Enjoy the time with your family and enjoy your feast.  Hope this holiday finds you all well and good.  Hope this post makes you all hungry.  Have a great weekend and Gobble Gobble.

Finally a decent weekend of football.  What a comeback for UConn against Notre Dame.  That win, coupled with yet another Michigan made for a 50/50 Saturday.

These two programs are at major crossroads in their programs path.  This will come to a head next September when the two open the season at the Big House in Ann Arbor, MI.

First for Michigan.  Saturday marked the fifth year in a row they have lost to archrival Ohio St.  This is also the second year in a row with a losing record and as a result, finished tied for last place in the Big Ten.  It has been a long and frustrating season.  From the early season accusations about practice time to the hope of a 4-0 start to the disapointing 1-7 finish. 

On the plus-side, a lot of freshman and sophmores gained valuable experience.  On the down-side, freshman and sophmores tend to make a ton of mistakes.  I really can’t fault the coaching staff too much.  They took over a program that had bare cubbards of talent.  They installed a brand new offense last year and a brand new defense this year.  They only had 70 of an NCAA max of 85 scholarship players on the roster.  It takes time to recruit the talent you need to run a system.  This winter and spring will be huge for the talent base.  This staff needs to recruit the hell out of the country to get what they need. 

This can go two ways.  Either this will be an utter failure and a new staff will be fired after next season or we’ll continue to see an improvment, the Maize and Blue will head to a bowl and the future will be bright.  I am certain that the latter will happen.

As for UConn, the future is ungodly bright.  What a huge win for the program on Saturday.  On a national stage, they showed the country just what UConn football is all about.  I betcha they picked up 3-4 recruits that were on the fence with that performance.  They gotta build on this though.  Go out and win your last two games at home and get to a bowl.  Bring in another solid class of recruits to continue the process. 

Next September you are playing in front of 110,000 pissed off Michigan fans and against a Michigan team with everything to prove. 

This game will define where these two programs are headed.  Can UConn prove it is worthy of big-boy status or will Michigan start righting the ship, proving to the country they are still the Champions and the Best?

They should be a great game and yes, I have already started counting down the days till September 4th.

I applaud the couple in PA who refused to pay their 18% gratuity on their bill because the service was that bad. 

Waitstaff across the world have to remember that a tip is a priviledge, not a right.  If the service is bad enough, a tip is then not warranted.  I’ve walked out on a tip before  and I’ll do it agin if necessary.

Do I like doing it, no.  On the flip side though I will tip very well for normal to outstanding work.  I realise how crappy a job waiting on the public can be.  The thing is that this is the job you chose and you need to bring it everyday to get the most money out of it.  No one can afford to have an “off-day”  because that’s money out of your pocket.

I hope that these charges against these tow kid gets tossed out.  Good for them for standing up for what they believe.

First off, I’m glad the library board in Cheshire voted to allow the book, “In the Middle of the Night” onto their shelves.  Yes it may be controversial but it has just as much right to be there as anything else.  Just because this was a tragedy in your town does not give anyone the right to banish books.  Last time I checked, this was America and not nazi Germany.  We allow all types to write books and we should allow them to be read.  It’s nice to have the option not to read it.  To say you are never going back to the library until the book is gone, as one lady said, is a bit childish and very narrow-minded.

Second, the fact that Sarah Palin can read a book, nevermind write one is surprising.  What in gods name could she say that is so relevant.  I mean the women doesn’t believe in evolution.  Sorry, I can’t take anyone seriously that thinks “god” magically made man then pulled a rib out to make a woman.  How is that more feasible then the stages of evolution, which by the way, are proven by science.  The sad thing is that there’s enough crazy in the world to keep her in the public eye into 2012.

Lastly, to all you education budget slashers out there.  Please Please Please do not cut programs like music, art and PE.  Developing a young childs’ mind through imagination, stimulation and their body through recreation are vital.  I would argue those three are more important than things like social studies.  We need to develop thinkers.  The way our kids are taught in school is to be a bunch of test-passers.  This will harm our country more in the future than anything else.  Please be creative in ways to slash your budgets.  The arts and sports is not a starting point.

-Jason-

This is a few days old, but with the Festival of Lights the day after Turkey in Hartford, I thought this should be brought up again.

For shame Hartford for having a fake tree.  Also, don’t hide behind the whole “environmental’ thing.  Christmas trees should be made of one thing and one thing only, wood.  Did you actually look at it, it’s like a green traffic cone.  Just flat-out ugly. 

There is no reason for the Christmas tree of the state capitol be anything less than a gorgeous REAL tree.  I don’t care what kind, a balsam, white pine, Douglas Fir, what ever just not a Walmart brand.

This is just a slap in the face to X-mas tradition.  There are two and only two reasons for a fake fir: allergies and lack of room.  I’m turned off by people who put up fake trees in their home and am pissed at a city for taking the lazy mans way out of holiday decorating.

Hartford, you are nothin’ but a sap.

First off, a very thankful and deserved 234th birthday to the United Sates Marine Corps.  We want you on that wall and we need you on that wall.  Semper Fi.

Also, congrats to Sesame Street on their 40th season.  The amount of children’s lives you have impacted may never be known.   All I know is that I am one of them and my daughter will be too I’m sure.  Keep up the great work.

A new survey is out on Yahoo.com listing the six most annoying Co-workers.

The list is solid, but I think I can expound on it. 

They left off “The Smoker.”  You all have ‘em, heck you may be that person.  Going outside to sneak a puff then coming back inside reeking of stale Marlboro’s.  These people should come with their own bottle of Febreeze.  Thank God the Peacock has banned smoking on the premises.

Along those lines, the B-O folks.  Hey, it’s not the 19th century, we can take showers every day now.  They also have this thing called “deodorant.”  Look into it.

Bad-Breath.  Whether it’s that stale coffee stench, morning breath or after-lunch fish breath.  Grab a piece of gum, a Certs, maybe a tic-tac.  Just don’t breath on me please.

The Close-Talker.  How is it that these folks are almost always the bad-breathers as well.  Now, they have rank breath and no sense of personal space.  Give me at least a two-foot perimeter please.

Finally, The Sidler.  You all have ‘em.  You’re sitting having a nice conversation then out of nowhere…..BAM, there they are.  Never heard them, never saw them.  These are the folks that need a bell around their neck.  The worst thing is, they don’t even participate in the conversation.  They just nod and throw in a few “uh huh” every so often.  Ugh, get your own damn conversation going.

Enjoy your Monday and good luck staying away from those folks.  If you are one, for the love of god and your co-workers.  Please change.

-Jay-

Tried out the new Verizon Droid this morning.  Very very cool.  Makes the iPhone look like a Datsun.  Me want it!!!

Yesterday was “National Husbands Cook Dinner Day.”  When is “National Wives kill bugs Day,”  or “National Wives take out the garbage Day,” or “National Wives understand what the check engine light means Day.”

I want to know who picks up hitchhikers anymore?  Is that still a relevant way to travel?  Along those lines, does anyone ever stop to help out a stranded motorist.  I don’t.  I think anyone of them could be an ax murder.  Maybe I’ve seen one to many movies like that.

Heard this week someone describe “This Is It” as the greatest movie they’ve seen and perhaps the greatest movie ever.  Really?  Isn’t it just him rehearsing?  That’s like saying the lay-up line was the greatest NBA game ever seen.  I mean, we’re talkin’ bout practice.

Four-month-olds and large needles do not mix well.

Forgot how annoying Yankee fans are when they win.  Red Sox fans were neeeever like that .  At least the rivalry seems to be back.  Pitchers and Catchers on February 18th for those of you counting.

Sesame Street is still pretty kick a**.

If you don’t like cookies, just keep walkin’ on by me.

Enjoy the gorgeous weekend!!!!

I love Election Day.  This is the day where we all can voice our opinions and evoke our rights as American citizens.  This is my one civic duty and I take it very seriously.  I don’t serve in our military.  I don’t volunteer for the America Corps.  I’m not a volunteer firefighter or EMT.  Voting is my one call to action and should be yours as well.

Everyone gets all amped up for the big national and state elections.  We all think that our voices are truly heard in casting our vote for the next president, senator or governor.  Really though, these local muni elections is where your vote truly counts. 

Any one of these races could be decided by a handful of votes.  One or two could swing a race in a completely different direction.  One vote could change the direction of a town or city for the next two years or more. 

Many of these are volunteer positions. They are going out and sacrificing their personal time for the betterment of their hometown.  These folks are making a large sacrifice so the least we can do is show them the proper respect by going out to cast our votes.

These aren’t your races with the big names or sexy topics.  These are your friends, neighbors or relatives running for office. 

These elections affect us more than any other.  This is where local taxes or school decisions or town improvements are chosen.  The elected officials decisions have the greatest impact on our everyday lives.  This is some serious stuff.  Yeah, the presidential elections get all the glory and deservingly so, but these muni ones have the greatest impact on us.

Never take these “off-year” elections for granted.  Two years ago in my town, the Dems didn’t show up at the polls and a Republican was elected First Selectman for the first time in decades (not that the Dems had a great choice…).  The party took it all for granted. 

Anything can happen. 

One vote does matter.

So please, get out there and pull that lever.  Fill in that bubble.  Put a stone in a basket.  Do whatever you need to do to get to the polls.  I can’t wait.  I’m bringing Avery to the polls.  Will she remember this?  Doubt it, but it can’t hurt to get her started this young.

I love this day.