Slap me some skin... happy NH5D everybody
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011
Awesomeness!
Having a beer with the lady and waiting for a Friday fish fry... but check out the mood setter... old dude rockin the keyboard... love it!
Monday, April 4, 2011
Getting Antsy!
I keep looking at my PJ20 sticker and wondering about the PJ festival this summer... just wish they'd make the announcement of where and when already!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Ready... Set... Vegas
Tickets in hand... only an hour and a half left of work for the day... then flying out to Vegas on Sunday for #EXHIBITOR2011!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
I'm back.....
We'll see you soon!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
An Apology... Sort Of
My last post got some great klout and gained speed at an incredible rate. I said what I said, and for the most part I'm sticking behind my words. What I will retract is that I called Rodgers an "ass." As human beings we are always being judged by others and the good that we do is overlooked at a higher rate than our errors. This was a bad judgement call on Rodgers' part which was elevated to the level that it was mainly because it was caught on tape. If there's no video of him blowing by this lady, this isn't a story in the first place.
I got most of my information from Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com, and he too posted an apology. Here's what he had to say:
"Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers appeared today on The Dan Patrick Show. During the interview, Rodgers addressed the video that appeared over the weekend on WBAY-TV in Green Bay, with Rodgers walking past Packers fan and cancer survivor Jan Cavanaugh as she sought an autograph.
"I've met Jan on previous occasions," Rodgers said. "As the video shows, I didn't see her..I didn't sign for her. It turned into something I didn't really expect."
Thee now-yanked story shows a terminal at Austin Straubel Airport containing a group of Packers fans, seeing the Packers off to Atlanta on Friday of last week. In the video, Cavanaugh explains that she has a pink hat that she hopes Rodgers will sign it. And the very next image shows Rodgers strolling by with buds in his ears and the "force field" demeanor that we often see from celebrities who are being pursued by paparazzi.
When I saw the video for the first time, I cringed. Many of you did the same. But then I did what we bloggers (or whatever we are) all too often do - I fired off a rebuke of Rodgers without considering anything else about the other things he has done, both publicly and privately, over the years.
Gregg Doyel of CBS has provided an excellent look at Rodgers' good deeds, including his work for Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer. You should read Gregg's article. It's an eye opener. And I commend Rodgers for his efforts. In many respects, he has shown his appreciation of and concern for the citizens of Green Bay and Wisconsin. If Packers fans hadn't previously embraced him like they'd embraced Brett Favre, their reaction to the criticism of Rodgers from me and others shows that they now have.
I apologize to Rodgers for painting him with an unjustifiably broad brush based on a very brief slice of his life. It was wrong to jump to conclusions about whether he treats fans properly, and whether he understands the connection between the fans who support him and the money he makes. Though some have argued that true character is revealed in those fleeting moments, the whole truth about a man falls somewhere between his best days and his worst days. For Rodgers, there's no reason to believe that the truth isn't a lot closer to the best than the worst.
I apologize to Packers fans for distracting you from the afterglow of a game that has ushered in a new golden age of Green Bay football. With a stirring win over the top-seeded Falcons and a historic postseason contest against the Bears on the horizon, you shouldn't have had to worry about an opinion that I delivered too quickly, too strongly, and too stubbornly. I allowed emotions based on my own experiences to overcome reason, and I hope in the future to be able to take a step back before sharing the full thrust of my initial reaction on these pages, especially when the reaction is fueled by emotion based on my own experiences.
I also apologize to Jan Cavanaugh. As Armando Salguero explained it earlier today during my weekly visit with WFTL in South Florida, I tried to rescue a damsel in distress before determining whether she wanted to be rescued. (Actually, that's sort of how I met my wife.) I should have realized that this would bring attention she doesn't want or need, and I would have if I hadn't shared the full thrust of my initial reaction without thinking it through or looking into the good things Rodgers has done.
No one with PFT or NBC has asked me to apologize, and no one has forced me to apologize. (We continue to have full editorial control over the content of the site, and NBC has honored that commitment since day one of our partnership.) I've had two nights to sleep on it and plenty of other time to think about it. Once my anger at being wrongfully accused of running a payola scheme subsided and my Italian nature to never give in wore off, I realized that I felt bad. And I realized that I'd only feel better if I apologized.
Hopefully, we've all learned something from this experience. I know I have. And rather than listing, as I ordinarily would, all the other lessons that I think everyone else involved in this situation should learn, I'll shut up and move on and let folks come to their own conclusions about what they may do differently."
So there's my apology. I'll refer back to my original post and say that if I were a Packer fan, or if he were a member of the Vikings, I would love Aaron Rodgers. I'm not, and he isn't. Sorry. I hope we all can learn from this experience, especially Rodgers who has to learn that his life as a superstar will be lived in the lime-light.
I got most of my information from Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com, and he too posted an apology. Here's what he had to say:
"Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers appeared today on The Dan Patrick Show. During the interview, Rodgers addressed the video that appeared over the weekend on WBAY-TV in Green Bay, with Rodgers walking past Packers fan and cancer survivor Jan Cavanaugh as she sought an autograph.
"I've met Jan on previous occasions," Rodgers said. "As the video shows, I didn't see her..I didn't sign for her. It turned into something I didn't really expect."
Thee now-yanked story shows a terminal at Austin Straubel Airport containing a group of Packers fans, seeing the Packers off to Atlanta on Friday of last week. In the video, Cavanaugh explains that she has a pink hat that she hopes Rodgers will sign it. And the very next image shows Rodgers strolling by with buds in his ears and the "force field" demeanor that we often see from celebrities who are being pursued by paparazzi.
When I saw the video for the first time, I cringed. Many of you did the same. But then I did what we bloggers (or whatever we are) all too often do - I fired off a rebuke of Rodgers without considering anything else about the other things he has done, both publicly and privately, over the years.
Gregg Doyel of CBS has provided an excellent look at Rodgers' good deeds, including his work for Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer. You should read Gregg's article. It's an eye opener. And I commend Rodgers for his efforts. In many respects, he has shown his appreciation of and concern for the citizens of Green Bay and Wisconsin. If Packers fans hadn't previously embraced him like they'd embraced Brett Favre, their reaction to the criticism of Rodgers from me and others shows that they now have.
I apologize to Rodgers for painting him with an unjustifiably broad brush based on a very brief slice of his life. It was wrong to jump to conclusions about whether he treats fans properly, and whether he understands the connection between the fans who support him and the money he makes. Though some have argued that true character is revealed in those fleeting moments, the whole truth about a man falls somewhere between his best days and his worst days. For Rodgers, there's no reason to believe that the truth isn't a lot closer to the best than the worst.
I apologize to Packers fans for distracting you from the afterglow of a game that has ushered in a new golden age of Green Bay football. With a stirring win over the top-seeded Falcons and a historic postseason contest against the Bears on the horizon, you shouldn't have had to worry about an opinion that I delivered too quickly, too strongly, and too stubbornly. I allowed emotions based on my own experiences to overcome reason, and I hope in the future to be able to take a step back before sharing the full thrust of my initial reaction on these pages, especially when the reaction is fueled by emotion based on my own experiences.
I also apologize to Jan Cavanaugh. As Armando Salguero explained it earlier today during my weekly visit with WFTL in South Florida, I tried to rescue a damsel in distress before determining whether she wanted to be rescued. (Actually, that's sort of how I met my wife.) I should have realized that this would bring attention she doesn't want or need, and I would have if I hadn't shared the full thrust of my initial reaction without thinking it through or looking into the good things Rodgers has done.
No one with PFT or NBC has asked me to apologize, and no one has forced me to apologize. (We continue to have full editorial control over the content of the site, and NBC has honored that commitment since day one of our partnership.) I've had two nights to sleep on it and plenty of other time to think about it. Once my anger at being wrongfully accused of running a payola scheme subsided and my Italian nature to never give in wore off, I realized that I felt bad. And I realized that I'd only feel better if I apologized.
Hopefully, we've all learned something from this experience. I know I have. And rather than listing, as I ordinarily would, all the other lessons that I think everyone else involved in this situation should learn, I'll shut up and move on and let folks come to their own conclusions about what they may do differently."
So there's my apology. I'll refer back to my original post and say that if I were a Packer fan, or if he were a member of the Vikings, I would love Aaron Rodgers. I'm not, and he isn't. Sorry. I hope we all can learn from this experience, especially Rodgers who has to learn that his life as a superstar will be lived in the lime-light.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Aaron Rodgers: Rude Dude
It's no secret that I'm a huge Vikings fan. I was born and raised in Minnesota and without fail, I bleed purple and gold. That's why this was one tough weekend of football to watch for me. Packers won yesterday and then earlier today the Bears won as well.
But back to the title of this post. Aaron Rodgers is an ass. Now, some of this disdain comes from the fact that I can't stand the Packers. Some comes from jealousy. He's really good and if he wore purple I'd be his number one fan. The main reason for this post, though, is because A-Rodg pulled the "I'm too good for you" card and played it at the worst time. Packer nation will have nothing of this, but it's true. Rodgers is NOT that humble.
Jan Cavanaugh, a cancer patient who is a huge Packer fan, was looking for an autograph at the airport where the Pack were... and "Mr. Humble" wouldn't even give her the time of day. That's just rude. If you're a star in a league that acknowledges and pushes for a cure of breast cancer (you know that entire month where pink infiltrates every NFL stadium) the least you can do is stop and sign a damn autograph for a lady who has no hair and is wearing pink from head to toe. To drive home the point even further, Rodgers and ALL the Packers KNEW Ms. Cavanaugh was going to be there. The stewardess on their plane informed them upon their arrival that she was, and had been, waiting for them to land.
WBAY is Green Bay had the story and realized after posting the video to their website that it probably wasn't a fantastic idea to show the "face" of the Packers acting the role of a fool. Soon they took down the video, but thanks to YouTube everybody can still see Rodgers being an ass.
**Side note** Clay Matthews stopped and acted like a true star (and human being) and signed an autograph for Jan.
But back to the title of this post. Aaron Rodgers is an ass. Now, some of this disdain comes from the fact that I can't stand the Packers. Some comes from jealousy. He's really good and if he wore purple I'd be his number one fan. The main reason for this post, though, is because A-Rodg pulled the "I'm too good for you" card and played it at the worst time. Packer nation will have nothing of this, but it's true. Rodgers is NOT that humble.
Jan Cavanaugh, a cancer patient who is a huge Packer fan, was looking for an autograph at the airport where the Pack were... and "Mr. Humble" wouldn't even give her the time of day. That's just rude. If you're a star in a league that acknowledges and pushes for a cure of breast cancer (you know that entire month where pink infiltrates every NFL stadium) the least you can do is stop and sign a damn autograph for a lady who has no hair and is wearing pink from head to toe. To drive home the point even further, Rodgers and ALL the Packers KNEW Ms. Cavanaugh was going to be there. The stewardess on their plane informed them upon their arrival that she was, and had been, waiting for them to land.
WBAY is Green Bay had the story and realized after posting the video to their website that it probably wasn't a fantastic idea to show the "face" of the Packers acting the role of a fool. Soon they took down the video, but thanks to YouTube everybody can still see Rodgers being an ass.
**Side note** Clay Matthews stopped and acted like a true star (and human being) and signed an autograph for Jan.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
British humor FINALLY gets funny
Sorry for the absence, been busy as of late with the house renovation and wedding planning.
But it was easy today to devote a bit of time to share this little nugget of pure gold. We all know that the Brits are famously known for horrible food and even worse teeth. What they're not usually famous for is their comedy. Until now. Nothing funnier in this world than talking animals, and the boys from the UK have delivered. Watch and enjoy!
But it was easy today to devote a bit of time to share this little nugget of pure gold. We all know that the Brits are famously known for horrible food and even worse teeth. What they're not usually famous for is their comedy. Until now. Nothing funnier in this world than talking animals, and the boys from the UK have delivered. Watch and enjoy!
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Dome Sweet Deflated Dome
It comes as no surprise that I, as a die-hard Vikings fan, can't stand the Metrodome. It was a disgrace to EVER play baseball under a teflon roof and it's no better for the Vikes. That's why, even though I'm a little bummed that a Sunday went by that I was expecting to watch my "Purple," I'm a little excited about the Hefty-Bag falling flat. It's a great pursuant for the Norsemen to finally push home their agenda of getting a new stadium. They NEED a new stadium and the fact that their current home has dropped from above should give the team a bit of leverage in achieving their agenda of getting a new arena to play in.
If you haven't seen it, check it out. This is video from inside the Dome as it came to the ground.
If you haven't seen it, check it out. This is video from inside the Dome as it came to the ground.
Monday, November 8, 2010
It Can Be Done... "The Twinkie Diet"
It's an absolute certainty that we live in a world where appearance matters. Love it or hate it, it's the truth. Personally, last year I went through the 90 day workout routine that swept the nation, P90X. It worked for me, I lost four pounds and dropped an inch in my waist in the first two weeks then put on 10 pounds over the lifespan of the workout. It put me in arguably the best shape of my life. It worked for me... but losing weight wasn't my goal.
Losing the poundage was exactly this man's goal, though, and he went a different route. CNN.com profiled Mark Haub as he took on the "Twinkie Diet" and dropped 27 pounds in just two months.
It would be easy to pass this story off as some quack just trying to prove the system wrong and do something weird, but this guy is legit. He's a nutrition professor at Kansas State University.
It's a great read and proves once again that it doesn't really matter what goes into your body, but rather, how much and what you do to burn those calories off.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html?hpt=T2
It would be easy to pass this story off as some quack just trying to prove the system wrong and do something weird, but this guy is legit. He's a nutrition professor at Kansas State University.
It's a great read and proves once again that it doesn't really matter what goes into your body, but rather, how much and what you do to burn those calories off.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html?hpt=T2
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Social Media Meets Television News
It's all the rage boys and girls: social media. If you didn't know, now you know. From Facebook, to Twitter and ALL the other options you have out there, we are now living in a world that is universally connected if you like it or not.
I now find myself directly implanted in this world working for a branding/PR company that specializes in social media and it's analytics to drive business. It's almost a 180 degree turn from where I came from. For the past three years I worked in front of the camera as a sports anchor/reporter for a tv station. But there are a lot of similarities, and yes, social media is becoming a huge part of the business of traditional media (i.e. television, radio, and print). The goal of my old business was to get the news out with as much journalistic integrity as possible, now with all the outlets social media allots, you can do so much faster than in the past.
That's why when I saw this spoof done by Fox 4 news in Dallas/Fort Worth I knew I had to share it. It made me laugh and cry at the same time. The world is changing, like it or not... so sit back and take it all in because social media is the way the world now works. Take a peek.
I now find myself directly implanted in this world working for a branding/PR company that specializes in social media and it's analytics to drive business. It's almost a 180 degree turn from where I came from. For the past three years I worked in front of the camera as a sports anchor/reporter for a tv station. But there are a lot of similarities, and yes, social media is becoming a huge part of the business of traditional media (i.e. television, radio, and print). The goal of my old business was to get the news out with as much journalistic integrity as possible, now with all the outlets social media allots, you can do so much faster than in the past.
That's why when I saw this spoof done by Fox 4 news in Dallas/Fort Worth I knew I had to share it. It made me laugh and cry at the same time. The world is changing, like it or not... so sit back and take it all in because social media is the way the world now works. Take a peek.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Wish This Guy Was Our Governor
If you're like me you are completely sick and tired of all the political ads on tv, fliers in the mail, and anonymous phone calls asking for your vote. Here in Wisconsin we have two basic options: 1) Democrat Tom Barrett, the man who got beat up while playing the role of Good Samaritan in a Milwaukee altercation, and 2) Scott Walker, the Republican nomination who increased Milwaukee county budget spending each of the five years he was in charge.
I'm not going to lie and say that I know everything that there is to know in this race... and to be truthful, I just don't really care that much at this point. But I do know this; a little known Vietnam veteran named Jimmy McMillan is running for New York's Governor seat under "The Rent Is 2 Damn High" Party and by all personal accounts, he would have my vote if I was a resident in that state. Thought I'd share this tasty little video from Monday night's New York Governors debate. Enjoy!
I'm not going to lie and say that I know everything that there is to know in this race... and to be truthful, I just don't really care that much at this point. But I do know this; a little known Vietnam veteran named Jimmy McMillan is running for New York's Governor seat under "The Rent Is 2 Damn High" Party and by all personal accounts, he would have my vote if I was a resident in that state. Thought I'd share this tasty little video from Monday night's New York Governors debate. Enjoy!
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Happy Belated...
Unlike my previous post, this birthday celebration is for one lost way before his time. On Saturday a legend lost would have turned 70... happy belated John Lennon, you are missed.
Favre's Sexting Snafu
Happy birthday Brett Favre. Now pull your pants up and put your cellphone down. Of course I'm talking about the current situation being investigated by the NFL that Vikings quarterback Brett Favre sent nude cellphone pictures of himself to a former member of the New York media. Her name is Jenn Sterger and if you don't know who I'm talking about... google her.
The report goes as follows: Favre gets traded to the Jets in 2008, sees Sterger in the tunnel at Meadowlands Stadium, reaches out to her on MySpace then somehow gets Sterger's cellphone number. From there the story gets weird. Apparently the "silver fox" used his own phone to snap off a couple of not-so-artsy shots of his junk and sent them to Sterger. That's known as "sexting" and on the day that Brett Favre turns 41 all I really have to say is 'grow up man.' Seriously, you're married and already got busted having an affair with a reporter while in Green Bay. You should know better.
Is Favre a good quarterback yet in the NFL... that's debatable, but the answer is likely still a yes. But being a good athlete does not instantly make you a role model... you have to earn that title and Favre has seriously hurt his image once again. It also goes to prove once again that technology can change and allow you to do more, but it still takes common sense to be a good person.
The report goes as follows: Favre gets traded to the Jets in 2008, sees Sterger in the tunnel at Meadowlands Stadium, reaches out to her on MySpace then somehow gets Sterger's cellphone number. From there the story gets weird. Apparently the "silver fox" used his own phone to snap off a couple of not-so-artsy shots of his junk and sent them to Sterger. That's known as "sexting" and on the day that Brett Favre turns 41 all I really have to say is 'grow up man.' Seriously, you're married and already got busted having an affair with a reporter while in Green Bay. You should know better.
Is Favre a good quarterback yet in the NFL... that's debatable, but the answer is likely still a yes. But being a good athlete does not instantly make you a role model... you have to earn that title and Favre has seriously hurt his image once again. It also goes to prove once again that technology can change and allow you to do more, but it still takes common sense to be a good person.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Loss of innocence...
For years I lived with blinders on. I never knew the importance or the grand scope of how big the social media world really was/is. Now that my exodus from the world of television is complete, I find myself working directly with the material that I once over-looked. This blog is my chance, and yours to join me in my journey, to get out from behind the camera where language and certain topics are taboo and enter the real world of telling it as it is. I invite you to ride along. Intriguing isn't it?? I hope so!
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