Norberto King, motherfuckers!

A week or so ago a friend on Facebook sent me and a few others a copy of It's Decorative Gourd Season, Motherfuckers from McSweeney's.

I replied to her message where I used the word motherfucking. The predictive text on my iPhone suggested I replace it with "Norberto King." I'm not the only one who has found out about this.

I think it is time to motherfucking say, "Norberto King" when we can't say "motherfucking."

(A quick Google search shows that I am late to this game, but I don't Norberto King care.)

I'm not scared, I'm outta here

REM broke up today. I read the news while sitting in a meeting this morning, and I had a bit of a "holy...." moment. This isn't surprising. And it's something that should've happened a long time ago. But I have to say, they did it their way and they did it with grace. Say what you will about REM, but they managed and handled their career their way. They split the money, they split the rights, they were in complete control of their artistic and financial lives. They wrote the book on how to manage a band. And now they realized it was time to stop. I'm cool with that.

But then I began to think about how much this one band has meant to me over the years. What I learned from them, what I was introduced to because of them.... the people I met because of them. Oh, man... the people. People in high school. People in college. People in my adulthood. I know many couples who are now married because of this band. I met one of my closest friends because of this band.

And then I got a little melancholy. This band wasn't just a part of my life--this band changed my life. I thought about writing the band eulogy or writing about how they changed my life, but I can't. Why? Because they have been part of my life for so long that I wouldn't know where to start.

I have been running through all kinds of REM songs in my head. Most of them were from the IRS catalog: We Walk. Radio Free Europe. Little America. Begin the Begin. Superman... So many songs with so many memories and stories attached. And then I began to listen to New Adventures in Hi-Fi.

Sigh

I love that album. So very much. I loved it the second I heard it. I stood in the middle of my living room and listened to it. I didn't move. I felt like I was listening to something very personal. I was listening to REM coming to terms with a fame that, looking back built over time, but at the time it seemed like it just exploded. Yet at the same time, this album spoke directly to me. This album came out at just the right time. The tone, the feel, and the sound expressed everything I felt at that moment in time. I listened to it non-stop. It was the only thing I played in my car. I loved every single thing about it. But I especially loved the song Leave.

I was about to lose my job, but I didn't know it. I hated where I lived, and I needed to get the hell out. And this album, especially the song Leave, expressed the desperation I felt. And when I left that crappy little town for good, I played Leave at top volume.

But tonight, the one song I couldn't get out of my head was Electrolite. New Adventures isn't the lightest or happiest album, but I love how it ends with this song. It's like the band--the listener--realized things weren't so bad. There was a realization that, you know, things will work out. In hindsight, this was REM's last album as a four-piece. Looking back, this should've been their last album. Even when I heard it, I felt it was the perfect combination of their back catalog all wrapped in one album. I once referred to it as their swan song. In hindsight.... it kind of was. And this song? Well, it just seems like a fitting ending to a great career.


You're eyes are burning holes through me
I'm not scared
I'm outta here
I'm not scared
I'm outta here

Packers v Saints

I have so many things to say about my trip back to the Midwest. It involved so many different aspects of my life and looking back I feel like I was there for about a month. But I figured I'd start with the Packers game.

The Packers-Saints game opened the NFL season. The last two years I have gone to the Lambeau home opener and both times were great. The Packers-Bears game in 2009 was electric, and the Packers-Bills game last year was drunken fun and a blow out. This game? The Packers-Saints? It was the last two Super Bowl Champs, two teams with dynamite quarterbacks, playing in the most historic stadium in the most rabid football town in the country. It was awesome.

LJ and I purchased a package for this game so we knew we'd have a hotel room and a ride to and from Lambeau. We also knew this was the biggest thing to ever hit Green Bay. Why? Because no one was sure there would be a season. And this was two great teams playing each other. There was a ton of hoopla and press coverage of the entire thing. And then there were bands and crowds and all kinds of stuff. Green Bay will never host a Super Bowl, not because it's freezing cold in February, but because Green Bay has a population of 100,000, and it can't accommodate the crowds associated with a Super Bowl. So, this was the closest Green Bay would ever see to a Super Bowl. And I was there.

It's fake. But I would totally get a Packer's tattoo.
I wore this thing until I got home.

We left West Bend early to avoid the crowds. We ate lunch at GB's only vegetarian/vegan restaurant. The nice thing is that is moved to a bigger space and it was always busy. I had some amazing carrot curry soup and a hummus wrap that was lovely in it's simplicity. LJ is from Green Bay and had some family stuff to take care of, and then we went to our hotel. It wasn't fancy, we knew that before we got there. But then our room was next to Ceaser's Palace. Ceaser. That kept us amused the whole time we were there.

Ceaser's Palace. As opposed to Caesar's Palace.

So, let's see.... We began drinking at 1:00. We got on the shuttle bus that took us to the circus that was Lambeau. Y'all, it was insane. We were dropped at, wait for it, Brett Favre's Steak House.

Yes, I was a vegan at not only a steak house, but Brett "still dead to me" Favre's Steakhouse. What did I do? Drink a whole bunch of free screwdrivers. I was pretty sure they were just orange juice, but LJ told me there was indeed vodka in them. Yeah, whatever.

There were some Saints fans mixed in with the bunch. I'll have to say, seeing the Saints fans mixed in with the Packer fans was interesting. It was a great example of southern football versus northern football. The southerners dressed for the game--as they do. Women wore heals. Men wore suits. There were Mardi-gra-style hats. The Packer fans? Well, we're Midwesterners. We were there in tshirst, jerseys, and sensible shoes.... all of which were probably beer-stained. None of us really give a shit what we looked like. We're there for some football. And beer. Lots of beer.

Gilbert "The Gravedigger" Brown.
A woman behind me asked me who he was. *sigh*

Anyway, Gilbert "The Gravedigger" Brown was signing. And you know what? I adore Gilbert Brown. Love him. I have wanted his jersey for the longest time--and I finally found one over the summer that was not child-sized or Gilbert Brown-sized. Did I wear it? No. At the least minute, I decided to wear my Tauscher jersey. Did I find a way to shake his hand and tell him this? Hell, yeah. Did I get his signature? Yes. On my hat. I was ecstatic. Later we stumbled on Antonio Freeman signing--he also signed my hat. For those of you who don't know, Antonio Freeman is known for one of the best reception/touchdowns ever... even better it was against the Vikings. I still remember it--it was a Monday night game. I fell asleep with the TV on and woke up just in time to see this play.

My hat, signed by Gilbert Brown and Antonio Freeman. This is a big deal. 

See that: 2010. Meaning world champs in 2010.
They revealed it while I was there. 

Anyway... the game. Awesome. A shootout. Fun. Tense. Too close at the end. I wish I'd DVR'd it because I would like to hear the commentary. From our point of view, the Packers offense was past the point of amazing. Rodgers was 9 for 10 in the first half. He scored on their first two possessions. But... the defense couldn't stop the Saints on third down--although the Packers defense stopped them in the red zone, especially in the final seconds of the game to keep the Saints from possibly forcing the game into overtime. But still, there were issues.

First drive. 

First Touchdown!

We got back to the hotel late. We had a few more beers. And I woke up the next morning with very little voice and a headache. And losing one and gaining the other were totally worth it.

I love me some Packers football.

There really is no place better to watch football than Lambeau Field. 

I don't even know where to start

I've spent the last week and a half in the Midwest. It was my annual trip/vacation to see friends and football. This year I tacked on an additional week to see family. And you know what? It's been one of the best trips, ever.

It feels like I've been here forever. It feels like I never left eight years ago. It feels like I belong here. Tomorrow I leave. It's an early flight. I'll be exhausted. Hell, I'm already exhausted (long story). Because I am exhausted, I am almost positive that I will cry. Why? Because I miss it that much.

Honestly, I don't know why. I just do.

So what have I done for the last week and a half:

Wednesday afternoon: Fly into Milwaukee. Pick up rental car. Drive to Madison. Stop at the Gobbler, take pictures. Get a little emotional as I drive down I-94 because for the first time in a long time, I feel completely at home. Spend that night with some old friends.

Thursday: Drive to my brother's where I spend the night. Thing is, this drive takes me through the area where I used to live. It was like a weird driving tour of my 20s.

Friday: Drive to Iowa City where I spend the night with my mom. Wander through downtown Iowa City and realize that my life has truly come full circle.

Saturday: Drive through hellacious rain to the family cabin. Stay there the next two nights. I haven't been there since 1993. Spend some quality time with family, including my stepbrother who returned from Afghanistan in July and cousins I haven't seen since my dad's funeral.

Monday: Leave the family cabin. Meet mom for lunch. Drive back to brother's where I spend the night.

Tuesday: The plan was to drive to Madison to spend the afternoon and night because I miss that town so much it hurts. But, the friends I was going to stay with had both come down with a nasty cold; I opt to go directly to West Bend instead of going there on Wednesday. West Bend is where I will spend the most of my time.

Thursday: Drive to Green Bay for the Packers-Saints game. Did you see that game Thursday night? It was awesome. Seriously awesome. And I was there.

Friday: Spend the day playing tourist at Lambeau Field: took the Lambeau Field tour and walked through the Packers Hall of Fame. Met an old friend for dinner.

Saturday: Go into Milwaukee to see my old friend, JC; crash on his jacked-up "couch." I can honestly say this was one of the highlights of my trip. I could go into all the details, and maybe I will at some point. But we spent hours day drinking at a couple of local bars. There was laughing and crying and more laughing. In the last year JC has gone from being an old friend I reconnected with on Facebook to being a very good friend I usually have some sort of contact with every day. Let's just say much alcohol was consumed and it was a very good day. I wish I'd had more time to spend with him.

Sunday: Returned to West Bend where I am recovering from the very good day.

And that brings us to now. I'm doing laundry, watching football, and knitting. I'm getting all my shit together to leave tomorrow. It'll be weird to leave, though.... Home feels like this place and where I live feels foreign. I figured I'd get sick of being back here and be more than ready to head back out west. But, well, as of now... I'm not.