Summertime...

Waiting for fun at Disney World

The weather is going to take that turn into real summer this weekend. Both days are expected to be in the 90's with humidity building throughout the day. Joy! Not really, I don't care for days in the 90's where you can't even sit outside and I need to yank some stumps out of the ground too. Only good part of this is no mowing this weekend.

Fort Wayne's Three Rivers Festival kicks off this weekend and runs through next weekend. Should be able to hit Junk Food Alley at some point. We'll miss the parade tomorrow after actually making it last year. Bob Marley Tribute band tonight at the beer tent, that could be interesting. [3RF.com]

Fishing on the pond with Noah

Tonight, Brooke and I will be heading to Fortissimo with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. Two local bands and another indie group will be playing with The Phil in a one of a kind event. This should be very cool and we're looking forward to it. [The Phil & Journal Gazette]

This week's News Quiz. [Chicago Tribune]

Nebraska joined the Big Ten last week as the 12th member school. Here was a recap of the Big Ten for the Huskers, I thought it was a pretty cool rundown of the league. [Husker Extra]

Neat Op-Ed column about super powers, X-Men, and history. [New York Times]

One of my all time favorite Hoosiers, Calbert Cheaney, is back in the fold. He and I were classmates at IU. [USA Today]

Fishing on the pond with Noah

Paul sent me this link of a real life National Treasure found in India. [Guardian]

In commemoration of the final shuttle launch this morning, here's a sun article on a solar flare eruption with a cool video. It's simply amazing. [Fox News]

Google launched a new social media site this week with a limited release. One of the first to join up was Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook. Probably just checking out the potential competition. [New York Times]

Hope you all checked out the massive picture update I did last weekend. Lots of great photos of our trip to Walt Disney World. We had a very good time! 

Ziver Beaver (aka Ziva) chilling out

Stay cool this weekend!

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Rain, rain...go away?

Ready to go fishing!

Heard on the news last night that this is the wettest May in Fort Wayne's recorded history. Already over 9" this month with three days left. It's the 8th wettest month ever in Fort Wayne. Could be why the horses are floating? Not really, but they're close. The pond is at the brim and using the overflow pipe toward the field in back liberally.

We had our Ash trees treated this morning from the nasty Emerald Ash borer. Hopefully we can hold them off for a while, unlike many other cities across the nation. [EAB site & Time]

This week's News Quiz. [Chicago Tribune]

This tornado season has been unbelievable, from Alabama to Missouri and everywhere in between. [Washington Post]

Here's an informative Fact or Fiction write up on tornadoes. [New York Times]

Another amazing animal story from Depune. A dog crawls home after the Alabama tornadoes week's ago. Oh, he has two broken legs! [CNN]

The storms that ripped through Missouri also hit Bloomington pretty hard this week. Hundreds of trees downed on the IU campus, many of them old growth trees. [IU News Room]

The Tohoku region of Japan continues it's recovery from the March 11th megaquake. This town had a longsighted mayor who built a wall that saved his community. [Japan Times]

Saw this video linked to Twitter from the tsunami that wiped out Minamisanriku in Miyagi prefecture. Almost 6 minutes long and pretty incredible. [YouTube]

It is Memorial Day weekend here, a time to remember those who gave everything so that we could be free. The traditional Memorial Day will be the same as the day we observe it this year, May 30th. [MemorialDay.org]

Memorial Day weekend in Indiana means it's Indy 500 time. For the first time ever, a Type 1 diabetic will be in the race. That's a pretty good reason to root for Charlie Kimball, right? [WTHR]

Have a great holiday weekend and hope that summer is just around the corner...

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Feels like Summer

Planting veggies...

We've had a great couple of days for summertime weather. Rowan's been talking about summertime for a few weeks now. I think she may have actually talked it into coming around.

We found out this week we're having a baby boy at the end of September. Rowan is quite excited to be a big sister. I anticipate her being a very big helper when her brother arrives. We don't have a name yet, but we're working on it. Thanks for all the suggestions!

New Horsey named Chocolate

My review of Thor is up on the main page. We really enjoyed our first summer movie of the season. This week, Bridesmaids looks really funny and we can't wait for The Hangover Part II later this month. [IMDb.com]

Sheridan Stables are full for the summer. All 6 stalls have horses in them and things are progressing nicely. We haven't been able to start on the pastures yet due to the wet spring we've had. Might have to stick to the hay field and start the pastures next year. The ground needs to dry up quickly in order for us to do it all this year.

Here's the links I've accumulated since my last blog update.

This week's News Quiz. [Chicago Tribune]

A great story of two family miles apart that connected through the devastating Alabama tornadoes a few weeks back. [Washington Post]

Students with President Bush on 9/11 tell their story of how they remember that day. [Time]

Making sense of organic foods. [Chicago Tribune]

Story of the man who tweeted the raid on Osama's place. He's a pretty good read on Twitter (@ReallyVirtual). [Time & Twitter]

Piggyback ride with Mom during JDRF Walk

The Space Shuttle program is retiring this year. The remaining shuttles will be donated to several places around the country. Amazingly, Houston wasn't one of the places. [NASA & Crunch Gear]

The cleanup from March's earthquake continues in Japan. Here's a great story of people braving the nuclear threat to save a group of dogs. [Japan Times]

Japan Self Defense Forces, their military, has stepped up big time to help find survivors, collect the dead, and begin the rebuilding effort. [Japan Times]

Tsunami warning stones saved one Japanese town, I'm sure more will be made to save others in the future. [New York Times]

Prolific tweeter Andy Carvin (@acarvin) keeps the world updated on the Arab Spring and other happenings around the world. [Washington Post & Twitter & Guardian]

Have a great weekend!

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Spring Time Already?

Rowan on the new Dixie Chopper

I think we're going to hit 70 or even 80 degrees this weekend in The Fort. That's the kind of spring weather we need! Time to dry the grounds out at The Stables. I'd have to say I'm ready to hit the mowing duties when that time comes, we're all set with out new Dixie Chopper. Cuts grass at 4 acres an hour! Better than the tractor that was 4 acres in 2 days.

Rowan got glasses this week. She is farsighted and has another eye issue that the lenses need to correct. So far she seems to really enjoy them. They were on when I picked her up from school yesterday, so that was a good sign. I think she'll like seeing much better and know that the glasses help with that.

Rowan's glasses

A hearty Happy Birthday to Nana yesterday and my nephew Gustavo Byers today! He turned 3 today and we're celebrating tomorrow with his friends and family in Indianapolis. Three already? Where has the time gone...

This week's News Quiz. [Chicago Tribune]

Baseball is in full swing. The Cubbies made some changes to their menu at Wrigley. It's gotten a little more local flair to it. I'll have to check some of this out at Poppa Day at the Park in July. [Chicago Tribune]

Great survival story of a dog lost at sea for three weeks after the earthquake in Japan last month and then being reunited with his owner! What a story this dog could tell. [Japan Times and BBC News]

The swath of destruction in NE Japan is mind boggling. [Washington Post]

Great season Butler!

I'd like to say what this teacher in Japan is doing is what I would have done, but I'm not sure if I'd have stayed. I looked at the map of the US recommended evacuation zone for the nuclear plants and my town is about 25 miles outside that. Too darn close. [Japan Times]

It's been 25 years since Hoosiers was released? They're having a celebration of the movie at IU this month. [IU News Room]

Good NFL story: former IU great James Hardy is back at school to earn his degree. [IDS]

Have a great weekend! Enjoy the warmer temps and The Masters.

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Pitchers and Catchers Report Today!

Rowan style!

Spring must be right around the corner, because the Cubs are starting Spring Training in Arizona! There'll be springlike temps this week in Fort Wayne. 50 degrees on Thursday? We were at -10 last Thursday! Crazy...The winds last night were enough to blow you over, so the weather is changing. [MLB.com]

Happy Valentine's Day!

Last week's News Quiz. [Chicago Tribune]

After last week's Snow Farm story, here's the next progression in a snowpocalypse winter, your roof coming down on you. [New York Times]

Did anyone print out the Popdose Oscar ballot? Anyone studying up for the Oscars on February 27th? Here's a rundown of some of the best short film categories, which are divided into three groups: animated, live action and documentary. [Popdose & New York Times]

Toy Story 3 is up for the big one, Best Picture, and the Best Animated film. Lots of time and work went into the third installment. With 10 Best Picture nominations now, films like Toy Story 3 can get into the discussion for the big prize. [IMDb.com & New York Times]

IU basketball is improving in fits and starts. One great game, winning or losing, followed by a real dud. Easy to forget where IU was just two seasons ago. This story about IU student manager Mike Santa reminds us just how far he and IU have come in less than 3 years. [Inside Indiana]

Twitter humor! Fake Twitter accounts are the best at parody and some seriously funny stuff. I follow a couple of these including Harry Caray's Ghost and Not Steve Jobs. [New York Times]

Square Board will be open in two weeks! The NCAA games will be available for anyone this year as all the games move to cable television. Beginning this year they're also staggering the start times so we can see all the buzzer beaters. [SpydeysWebb NCAA Games & ESPN]

Enjoy this great weather!

Who's this?!?

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Super Bowl Weekend

Snow sliding with dad

It's Super Bowl weekend! We throw the fantasy football party at our place. This will be the first one on the farm. Should be a great turnout and the potluck brings out some very good grub. Now let's just hope we have a great game to watch. My prediction: Packers 31 - Steelers 27.

The holiday on Wednesday went off great. Holiday you say? Yeah, Groundhog Day! It happened to correspond with a huge winter storm that kept us home for a snow day. Very nice. The sleet we got made the snow heavy but the total snowfall was around 10" at the farm. Oh, and Punxsutawney Phil didn't see his shadow, so spring is right around the corner!

Nominations for the Oscars were announced last week. I think seeing The King's Speech was a very good idea! It leads all movie noms with 12 including the big ones for screenplay, director, and best picture. I have the scorecard for the Oscar Game already. You can download and print it off on the Popdose site. I was thinking about collecting $5/entry to make it interesting. Last year it was just Brooke and I with entries, and I came back for the victory because Brooke choose the wrong Supporting Actress winner. Either way we do it, it's a fun game. So if you want to play, print off the scorecard, make your picks and get them to me before Oscar night on Feb. 27th. I'll be including this info on future posts this month. [Oscars.com & IMDb.com & Popdose]

Moon Dough farm at the farm!

Here's a cool study guide link for Oscar nominated films you might not know about. [Huffington Post]

Another prediction study guide for who's looking good to take home the golden guy. [Time]

This week's News Quiz. [Chicago Tribune]

Where does Boston put all their 70+ inches of snow? Snow farms, of course. [New York Times]

Here's 5 Myths of the Super Bowl for this Super Weekend. [Washington Post]

Stay warm!

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She's fly like a G6...

Days are longer, but it's getting COLD!

Here we GO!

We'll kick the post off with more sledding pictures from earlier this week. I love the one where Rowan and Gus are all laid back getting pulled toward the parking lot! Too funny and cute. If you missed the video from the blog post on Tuesday, you need to go to the blog online to see videos. Make sure you do that! Heck, make sure you click and read the blog from the web site! Don't be lazy and read it from your inbox...

We can already tell that the days are getting a bit longer. I think sunrise will move into the 7 o'clock hour this weekend. Still means Brooke's doing most her morning work with the sky dark, but it is getting better. Now the temps are another story. We're going to have our coldest night of the season tonight. I think the low is around 0 with wind chills significantly lower. Nice night to stay home with a book...

Speaking of which, I've just cracked into James Swanson's "Bloody Crimes". It's a dual story about Lincoln's body returning to Illinois and the hunt for Jefferson Davis just after the assassination. I really liked Swanson's previous book on Lincoln's assassination titled "Manhunt", so I'm in for round two. [Harper Collins]

Movies! We're getting closer to Oscar time, so we must catch up with some of the contenders. The nominations will be announced next week, but Brooke and I kicked off the viewing with The King's Speech last night at Carmike. What a great movie. Good story and solid acting made it a lot of fun. I really like Geoffrey Rush, and he does a tremendous job. Colin Firth already took home the Golden Globe for his work in this one and I think he's the odds on favorite to win the Oscar for Best Actor. We'll should be checking out True Grit on our next visit, hopefully soon. [IMDb.com]

Poppa and Rowan, GO BEARS!

Big football Sunday coming up! I know I have quite a few Chicago Bear fans that read the blog. It's been a pretty amazing run for the Bears this year, considering most people feel their quarterback Jay Cutler isn't very good. Cutler is a fellow type 1 diabetic, so I've always been partial to him. However, he has an attitude sometimes that's hard to take. I think that's where people turn on him. The Bears/Packers matchup for the NFC Championship is their first playoff meeting in 60 seasons! These two teams have played each other more times than any other matchup, and this time it's for a trip to the Super Bowl. I'm rooting for the Bears, but I think the Packers will win this one 31-21. In the AFC Championship, I just can't root for the mouthy Jets and would have a hard time putting up with them for two weeks before the big game. So let's go Steelers 31-17!

Happy early Birthday to blog reader Paul Till. He turns 30-something or other on Tuesday the 25th. Happy Birthday Tillbilly!

I have quite a few links saved up, so let's hit this week's News Quiz and to get it started. [Chicago Tribune]

Starbucks is turning 40. So along with a larger 31 oz coffee, they are also changing their logo and some of the imaging. Changes can be seen sometime this spring. [Starbucks]

Some movie links to go with our run-up to the Oscars on Feb. 27th. Here's a list of 50 movies you must see before Oscar night. How many have you seen? I don't know who can do the whole list! Here's another list of the biggest flops of 2010. [Hey You Guys! & Box Office Mojo]

Which way to the car?

How long have humans been drinking wine? A dig in Armenia says it's close to 6,000 years! [Washington Post]

And a good follow-up to how long we've been drinking to how good is the advice you've gotten on the effects of drinking? Most of which is probably wrong![Washington Post]

Thinking about spring gets me thinking about golf. If you've always wanted to play the Masters at Augusta National, you can now on the new EA Sports Tiger Woods golf game for 2011. FORE! [Tees2Greens.com]

Here's a great link on how to reuse your old T-shirts. I've always though I'd get a quilt made of mine and I have some good ones. [Huffington Post]

Try to stay warm! Trust me, Spring is coming!

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Winter is coming, strike that, it's here!

You looking at my Christmas cookie?

Happy Winter everyone! The Winter Solstice is tomorrow. The best reason to celebrate this? The days will now begin to get longer! Good stuff. Celebrations and followings of the Winter Solstice. [Wikipedia and New York Times]

Fantasy season is over for both of my teams. The Fort Wayne team has a huge lead in the 9th Place Bowl. That's basically a 4 team tournament for the teams not good enough to make the real playoffs. I'm winning that. In Warsaw, I'm the Fantasy Bowl Champion! It's my first year playing up there and I had a great team dropped in my lap. Having Vick as my QB certainly helped. Quite a big payday for winning that Fantasy Bowl, less so if I get the 9th Place Bowl title. But a payday is a payday, no matter how much you get! In Warsaw, you get to engrave the trophy. I just have to decide on what to put on there...By the way, in case you're wondering, 2011 draft is in 255 days.

With Grandma at the Sleigh Bell party

Christmas shopping is pretty much done at the Sheridan house. I don't think it will be this easy to hide things from Rowan next year. So far, she'll forget about things she sees and move on to other stuff. She met Santa this past weekend at the FW Philharmonic Sleigh Bell Party on Saturday. She really just hung on to daddy so we could get a photo and a really cool Vera Bradley stocking. Well done by the Philharmonic staff!

Matthew's House had their 2nd annual Christmas pageant last Friday night and it was a huge success. Rowan had all her grandparents, Uncle Zach, cousin Harrison, and Aunt Lynnette in attendance. She loved it.

After getting home that night, I realized I've been very bad about updating photos on our Picasa Albums. So....I put up over 200 photos this weekend!
September - Sheridan golf outing, bonfire, camping in Bloomington
October - Ella and Grace visit, Brown County, snowball bush bonfire, Halloween
November - Papa's birthday, Thanksgiving
December - Ella Peden visit, breakfast with St. Nicholas

Some quick linkage I've been hanging on to:

Hanging with Nana at the Pageant

The Cubs new manager finds peace while fishing. [Chicago Sun-Times]

NFL wide receiver Chris Henry lost his life in an auto accident last year. His mother turned her tragedy around to help others. This is an amazing story. [LA Times]

Man's best friend might also be the best medicine. Thanks for the link Depune. [KHOU]

Reading with Aunt Lynnette at the pageant

Oh, and here is last week's News Quiz. [Chicago Tribune]

Hope you all have a wonderful and safe Christmas!

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Getting cold and dark around here!

New Horsey Slippers!

It's getting dark by the time Rowan and I make it home from daycare this week. We still have a month before the Winter Solstice and the shortest day of the year. Ugh. I really hate the shorter days and longer nights. The cold I can deal with, the pitch dark at 6:30 is another story! Now that we live out in the country, it's really dark. No street lights, no cars. It'll take some getting used to. [Wikipedia]

The IU basketball season has gotten off to a fast 3-0 start. So far, so good. Brooke will be making her first appearance at Assembly Hall on Sunday for the Evansville game. Hopefully they can send us home with another win. [Evansville Purple Aces]

Defending my title in the Fort Wayne Fantasy Football League isn't going well. I've basically been relegated to the also rans, otherwise known as the 9th Place Bowl. The top 8 teams make the Fantasy Bowl playoffs, the other four make the 9th Place Bowl playoffs. At 2-8, I'm one of those teams. However, all is not lost in the fantasy realm. I bought into a solid team in a league my buddy Travis runs in Warsaw. This team is 9-1 and looking really good for the long haul. So not all is lost! I'd rather win in Fort Wayne, but at this point I'll take whatever I can get.

This week's News Quiz. [Chicago Tribune]

Peanut bans at the ballpark? Some allergy experts think that's going too far. [NPR]

They're playing football at Wrigley this weekend as Northwestern hosts intrastate rival Illinois. Looking at these pictures of the field I noticed that the one endzone looks a little 'close' to the famous brick walls in the outfield. Seems the Big Ten agrees, as today they announced both teams will head toward the endzone with more room while on offense. [Big Ten Network & New York Times]

Heading out to help Mom feed the horses

The top 10 quirky and weird US houses. [Rand McNally]

Roundabouts could be gaining in use and not necessarily in popularity. Find out the history and how to work them with this link. [Wikipedia & New York Times & Roundabouts USA]

I'm predicting IU football goes down in a ball of awful on Saturday but that the Redskins redeem themselves vs. Tennessee. We'll see...

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Begin the Begin - IU Basketball tips off tonight

Go IU!

Like the Phoenix, IU basketball is rising back up! Great day yesterday to be a Hoosier as we got top instate talent Cody Zeller commitment (sorry to my Butler Bear dad). This is just the latest step in IU's return to the top of college basketball. In the class for next season, we got a top 20 (Cody Zeller) and a top 100 (Austin Etherington) player. For the 2012 class we already have a top 10 (Hanner Perea), a top 30 (Ron Patterson), and a top 100 (Peter Jurkin). Hell, IU got commitments from two of the top HS freshman in the country in September. All but one of those players that have now committed to the Hoosiers are from Indiana. Attention college coaches: the Indiana state borders are now CLOSED! Top instate talent is deciding on the Hoosiers, again. It's about time! I was tired of getting stuck with these tickets. [Yahoo! Rivals & USA Today]

The reason I start off this week's post with this news is because the IU season starts tonight in Bloomington vs. Florida Gulf Coast. Uncle Dave and I will be there, center court row 39 seats 3 & 4 losing our voices and clapping till it hurts. I haven't been this excited for a basketball game in Bloomington since DJ White's senior year. That's a bittersweet memory though, cause it was that year that the walls finally came tumbling down with the Kelvin Sampson fiasco hitting the fan. I'm also well aware that this will be another rough season for the Hoosiers. The Big Ten is stacked this year, many saying it's the best conference in the nation. So a couple of games above .500 with a trip to the NIT would be a great way to finish this season. Begin the begin, it will only get better. [ESPN.com]

Game time 6:30 on Big Ten Network. Look for me, I'll be the one in Crimson.

This week's News Quiz. [Chicago Tribune]

Speaking of IU, new unis this year. Not much difference, but they look like they 'fit' better than last year's tired design. [Green Banner Publications & Rivals.com]

Anyone else ever won a pair of Chuck Taylor All Stars? I LOVED my Chucks, loved 'em. Wore my Chucks playing basketball for North Side one season. We could get them from the coach's office for $25 a pair. I doubt I can wear any now because the arch support is basically nonexistent, and my plantar fascia don't play that. However, I may need to figure something out because (Website of the Week) you can design your own pair of Chuck Taylors. Very sweet. [Wikipedia & Converse.com]

Got her started early...It's Indiana.

IU's current roster is all about team and family. Watch out for Oladipo, he's the real deal. [Indiana Daily Student]

Saw one of the most ridiculous quarters of basketball this week. The Indiana Pacers shot 20 for 21 in the 3rd quarter Tuesday night scoring 54 points in 12 minutes to blow out the Denver Nuggets. It was, like I said, ridiculous. They raised their SEASON FG% from 25th in the league to 9th in one night! Here's a video of their first 20 shots that quarter, all makes. [Pacers.com]

Wrap up our Hoosier heavy post today with great news that Martha the "Mop Lady" will be making her return to IU basketball games. Any old school IU fans remember Martha singing the IU school song while mopping the hallways of Assembly Hall in the late 70's - early 80's? That's the time I was growing into the IU fan I am today, nice to have her back. [Inside the Hall]

Have a great weekend! Looks like this may be the last of the 'summer' weather. 70 degrees today?!? Enjoy and GO IU!

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All Saints' Day

Laughing with mom at Matthew's House Halloween party

Great Halloween weekend. I think Rowan has figured out this candy thing, and she really likes it! She was a very cute pirate this year. ARGH! We had fun trick or treating with cousin Harrison and Grandma in their neighborhood.

Rowan the pirate and her M&M's

Saw a movie last week! Brooke and I went to see RED in the theaters. We really enjoyed it. It was a very good time and we were entertained. It's not going to win any awards, but it was a funny escape movie with good, well-known actors. John Malkovich steals about every scene he's in. The movie is based on a graphic novel written by Warren Ellis. Here's a blog entry from Warren regarding the movie. He's a pretty entertaining guy who has a Twitter account you can follow him on. [IMDB.com & Wikipedia & WarrenEllis.com & Twitter]

I know Secretariat is in the theaters, and we'd like to see that one. The holiday movie season will be kicking off soon with Oscar being the ultimate goal for many of these flicks. The third Batman movie has a name, you'll have to wait until the summer of 2012 for it. [IMDb.com & Screen Rant]

Last week's News Quiz. [Chicago Tribune]

Here's a couple of older links (Link 1 and Link 2) about the new Cubs manager, Mike Quade. I think its a decent hire. Like most things, we'll have to wait and see. As all Cub fans know, there's always next year! [Daily Herald & Chicago Sun-Times]

At Trunk or Treat on Friday

Big Brother is online. Got this interesting link from my little brother, Christian. It's a good, enlightening read. Some might say a bit frightening as well. [Wall Street Journal]

Watch out for new speed monitors in a Trans Am or Dodge Truck! Seen any of these yet, Depune? [WRTV]

Swiss completed the world's longest tunnel under the Alps. [BBC News]

Great sport calls. This guy ranks his top 32. It'll take a while to get through them all, but there's some good ones. [Sports Illustrated]

I enjoyed this commentary from David Brooks last week about the new sitcom format compared to how sitcoms were in the past. [New York Times]


November is here! Mowed for the last time this weekend, yay! It was only the 4th time I did the whole lot since we moved in June.

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Summer Weather in October!

An oldie, but a goodie

This is what fall weather is all about! Going to hit the 80's again tomorrow, but then have the nice cool evening. Love this fall weather!

I think the horses don't mind it as well. They're starting to get a bit fuzzy with their winter coats coming in, but the cool evenings are nice in the barn for them. We've even been closing the doors at night, which might take some getting used to for them.

Football last week was a 50/50 experience. With me and Uncle Dave in attendance, IU came up short vs. Michigan on Saturday afternoon, but the Redskins took care of the Eagles in Philly on Sunday afternoon. We'll mention fantasy football again when my team actually wins a game! Ugh, it's going to be a long season there. Happy 50th to 17th Street Stadium, now called Memorial Stadium, in Bloomington. [Inside Indiana]

An early Happy Birthday to my brother Christian. He turns 36 Thursday and will be in Fort Wayne to celebrate! Don't hurt yourself running about Chicago this weekend, bro!

This week's News Quiz. [Chicago Tribune]

The new Nissan Leaf is a 100% electric car. The government and the company are piling up the incentives to get people to make that purchase. [Nissan & New York Times]

The US Army scientists and university entomologists may have found the reason for the sudden honeybee Colony Collapse Disorder. That's a pretty neat collaboration there. [New York Times & Wikipedia]

Indiana University baseball coach Tracy Smith and IU Athletic's 24 Sports - One Team philosophy. [Indiana Daily Student]

Have a great weekend! IU vs. Ohio State and Washington vs. Green Bay could get ugly, but that's why they play the games!

Driving the grocery cart at Kroger

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October already? Friday October 1

Want some homemade pizza?

Well, the blog has taken a back seat to all that's changed and all that's going on at the new homestead. No excuse, I know. I'm still collecting articles to enlighten and entertain! I'll link them below.

September was a very busy month for me. Fantasy football kicked off with the start of the NFL season. It's Week Four already and my team is terrible. I guess I can handle that since I won the whole thing last year, but it's going to make for a long season and depressing Sundays. Doesn't help that the Redskins took the great Week One win over the Cowboys and turned it into a choke job and butt kicking the next two weeks. Ugh.

We all went down for a camping trip to Bloomington last weekend. IU played a night game on Saturday vs. Akron, so we camped at Paynetown State Recreation Area on Friday and Saturday nights. Rowan loved it. She was very excited to be camping and sleeping in a camper. I think she liked that we were all together in the same area. IU won to move to 3-0 on the season. Michigan comes in tomorrow, so we'll see where they truly stand as a football team tomorrow evening.

The 12th Sheridan Invitational was in the middle of September. That always makes for a busy and hectic time. 34 golfers teed it up with just a few sprinkles that day. For the party that evening, there were a few tense moments with the bonfire. With 20 foot flames, you could see it from US27 which is about a half mile from the house! I don't think we'll be doing fires that big again...

Added some more photos to the Picasa site for these events. I've got a few to add from the camping, but the August, September, and Farm/House albums all have updates in them.

Swinging w/ the Backyardigans and Poppa Bear

Sheridan Stables is moving along nicely, and has their own blog now too. We have power and all the heavy construction is done. The newer pasture stalls still need to be finished up, but we could add more horses. Right now we have 3: Della, Summer, and our boarder Java. We got the pasture seeded with pasture grass, so the horses are on the riding arena ground for the next 5 weeks. We're already looking into getting some of the farmland in the back turned into pasture next spring. We need more area if we're going to have more horses!

Haven't been out to see any new movies in a long time! There's quite a few coming up we'd like to check out, so time to get the movie night back up and running. The reviews are still linked to the main SpydeysWebb page along with the movies we'd like to see in the near future.

How about a little News Quiz for old time's sake? Good luck! [Chicago Tribune]

It's unbelievably getting to be basketball season too. Cool article about the Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard meeting one of his biggest fans. [Orlando Sentinel]

It's been 10 years since IU sent Bobby Knight packing. We're only now beginning to recover! [Louisville Courier-Journal]

The mini Golden Gate bridge in Kansas. [New York Times]

My Twitter use has is down a bit, but it's still a great resource for breaking new events. They've done some updating too. Follow me on Twitter at @SpydeysWebb. [New York Times]

Watch this video for new CPR techniques that could help you save a life! Poppa Hans sent me this link. [Sarver Heart Centers]

Website of the Week (Month?): Colorstrology! Got this one from Brooke. Check it out, pretty cool.

Until next time, enjoy this great fall weather!

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Last day of August

That is one LARGE ice cream taco

Been a long while since I've posted some links. Actually, since we've moved out of Beaverbrook into the parents then into the new place on Thompson Road, the weekly posts have turned into monthly ones, if that. It's been a long time...

Java watching Rowan

The Cubs season has crashed and burned with the ashes swept up and thrown away already! It's now to the point that football is right down the road. IU starts Thursday night and the fantasy football draft is this Friday. Rowan turned two and I've been married for 4 years now. It's been an amazing summer with lots of changes, the biggest being Della's move into our home. Well, not the home itself, but the home at large.

Even when I don't post weekly, the Chicago Tribune's News Quiz is posted on this link every Friday morning. This will link to last week's version. [Chicago Tribune]

If I ever get back to traveling, this may be the way Brooke and I find our accommodations in Europe. {NY Times]

Check out this amazing shot by Miguel Angel Jimenez on The Road Hole at the British Open. Crazy! The 12th Sheridan Invitational is in September. [YouTube]

Ice Cream Taco!

Found an Avon article that Brooke would like. [UK Avon]

Like I told my buddy Simon, it might have taken 20 years, but they're finally on to what the JET Program truly is about! Not really though, we loved teaching those kids, right? [Japan Times]

65th Anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings that ended World War II was this month. Depune forwarded me a link of some never before seen photos. I remember being in Karasuyama with my parents on the 50th Anniversary in 1995 and my visit to Hiroshima to lay 1,000 origami cranes at Hiroshima's Children's Peace Memorial in 1988. [Life & Wikipedia]

One of my good friends, Monica Yant Kinney, is considered one of Philadelphia's most influential Twitterers. You can follow me (@Spydeyswebb) and her (@myantkinney) on Twitter.com. [PhillyMag.com & Twitter.com]

Brooke and Della on a ride

With the IU football season starting up and basketball around the corner, time to get your eco-friendly IU Hoosier apparel! [Project 571]

Depune hooked me on Daniel Tosh's Comedy Central show Tosh.0. You really should check it out sometime. I've truly LOL'd. [Time.com]

Website of the Month (this one is worthy of a bookmark on your browser): Washington DC's Newseum has a cool site that links the front page of hundreds of newspapers from around the world, every day. You could get lost on this page with all the links. Very cool.

On to September...

How's your Summer going? - Friday July 16th

It's been a while since my last update. There's lots of things going on at the new house which has been keeping us busy. I should have a picture update this weekend with the finished barn and stalls. Brooke and her dad are working on that project right now. Brooke's cousins Sydney and Mike are up from Florida to spend the weekend on the farm. Plenty to do!

That's Rowan in her new pool and swimming suit on the front lawn last weekend. She really likes pouring water over her head in the pool. Water Day at daycare is quite an adventure with this little girl! The video at the bottom is Rowan biking around the driveway on her tricycle. She's getting pretty good at it!

Lots of linkage for this post, since it's been so long...

This week's News Quiz...is back! [Chicago Tribune]

It's been a few weeks ago, but the 30th anniversary of the Blues Brothers was this year. [Chicago Tribune]

This is a long one, so make sure you bookmark to finish, but there's a super computer that plays Jeopardy! And it's pretty good at it. Of course, it's an IBM. [NY Times]

I posted on this a while back, but the post office near Wrigley will be named after Steve Goodman. He's the singer/songwriter that wrote the "Go, Cubs, Go" song they sing after wins (which have been few and far between this year). [Chicago Tribune]

Crazy stuff about sunscreens lately. The FDA does not regulate them, so the SPF numbers above 50 are not really that accurate. Now this report about cancer and sunscreens. Whatever you do, be careful in the sun! [AOL]

Hopefully this cup recycle program for Starbucks will go nationwide. So far, it's in Seattle and Chicago. [Chicago Tribune]

Uncle Depune is looking out for us! Sent me this Indiana speed trap link a few weeks back. If you got hit recently, I should have posted this earlier! [SpeedTrap.org]

IU Cancer Center has some tips on grilling and marinading better. [IU News Room]

Tesselation...Subway's got it down! [Chicago Tribune]

Amazing story of a ship's hull they found in the World Trade Center construction zone. [Washington Post]

Interview with Snopes.com creator. Here's a link for the Snopes site in case you haven't been there before. [NY Times]

Stay cool this weekend! I'll be out mowing the front 4 acres. Enjoy Rowan on her bike...

Back after a Break - Friday June 11th

Back to the blog after a bit of a break. Been saving up some good links to post in a bit, so make sure you check them out.

Been living at Chateau de Mom and Dad over the past almost three weeks. Their hospitality has been great and Rowan loves seeing poppa and grandma every morning and evening. But it's time to get the party started at the new place. Found out this afternoon that we are set to close! The papers will be signed on Monday afternoon and we'll be officially moving to the farm. Hopefully we'll have more exciting news on Brooke's horse business to follow, including a boarder...

Went to see Get Him to the Greek last Friday and we really enjoyed it. Laughed out loud several times. The last third of the movie was a little different than the first 2/3's, but I'd recommend it. Definitely worthy of a DVD viewing at home. A few weeks ago, Brooke had a ladies' night out with the girls from Sex and the City 2. It's getting blasted in the reviews, but she and her friends enjoyed it. I think fans of the show would like it. [IMDb.com & Rotten Tomatoes]

The A-Team opens today. Brooke and I were big fans of that show on TV, so we may be checking it out. Doesn't seem to be getting too many positive reviews, but it's not horrible. Brooke informed me last night that the new Tom Cruise/Cameron Diaz flick, Knight and Day, is a must see for her. I sure hope it's good! [IMDb.com & Rotten Tomatoes]

World Cup 2010 starts today in South Africa. USA vs. England tomorrow at 2:30. With the lousy weather forecast, I think I'll be around a TV for this. I've been talking smack with my buddy Simon in London since the pairings came out in February. Here's a good link for following the schedule of games and teams for the next month. [official FIFA site & Marca.com]

On to the links!

This week's News Quiz. [Chicago Tribune]

Customer loyalty cards via cell phone. [NY Times]

Upgrading the GPS System. [Chicago Tribune]

A BP public relations spoof is getting more hits on Twitter than the real BP account. [NY Times]

Raising kids in the new tech world. I'm guilty of this with my iPhone. By the way, new iPhone 4 coming this month! [NY Times & Apple]

Animal odd couples link from Depune. [NY Daily News]

Video of Rowan taking Butsu for a walk the other evening. She did a pretty good job!

Wrigley Bound Tomorrow - Friday May 14th

The packing continues at Beaverbook. We're surrounded by empty and full boxes of stuff in about every room. Less than two weeks to go until we must vacate the premises. Rowan was enjoying breakfast this week with her Learning Apple, yogurt, milk, and her new favorite: chocolate Cheerios.

Poppa Day at Wrigley tomorrow for Cubs/Pirates. This will be our second annual trip with Rowan's poppas (my dad and Brooke's dad). Last year the Cubbies blew a 9th inning lead but won it in the bottom half of the inning. I'd like another win with less drama. Looks like it will be about 10 degrees warmer this year. It was freezing last year! Hope to have photos up next week of the adventure. [Baseball Reference]

D-Day 20 was on Wednesday. It's been 20 years since I discovered I had diabetes mellitus type 1. Let's just say this past Wednesday was a much better day than May 12th, 1990! Onward...

Saw Iron Man 2 last Friday with Travis and his girlfriend. We really enjoyed it and highly recommend seeing it in the theaters. There could have been more action, but they did a good job with a funny script and it moved along nicely for a 2 hour movie. Robin Hood starts tonight and it looks like a good one too. Russell Crowe does good stuff, so that might be in the queue if we weren't busy packing boxes. [IMDb.com]

This week's News Quiz. [Chicago Tribune]

A Tipping Guide for all occasions. [Chicago Tribune]

Renovation of IU Billy Hayes Track could keep the Hoosiers at the top of track and field talent. [Indiana Daily Student]

The 2010-2011 TV schedules are going to be released next week by the Big 4 broadcast companies. One show surprisingly NOT coming back: Law & Order for it's 21st season. It will remain tied with Gunsmoke for the longest running drama in TV history. [NY Times & Wikipedia]

10 poorly planned construction projects, they broke the bank. [How Stuff Works]

Urban wildlife is becoming more and more prevalent. Here's a story about Chicago's efforts to study and understand it. Plan on seeing our fair share of wildlife at the new house. [Chicago Tribune]

Website of the Week is back for Murals Your Way. An interesting take on 'wallpaper'.


Have a great weekend!

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