eky's Xanga

boom. outta here.

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 08:03:19 GMT

yeah.
think this site is dead.

i'm on facebook, though.

thanks for reading.

bigger and better... you know how it is.

eric maixner

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 19:50:28 GMT

"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

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 18:25:48 GMT

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

Monday, July 14, 2008

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 06:23:07 GMT

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

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 20:28:53 GMT

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

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 08:00:45 GMT

away

sorry, super-ultra-loyal reader...

i prolly won't update for a little bit. maybe a week or two, unless can find the time before the fourth.

brewers/twins game on saturday. back on sunday.

we're in denver over the fourth of july. back that sunday.

hopefully, this non-stop-a-rockin' will bring some good stories out for the interwebs.

see you, space cowboy

eric

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 19:49:59 GMT

hey, do you guys remember that one person who updated his blog a lot? yeah. i miss him too.

sorry for the delay.

we won again last tuesday. tonight, we go for four-in-a-row. we're up against a "better" team than what we have been playing the last three weeks. (read: "cupcakes") it'll be a challenge for us, that's for sure, but i think we're up to it. it's fun watching my teammates get so excited for a game that's a full day away. this is way better than last year.

applied for a job in Oshkosh. managing. we'll see. i honestly have no idea what's going on with it, but am excited for the possibilities.

brewers game this weekend. denver next weekend. still haven't received the "stimulus". prolly after denver.

eric

Friday, June 13, 2008

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 07:14:48 GMT

yo, everybody!

not much to blog about this week, so i'll just let you know what's on my mind until my poker game starts.

** we won again on tuesday! we are now at .500 for the year. the team is really coming together. we won by a score of 19-0. yes. that's right. but my average keeps slipping. i'll try not to hit the ball so hard as i think that's most of my problems. think singles, not triples.

** the storms keep coming, but so far, the house is standing with no leaks and with the sump pump being a total, undisputed champ. i kinda hope it rains until next tuesday, as i need a week break from softball. this is the kitties' first storm and so far they're okay. but they flip everynowandagain when thunder rumbles.

** gave my "Bro from another Mo" a mohawk tonight. mandy did most of the work. what can i say? they all want to be like me.

** Coheed and Cambria pwn my soul right now. top three band, in my opinion. go buy everything they own. here are some samples. go. buy. now.

** i have plans for seeing Gpa at the gravesite on the sunday that we all "visit" him. i have to ask Gma for permission, but i think i'll do it anyways. that'll be a crazy weekend, me thinks. note to self: buy Old Milwaukee. and learn to polka.

(as i typed that, i entered the poker tournament of which i was mentioning and have since been eliminated from it. pocket aces went all-in before the flop against my pocket chicks. what was i supposed to do?)

** the "Summer that Never Stops-a-Rawkin' 2008" continues to grow as the Wife and i have plans to see Stone Temple Pilots in green bay in july. if i had my druthers (which is a word i'm totally bringing back from 1896), i would rather see Coheed and Cambria in milwaukee... or Radiohead in indy.

** and speaking of Indy... i am one of those "know-nothing virgins" who had never, in my 28 years, seen an Indiana Jones movie. oh, i had seen scenes... (i'll give you time to spit that out...) ...of that arabian dude reaching into Indy's chest to rip his heart out. and i knew of, "Throw me the whip!", "Throw me the idol!", "Throw me the whip!", "Throw me the idol!"... but i had never seen the entire three movies... or for that matter, any one of the movies... in completion. well, with the help of The Wife and a case of beer, we watched the first two movies on a friday. we then watched the third movie, (Last Crusade, my favourite) that saturday morning, and then went to the theatre to see the newest movie, "Indiana Jones and the Wasted Movie Ticket." were i in a worse mood, i would have walked out and demanded my money back. it's a "Rent", no better. but as for the entire series, on a scale of "one-to-awesome", i give it a "Pretty Effin' Good".

** the job hunt sucks. i've applied, but have heard absolutely nothing back, even from the people who said they'd call me "fer sure, ya betcha there, hey." i am still currently employed, but desperation to get out is starting to set in. there's a sales job that i want and i know i would rule at, but the ball's in their court. so here i wait.

** the Rocky Horror Show (note: no "Picture") is coming to the appleton performing arts center in mid-september and "The Party" (mandy and i) and totally going. and if i'm in the right mood, we'll go in costume. i'm torn on whether i should be "Brad" and mandy be "Janet"; whether i should be "Riff Raff" or if i should just go bawls to the wall and be "Dr. Frank N. Furter". mandy will prolly be "Colombia". the option of "Eddie" is there for me too. opinion?

** then, there's Oktoberfest the last weekend in september. eric will be taking that saturday, and possibly that sunday, off of work for no important reason. wow. that'll be an expensive weekend.

** again, the Summer that Never Stops-a-Rawkin' 2008 concludes in early-october when "The Party", with the help of our friend Gavin, organizes a Zombie Pub Crawl. okay. stay with me... a bunch of people dress up as zombies... or not... whatever. okay? and then... we go to a bar on a "bar-filled" avenue. cool? okay. then we have one, maybe two drinks and then... and here's where it gets crazy... we go to the next bar! "More than one bar in one night, Eric? You're a nutter!" and then from there, we go to another bar! and maybe mix in the "Thriller" dance, which would be totally awesome.

so, that's what's going on. and while i've typed all that, i've lost 12,000+ points at poker. it's just not my night.

boom. outta here.

eric

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 07:57:45 GMT

hawt! hawt for you! (clicky) for an explanation

the Kids in the Hall were waaaaaay better than eddie izzard. way better.

for one, the Kids used new material. eddie didn't really have a lot of "new" things to tell us, but he did elaborate on his previous "jokes" or "thoughts" or whatever you want to call them. while the Kids brought out the crowd-favourite characters (Chicken Lady; Gavin, the talkative kid; HeadCrusher; and of course, Buddy), all of the skits they did were original -- except... they did the one to which i've previously linked.

i see it like this: i could sit at home and pop in a DVD or CD of someone and could be entertained and sing along. but if you were to go to a rock concert... of your favourite band... and they played all new stuff... and it kicked, you would be really happy, right?

well it did. and we are.

for two, it reminded me of Confetti, the annual sketch comedy show from high school. it was just set up that way. and those were some good shows.

another reason it rocked hard, tasty abs, washerboard-style was... we got to meet them. proof that The Gods read my weblog. (see previous post.) don't believe me? check it.

mark and i are bestest budz now. the thumb proves it.

one of the nicest men i've ever met. the first one out to sign autographs and so genuine to his fans. while everyone was nervous about approaching a celebrity, he gently coaxed them in and chatted with anyone who wanted to chat. i should have gotten closer. i look like i'm afraid he's going to get "The Gay" on me. i feel bad. sorry, Scott. oh, and the wet spot on Scott's shirt is from a bottle of beer he unsuccessfully chugged. it was hilarious.

i think i intimidated Kevin by throwing The Goat here. i think he's smiling because mandy has her hand on his ass.

mandy's favourite picture. This is a Dave she knows she knows she knows. This is a Dave she knows.

this is my favourite picture. Bruce is a big-shot producer/director now, but he still has that "little kid" look to him. and yes, my shirt says "Drunk".

if you've wondered what Dave's mug shot would look like, wonder no more. i would be tired too after spending two hours on stage and being hounded by super awesome dudes like me.

so that should prove it once and for all. mandy and i are super cool. so cool, that celebrities demand our pictures be taken with them, and that they sign a copy of their DVD that we brought with us.

awww. c'mon. just let me live that dream for tonight, eh?

eric

Friday, May 30, 2008

Fri, 30 May 2008 19:10:16 GMT

spring 2008

softball season is... well, it's going. we played a not-that-great team on tuesday and got hammered. apparently, i need to have pre-game speeches each week. we're playing another not-so-great team this tuesday and i'm expecting to ten-run them. but, we'll see.

season stats: 4/7; .571; 1 Run; 1 RBI; 2 BB; 1 SacFly

going to see The Kids in the Hall Live on sunday night up in Green Bay. mandy and i are both hoping that we will be deemed "Xtra Kewl" by The Gods and we'll get to meet at least one Kid. that would be awesome.

eddie izzard was alright. we saw him in chicago. it was almost like he was rushing through it. and the puns... oh, the horrific puns. groaners. really. but i think i didn't enjoy it as much due to mandy and i being so excited for it. we hyped it up to ourselves all month, only to be let down. all in all, i would pay to see him again, but wouldn't set the Hype Machine to eleven. got an autographed picture out of it.

eric