At least I hope so.

Barring any trades, I forsee the Packers picking Mario Williams. Williams wowed the scouts at the combine, which should soidify him being selected by the Packers at #5. Scouts are comparing him to Julius Peppers, and most recently Reggie White. Actually, Williams had a better vertical leap(40 inches) and 40 yard dash time(4.71) than Peppers.

Williams is a 6-7 295 athlete that’s very lean. He weighs 295, but that’s all muscle(7.6% body fat), and since he’s coming out as a junior, he’s poised to get even bigger. He has long arms and big shoulders which will allow him to get even bigger and stronger.

This past season Williams had 14.5 sacks. He has 25.5 sacks total in his college career. Williams also hasn’t had any problems with injuries, starting all 36 games in college.

In the NFL, I truly believe games are won on the line of scrimmage. If your team’s line wins the battle, it opens the door for the rest of the team to execute. Every team that made the playoffs this year had at least one first round defensive line player. The Packer’s defense needs playmakers, and I believe Williams is their man.

Ted Thompson must find a way to stop the bleeding. The Packers lost several key players last offseason, including guys like Darren Sharper, Mike Wahle and Marco Riviera, and if Thompson is looking to actually improve this team, he must find a way to stop losing players.

The Packers dragged their feet all season long on getting Kampman a new contract, and it sounds like he’s ready to see what he’s really worth in the open market. Kampman figures to be one of the top defensive ends in free agency this year, and should get nice offer from someone.

I guess what I don’t understand is the Packers have a lot of holes to fill, have 20 million in cap room, and yet they’re letting their best defensive lineman hit the open market. On top of that that, Grady Jackson could be gone, which probably leaves Colin Cole and KGB as the starters. KGB is a one-dimensional pass rusher and Colin Cole is no Grady Jackson.

Thompson could be banking on selecting Mario Williams in the draft, but that’s not guaranteed, and forces him to draft for need rather than taking the best player available. Regardless, I can’t think of a scenario where having Williams, Kampman, and KGB on the same team would be a bad thing.

If Thompson loses Kampman in free agency, he’ll have created yet another hole that needs to be filled, and there are already too many.

Wollerscheim has decided not to have their popular Grape Stomp Festival in 2006, and possibly 2007. Actually, I wouldn’t be surprised if they end it all together.

This year was the first time I had attended the festival in probably five years, and I couldn’t believe how much it had grown. You used to be able to just pull into their parking lot and walk into the festival. But this year, I had to park about a quarter mile down the road, pay to get in, and buy tickets to purchase items.

There was so many people, it was just unpleasant to be there. The few hours I was at the festival, I saw people falling down drunk, people going to the bathroom in the vineyard, and people making out with strangers in from of families trying to enjoy the day. A fun event where you could take your family has turned into an over-popularized drunkfest.

For years, I often wondered how long they could continue having the festival before it got to big. I don’t blame Wollerscheim for quitting the festival. I did. I decided that this was my last year, instead I’ll just make my regular trips in the Summer, buy a few bottles of wine, and enjoy the peace and quiet in the vineyard.

Wollersheim Winery will not be holding the Grape Stomp Festival in October 2006. We will be taking a year or two to recreate a festival that is more suited to the unique winery setting and geared towards families.

We have decided to take a year or two to reevaluate the festival, look at some building expansion projects on the winery grounds, and concentrate on the highlight of the fall season- winemaking. The winery family, including our employees, has been feeling that the festival has grown over and beyond what the property can safely handle and has shifted from its original intent of family fall enjoyment. When we look at the big picture, the success of the winery is attributed to the quality of our wine, and because September and October is the main time of the year that wine is being produced, we want to remain focused on making the finest wine possible.

We realize that many will be disappointed to not attend the festival in 2006, but we have also spoken with many of our long-time customers that have become let down with the festival becoming too crowded. We will still continue our other events this year, the Winery Open House in March and the Ruby Nouveau Tasting in November. Our plans for the festival in future years will be announced in fall 2006 as they take shape. Of course, Wollersheim Winery will remain open our usual winery hours of 10 am to 5 pm, 361 days a year for wine tastings and winery tours.

http://www.wollersheim.com/events.asp?mode=detail&id=11

I went to Toys ‘R Us tonight to find my nephew a birthday present. I found him a present, but it has dawned on me that Toys ‘R Us is the home of Satan. Yes, the home of Satan.

I swear, every single time, I enter that store in a good mood, and I exit in a bad mood. This time, my actual shopping experience wasn’t all that bad, which was due to it being 8:00pm, and quite dead. I found what I was looking for, and headed to the checkout.

There was another couple that “just” beat me to the only open checkout. I was thinking to myself, “no big deal, I’ll be out of here in no time.” WRONG! First, they start emptying their cart with one board game after another. Who in the hell are they buying all of these games for? The clerk rings them up, and then she pulls out this piece of paper, it looked like a questionaire.

At first, I thought the woman was going to take it home, but no. She started filling it out right there. I don’t know if she was applying for a credit card or what. The form needed her driver’s license information, and she didn’t have it on her. Her husband had to run out to the car and get her license.

At this point, I’ve been standing in line for about 15 minutes. There’s actually a line forming behind, and the moronic clerk on a power trip finally decides to call over another clerk. A few minutes later, the extra clerk finally arrives. There was a couple with a child behind me, and the guy tells everyone to let me go first because I’d been standing there a long time. Well, I guess his deaf wife didn’t hear him and raced to the other checkout. I calmly walk over there, and the woman is already whipping out her credit card and giving the clerk her phone number. The husband tells his wife that I should go first, and her retort is, “too bad.”

Too bad? It’s too bad that you’re a rude bitch. That’s what I think. I look back over at the other checkout, where I just was, and that couple is STILL there. The people behind them were starting to get quite vocal about the bullshit they were having to deal with. One guy was shaking his head, and I wasn’t quite sure why until I got outside when I heard him explaining to his son how rude that woman was for cutting in front of me. At least someone was on my side.

So, the woman is checking out in front of me. Guess what! There’s something wrong with her credit card. The clerk begins to write down her information and the woman has to show her ID; all the while I burn holes through this woman with my laser eyes.

Finally, it’s my turn. I never have problems when I checkout. I have my money ready, pay the woman, and I’m out of there. The one thing that really irks me about Toys ‘R Us is when they ask me for my telephone number. I was in a hurry one day and gave them my phone number, which was a big mistake. They actually called me on my cellphone to try and sell me something. Now, when they ask for my phone number, I just say, “no thank you”, and they usually don’t ask any questions.

I’ve decided I’m done with that big box dump of a store, and I’m somewhat embarrassed I didn’t attempt to shop local. Never again.

The NFL has made it the norm to have a token female sideline reporter at almost every game. I’m sure the NFL is attempting to diversify, but in the process, they just look like they’re attempting to diversify.

I honestly don’t care about the gender of a sideline reporter, just as long as I believe they know what they’re talking about, which typically isn’t the case. The sideline reporters really don’t need to know a lot about football, but it doesn’t hurt in the attempt at making their job look believeable. They basically update on injuries, do a few pre-written interviews, and give us the latest gossip from the sidelines. It almost sounds like they’re workin’ the red carpet.

One of the things that bothers me is they just don’t make me believe they know anything about football. I’m a football fanatic that wants sideline reporters who “know football”. I know this might sound crazy to some people, but I’d rather have an ex-football player that was a student of the game over a pretty face.

I commend the NFL for diversifying, but the NFL is a league of men. It’s played by men, coached by men, and until they can find a woman that knows football, it should be reported by men.

I find it hard to believe that United States hasn’t seriously considered legalizing marijuana. Yes, some people are fighting to make it legal for medicinal puposes, but I’m talking about legally purchasing and smoking it for recreational purposes.

What effect would legalizing marijuana have on our country? The first thing that comes to my mind is control. If it became legal, it would be taxed and there would laws on distribution, similar to cigarettes and alcohol. I also think legalizing marijuana would deter illegal distributors(drug dealers). Why chance selling it when everyone can purchase it at the local tobacco shop?

I guess one could argue that marijuana leads to other drugs, but that just isn’t true. Does drinking alcohol lead to moonshine? I’m a pretty regular drinker, and I’ve never had this urge to get more drunk, or find a different kind of drunk. It’s a weak-ass excuse by people who don’t know what they’re talking about.

Another argument might be that marijuana is bad for your health. This I can’t argue, but it’s probably not as bad a some might think. Is drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, or even eating a Big Mac good for you? Of course not. With heart disease being the leading cause of death in America, I’d bet eating a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder is probably more harmful to your body than taking a few puffs off a joint.

Let’s not be nieve, marijuana is not going away. People have been smoking it in this country for hundreds of years, and they will continue to smoke it. Why should we pay tax dollars to put people in prison because of drug that makes them want to eat Funyons?

If you have a pulse, there’s a good chance you’ve seen it, and possibly smoked it. Believe it or not, I actually don’t smoke marijuana. I just don’t see the harm it would cause if it were to be legalized in this country.

Not FDA approved, but definitely tested by most.

“With the first pick of the draft, the Charger’s select Eli Manning”. We all know the story. The Charger’s selected Eli Manning, and then traded him to the New York Giants in return for Phillip Rivers. The Chargers had every intention in Rivers being the quarterback of the future, but unfortunately for Rivers, Drew Brees had other plans.

Many projected Rivers would be the starting quarterback from day one, but he got injured in camp, which kept the door open just a little longer for Brees. Brees took full advantage and has rightfully earned the starting position. This leaves the Chargers in quite a predicament. Brees is still young, playing extremely well, but will be a free agent in March. River’s is an expensive backup, has trade value, and is dying to get off the bench.

With the extension the Charger’s just gave A.J. Feeley, I’m guessing they’re going to let Brees hit the open market and go with Rivers and Feeley. This is good news for anyone that is in need of a quarterback, and isn’t a Charger’s fan. There will be plenty of teams that will consider signing Brees once free agency starts, and I’m thinking one of them should be the Green Bay Packers.

It looks like Green Bay is going to lose iron-man Brett Favre to retirment, the jury is still out on Aaron Rodgers, and Nall will be a free agent. Green Bay could resign free agent Craig Nall, but he’s done nothing but mop-up duty, and should have emerged by now. Either way, if Favre retires, they are in dire need of help at the most important position in the game.

If the Packers are going to play the free agent market, I just hope they play it safe. They’ve gotten burned with signing free agents like Joe Johnson, but I honestly believe Brees would be safe investment. They have roughly 20 million salary cap space, so taking a chance on a pretty safe bet seems obvious to me. The only thing that stands in Thompson’s way of signing Brees, will be the other teams fighting for his services.

I was at the Hubbard Street Diner in Middleton last weekend eating breakfast when I witnessed something quite disturbing. I used the restroom facility and witnessed three grown men, in their mid-40’s, fail to wash their hands after using the restroom, and one of them didn’t just use a urinal. Can someone explain to me, what is the deal with people not washing their hands after going the bathroom?

After witnessing this occurance way too often, I’ve become quite anal about not touching things in a public restrooms. I wash my hands thoroughly, dry them with a towel, and if I have to use the door handle to exit the bathroom, I use the towel to do so. If there aren’t any towels, I can typically wedge open the door with my foot. Regardless, my newly-washed hand isn’t touching the door that people touch with their dirty hands.

Once I get the door open, I turn around, and place the paper towel in the trash. If the trash isn’t nearby, I just toss it toward the garbage, hoping to make two points.

Rule of Thumb

If you’re going number 1, you can get away with just running “hot” water over your hands. If you’re going number 2, you must use soap and “hot” water. Of course, there can be other factors involved, so if you’re unsure, wash thoroughly.

I’m taking this Java class at MATC, and the guy sitting next to me asks me if I’ve ever heard of portable apps. I said “no”, so he proceeded to show me. Basically, portable apps are applications that you can take with you and run on a seperate device. In this case, he was using a USB memory card, which almost all of the students have these days.

He browses to his USB drive, executes Firefox.exe, and it starts flawlessly. It seemed to open just as fast as the version of Firefox on his computer.Why would you need a portable app? Well, the main reason for him, is he’s a student, and Firefox saves all of his browser information and settings; such as, homepage, history, and most importantly bookmarks.

Another portable app he uses is Gaim, an instant messaging client. Now, this was even cooler than Firefox. I can live without my bookmarks, but he had Gaim setup with all of the different user accounts from various messenging clients like AOL, Yahoo, and MSN. He executes Gaim, and he immediately see who’s online, and who’s not.

Is this the future of applications? Will we someday be executing applications from our iPod or some other portable device? Now, what I think would be cool, is if these applications were cross-platform, meaning they’d run on any operating system. I want to be able to login into any type of machine, have all of my documents, mp3’s and applications setup the way I like them; and I want it to be fast, reliable, and wireless.

Portable apps are definitely coo., but their future is somewhat hazy with online applications in the near future. Online applications would, for the most part, be cross-platform, but my main concern, is will it be reliable? I’m thinking not.

This is the third year I’ve boycotted watching the Grammy’s, and I am grateful. I’m grateful I didn’t have to watch the public bend over and take it in the ass from the music industry.

The music industry feeds the general public mediocrity, and most of the public doesn’t even wonder if there’s something better than what’s on the radio or MTV. It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to realize there was better music made this year than what was featured on tonight’s Grammy’s.

The general public should be appauled by glorification of such mediocrity. The public should demand better. They should say no to crap like MTV, VH1, and FM radio. They should do some research online and discover some good music. They should try things on line such as Pandora, Last.fm, or even browsing an Indie site such as cdbaby.com.

So, let’s take a look…

Album of the Year: “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb,” U2. This is a hard one for me to swallow because I absolutely despise U2. They have been milking the same drum beat, guitar riff, and bass line for years. Bono needs to take off the glasses and just plain shut up.

Record of the Year: “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” Green Day. I enjoy the occassional Green Day song, but there were far better albums than this one. I haven’t really liked much of their stuff since “Dookie”. What’s the difference between album of the year, and record of the year?

Song of the Year: “Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own,” U2. U2 again? Who’s voting for these guys?

I am happy they got one right, and that’s Hard Rock Performance: “B.Y.O.B.,” System of a Down. Great album, totally deserved it. In fact, this one should have been up for album of the year.