Tales from the Junction

Moving

2009-10-10T09:47:00.002-05:00

We have officially moved over to Word Press
Our site can be found at:http://junctiontales.wordpress.com/
Todd's History Blog can be found at: http://historyrat.wordpress.com/

Lost in October

2009-10-09T20:52:00.003-05:00

Now that the month of October has arrived, I have become lost. Fantasy baseball is over and I don't quite know what to do in the mornings and weekends without it. Sure, I have fantasy football on Sunday, but that's just Sunday.

I did well this year. I won championships in 6 out of 16 Yahoo Leagues and I won 1 of the 2 CBS Sportsline leagues I was in. That is the most championships I have won in 4 years. The following players were the key to victory for me this year
Joe Mauer - he fell in many leagues due to his back injury in many leagues. He was ripe as a steal in the 6th round in many leagues. Next year, I doubt he gets out of the first unscathed.
Tommy Hanson - the young Atlanta pitcher should be rookie of the year. He is something else.
Randy Wells - When he was on, he was almost unhittable. If not for Kevin Gregg, he could have won 18 games this year. I think he was the only Cub I had on most of my teams.
Chris Carpenter - coming off of his second major surgery of his career, he fell deep into the 15th round or later in many drafts. I picked him up in 10-12.
Kendry Morales - When Vlad went down, I picked up Kendry. What a great pick up he was.
Jayson Werth and Raul Ibanez - These Phillie outfielders had career years. I expect Werth to continue but not Raul.
Gordon Beckham - for one half a year he hit 14 home runs and 60+ RBIs. He should be a nice pick for next year.

My top team names - This year I went different. In fact some might say bizarre
1. The Schilling Conspiracy
2. The DL Brigade
3. El Pistola
4. The Junction
5. Frank Chance

Biggest Busts - Brandon Webb, Aramis Ramirez, and Jake Peavy
I got burnt on these two pitchers on most of my teams. Some never recovered.

Sleepers for 2009
OF - Jayson Heyward - Atlanta
OF - Andrew McCutcheon - Pittsburgh - He was the most exciting player in the game for August and September
3B - Pedro Alvarez - Pirates - He can flat out rake!
C- Buster Posey - SF Giants (He won't be up until June 1 at the earliest.)
P - Andrew Cashner - Cubs - 6'5" and throws hard like a brick.
OF- Justin Upton - He is on the precipice of being the best Fantasy Player in the outfield.
OF - BJ Upton - hopefully he will rebound next year
OF - Alex Rios - he may blossom playing for Ozzie
P - Brandon Webb - Someone who throws that hard of a sinker so effortlessly will be back.
P - Anyone on Oakland's staff

Next Year's Possible New Team Names
1. Seven - in honor of George Costanza
2. T.E.C. - Tinkers to Evers to Chance
3. The Tiants
4. Upton Boys
5. The Schilling Ultimatum
6. The Schilling Identity
7. Lord of the Diamond
8. The Boys from San Pedro De Marcaris

October Means....

2009-10-03T08:03:00.003-05:00

...my favorite season! If anyone doubts the existence of God, take a drive up and down the Rock River or the Illinois River Valleys. Make an excursion into southwestern Wisconsin, western or southern Illinois. Go see nature in all its glory.
...fantasy baseball is over in two days. I have hung on all year and it appears that I will be bringing home 7 team championships. That is the most I have had in 3 years.
...I need a mental health day. As the first nine weeks comes to a close, sometimes I just need a break from it all.
...Tech Club starts up this Wednesday. We will look at the iPod this year, what happens to your computer when you pitch it, Cyber Warfare, and Adobe Photoshop!
...History Club Field Trip. We are going to John Deere in Grand DeTour and to the Reagan home on October 30.
...FOOTBALL!!!!!!!!! The Bears look to go 3-1 this week against Detroit. I already have plenty of Ritz crackers, cheese, and root beer!
...just chillin' in the cool air!

Opening Sunday

2009-09-13T09:20:00.002-05:00

The NFL kicks off in earnestness today....
Crackers - Check!
Sausage - Check!
Cheese - Check!
Sloppy Joes - Check!
Tator Tots - Check!
Refreshing Beverages - Check!
Zeus - Check!
I swear, my dog loves the Bears! He has to be in my lap whenever the Bears are on. Of course he will have to wait until tonight.

In other news...
*School is 4 weeks in. Progress reports come out later this week.
*My class at NIU is almost 1/4 over. It seems we only meet on campus 1/2 the time and do the other 1/2 online.
*The Cubs are still alive - barely.
*My fantasy baseball teams are doing well. Looks like 7 championships out of 16 teams.
*Fantasy Football kicks off today. I am hoping my sleeper picks of Curtis Benson and Percy Harvin do some good.
*Fantasy Basketball also had their drafts start this week. I did 2 drafts and both teams I think will do OK in the head-to-head leagues.
*The weather has been gorgeous in the Junction the past week. Highs in the upper 70s/low 80s and lows in the mid 50s. Perfect during the day and perfect during the night.
*I have over 50 kids signed up to do the History Fair this year. I have about 10 new kids after only losing 4 to graduation. It should be a good year at school.
*New record month - Pearl Jam comes out in 9 days, Alice in Chains and Porcupine Tree in 16 days.

Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-05T11:25:00.001-05:00

Here be the plans...
1. Mow the front yard
2. Mow the back yard
3. Eat
4. Watch a movie
5. Relax
6. Repeat step 5

One more week...

2009-08-29T10:25:00.004-05:00

I am going to give the Cubs another week (maybe two) to get it going. Although, half the team could be gone by Monday if they clear the waivers this weekend. Heilman and Harden already have. I doubt if anyone would claim Bradley or Soriano. Every decision Jim Hendry has made in the last year has backfired immensely. From the bullpen to the outfield to DeRosa to players having terrible years (Soto) to injuries (Ramirez and Lilly), it has been a year of false promises and false hopes in which only Lee and Theriot have performed up to their capabilities. I don't expect to see too many Cubs from this year's roster on next year's team. On to brighter things...

* The Bears look better each week...
* I redid all my playlists just before school started
* School is back in session...seems to be going OK. I totally restructured my Geography class for this next year with more of an emphasis on energy and economics.
* I begin my last class on Tuesday...
* I already have about 30 kids signed up for History Fair with a lot of cool topics
* I want to do some reading with about five-six books piled up on the stand next to the desk. For some reason, I have not been able to open page one. I have been busy checking and adjusting lesson plans and making a test this morning.
* Got the Raconteurs on the player right now - Many Shades of Black
* Going to LaSalle to eat out tonight.
* The backyard also needs mowed right now... It feels more like April than August today
* We went and saw District 9 last weekend. I enjoyed it a lot. It was fun.
* If I don't get to the reading books today, tomorrow is definitely on

S if for Sunday

2009-08-09T07:20:00.002-05:00

There's a lot going on in my brain at the moment...too much in fact. School starts in one week and I am mostly ready. I have one bulletin board in my room to do and I will get to that tomorrow, hopefully.

S #1
I have not had a cigarette for quite a while now and today is the third day in a row where I woke up feeling refreshed and not a hint of a cold that has lingered all summer.

S #2
The sun is out again and the yard is turning green. It has been very dry here in the Junction the past six weeks and I have put on a few pounds because I have not been mowing the yard. I need to get out and either bike ride or walk. I'm thinking walking.

S #3
There is a lot of Science Fiction on tap for today. I bought the new paperback version of Paul of Dune last night and I am interested to get started on it. I also bought the DVD Caprica and I can't wait to give it a go as well.

S #4
The Bears are legitimate Super Bowl contenders with Jay Cutler on board. Even with baseball season in full swing, I find myself drawn to what will happen in one month when the Bears open play at Green Bay.

S #5
As with any Sunday, it is always wrapped around a Cubs game and a wonderful Southern Dinner cooked by my lovely wife. Tonight's menu - I believe it is Pork Chops and some sweet corn. It's a weird combination but I will take it!

Soaking in the Cold

2009-07-18T08:50:00.002-05:00

So much for summer. It has been rather chilly here the last few days. It has been a quiet week with Anne and Jesica in Canada. I am currently in the middle of doing many things while mastering none.

1. Reading - I finished off Solar Lottery yesterday. It was good. It is the first novel published by PKD and I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. Next up - The Simulacra.
2. Annotated Bibliography on Analyzing Primary Sources - I am doing one for the seminar I am taking at NIU this summer. I am one elective away from starting my dissertation in the spring semester.
3. Researching PKD - I have moved on from articles about him and primary documents to finding interviews
4. Slowly Moving Up - My fantasy baseball teams have been slowly moving up the rankings in many of my leagues. I think I the last few days before the All-Star break, I saw the number of my teams in first place double. I have focused on having young pitching and young hitters. The old steroids style of fantasy stats is gone. Now, it is all about runs, sb, avg, era, whip, and wins.
5. Cold - I am finally getting over this cold. After two weeks, I can safely say that this morning has been a breeze. It feels so good to be almost healthy again.

Summer Addictions

2009-06-21T23:26:00.003-05:00

This summer finds me doing the following activities over and over and over and over...

1. Not watching the Cubs.
Sure I pay attention to what they do every day, but life does not revolve around them. I do not feel the need to waste 3 hours watching a game when I can just watch a few innings and get more stuff done.
2. Water
I have been drinking a lot more water than normal. Pop has become a delicacy along with Kool-Aid and lemonade
3. Mowing
I must mow 2X a week to keep up in the backyard. The front still only needs it once.
4. PKD - Philip K. Dick
I have been on a document mission this summer. I have gone in search of letters, interviews, and other documents from his life. In addition, I have 3 books waiting on the end table to read - The Simulacra, The Divine Invasion, Solar Lottery, and Counter-Clock World. That's 4 not 3. I guess counting is not one of my addictions.
5. facebook
In the past week, both Anne and I, separately mind you, joined the facebook community. Unfortunately, I have spent way too much time on it the last three days with Anne out of town visiting her father. Things will get back to a more normal routine this week of work and errands in the morning followed by lunch, cubs game, a PKD book, or a nap or all of the above in the afternoon.
6. Thinking of Tenderloins
It is the sandwich of sandwiches unless you are in LaHarpe at the Bowl N Fun, then it is the Tenderlion sandwich. I think Culvers and Grubsteakers have set up some secret transmitter that sends tenderloin waves to my brain.

I like mine with mustard, pickles, and onions, topped off with a root beer or lemonade.
6. Fetch
It seems to be the game of choice in the Junction this summer, especially for Phoebe. We didn't know how she would respond to her knee surgery of 3 years ago, but she is living the normal life of a healthy and happy energetic dog.

Blast From the Past

2009-06-12T21:30:00.002-05:00

I spent tonight watching a documentary on Grunge music on YouTube.
It's hard to believe to me that was 20 years ago. The music made by Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, and Mother Love Bone are some of my favorite songs of all time. I can remember sitting up many a night and listening to these albums and talking to anyone who would listen (usually Kara) about how great it all was...and today it still is.
So in honor...Here's a little Stardog Champion by Mother Love Bone