Another reason not to watch Fox News ...

... They don't even know where Egypt is. Really?

(via Towleroad)

Groundhog Day storm

Accuweather is already beating the drums about a BIG snowstorm next week.
Click here

What a great idea!

Road trips for beer!

Snowmageddon

So yesterday's thundersnow was probably the weirdest weather I've ever seen. Heavy rain, heavy sleet, heavy snow. From about 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., we got about 8 inches of snow at work in the Tysons Corner area (only 3 or 4 at home).

Thank God I went to work early.

If you've never been to Tysons Corner, it's a cluster of a burgeoning metropolis off the Beltway in Northern Virgina, about 10 miles from D.C. Metro is going in, the HOT Lanes project -- you name it, there's some kind of construction going on there.

So when yesterday's storm hit, at rush hour, it was a perfect storm of events that led to people abandoning their cars in the middle of the road and the beltway. It took a co-worker 7 1/2 hours to get from his home in Baltimore to work. He left home at 3:30 p.m. He arrived at 11.

Even President Obama's motorcade got stuck trying to get from Andrews Air Force Base to the White House. But why they decided to drive through the middle of D.C. during a snowstorm at rush hour is beyond me.

I've lived here 19 years, and I've never seen a place where people panic at the slightest bit of precipitation.

There was really no reason for yesterday's clusterf*ck. Everybody had ample warning this storm was coming. And for once, the forecasters got this one right.

So seriously people -- get a grip.

Snowpocalypse

Well, maybe the weather gods were right after all. It's not snowing yet, but now they are calling for thunder snow and maybe 8-12 inches, all before midnight.

Me thinks, considering where I live, I need to get out of here early today and get to work. I can work from home, but if it's a wet, heavy snow and we lose power, I'm screwed.

More updates to come ... after I got to the store to rape the shelves of Milk, Bread and Toilet Paper.

Snowfall map courtesy Accuweather.com

Milk, bread and toilet paper

*OK, so now the weather gods have changed the forecast again, and we are under a Winter Storm watch tomorrow for a possible five or more inches.

Really? Haven't we been through this before? We've been on the verge of about five BIG storms this winter and have diddly to show for it.

Funny, this sudden change in the forecast. Me thinks a conspiracy really does exist between grocery stores and the National Weather Service. Perfect timing for this watch, too. It gives everybody just enough time to turn every grocery store in the area into a frenzy as the shelves empty of milk, bread and toilet paper. Because everybody knows that five inches is going to keep us from seeing the rest of the human race for weeks.

We had 40 inches of snow on the ground last winter and were without power four days over Super Bowl weekend. We survived.

It doesn't matter anyway. We'll wake up Thursday morning to no snow.

*So the Oscar nominations were announced today. Out of the 10 up for Best Picture, I only saw True Grit, and it was very good. It'd actually be kind of cool if Jeff Bridges won Best Actor for the same role John Wayne played to win his only Oscar.

Can't believe I didn't see any others, and I really wanted to. Like The Social Network, The Fighter, Inception, The Kids Are All Right, The King's Speech, 127 Hours, Toy Story 3. Oh well.

And kudos to "I might be gay" James Franco (above left) for being nominated for 127 Hours. And he gets to co-host the show with the next Catwoman, Anne Hathaway. That'll be fun to watch.

Gotta get out to more movies though. But when they start getting up to $10 a ticket, not to mention what you spend on refreshments, it can get pretty pricey. Maybe that's why the box office was down last year.

And with all the technology now available in your own home, why leave?

Jay Cutler

So it turns out he really was hurt. Tore or sprained his MCL. And I can tell you, from experience, that he was right to come out of the NFC Championship Game.

I tore my ACL in my left knee about 9 years ago. It took almost a full year for me to recover and get back on the softball field.

So ... I'm sure the mea culpas will be coming from players like Maurice Jones-Drew and Darnell Dockett, and ESPN analysts like Mark Schlereth, who questioned whether or not Cutler quit.

What ever happened to the player's fraternity? If I were Cutler, I'd say screw all you guys. And when he does lead us to the Super Bowl next year, I can see Cutler giving the big middle finger to all those who doubted him -- players and fans alike. I mean really? Calling him Quitler? Burning his jersey?

As for me, I'll welcome back Jay Cutler with open arms.

Cutler photo courtesy AP

Back to reality

So ... what is there to say about the Bears-Packers game yesterday? Other than the fact that I still think the better team LOST. Ditto the Jets-Steelers game.

The bigger question is whether or not Jay Cutler quit on the Bears or not. If he did, he'll never be able to play quarterback in Chicago again. Fans won't stand for it.

On the other hand, we now know that Todd Collins IS NOT an NFL quarterback and that maybe Caleb Hanie is the guy who should lead the Bears next year.

I'd say get rid of Lovie too, but he'll get an extension since he got the Bears into the NFC Championship Game for the second time in five seasons.

But really -- Steelers-Packers? When I tune in to the Super Bowl on Feb. 6, it won't be to watch football. Commercials, commercials, commercials. Thank God for the DVR.

So for me, football season is over. Finished. Done. One for the books. Time to put my Blackhawks wheel cover on the car and cheer on the defending Stanley Cup champions until baseball starts.

Valentine's Day can't get here quick enough. That's the reporting date for Cubs pitchers and catchers. Can't wait.

New layout/design

So what do you think? I figured it was time to do something different, though I really did like my previous format. But that one was so old I don't even think they offer it anymore.

Gotta take Josh to get his new iPhone today. No, not the 4. Ed and I would both kill him if he got it before we did. He's joining the real world today by getting a 3GS. He's still using the original iPhone. An iPhone geek once made fun of him by saying something along the lines of "You still have that?" There's no reason to get an iPhone 4 now anyway. The 5s will be out before you know it.

And I've decided that since I'm taking him to get his new toy, he has to take me to lunch. I'll figure out where along the way. Five Guys? Quiznos? Who knows?

Now, for your enjoyment, please enjoy today's gratuitous anti-Packers photo.

Poop patrol ... and today's gratuitous anti-Packers pix

*The weather has been so heinous lately -- either it's snowing, sleeting, raining, it's foggy -- that I haven't been able to get out in the yard and clean up after the dogs. Needless to say, with the sun shining today, I should probably get my butt out there and get some work done, especially with snow in the forecast again.

Update: Holy crap that was a lot of poop!

*Please enjoy today's gratuitous anti-Packers photo at left. Really? This Packers fan is in need of severe intervention. The next thing you know their fans will be putting cheese on their heads. Wait, what?

*With all this talk about the Bears-Packers game Sunday, I've neglected/ignored the other game Sunday between the Jets and Steelers. It's no contest who I'm rooting for -- Jets by a long shot. Especially since I live with somebody who was raised on Long Island (Ed). His brother Chris is a huge Jets fan. And I just really hate the Steelers. A Jets-Bears Super Bowl would make a lot of people happy, including Fox, which would broadcast the game with two of the biggest markets in the USA.

*Gotta get that motivation for a P90X workout today. No weight training, so I'll pick something else -- I'll probably do Cardio X again, but Plyo and Kenpo are possibilities too. I'm in Round 3, Week 2 and can tell a difference again already. And softball is right around the corner.

Today's gratuitous anti-Packers photo ...

Plucked out of the air ...

... The theme of this blog is random thoughts, so that's what I'll give you today.

*Packers fans rank right up there with Steelers, Redskins and Cowboys as possibly the most obnoxious in the NFL. Like I said in a previous post, crown their asses already. It'll be nice to see all those Cheeseheads crawl back into their holes when the Bears knock Aaron Rodgers on his ass Sunday. (If the Bears lose, I take all that back. Except the part about those four teams' fans being obnoxious.)

*Speaking of Dennis Green (from above), please enjoy this compilation of wig outs.



*Yay! Russell and Rob are going to be on Survivor: Redemption Island. Two of the most hated/loved competitors to ever be on the show. I can't wait. It starts Feb. 16. The Amazing Race starts up again Feb. 20.

*I gotta work out today. Shoulders & Arms. Gotta find the motivation. One good thing though -- I'm into Round 3, Week 2 of the P90X program and the soreness is already starting to go away. I should be able to find my motivation from the softball pictures below. Yup. That'll do it.

Update: Workout complete!

I agree wholeheartedly ...

What a great weekend ...

... capped off by the Bears putting it to the Seahawks 35-24. Now those juggernaut Packers -- and I use the term juggernaut lightly -- have to play in Soldier Field for a trip to the Super Bowl.

And the Packers open as three-point favorites. Really? Why even play the game? Like former Arizona Cardinals coach Dennis Green once said about the Bears: "If you want to crown them, then crown their ass!" Just go ahead and send the Packers off to Dallas for the Super Bowl now. Play the AFC Championship Game and call it a day.

And speaking of the AFC, how's about Rex Ryan putting his "foot" in Bill Belichick's behind last night? I think the Jets will beat the Steelers and play the Bears on Feb. 6 at Cowboys Stadium.

As for today, gotta get a workout in. It's supposed to be a Plyometrics day, but I may go for the Cardio X or Core Synergistics instead. That's the one thing about doing P90X twice already -- you can follow all the weight training on workout days while mixing and matching on cardio days.

Update: Cardio X workout complete.

Time to get on Facebook for a while and pester all my Packers friends. But, by being Packers fans, are they really my friends?

Of course they are. Just not this week.

Dinosaur arms

So I did P90X Chest & back today. Push-ups and pull-ups. Which means I won't be able to move from the waist up tomorrow.

That's OK I guess. Have to work anyway. Even while my Bears are sending the Seahawks back to Seattle. And so far the Ravens are looking good too. I really hate the Steelers.

But my weekend will be complete if the Falcons rip the Cheeseheads tonight and the Bears win tomorrow.

Let it be so.

Only 75 days until ...

... Baseball's opening day. I should be thinking about the Bears-Seahawks game Sunday, or even the Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks (I miss you Dustin Byfuglien). But somehow, it all comes back to the Cubs.

Trust me. If the Bears don't win Sunday, I'll be in mourning until pitchers and catchers report in February. But until then I can revel in the trade for Matt Garza and the other offseason moves they made -- signing Carlos Pena and bringing back fan favorites Kerry Wood and Reed Johnson. The Wood signing was especially sweet -- he can still close if Carlos Marmol falters. And Johnson is one of the guttiest players in baseball.

And thank God the Cubs did make some moves. The Brewers got Zack Greinke and they still have Fielder and Braun. The Cardinals still have Pujols. The Reds won the NL Central last season despite Dusty Baker. Notice I didn't mention the Astros or Pirates.

And watch out for the Nationals this year. They probably aren't going to the playoffs, but they are going to have a say in who does. Who woulda thought Jayson Werth would want to play in D.C.? Oh ... forgot about that $126 million check they flashed in front of him.

Oh well. No P90X workout today. I tweaked my right knee and I'm pretty sore from the last couple of days. Week 2 of Round 3 starts tomorrow.

And I might as well go ahead and make a prediction about Sunday's game.

Bears 31, Seahawks 9.

Please.

Baby, it's cold outside ...

... And I'm of the opinion that if it's going to be cold, there might as well be snow on the ground. We missed another big blizzard this week dammit. Last year at this time we had about 10 inches on the ground and another 30 were on the way over Super Bowl weekend. The picture shows our windmill in the backyard last year.

Oh for those days. Oh well.

Watching The Steve Wilkos Show before my workout. Wait, what? I know. But it's fun watching a train wreck, and you can only watch so much ESPN before it starts getting old.

Feeling pretty good today, but my nephew Josh? Not so much. Up all morning praying to the porcelain gods. The flu is going around, and I'm afraid he's got it. I'm glad I got my shot.

Back to the train wreck, then time to Bring It.

P90X

So my workout today is complete. Legs & back.

But that's not why I'm blogging about it. My other half, Ed, thinks P90X is a cult. A pyramid scheme. Never mind the fact that I lost more than 30 pounds last summer, going from 190 to a low of 156. I'm back up to 165 now, but that's a good thing, a planned thing, because I think I lost too much weight. Too many people asking me if I was sick.

But look at what the "cult" did for me. Check out the photos, me swinging before P90X and me swinging after, at the Gay World Series last August in Columbus, Ohio. There was such an improvement over the previous season that I was named MVP of my softball team, Capitol Punishment. Imagine that -- me, 50, named MVP over players some more than half my age. That'll teach 'em.

I should go ahead and just become a P90X coach. I've been offered, but that part of the business I'm just not sure about. But they tell me that since I'm always talking about it and promoting it, I should get paid for it.

They have a point. We'll see. But for now, I'll just Bring It.

Back to the blogosphere ...

... Well, I've decided to start blogging again. I think it will help me as I get cranking on Round 3 of P90X.

I'll still have my usual commentary on a lot of other stuff going on in the world too -- like Chicago sports (Cubs, Bears, Blackhawks and a bit of Bulls, NO White Sox) -- movies and reality TV (can't wait for new episodes of The Amazing Race and Survivor: Redemption Island).

So away we go. P90X for today is: Legs and back.