I hope it has been a good holiday season for you so far. Mine has been very good and fairly low-key, which is nice in the sense that it is stress free, however it occurred to me this year that I kind of miss having kids around for Christmas. Not to knock my adult friends and family by any means.
The only ding to my Christmas was UPS dropped the ball on one package that I shipped later than normal. The clerk at the UPS Store had suggested 3 Day Select service and I went ahead with that. Unfortunately it was mis-sorted here in the Twin Cities and it finally arrived yesterday. I know that UPS successfully delivered millions of packages this season and that no company is perfect. My package happened to be one of those they missed on this year. Still, I find it kind of annoying that they discovered their mistake on Monday, still had two days to get it there on time, and it appears they made no effort to do so. I'll likely still use UPS for packages that have plenty of time, but if something needs a quicker service level I think I'll be using FedEx in the future.
On the FFL front I squeaked out a win in the consolation round, meaning I'll likely get my entry fee back at least. Meanwhile, the Vikes made the playoffs and will face Philly this Sunday. Care to make a little wager, Kate P? I'm not that confident that the Vikings can pull off a win, but I'll place a bet on them. It all depends on which team shows up; the one that put together a nice run during the middle of the season or the one that literally fumbled the game away against Atlanta a couple of weeks ago. If it's the former they can beat the Eagles handily I think. I don't think they will go further than that if they do though. They beat the Giants last Sunday, but that was a meaningless game for New York and they had a number of starters out for big chunks of it. A rematch is probably not going to be pretty for us.
I was getting ready this morning when I overheard something on the Today Show about this incident:
Mike Raymond was clearing snow from county parking lots early Monday when he decided to also clear off a boat ramp on the frozen Red Lake River in Crookston.
Whoopsie. He didn't actually drive the loader into the river, it slid down the ramp, probably because of ice. I didn't see who was talking on TV, but they were utterly baffled as to why a landing would be plowed if the river was frozen. Years ago I picked up a guy from New York(Update: I suppose I should clarify that it was from the MSP airport for business. I really need an editor. Oh crap, Sen. Larry Craig has made that not obvious too. No toe tapping or wide stances were involved!) and we drove out to a printing company out in what was the boonies at that time. It was winter, and as we passed a snow covered lake he asked me about what he thought were a bunch of outhouses out in a field. They were ice fishing houses, of course, and I got a good chuckle out of that. He genuinely was astonished that people fish in the winter though. I was astonished that he was astonished. Don't people go ice fishing out east?
You're not the only one with a confidence problem, Dave. 14,000 playoff tickets remain unsold? That amazes me.
The Eagles are also a Jeykl/Hyde team. They can look good like they did last week against the Cowboys or lay an egg like they did the week before against the Redskins. Brian Westbrook is a monster in big games. The Eagles are going to try to make the QB beat them. Jackson/Frerotte is going to have to make some plays. I think both conferences are wide open although I think the Cards are a joke and don't belong. I think 11 of the 12 can go all the way.
Posted by: Rob | December 30, 2008 at 04:46 PM
Jekyll, he meant to spell.
Posted by: Rob | December 30, 2008 at 04:48 PM
My guess is that they will get close enough for FOX or the local affiliate to buy out a few thousand remaining tickets if it comes to that. That's usually how it works, but it's not a certainty. I just checked what was available and was surprised to see I could still get two seats, lower level, 11th row, about 30 yard line. At $160 a pop though, I think I'll pass.
You are definitely on the mark with the QBs having to put some plays together. I forgot to mention it, but part of the reason for the lack of confidence is Childress too. Too many baffling play calls and I don't think he can adjust during a game or manage the clock at a pro football level. 10-6 and the NFC North title will get him back again through next year for sure though. Maybe he will get better, but after three years already I'm guessing he has gotten about as good as he will.
Posted by: Dave E. | December 30, 2008 at 05:46 PM
I'm done with wagers for the season--the playoffs can be real heartbreakers when it comes to the Eagles. I'll always root for them, but there are times when I agree with my dad that "they're trying to lose this game," as he frequently remarks. I think the Eagles are under a lot of extra pressure as the result of the World Series. That, and we've all given up on the Sixers.
Posted by: Kate P | January 01, 2009 at 04:58 PM
"there are times when I agree with my dad that "they're trying to lose this game," as he frequently remarks."
I thought only Saints fans said stuff like that but I suppose there are some other fans out there that feel that way about their team, too.
Posted by: Rob | January 01, 2009 at 10:14 PM
The "they're trying to lose this game" is pretty common here too. The Vikes have a long history of playoff/Super Bowl heartbreak, sometimes getting very creative in how they blow it.
Kate-I was thinking a walleye dinner if you ever make it here or a real Philly cheesesteak if I ever make it out there, but that's ok. And if you think the Sixers are bad this year just take a look at the Timberwolves. Much more futility like this and I might start a petition to get them to remove Minnesota from their name. :)
Posted by: Dave E. | January 02, 2009 at 03:14 PM
That sounds like an affordable bet. I've never had walleye. . .
Posted by: Kate P | January 02, 2009 at 11:19 PM
Kate-Your Eagles played well today and deserved the win, no doubt about it, so it looks like I owe you a walleye dinner if you ever come to town. Or northern pike if you catch me at the right time. I'm still looking forward to that cheese steak someday though, since I've never had an authentic Philly one. I was all set to promise that I won't even ask for swiss on it.
Posted by: Dave E. | January 04, 2009 at 09:43 PM
Eh, I still think they had their moments when they were trying to lose the game, but as one of the commentators said, it came down to the team that made fewer mistakes. That's our Eagles. :)
Yeah, don't ever order swiss on a Philly cheesesteak--and don't ever order a Philly cheesesteak anywhere other than in Philly, either! And, um, walleye tastes like chicken, right?
Posted by: Kate P | January 05, 2009 at 08:11 PM
Chicken?
Sorry, I almost fainted there for a second.
I would never ask for swiss, that was a swipe at John Kerry. I do confess to ordering a cheesesteak or two locally, but I think they were probably pale imitations. I hope so at least. The Eagles did exactly what they needed to on defense, for the most part, and that was the difference. I don't see them getting past the Giants, but as they say...any given Sunday.
Posted by: Dave E. | January 05, 2009 at 09:20 PM
Yeah, I knew what the swiss was all about--I was just teasing about the walleye though! BTW last weekend I found out I came *this* close to growing up in MN--my dad almost got transferred when I was a baby. (My mom said, "NO WAY! We just moved!")
Posted by: Kate P | January 07, 2009 at 07:21 PM
"We just moved!"
Oh c'mon, "God forsaken wasteland" didn't play into that at all? ;)
Posted by: Dave E. | January 07, 2009 at 08:49 PM
I wouldn't doubt Mom said that, either--her favorite place she lived growing up was San Diego, after all.
Posted by: Kate P | January 09, 2009 at 10:27 AM
I've been to LA a few times, but never San Diego. What I've heard about the climate is looking better every day now though.
Posted by: Dave E. | January 09, 2009 at 09:12 PM