More Bowl Name Fun...

Don't you miss the days of real, actual bowl names. The Sun Bowl, The Citrus Bowl, etc. Now it's .com this, and sooner to be a new sponsor that. Since we're still a week off from the first bowl game I thought I'd keep myself entertained with the all bowl sponsor team named appropriately for the best sponsor of all-time: Poulan WeedEater Independence Bowl.

1. San Diego Credit Union Poinsettia
The fact a bowl game is sponsored by a local credit union is almost too much.
Suggested replacement: FTD Florists'

2. PetroSun Independence
The Independence Bowl was the first to venture into sponsorship with the unforgettable Poulan WeedEater. Soon it became Sanford and then Mainstay Investments which was probably quick to see a poor ROI. Now the Shreveport-based game belongs to a a Phoenix, Arizona-based company that provides services and products to suppliers of oil and gas.
Suggested replacement: Harrah's

3. Gaylord Hotels Music City
Yes, I'm 13. But come on?
Suggested replacement: Cracker Barrel

4. Brut Sun
I guess I'm curious what value a men's fragrance has pouring money into a game that's played after Christmas.
Suggested replacement: I realize El Paso isn't anywhere near a beach, but how about some skin care guidance (and bikini models) from Hawaiian Tropic

5. Roady's Humanitarian
Beautiful, a bowl game sponsored by a chain of truck stops. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess most truck drivers aren't watching this game played in Boise.
Suggested replacement: Blue turf, it's too easy: Blue Man Group

The Grandaddy of Bad Bowls...

Bowl disappointment comes in many different flavors. The Purdue and Central Michigan players at the Motor City Bowl partied at a bowling alley. Fresno State and Georgia Tech players traveling to the Humanitarian Bowl are playing a game sponsored by a series of truck stops.

And for Memphis and Florida Atlantic players looking for events at the New Orleans Bowl -- events like parades -- well, sorry: There were no events listed or provided. (Even the Meineke Car Care Bowl had a street fair and pep rally for UConn and Wake Forest players and fans. If they can do it, anyone can.)

The original recipe for bowl disappointment, though, comes from Shreveport, La.: The Independence Bowl, better known to you and me as the former Poulan/Weed Eater Independence Bowl. The GMAC, the Motor City, the Meineke Car Care Bowl ... they all owe a debt of gratitude to the Independence Bowl, which came along in 1976 and innovated the bowl scene by removing the requirement of being "a destination city" from the criteria.

By Spencer Hall - SportingNews

Holiday Food

Mom's Christmas crescent was a tasty Christmas morning treat as usual.

Will discovers a bizarre creamed corn product at Wal-Mart.

We tried deep fried green beans at Corky's Bar-b-que.

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On a Burger King breakfast run with Dad, we find out about a new morning offering from the King. We actually saw some people downing Whoppers and fries at around 8:30am.


We couldn't resist one of Jonesboro's best treats from Andy's Custard.


We hit Rendezvous Ribs in Memphis...some of the best ribs you'll ever eat!

Violet Memoriam

Violet the dwarf rabbit passed away today at the age of seven. We frequently joked when viewing the rabbits at the state fair that Violet wouldn't have proved much worth on the rabbit show circuit - with her deformed foot and funny hop. However, she excelled in two areas less common for rabbits.

First, she was invited to and ultimately joined a pack of beagles - pretty rare feat for any rabbit much less an undersized dwarf.



Finally, she evolved as a member of our family and will very much be missed.

Holiday Animals

Erin and I decided to get Jake a special holiday penguin costume. I can't say that Jake enjoyed being a penguin, but he looks cute. At the Peabody Hotel, Dad admires some bronze dobbies. Here Jake strikes a pose in the yard on Christmas day. Not to be outdone by Jake's penguin, Yuki decided to be a reindeer. Here Yuki gets comfortable in a wrapping paper mess that he helped create. One of the few interesting landmarks between Lincoln and Jonesboro is the Ravenden Raven. This year it was an extra special site, because they have lit up the giant raven for the holidays!

Don't make a ruckus at Best Buy

Woman tasered at Best Buy
'Tis the season...

By Egan Orion: Friday, 21 December 2007, 9:17 AM


AN IRATE SHOPPER was tasered in front of a crowd of customers at a busy Best Buy store in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Elizabeth Beeland, a 35 year old yoga instructor, reportedly got loud and irate when confronted for using an allegedly "suspect" credit card that was actually hers. A store surveillance video shows her appearing upset, waving her arms.

The video shows that after Beeland turns away, police officer Claudia Wright approaches and immediately tasers her in the abdomen, knocking her down.

Officer Wright said Beeland was "verbally profane, abusive, loud and irate."

Subsequently arrested and taken to jail, Beeland faces misdemeanor charges including disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

Daytona Beach police chief Michael Chitwood defended his officer's actions, saying "The woman is repeatedly told to cease and desist her conduct and activities. As the officer is trying to approach her, you can see her throw her hands up and her arms flailing. The taser is designed for incidents like that."

The American Civil Liberties Union is reportedly up in arms over the episode.

Neither Beeland nor her lawyer have talked to the press about the incident yet, but it's reportedly the first time any Daytona Beach police officer has deployed their taser on someone without an actual physical confrontation or resistance.

Approximately 300 people have died in the US and Canada following incidents involving use of tasers by law enforcement personnel in just the last few years.

Happy shopping!

Santa Baby

Jack went to visit Santa today!



While he didn't smile...he didn't cry either!

Snowy Joey

Yuki peers out into a wintery wonderland.

Dominick the Donkey

We learned a new Italian Christmas Carole today. Here's a good YouTube rendition for your enjoyment. Hee-Haa

Ten Dollar Fruitcake Reviewed

Fruitcake is misunderstood by the masses, but some folks get it, and I'm one of those that do. As Dad will tell you, good fruitcake is hard to come by. So hard in fact that he makes his own. Mullins, also a member of the fruitcake clan, has long backed the Harry & David offering. I usually make due with a Claxton Fruitcake which is about 3 dollars at Wal-mart and not too shabby. This year however, something new has appeared in Wal-mart's aisles. It's the 10 dollar fruitcake. I passed it by a time or two, at first not believing that the pricing was correct. Tonight though, the waiting ended as I confirmed the price with a nearby employee and made the move on the cake.

The makers of the cake cleverly avoid the negative connotation that goes along with the word "fruitcake" by dubbing the thing a, "Classic Holiday Cake." The ingredients are top notch, with lots of pecans and fruit. Even bourbon, rum, and brandy make the ingredients list.

So is this cake worth the 10 dollar entry fee? Yes! It's delicious! Turns out the cake is made down the road from me in Beatrice, Nebraska at the Beatrice Bakery Company. You can check them out and even get free shipping at their website www.beatricebakery.com.

Another holiday offering we tried is the Starbucks Dark Chocolate Peppermint Mocha. Like most Starbucks stuff, this is good, if a little pricey. It has a nice peppermint bite that goes along with the normal chocolate mocha flavor.

Tam Tams!

Our friends and peers from Malaysia came to California for some meetings bearing food gifts. Tam Tams! These are crab flavored crackers and come in an attractive bag. I brought home a bag for Steph but she wanted to save it for Bill and Erin to enjoy on their visit later this month.



I tried a Tam Tam and it really wasn't a bad item.

Poltergeist Possesses Cat

There is a ghost in the house and it has taken over Emma the cat.

I am the Geometry Wars King

I've been playing the game Geometry Wars Galaxies for the Nintendo Wii. It's a twitch shooter that's like an insanely paced modern version of retro classics like Robatron and Astroids. You can upload your scores to Nintendo's servers. Turns out that I'm the best in the world on one of the levels. Somebody give me a dollar for every point I scored!

Jack's First Solid Food Experience

The pediatrician gave us clearance to begin giving Jack some solid food and suggested we try oatmeal. Here is one of our first attempts. Probably a good idea to not watch this while trying to eat yourself!

Christmas Card Portrait Day

This morning we set out to get some good pictures of Jack for our first "family" Christmas card. Here Steph prepares Jack for the photo session.



The beagles were somewhat amused as they watched the whole thing.



It's a good thing we've got a good camera with a fast shutter. The Nikon D70 has been money well spent from that perspective. Otherwise - all the pictures would have likely turned out like this reject :)



Even Jack's reject snaps are pretty cute. Expect a card in the mail within the next few weeks with the two winning snaps - we won't spoil the surprise by posting them!

Ho Ho Ho!

Happy holidays from the animal!

In which Yuki wears a bow on his head while we wrap x-mas gifts.

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hello from richard tangeman

Nebraska Countdown Underway

Orange, Cotton and Humanitarian bowls for 3 of the blog's most followed teams.

The Huskers have begun to design new T-shirts and have started the countdown to 2008 kick-off. Only 137 days to go!

Yuki Celebrates

We got our Christmas tree up tonight. Here Yuki celebrates the season by wearing the jayhawk santa hat!

Mizzou, WVU wet pants; Jayhawks to benefit

Nothing better for a Jayhawk fan than to watch Gary Pinkel live up to his egg laying in big games reputation! WVU also takes a tumble against Pitt! This leaves the BCS #5 Kansas Jayhawks moving on up and at least in the argument for the national title game. Even if they don't make that one, there's a good chance they'll be in a BCS bowl! ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK!!!

New Def Leppard Guitar

I picked up this limited edition Def Leppard electric guitar with some birthday cash. Rock god status: pending. A lesson from Will over the X-Mas break should help.

Candy Review

It's the new Limited Edition Snickers Nut'n Butter Crunch. What's the difference between this and a normal Snickers? Basically, they took away the caramel and added peanut butter to the mix.

It's a good bar, not a great bar. The peanut butter is good, but too weak. I wanted more peanut butter flavor and I missed the caramel. The Snickers boys ought to go back to the lab on this one and reintroduce it with a bigger jolt of peanut butter.