-14T16:49:00.000-06:00

I got my first piece of mail today, addressed aptly to Dizzle Brownell, 26 Heritage Place. It was from Jamie and Sharon Steen, (thank you!) It was a book called 'The Other Dog', about a dog in a similar position as I am. Life was just perfect for me. King dog of the house, I was. Treats, attention, and army-crawling to my hearts delight. But, mom and dad brought home a NEW dog. Can you believe it? As if I weren't enough. Her name is Olivia.
In the book, the poodle had his parents bring home a similar dog, the same breed they call 'Baby'. In the book, the dog comes to love the baby. Well, do you know me? Maybe I will change my tune, but right now I am selling myself to the highest bidder. Payment should be offered directly in the form of meats, cheeses, and scratches, with the promise of never bringing home another dog.

After dad opened my book from Jamie and Sharon, I had some fun with the package.

Addendum: While Daisy insisted on making this post, in no way are we letting her sell herself. We still love her greatly, and she is still an equal family member, though 1/4 of the pie is apparently noticeably less than 1/3 of the pie to her. Additionally, Olivia is doing great. Growing like a weed. Her weight on monday was 8lbs 8 oz, up 1 lb from her birth weight already.

I hate Eaton-Lambert Syndrome

2007-11-07T01:57:00.000-06:00

After 4 years of undergrad, 4 years of medical school and 3 years of emergency medicine residency, I am now qualified to examine a teddy bear. Ok, so really I was just showing kindergartners what happens when you go to the doctor.

I did take my EM boards yesterday. Brain was fried after, but it went really good. Man, I hate Eaton-Lambert syndrome. On every emergency medicine test I have taken, Eaton-Lambert is a choice on about 2 or 3 questions throughout the test. It's called a "killer foil", an answer that teases you into wanting to pick it, because it sounds mysterious, intelligent, so it MUST be the right answer. So, I decided to actually read up on it, as the details are always tempting me to pick it, and this way I will know for sure whether it is the right answer or just a killer foil. Well, after 6 hours of testing, and 305 questions, I never saw the phrase "Eaton-Lambert" once. Not once. Figures.
Why did I start this post at 350 am? Because 7 day old babies have NO normal sleep pattern. At least not at my house. Babies have been springing out of the woodwork. In the last 2 weeks we can announce our friends:
Brent and Melissa, Oct 26th, Baby boy Jack
Us, Oct 31st, Olivia Greer Brownell
Sam and Meredith, Nov 3rd, Gabriella Jae Burkett
Nick and Stephanie, Nov 4th, Ainsley Lillian Proud

Holy cow! That's a lot of babies in almost 1 weeks time. February was a fertile month. In the next 2 weeks we are expecting Brandon and Nicole Triggers little girl too. After that, Cullen and Jodi are on the Horizon, as are our friends Jamie and Sharon. Good luck to all. Waaayyyyy more diaper changing and feeding than I ever realized, but worth every minute.

Last, but certainly not least, I leave you with some video editing fun I was having. I really like this song, by one of my favorite artists, and the song is called, "W is for Winner". I think the video fits pretty good with it.

Long but excellent weekend

2007-11-04T19:18:00.000-06:00

Our first weekend at home as a family! Rough first night, but great thanks to Jenni Galles and Mindy Dunne for saving us. They brought lasanga, sandwhiches and help with things around the house which gave us a big lift for our sleep time. Daisy is not quite sure of what exactly Olivia is yet.

Olivia donned her first hawkeye gear and settled in for what seemed to be a long day against the Northwestern Wildcats.

This is Olivia screaming when she saw Jake Christiansen once again throwing the football as if he was afflicted with some neuromuscular disorder. I think her official quote was, "Jake Christiansen couldn't hit water from a boat"

Ok, she settled quickly when the Hawkeye defense stepped up and Jake looked much better in the second half. Hawkeyes WIN!! Can you believe a 7-5 season on the horizon?

Last but not least, we decided Olivia kind of looks like a gloworm when she is all wrapped up.

Going Home Today!

2007-11-02T10:01:00.000-05:00

Very Tiny Hands

They like to be bundled

Uncle Mike and Olivia

Cousin Jordyn came to visit and got into the chocolate.

Had to add this picture to show how cute Jordyn really is when she doesn't have chocolate moustache.

Welcome, Olivia.

2007-10-31T15:30:00.000-05:00

We started with labor yesterday morning...19 hours later we are blessed with a beautiful baby girl. Mom did a fantastic job, and is doing great. Dad is happier than ever, and I never could have imagined what this could be like, and what it means to have your own child. Thank you for everyone that has been there for us, we love you all.

OK, I got the serious stuff out of the way. Now we can do a little jig for the HALLOWEEN BABY. I have big plans for extravagant and over the top Halloween Decorations, costumes, and celebrations for the next 18 years, and now can be fully justified other than my nerdiness.

Olivia Greer Brownell

7 lbs 8 oz

Born: 10/31/2007 at 12:56 am

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!

Late QB move by KF

2007-10-27T07:55:00.000-05:00

In a surprising move by KF and KOK, Daisy "Dizzle" aka DVB has replaced Jake Christiansen as QB vs MSU today. She was seen wearing Drew Tate's old number 5 at practice. Look for more precise passing and fewer sacks today with her in the pocket. Also look for really confused MSU players.

I found some old pics from an SD card that were fun to look at. This is Diz right after we brought her home. No new news on the baby front. The due date is Halloween, so any day now. I will post pics as soon as we have them!

Geared up for Siouxland Lewis and Clark Marathon!

2007-10-12T03:40:00.000-05:00

This is Larry Mgoba. Just to clear it up, I won't be in direct competition with this guy. Actually, I am not even sure which race I am running yet. Not the marathon though. I am entered in the Relay, and 5 member team to run the race. Should be fun, though one person is out and we need a 5th. If we can't field a team, I am going to suck it up and run the half-marathon. I have been running a lot, but 7.55 miles is the longest I have run in probably 6 or 7 years, so even a half will be stretching it. I actually set out to run a 10K tonight, but got lost on my run in Morningside and it ended up almost 8 miles. I am sore now, but a good sore. We'll see how it feels in 12 hours.

Third Generation, Coming Soon

2007-10-10T02:35:00.001-05:00

As I sit here in the ER at 230am, checking over a few pics Tony has, I realized I am going to be adding one human to the earth soon. More importantly to me, to my house. Kind of gives me a little bit of that 'oh crap' feeling. I really like this photo of Dad, Ty, Terry and I from the Ty's wedding. We'll add the first 3 gen shot pretty soon. Nicole and I went to the OB today, baby's head is down and we are at 37 weeks. Coming soon!

Fun New Running Log

2007-10-05T22:56:00.000-05:00

The Best Way to Clean a Baby's Face Off....Too Good Not to Share.

2007-10-01T11:45:00.000-05:00

Hmmm. I am not sure if this is approved by the American Academy of Pediatrics, but it'll do. I had to share this because I about spit milk out my nose when I saw it. Thank you Muncher. With our first one coming in the next few weeks, it is helpful for me to pick up parenting tips wherever I can get it.

Here's the link to this post on Muncher's Page.

The Hawkeyes were sick yesterday.

2007-09-30T17:27:00.000-05:00

It was the ugliest game I have seen by the Hawkeyes in a while. The boo birds came out in Kinnick. I am ok with that. There was a debate on the boards about booing. Some for and some against. I like this quote arguing that booing is your right, and ok:

Originally posted by luvmyhawks: "What in the hell is going on with all the coddling of these football player's? Give me an effing break. Look, the entire team, coaches and player's deserved to be booed today. Can't handle the heat, go to Akron. Good lord."

Another: "I've never boo'd but I see no problem with people doing it. I don't want to hear the argument that these are just kids. College football is big business and the NCAA, Conferences, coaches have turned it into that. We now have the Big Ten Network so they can make more money and get more exposure. It's to bad the players are caught up in the middle of the business, but they are. College football can't have it both ways, where they have millions of fan (spending millions of dollars), but then the fan's shouldn't boo because it's not nice. Coaches are making millions of dollars and treated like kings. I highly doubt the boos upset them (except for the coach at OSU).The day the coaches are working for free, the games are free, and the players are not on scholarship, that's the day we should not be booing. "

I agree with Bio Hawk. If a player gets upset to the point of not being able to play because the players are booing the program he is playing for, then he isn't cut out for division 1 football. If he can't handle that, then how can he handle blitzing linebackers? This isn't a division III school where the players are giving up spare time to play, this is division I. If you can't handle booing, there's plenty of division II or III schools you can play at.

I am not for booing for the most part. But I certainly think people have the right too boo and voice their displeasure at the shoddy play and coaching we have seen this year. Jake was miserable. The O-Line was miserable. KOK's play calling was miserable. We may not have top 10 team talent, but we have more talent recruited to Iowa the last few years than teams we are losing to. I understand the boos, if nothing else.

Tyler and Jess' Wedding (and a Flan Castle)

2007-09-22T17:12:00.000-05:00

Tyler had his wedding a few weeks ago. Wanted to share some pics. To get to a whole bunch more, and a lot better quality ones, you can see all the pics over at Tony's Link to the right, or click HERE.

2 down, 1 to go, Terry...

Paul has a good handle on how to grab the camera.

???????

The Camera Man. Excellent photos. Excellent friend. Excellent Male Dancer.

I don't think I ever got these posted from before. When Nicole and I stayed with Chad and Hilary this summer, Chad decided he wanted to make a Castle of Flan. So, he did.

Here is the proud engineer.

Here I am, just after a run, digging in to the Flan Castle. My main role in the fruition of this project was getting it out of the castle mold, and eating it.

Baby Girl Brownell Coming Soon....

2007-09-06T01:35:00.000-05:00

She is 32 weeks in the making, and will be joining us soon! We had a 3D ultrasound today which was really fun. We got to see her face, little hands and feet. It is pretty weird when you start seeing a little person in there. Here's a little clip of the ultrasound, and if I get my printer/scanner hooked up I can put a few of the still images up too. I knew you would love this, mom!

Hawkeyes at Soldier Field

2007-09-03T19:43:00.000-05:00

Hawkeyes versus NIU at Soldier Field

View from outside Soldier Field

Mike and Ann came out from Maine and were able to part from their pet lobster for a few days in ChicagoMe, Trigger, Kyle, Mike and Sam
UI Med School Reunion

Nicole and I heading into the game

We had box seats, our own suite for the game. Catered, air-conditioned, 3 TV's with the other college games on. It was a pretty sweet way to watch the game.

Sam and Mer in our suite. The suite worked out extra well since both Nicole and Merideth are 32 weeks pregnant. The air-conditioning and our own bathroom made the game much easier for them.

Sam, Mike and I

Hawk Band just prior to kickoff. It was a great game, Hawks won 16-3. Defense looked good, the offense scared me a little. We'll see.

These last pics are just of the big shiny metallic bean in Millenium Park in Chicago. Nicole and I walked back to the Hotel after the game through Grant Park and Millenium Park. It was a beautiful afternoon, and those are great parks with lots to look at when you are country folk like us. This shiny spaceship was our favorite.

Peltgrande, Sioux City Edition

2007-08-29T21:46:00.001-05:00

As Muncher pointed out before, my posts have become a little infrequent. But a whole month? Well, I don't really expect anyone to follow a monthly edition, but hopefully now that we are starting to get settled into Sioux City I can get on here, share a little more and posts some pics about what has been going on in our life.

Briefly, a new city, a new job, a new house, finishing residency, boards coming up and a baby coming soon has equalled a pretty crazy few months. It is all good stressors however, and I look forward to catching you all up, and catching up on what has been going on in the land of the real Bloggers such as Cory's, Brando's and Muncher's. Hope this all finds you well. Sioux City has been very welcoming to us so far, though the radio stations reaaalllly suck. More on that later.

Don McCloskey and The Ninja

2007-07-29T07:37:00.000-05:00

I went YouTubing this morning, so I kind of have a spree of vids to share. This is from Don McCloskey, (who has some great songs from Bombs over Bristol). Great song, unique video.

If you have ever heard the song Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger from Daft Punk, I think you will love this clip. Make sure you stick with it until the lyrics start. An impressive display of coordination if nothing else. Just so you know ahead of time, here is the entire lyrics for the song:
Work It Harder Make It Better
Do It Faster, Makes Us stronger
More Than Ever Hour After
Our Work Is Never Over

This made me laugh hard by myself while eating breakfast at 6 in the morning. I think because I could see Paul Brady and I doing this shit for fun too. This video is great for so many reasons, the music, the random ninja sightings, the punching of the water. Loved it.

The 21st Annual Rustic Run

2007-07-26T11:06:00.000-05:00

Chad and I headed to the 21st Annual Rustic Run last Saturday. We got up at 5am to drive to Lost Nation and take on the likes of John Gilroy. I had a great time running the race, the Rustic Run is really a great race. I was a little slow, 4 minutes off my PR and 3 minutes slower than the last time I ran it, but still managed about a 7:20 pace and finished 24th overall. I will add that Jeremy Dunlavey was there, in shape, running way more than I have been obviously, and he beat me. Motivation for next year.

After not placing in my age group for the run, I decided to enter in the Duck Race. Chad and I bought a couple of ducks and away they went.

A large group of the ducks hit the rapids at the same time. My duck crossed in 2nd place, you can see him heading over the rapids up there just ahead of the group. He earned me a cool 20 bucks.

Margaret and Renee came to the Rustic Run and walked the route. Afterwards we went out to Chad's house where Victor cooked up steak and veggies like a damn magician on the grill. It was delicious.

They had some puppies at the parade they were giving away. I really wanted to take this one home. She was a hound mix and would have made an execellent friend for Dizzle. I got the big N-O from the boss however.

Canoe trip to Lake McBride

2007-07-25T11:08:00.000-05:00

Chad and I loaded up his canoe on the Explorer the other day and headed out to Lake McBride for some canoeing around the lake. It was a perfect morning for it, sunny, calm and lots of critters around the lake for us to look at.
We got really close to a couple of blue herons like this one.

Chadwick

Our First Baby Shower

2007-07-19T22:26:00.000-05:00

Ben and Carrie were great and hosted a baby shower for us. It was really great. Golf in the morning, followed by cake, catching up with friends, and lots of presents for the babe, some of which I didn't know we'd need.

Tate gives the cake two thumbs up.

Here I am modeling Bordeauex's Butt Paste in the box I am holding. I didn't even know this existed, but I guess it works charms on diaper rash.

Corinne and Owen

The hosts Ben and Carrie slicing and dicing the cake for us.

Mike and Jenni drove out from Sioux City for the gathering.

Nicole and Amy

Thank you to all of you for your presence and gifts!

Ludwig's Wedding

2007-07-19T22:14:00.000-05:00

We got to see Todd and Alecia at Ludwig's wedding. The Canucks were looking good.

Thomas and Erin

The Mattson's - Welcome back to IOWA!

My last few weeks in Iowa City...

2007-07-11T10:52:00.000-05:00

The countdown is on. I only have a few more weeks in Iowa City before we head out. We are kind of nomadic right now, and Hilary and Chad have been kind enough to share their home with us until we are in Sioux City officially, so I will only be intermittently posting any pics or visiting blogs. But I will try to throw on some things going on in the last adventures here in Iowa City for a while.
Chad had his thirtieth birthday, and brought in the 30's by having a great show with Eric at The Mill in Iowa City.

Daisy and Gizmo rest after a brief doggy wrestlemania.
Nicole and I took Hilary's dad's Porsche Cayman for a drive. Sweet.

Things I will never use again... Numer One: The Dewey Decimal System.

2007-06-26T07:29:00.001-05:00

1. The Dewey Decimal System.

Each morning when we arrived at school, if my memory serves me correctly, we faced our nap mats toward the birthplace of Mr. Dewey and proceded with meditative chants honoring him. Our librarian insisted we commonly refer to the Dewey System as the greatest achievement in the history of mankind, and that she should bear his children if she were lucky enough.

I have gathered an official statement from Dr. Jason Hughes, previously of El Paso, TX, now living in Iowa City, IA via a shortcut from Las Crusas, NM but soon headed to Mason City- "Screw Dewey." Thank you Dr. Hughes.

I guess maybe there was a need for Mr. Dewey's system at some point in our previously archaic lives, but I am confident I can go the rest of my life without using it.

2. The Pythagorean Theorem. Ok, a lot more useful than the Dewey Decimal System, but unless Mercury Volatile Brownell needs help with her homework, I think I can flush this one.

3. My Sony Walkman CD player. I still buy CD's, but they immediately get loaded on my computer, Ripped to MP3's and iTunes and are filed away in the closet.

Things I will never use again Honorable Mention:

4. The Golden Rule

5. Paper Books

It's a girl

2007-06-19T05:01:00.000-05:00

Well, I have to get used to the color pink. We had the ultrasound on thursday, and they told us no boy parts. Everything else seen was normal, and we're excited. I am not REAL excited about all the pink stuff though. Pink for girls and blue for boys wasn't always the rule, and I would push for this argument for less pink stuff if I actually had any say.

Pink used to be the chosen color for boys, and blue for girls. Supposedly in medieval times red was considered a fierce color, more fitting for men. A lot of stuff that got dyed though quickly turned pink, and little boys ended up in pink.

I also came across this: "There has been a great diversity of opinion on the subject, but the generally accepted rule is pink for the boy and blue for the girl. The reason is that pink being a more decided and stronger color is more suitable for the boy, while blue, which is more delicate and dainty, is prettier for the girl." [Ladies Home Journal, June, 1918]

-So as late as 1918, our egg would hatch and don the blues. I am not sure when it switched, but I guess since it's only about 100 years since that article it might not have much relevance. I also want to note that not many blogs today quote Ladies Home Journal articles from the early 1900's. Only here on the Peltgrande Blog can you get that kind of information.

EM Graduation 2007

2007-06-09T08:33:00.000-05:00

Finally- My last graduation?

I haven't been on the internet much, so I apologize if I have seemed absent from the blog and KoC scene. The next few months are going to be a whirlwind. Nicole and I sold the house, and will be moving to Sioux City. I also will be finishing up my last shifts in the ER at the University. Last night we had our graduation ceremony, here are some pics and our video. We had the reception in the Kinnick Press box, pretty sweet diggs for the gathering.

Random Pics for Sharing

2007-05-28T22:52:00.001-05:00

Wakeboarding on Lake Coralville...and The Ultimate Showdown

2007-05-22T23:18:00.000-05:00

Getting geared up

Got up on the first try, absolutely loving it

Face first in the drink

Thomas

Jen

Scott

This video is of Erin getting pretty high on a jump...and landing soon after in the water.

I had to throw this in. Scott and Jen played this song while we were wakeboarding yesterday. The Band is Lemon Demon, the song called The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny. The video is really cool that goes with it.

Diagnosis Wenckebach

2007-05-17T01:08:00.000-05:00

Ok, so if you don't know what the ecg above or a Mobitz I block is, I wouldn't recommend watching this video, but if you do, it's pretty hilarious.

Another ER spin off from the sexy back video...

Looking for the Canton Creeper...

2007-05-10T22:36:00.000-05:00

I took a trip up by Monmouth, mainly for mushroom hunting, but also hoping to get a sneak peek at Eastern Iowa's Bigfoot...The Canton Creeper.
I was by myself, so I increased the chance of being attacked by a Bigfoot, Rattlesnake, or Jason, according to horror movie rules.
So, the reason I brought my camera was to take pictures of all the mushrooms I found. But, I got feeling artsy I guess and took a bunch. Also, I found not ONE mushroom. SO, I put together a picture quiz for ya. I'll start out easy, Pic 1 above is:
Pic 2?: These little umbrella looking flora always seem to be lurking around good mushroom spots.
Ok, Pic 3? I really don't know what made this, so I am asking without the answer on this one. It was mud that had been piled up around a little burrough hole...Snake?, Chupracabra?, Very Small People?
Anybody know the name of these flowers?
Last question- I saw this out in the middle of nowhere, a long ago abondoned skeleton of the past, anybody know what this is and what it was probably used for?
This special message brought to you by Driving Miss Daisy....

Baby on the Way!

2007-05-02T11:40:00.000-05:00

Finally, a grandkid for the parents that isn't a dog! We've known for a while, but were just waiting to anounce. Due date is October 31st, that's right Halloween baby! I have been looking for good neonatal Halloween costumes. I am thinking neonatal vampire. Or undead rock star. Nicole thinks I am kidding.

In a little more seriousness we are really excited. Oct 31st puts us at about 14 weeks, so at about 20 weeks we should be able to find out if it's a boy or girl. (Nicole and I are both impatient so we are definitely finding out.) I also suggested an online naming contest, but I guess that's not a good idea either according to Nicole. What a party pooper. I thought Tony's initial suggestion of Mortimer Cornelius wasn't all bad. I also want to note some of my other now rejected naming ideas: Aragorn, Anakin, Ender, Qui-Gon and every other nerd based name I have suggested.

By the way, does anybody else think it's funny that on the picture of the ultrasound the ultrasound tech printed out for us it says "baby" on it? She had to type that in there. I guess in case we thought instead of a baby it might be a carrot.

So I am making a Public Congrats to everbody in the expectant club! I would say there must be something in the water, but some of us live in different states. Anyway, Congrats to Cullen and Jody, Sam and Meredith, Brandon and Nicole, Brent and Melissa, Nick and Stephanie, Eric and Courtney, Nicole and I, and Phil Sterk and Carrie! Ok, just kidding about the Phil Sterk part, but everybody else on there is seriously pregnant, so Congratulations to all. The Mini-van is next.