Is it worse to be racist at night?

Here's all the other stuff to get caught up.

+++++++++++++++++++

My car is finally done. It didn't actually die but the brake lines did go out and the estimate to fix it was over $300. We decided it wasn't worth it because this might be the start of a snowball and we'd rather spend money on a new car.

+++++++++++++++++++

"She was a good boat but I'm a lousy captain."

+++++++++++++++++++

We played softball for the first time in months last Thursday subbing for Woody's team. I had a great night in the field making the last catch running backwards to catch up to a home run ball with runners on and our team only up by two. I also got a d-bag on the other team to lose it by squaring up to bunt after he lead off with two balls no where near the plate. I can't believe some people take that seriously. This guy was pitching to the 12 foot ceiling with backspin so I in no way feel obligated to be polite to him. None of this matters anyway because Cass is the real superstar. She crushed a home run to dead center over the fielder's heads.

+++++++++++++++++++

"That's my girlfriend."

+++++++++++++++++++

Fielder is doing great. Everyone loves her the second they meet her. She is getting courageous, approaching dogs bigger than most humans without a second of hesitation. She still has her moments of fear but that won't stop her from say leaping off of our kitchen counter when someone who's name starts with Cass is trying to wash her feet.

+++++++++++++++++++

"Being cute doesn't mean there are no rules it just means there are less rules."

+++++++++++++++++++

The Fire lost in the Eastern Conference Final. Again. It was a great year and as I said I think the team that started the season was completely different. That team would have won that game I think. We had a great time this year and are very proud of the team. The best game was still the one that we ended up being the one we had extra tickets for, and therefore tons of friends in the stands. We probably will not do season tickets again as we have to start tightening the belt.

+++++++++++++++++++

"That is a card on any field in the world. Except this one."

+++++++++++++++++++

It's Always Sunny is still the best show on TV.

Hall of Winona...wait that's not right.

So Cass and I decided before leaving for Milwaukee that we would bring our ultimate gear with us and see how we felt on Sunday morning. If we were awake and ready we would make the trip. We were awake and DTB.

We rolled in around 9:30. We had left Milwaukee at 6:00 so we made pretty good time getting there. We got our cleats on grabbed our bags and walked towards our field. The team mostly had their backs to us but when we were within a field someone on the sideline spotted us and the whole team turned, spotted us, and cheered. It was the kind of welcome that I needed and that Cass deserves.

We showed up to find our team losing in a testy game against some Gnarwhal players. Our arrival awakened the beast spirits within each of our teammates souls and we rallied for a two point victory. The next game was against some school in Nebraska which featured a player who my best guess would put at 6'8". Featured in this case would mean he touched the disc on every other throw and we really couldn't do anything to contain him. We ended up losing by two. Our final game was against UW-LaCrosse, a fun group of players we had met and played two years prior. It was a fiery, emotional game for myself (knowing it would be our last of the day/tournament) and we managed to dig deep and pull out a two point victory. Haha pull out.

That previous paragraph doesn't matter. The results of the games didn't decide the weekend for us. Cass and I had a great time and got the emotional boost we needed from the weekend. We didn't regret waking up and making the trip for one second.

The only downside was that I didn't get a chance to see Nate. He was playing open at the main fields and by the time I rolled past I wasn't able to find him (if he was still there).

My eleventh Hallowinona was still awesome and they seem to get better every year. We didn't win this year but I felt more fulfilled at the end of the day on Sunday than I had the previous year. A big thank you to all my teammates.

And Cass made brownies.

Here's my dog sleeping on her back.

It's just a really cute picture.

So this past weekend was Halloween. For the past ten years for me that has meant the Hallowinona ultimate tournament in Winona, MN. That's right. My ultimate career is in the double digits at this point. I've been doing this longer than I've been having sex. Keep in mind that most guys wouldn't be able to last for ten years.

On Tuesday night last week (four days before the tournament) I got a call from my friend David. His father had passed away. I have known David since we were in first grade together and I've known his family for at least that long.

His dad was a genuinely funny guy. He was the kind of person who let you know where you stood and you could tell what mood he was in from across the room. He'll be missed by so many and I hope David and his family are able to remember the joy of his life.

The funeral was on Saturday in Milwaukee. Cass and I decided immediately we would be going. It was good to see so many friends I hadn't seen in forever, and the parlor was packed with people who came to remember Jerry.

A quick story that I probably should have told at the funeral: my dad always got along with Jerry. They would be sure to be chatting and laughing any time they were together. I remember the first time my dad and Jerry met. We drove over to David's house to pick him up for a Brewer game and to stay the night on a weekend. My dad asked Jerry "What time should I bring him home?" Jerry answered "When he's 18 and has a job."

It was great to be there for my friend. Cass and I stayed in Milwaukee on Saturday night and we missed out on Hallowinona this year. Or did we?

Folks

Getting caught up:

Our parents weekend in Door County went smoothly. Much more smoothly than we hoped even. Not that we expected fisticuffs although that may have been entertaining.

We played golf and I played just well enough to give the appearance of competence when necessary. We saw a play, played games, ate a chipper and goulash, and had fun. Both our folks are generally good people and they got along well.

Cass did great and there was actually more baby talk than wedding talk. That was a curveball. Oh, and here's proof that Cass is more beloved than anyone else:

Die with our boots on.

The US Men's National Team clinched a World Cup berth this past weekend with a 3-2 win in Honduras. I, like most Americans, was not able to watch the game due to some asinine broadcasting rules/decisions. Regardless this is great news for a US team on the rise.

The US team turned heads this year by beating Spain in the Confederations Cup Semifinals. This marked the most important victory by the US team in many years. They did it with solid defense and quality shots from their scorers when they needed it.

Unfortunately it didn't mark the turnaround for the team from mediocre to world elite. They still have problems almost every game putting together a sustained attack and stopping world class offense. They look lost at times and really caught a few lucky breaks along the way to South Africa.

All that being said I am very happy and proud of this team. They have a lot of work and really need to settle in on doing their jobs every time in order to advance out of pool play. I believe in them and will be rooting the whole way.

The USMNT have come a long way. It used to be that no matter what we did we wouldn't be able to hang with the world's best. Now if we play our best game we can beat teams that aren't. There are still teams we could never beat on their best day, but forcing everyone else to bring their "A" game is a step in the right direction.

+++++++++++++++++++++

The Chicago Fire are close to wrapping up their season as well. Cass and I had a blast as season ticket holders this year and are considering our options for next year. There are a few things we'd do different like not sit in the supporters section and skip the Beckham game (if he comes back) but overall we enjoyed getting to go to as many games as we did.

The team is in trouble for the playoffs though. They are very thin on the back line due to injuries to some critical members, primarily Tim Ward who is the new favorite player of Cass and I due to his quality hustle and overall play this past year, as well as the loss of Bakary Soumare to France due to him not wanting to be here. Up front our attack has looked weak as well since the loss of Thorrington and Blanco is playing hurt. Getting McBride back is a big boost but hopefully we can get a few of these guys back in form for the postseason run. Otherwise it could be an early exit.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Arsenal is sitting at fifth in the standings but they have played one fewer game than everyone ahead of them. Most impressively they have scored more goals than any one else in the league. The closest team is Liverpool who is two goals behind with an extra game played.

Arsenal is scoring 3.4 goals per game right now and don't look to be slowing down. They aren't scared to just pour everything at teams and have found the back of the net like no other. Their defensive line is weak but unless teams have goal scorers they aren't going to be able to compete. It's fine to concede two goals if you go out and score six.

Between Fabregas, Vermaelen, Van P, Arshavin teams will have trouble finding stoppers for all of Arsenal's weapons, and that's to say nothing of when the team is healthy and they have Walcott, Bendtner, Gallas, and Rosicky too.

The one thing that sucks is the team's only real enforcer is Nasri and he's been hurt. Regardless if you have spots behind the net at an Arsenal game this year be ready to stand up and cheer.

The more things change...

the worse they get.

A little backstory: those of you who went to UIC probably recognize the image. Busy Burger was a cheap burger joint on Taylor Street. It actually still is but we'll get to that. Everything in there was done on the cheap. The prices were low, the soda was unrecognizable (I don't mean that as a shot at say Mello Yello, I mean I literally have no idea what brand of soda they were serving), it was a little dirty, and they didn't even take credit cards. But most importantly the burgers were awesome. They were thick, juicy and cheap. It may have been all the grease still on the fryer adding flavor but those were delicious burgers.

Rewind to earlier this summer. At some point driving down Taylor Street I looked over and noticed that Busy Burger had done some remodeling. Some serious remodeling. It didn't look like a relic from an era that never really existed, it looked like a college burger shack. "Oh well" I shrugged.

Back to this past weekend. Cass and I had meant to grill burgers to stay in with Fielder but it was raining pretty hard. Since we were both in the mood for a burger and I hadn't had it in a while I suggested we call Busy Burger. I checked online and saw that they delivered. I don't know that they did this before but I know they didn't have their menu online before and I realized that their prices had increased. "Just more updating" I guessed.

We placed our order and it came and I was immediately disappointed. I mean immediately because when I went down to get the order at the door I reached in and grabbed a fry. Instead of the crispy fries I was used to I found soggy skinny mockeries. I was irritated but I wasn't going to let it spoil my night. "No biggie" I accepted.

We toasted the fries in the toaster to crisp them up a bit. As we were waiting we got our meals ready and I noticed that the burgers looked a lot more thin than they used to be. Now instead of a thick juicy patty there were thin ones. I was worried by this point but I held off judgment until I took a bite. "Things have gone horribly wrong" I realized.

The burgers now are thin, charred on the outside and dry on the inside. It is a cheap piece of meat. It was always a cheap piece of meat but it used to be delicious and now it is not, and it cost less before.

We didn't let it ruin our night and to be honest at the time I wasn't all that upset but we just got a new dog and were riding an emotional high at the time. Those burgers were a real buzzkill.

I don't know if they changed owners or what but everything is different now, and not for the better. We won't be going back. We can't go back.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

An update on Fielder: I pet her for the first time yesterday. She is bonding really well with Cass and seems more spooked by men so we think the mill was run mostly by men. She is still nervous but is calming down to an outrageous degree. The first night she slipped down between the couch and the wall and I had to pick her up out of there. She was so freaked she ran and jumped off of the opposite edge of the couch and landed in the Charlie's water bowl (about a four foot gap). Earlier today Cass was driving her to the vet. Fielder was in the passenger seat. A cop car pulled up next to her at a red light and the cops pointed and were making cute faces. Fielder then decided to try to jump through the windshield (or up on the dash, it doesn't really matter), which she smacked into and fell directly to the floor of the car.

When I got home from working out she was curled up on Cass's lap (today is the first time she has done this). Apparently she had been sleeping on the chair nearby, wrapped up in one of my sweatshirts. Then she looked and seemingly asked to be picked up so Cass did so and Fielder fell asleep immediately. I came in and she woke up but was still very relaxed so I tried petting her and she let me. She was a little startled at first but calmed down and fell asleep while I was scratching her head.

We are very excited by the progress.

What we did today while not finding out we were pregnant.

We have a new member of the Nienow-Hatzfeld family. We proudly present to you Fielder (Princess Fielder Nienow; pictured above with King Charles). She is a 15 lb adorable Shih-Tzu mix.

She comes to us from a puppy mill (via a Rescue Agency) where she was used to breed. She is incredibly timid and scared because the world around her is so new. She is 5 years-old but was in a puppy mill up until a month ago. As a result she is shy and reluctant to let anyone touch her. Seeing how frightened she gets makes me want to punch everyone who has ever worked at a puppy mill in the teeth.

The next few days/weeks/months are going to require a lot of patience and caring in order to establish the trust/love that has been missing her whole life. We can already tell that she will be a very loving dog when she gets the chance.

Thanks to those who gave us kick-ass references.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

So my Facebook status update read "So there's going to be a new member of the Nienow-Hatzfeld family." Responses:

Dude. Dude! DUDE. -Florida
WHAT DOES THAT MEANNN? -Kichler
Details, man. Details! -Majetich
Please say you're getting a pet monkey:) -Simo
Wow congratulations! I just hope this isn't a trick and its not like a plant or a pet monkey. -Matt Flynn
dudes, answer your phones goddamn! -Suz

I honestly didn't know our phones were off but that was hilarious when I turned my phone on. And screw you Matt. You'd be just as excited as I would be if I got a pet monkey.