Friday, October 31, 2008

The Final Push- Obama for President


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.



Sunday, October 26, 2008

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Big Sioux City Weekend

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?

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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.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

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

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.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

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

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.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Iowa over ISU

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.

Monday, September 08, 2008

As Tate said, Stanzi is The Manzi


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.

Sunday, September 07, 2008

Rove, O'Reilly and Other Conservative Liars

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.

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

SNOWBILLY MELTDOWN!!?!

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.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Weekend at Okoboji, Part 1

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.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

The Real GenCon post

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.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

GenCon, New Pics of Olivia and Stormtroopers.

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!















Sunday, August 03, 2008

Rustic Run and Mighty Mo 1/2 Marathon

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.

Friday, August 01, 2008

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


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!

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

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

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....

Saturday, July 05, 2008

Summer in Full Swing in Sioux City

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.