boom. outta here.

"not much."

...as in, "What have I been up to?"

had my fantasy football draft party over labour day weekend.  it was great, as my core group of friends all showed and had a blast.  12 teams and no, the season hasn't started yet, but it seems like everyone has an even lineup.  yay!

had to "ban" someone from coming into the bar.  never fun to do, but this guy... well, since his break-up with a very nice woman, he's gone really, really bat-sh*t crazy.  breaking into the owners' house at 6am, waking them in bed and asking them when they're going to open the bar... not cool.  hopefully, he'll "clean out his attic" and return as he was a really nice guy six months ago.

thinking about hitting up a WWE show in GB on the 30th.  will see.

start bowling in less than two weeks.  maybe some practice is in order.

eric

the past month...

what can i say that hasn't already been said about the Maixner Reunion.  it was a blast.  a very long drive, but well worth it.  even the wife had fun, which actually kinda surprised me.  beanbags, softball (which i could have done all day), campfires, the reunion event itself on saturday night... all was amazing.

and i want to say that at least 90% of the work and most of the thanks go to my mom, Alane.  from the stories i hear, she did most of the work and the event really wouldn't have left the ground without her diligance.  that said, my dad, Ronnie, deserves a big round of applause as i'm sure that his patience with a frantic wife was infinite.  you two are the best and we love you.  thanks for an awesome weekend.

yesterday, we came back from the annual one-week vacation to Island Lake, just outside of Osage, MN.  it was -- alright.  always some great, but still some bad that went with the week.  it kinda seemed that there was at least one person a day (i know i was guilty of this...) that was snapping at someone about something.  but it was relaxing, nonetheless.  mandy and i think that next year could be our last year going out that way.  we think it would be neat to start our own traditions.  we have a couple of friends who we would love to join us for a week in a cabin -- a little more "our age" -- and we're hoping next year we can bring them out to Island Lake with us, and then the year after that, we could all find a cabin resort closer to home.  i think there's some great potential in that idea.

okay.  so now... what's next for us?

mandy and i are hosting our Fourth Annual Fantasy Football Draft on Labour Day Weekend.  mandy scrapped together some invites and they have been mailed and received by all 12 teams.  weather permitting, we'll play beanbags, teste-toss, then the Draft around 2p, a lot of food, and then more beanbags, teste-toss, pool, darts, poker.  it promises to be a huge party.  however, we're getting pretty excited about this... and i think the Maixner Jinx will rear it's ugly head and nothing will go according to plan.  but... that is half of the fun, isn't it?

mandy and i joined a bowling team.  it's bi-weekly so that should be easier on the checkbooks.  that starts on the 13th.

two weeks later it's Oktobrefest in downtown Appleton.  that's an all-day event, and then we have bowling that night as well.  that promises to be either a birthday i will never forget, or one i won't remember.

the week after that, mandy and i co-hosting a Zombie Pub Crawl.  appleton's first.  i think a website is in the works and i know flyers will be given to the selected bars as advertising, and a warning.

there was talk about hitting up a Wisconsin Badger's football game, but i'm not sure where that stands as of this moment.

busy, busy, busy.

eric

Currently Reading Island of the Sequined Love Nun By Christopher Moore see related

denver/the fourth, hell at the airport, the aftermath and the sunburn from hell

well.  hello, reader!  let me tell you about the past two weekends.

the wife and i went to denver, co for the fourth of july weekend in what was a sort-of "family reunion/birthday party" on her side but more of a "weekend away" for us.  mandy had been going to denver at least annually, until she met me.  we shacked up with mandy's "god-damn-aunt", anne.  i know mandy will be seeing her again in august.

anyway... "the girls" surprised me with a tour to the New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins, (as always, clicky) as well as our planned stop to the Coors Brewery, in Golden.  both were awesome -- nothing i really didn't already know, but it was enjoyable anyways.  (the NBBrewery is completely "green" as the kids call it today.  sun lamps, recycled water to cool the kettles.  almost makes a guy rethink his stance on hippies.  almost.)  i was struck at how little there was to buy ("swag") at the "Fat-Tire" brewery.  there were a lot of little knick-knacks.  i bought a poster to hang in my rec-room.  mandy bought a bell for her bike, which, i might add, she thought was broken, as it only made a "kddtttttt-kdddttttttt" sound.  it took her brilliant and handsome (and incredibly modest) husband to point out that you have to take your fingers off of the actual bell to hear it ring.  the Coors Brewery was a different story, as we could have, but didn't, max out every credit card we have on swag.  the Coors tour was good, in my opinion.  they gave us these cool cell-phone like things that spoke the tour for us.  you could go as fast or as slow as you wanted to.  mandy and anne thought that it took away from the... what's the word... uhm... "personability?"  if that makes any sense, of the tour.  in other words, there was no one there to herd you around like cattle.  but that's what i liked about it.  oh!  and the free beer at both places.  i might have found a better beer than Fat Tire, in my humble opinion.  those damn hippies.  that's how they reel you in.  they make good beer, and help the environment... next thing you know you're marching for animal rights and voting for Nader.

there was a bunch of other stuff in colorado, but to save time, i'll sum up.  1) Packers Bar across from Coors Field.  2) dropped a bunch of cash at mandy's bookstore.  3) anne paid for waaaaaay too many bar tabs.  (thanks, dear.)  4) those aren't storm clouds, those are mountains.  5) that's no moon... it's a space station!  (disregard that last one.)

by the way... i've always been a tennis fan.  (mostly to search for "future ex-wives")  but how good was that Nadal/Federer match at the Wimbledon final?  both competitors put on an amazing show.  to call something "the greatest *whatever* ever" is ofter overused and abused ad nauseum.  that said, that was the greatest tennis match i've ever seen.

the flight home...  ***sigh*** was an hour and a half late.  no big deal - these things happen.  by the time we got on the plane, we were pretty sure we were going to miss our connecting flight from minneapolis to appleton.  no big deal - these things happen.  so we got stuck overnight in minneapolis.  no big deal - these things happen.

what was a big deal was that northwest airlines made us pay for our own hotel room.  so it was their plane that was late, and the "discount" northwest offered on the hotel room was 5$ off of the normal rate.  we were told by the lady... yeah... i'll call her "old"... the "old lady" at the northwest desk we passed as we got off of the plane that our choices were to take the hotel room, or sleep in the airport.  oh!  and we had no access to our luggage as all the "Luggage Homies" had gone home for the night.

yeah.  north-worst.  (i know, not original, but still applies.)

so when i see a news story like this in the headlines... i quietly cackle to myself in hopes that rotten people will lose their jobs.  bwahahahahahahahahahahaaaaa!

but we got home safe and sound, which i suppose is the main thing.  still... the "Maixner" in me said that i should get something for this grevious inconvenience (which is a very inconvenient word to spell.  irony?).  so i called the Northwest Airline Customer Care line that my friend, and former NWA employee, Nate gave to me.  after not being able to get thru, "due to their high-volume of calls"... which should tell you something... finally i spoke to a very nice lady about getting me something out of this.  eventually, the best they could do was offer me and the wife two 75$ coupons off of our next flight... which both have to be used within a year.  and everyone knows how often we fly.  bottom line... we got hosed.

so after a quick week of back-to-work lifestyle, lo and behold, it's the weekend again.  i get roped into joining the sunday softball team (that i kinda didn't want to be on)... but first is a wonderful trip, tubing down the Wolf River.  yay!  how much fun could that be?  well, when you have to work a few hours after the tubing trip... you really can't enjoy it as much...

...and when your legs melt from just above the knees down to your ankles?  well, that just adds to the fun!

indeed, kids.  i am fighting the annual Maixner Sunburn from Hell 2008.  i learned from the Great Sunburn of '94-(ish) that afflicted my Pa... that rags of vinegar applied directly to the sunburn would soothe the pain just a little bit.  i've added to that recipe.  the rags of vinegar are just fine, as we need to keep our nation's vinegar industry strong.  however, i've found that some refridgerated aloe lotion (used with a few "sleepy-time pain meds" washed down with a 12-pack of whatever-you-please) only helps relieve the suffering.  ask any nurse.  Vonnie, Grandma, i defy you both to find a better way ease the pain.  (read as: score me some morphine, please.)  also works with bad high-school breakups.

and that, kids... is that.  you are fully up to date on my life.

i wish you well, and hope to hear... nay, see you soon.

gotta learn to polka within two weeks.

eric

Currently Reading I Am America (And So Can You!) By Stephen Colbert see related

you knew it was coming...

a story from Espn.com.  check it.  read it, then come back.

okay.  my initial thoughts.

don't get me wrong, the green bay packers are a better team with Ol' Number Four behind centre.  but this is the third or fourth year of "will he or won't he".  this march, he did.  he retired.  he told people that he was tired.  that he "was able to play", but didn't want to go through the off-season workouts that exhaust him so much.

well, here we are, in early july.  the Offseason Training Activities (OTAs) are over and the only thing between now and the NFL pre-season is a week of training camp.  we all saw this coming.

think about it.  brett's life the last 25+ years has been "football in the autumn".  he's 38 years old, feels like he can still play.  he's told the world he doesn't want to anymore.  but now his body is telling him, "it's time to get into shape and get ready for the season".

retirement is tricky.  (as far as i know.)  retirement means... you are done working.  even if it's a job you love and will miss.  when you retire, you are done.  that's it.  no more.

but knowing the Packers organization, if he decides to come back, brett will be welcomed with open arms, while in the next breath, handing the headset off to aaron rodgers for one (or two) more seasons.

and that's something else... aaron rodgers.  here's a guy who went from being a "possible number one" draft pick in 2005, dropping to the 24th pick, sitting on the bench while one of the greatest to ever play the game pads his stats.  bearing down, going to OTAs, training camps, etc.  wearing the headset.  not even playing a full game.  the half he did play, he was amazing in (in a losing effort)...

and then, finally... he's going to get his chance.  The Man is stepping down.  he becomes a team leader.  he gets his teammates behind him.  he gets the support of the fans.  then berates them.  then apologizes.  he's ready.  now the rumours start flying that he might be a backup again for another year.

not much has to happen for Farve to come back.  a request to the Packers to be reinstated.  the Packers then have to reinstate him or release him -- and if you think GB is going to let go of this legacy, say this out loud to yourself and try not to laugh:  "Brett Farve, Houston Texan".  yeah.  didn't think so.  just doesn't sound right.

if brett comes back, aaron rodgers deserves to be traded to a team that will use him right away.

an interesting week coming up.

eric