iamshack

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Sep 27, 2016 -> 08:00 AM) Something that's not been getting a lot of play but really, really should was Trump saying that blowing up other nation's military boats over taunting wouldn't lead to a war. Multiple wars started literally that exact way (or at least that was the cause given on the surface). Agreed. That, and the 400 pounds comment show just how poor his judgment is.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Sep 27, 2016 -> 07:56 AM) If anyone thins Clinton should have been kind or trrated Trump as an equal, that's absurd. Half of his shtick is he seems visually powerful I'm these debates. Making him look weak and defensive is the right way to go. It's not an issue of being kind to him or treating him as an equal, Q. It's more not reducing these debates to what he seems to reduce them to. When you've got an opponent as unconventional as Trump, I guess I would just like to see her respond more thoroughly and accurately to Lester Holt's questions than to waste her time playing games with Donald.

I guess I just find it hard to believe that the guy hasn't encountered others who get under his skin in his business dealings. Maybe he is so frequently in a position of power due to his resources that others rarely challenge him, but quite frankly, I am shocked by how easily he gets angered and frustrated. I'll be honest - I don't care for Clinton - but I found her to be condescending behavior to be a turnoff as well. The countless times where she responded to him by laughing or had a big smile on her face, or with this act of 'wow, Donald how can I possibly respond to the steaming pile of bulls*** you just served up' isn't going to win over anyone she has't already won over anyways. She needs to focus on those voters that don't care for that typical and predictable response either. There are a number of voters who are sick of the political status quo, and are considering voting for trump simply because he isn't that. Mocking him isn't helping to gain their votes. Rather than waste her time making him look silly, which he already does very well all by himself, she should continue to juxtapose her plans which have substance against his which do not. Simply continue to hammer him on the substance and the facts and abstain from coming off as elitist and condescending.

Awesome job, Brian! Great to see you continue to reel in these great interviews.

QUOTE (Ezio Auditore @ Sep 27, 2016 -> 06:23 AM) It doesn't really matter though. Trump just pretends he didn't say it. He denied saying not paying taxes was smart when Jake Tapper interviewed him later. He's Orwellian af, but his supporters don't care. Well, he did reply later that he "followed the laws of the nation," which, to me, is a better way to reply to the tax issue. I am quite certain that the Clinton's take advantage of tax law and tax loopholes to avoid paying excess taxes as well. Trump is a businessman and many of his supporters admire him for those qualities and want him in the White House because of those qualities. The fact that he hires intelligent tax lawyers is so far down the list of reasons not to vote for him that it is a non-issue. What is incredible to me is how the guy is not intelligent enough to just use Hillary's "establishment" label against her in a civil way (use Bernie's playbook) and then mix in some of his own thoughts and ideas with a bent on his business experience and his ability to "get things done." To me, that is a potential winning blueprint that either his team fails to see (which I highly doubt), or he simply is not disciplined enough to execute.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 26, 2016 -> 07:44 PM) LOL. Chris Matthews: "It was a shutout (for Hillary). She hit five home runs to none for Trump." Let the spin begin. Hillary in a LANDSLIDE with the media's big-time help. I mean she certainly did better than him, but that is no high bar. Nothing that happened tonight is new; and while that may be all that Hillary needs to win, I thought it was far from a dominating effort on her part.

OTOH, I don't think she is helping herself by behaving so condescending towards him. She should just be completely oblivious to his nonsense and pretend as though she is debating someone who isn't a complete fool.

I can't believe this is happening.

Nice comment about the person hacking from their bed that happens to weigh 400 pounds.

I was very disappointed the game was blacked out in Las Vegas. Vin was my favorite. Fitting that it was a walk-off Dodger victory.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Sep 26, 2016 -> 11:10 AM) Because John Fox is a very conservative in-game coach. I know...but the defense couldn't stop anything all night. That was clearly a time to depart from traditional strategy based on information available at the time.

Btw, why the hell did we put down 24-10 from the Cowboys' side of the field with 9 minutes left last night?

QUOTE (bmags @ Sep 26, 2016 -> 09:46 AM) I'm fine with losing and more fine after White looked good. But yes, I am fairly concerned we have had 2 drafts without an impact talent. Losing Goldman hurts. I would really like to see Amos become more than a safe placeholder player. Losing is fine if there is flashes of talent (like 2000 bears), but when they are boring and bad it's worrying. We don't know whether White is going to be an impact player or not. He's coming back from missing a full year and probably still getting back into the flow of games. I would have liked to see him catch one of those deep balls last night, but it's awfully hard to do against the schemes the Cowboys had in place (given the score) versus within the flow of a competitive game. I do agree in re: your comment about Will Fuller, however...but it's only been a few games...let's give it a bit more time. I don't think you can evaluate this last draft yet based off of 3 games.

Honestly, how can you even truly evaluate what is happening right now? These results, while tough to stomach during the games, are not hurting us long term...this was always going to be a transitional year, and given the injuries we've already incurred just two games into the season, getting a few good bounces to go our way and being competitive is not in the cards. We need to be patient and continue to determine who is worth keeping around and who isn't. Losing these games in the fashion we have makes Mondays/Tuesdays more painful, but come April, we'll get better for it. No need to panic. The coaching staff needs to focus on developing our critical young players and the long game.

I switched my parents over to Sling TV about a month or so ago. They have the blue package and then the news channels as well as one of the movie packages (sundance/TMC/etc). It ends up being about $35/mo for that plus about $70 for their broadband package, for a total of $105 or so. Saves about $65/mo over their previous setup with the cable company and they still get 95% of the channels they watch. Other than some initial technical hiccups (and my parents are nearing 70 and REALLY not tech savvy), the transition has been pretty uneventful. If it weren't for this darn baby development channel that my 15 month old is mesmerized by, I would probably seriously consider making the move myself.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Sep 21, 2016 -> 09:05 AM) Was told Renteria had/has too much respect for RV to overtake him during the year. That's a pretty class move for a guy who was unceremoniously dumped after doing a pretty fair job himself across town. That actually intrigues me a bit.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Sep 20, 2016 -> 10:01 AM) You from New Lenox? Our new place borders right on the edge of Homer and New Lenox and I think we're actually closer to Rt. 30 than we are to the "main" areas of Homer. I grew up in Cherry Hill, which is right down Route 30 from New Lenox. I went to grade school at St Jude's in New Lenox, so most of my childhood friends lived there. My best friend's parents live off of Route 30 and Nelson Rd...I spent a lot of time there as a kid.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Sep 20, 2016 -> 07:50 AM) Did you go to the New Lenox Beggars? No, but I used to go there quite a bit when it first opened...back in '05-'08 or so? Several of my friends used to frequent it...I think they even played for their softball team.

So the wife and kid and I flew into Chicago last Wednesday and after making a few quick stops, drove up to Stanwood, MI to meet my wife's best friend and husband. From there, we headed up to Charlevoix, MI where we stayed in a cabin about a mile from Lake Michigan with several of our best friends and their spouses from our childhood. Spent 3 great nights there with incredible views from the deck and plenty of good food and booze. Drove back to Chicago on Sunday and stayed with my brother and his family Sunday night. My son got to play with his cousins for the first time and had a blast. Yesterday, I took her on a tour of my childhood, showing her the 3 houses I lived in through high school as well as some of my schools, etc. Had lunch in Hinsdale, where I lived between the ages of 12-18. Was blown away by what the town has become. Headed back to New Lenox to have pizza and watch the Bears with my best friend and his parents, to meet my son's namesakes (he is named after my best friend and his dad). Overall, had a great week. Flying back to Vegas today, which I'm not looking forward to. But it was great for my wife and kid to spend some time with the folks I grew up with and to see all the places I spent the first half of my life in.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Sep 14, 2016 -> 07:30 AM) Small towns and rural areas as a whole are dying right now because everyone younger is fleeing them for suburban and urban centers. Yeah, despite technology making it easier to live in rural areas and stay connected to everything, there simply are no jobs to be had other than farming.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Sep 12, 2016 -> 04:04 PM) In the two week final of my keeper league. Have Shelby Miller going tonight. I have a feeling I am going to regret this decision. Yep.

Had a good NFL week 1, so decided to treat myself to the Kobalt cordless blower and hedge cutter. Excited to get to work tomorrow!

In the two week final of my keeper league. Have Shelby Miller going tonight. I have a feeling I am going to regret this decision.

QUOTE (Ezio Auditore @ Sep 12, 2016 -> 10:06 AM) John Fox makes poor decisions in-game. He's a decent strategic coach, but a poor tactical coach, always was, always will be. This was Lovie's downfall as well.

My wife's brother has some sort of developmental disability. I am unsure exactly whether it is autism, or something else...my wife has never really formally told me. He is a very intelligent young man. Thirty-one years old. Can have very intelligent conversations on subject matter he enjoys, particularly history. On the other hand, he struggles in certain social situations and seems to enjoy leading a lifestyle similar to what I recall myself living when I was in my early teens. Enjoys playing video games, collecting toys, and just generally keeping to himself. He worked as a cashier at Target for a year or so, but then quit because of the stress it caused him. Very nice person, but just not quite comfortable out in the world. I've known since the time my wife and I got serious that the burden to support him would fall upon us at some time in the near future. He lives with her parents, and they very much enjoy having him there, but at some point, as they get older, it will become more and more of a struggle for them to care for him. My wife and I have already been planning on him moving in at some point and living out his adult year with us. He is truly a great person - he is great with our son - and so I have no problem whatsoever with this. It does make me wonder, however, what he would do if something happened to us or if to others who may not have family to support them.