Went and saw a band tonight, "Last Crack", don't know if the name means anything or if so, what? What a great show. The guys are all about 37, 38, whatever, started playing together in the eighties, have a very loyal local following (around Madison, WI). I drove two buddies from around here who like to drink and stuff and who are "Crack Heads", I guess, seen these guys play many times and they convinced me that I couldn't miss this.

Good sized place, stage on far end, only maybe 300 people there, maybe even less, probably could have squeezed in 500, great sound equipment, good acoustics and the band rocked, way better than I was expecting (well maybe not way better) and no smoke. All smoking outside. At first I thought it seemed somewhat retarded, at times there were more people outside than in, (including the guys I went with and eventually me), but I don't smoke anymore myself and it sure was a nice change. No fights, no macho scenes, was almost boring a little but I like it that way, just a lot of people havin' a good time. Lot of pot smokers methinks.

The last time I got to see a band that impressed me that much in a nice small setting like that was Jimmie's Chicken Shack in 1998. Almost forgot what it's like. (Best I've ever seen in a club: I'm thinking Jonny Winter the first time I saw him in about 1980 but there are other contenders {Montrose, Derringer, Pat Travers, Alvin Lee} and just about any show I've seen in that kind of setting is a good memory). Definitely look forward to seeing them again.

Tonight he was referring to an injured player who has "cracked and broken and fractured" ribs. Ouch!

Terrell Owens is at it again (or is it more like still?). The guy has done nothing but complain since he forced the 49ers hand, voided a deal that sent him to the Ravens and landed in Philly which was supposed to be right where he wanted to be. I will grant that he is a big-time player (though not the big deal that he thinks he is) but can anybody possibly think that he is so good that he makes up for being such a dumb-ass and disruptive force? I heard some of his crap tonight (last night). For instance, he's upset that the Eagles didn't make a big deal out of his 100th touchdown last week. He says they would have celebrated it if it had been someone else. Uhhh do ya think? You mean someone that doesn't rip the team and his teammates and his QB every chance he gets? Someone who acts like he's proud to be an Eagle? Sorry T.O. but you don't get to have it both ways. And what about his latest dig at Donovan McNab? He says something like if Brett Favre was our quarterback we'd probably be undefeated now. Here's McNab trying to play through a sports hernia (what is that, anyway?) and a bruised sternum and T.O. is ripping on him. If he makes it through this season both alive and on the Eagles roster I will be very surprised. You watch, if they fall out of the play-off picture his ass is gone. Bye-bye!

I've always thought that English must be a very tough language to learn later in life. I and almost everyone I know grew up with it all around us, total immersion, and we basically memorized it rather than learning it. Sure we had English class in school, but a lot of that is some type of lit class and creative writing and improving of reading skills and etc. I remember in fifth grade learning "drop the 'e' and add ing" and stuff like that but very little any other year. Maybe it's because there aren't that many rules in English and none of them are hard and fast so wtf? Why bother? Just memorize. When you have words like go and do that don't rhyme and every vowel having two (instead of 1) basic sounds and let them all sound like uh once in a while (and they call this the schwa sound; why not the schwuh sound?) there is only so far you can get with rules. Memorize! But that, of course takes a long time!

I heard something on NFL Network tonight that made me think of ESL. The question was asked "Who will be the Diet-Pepsi rookie of the week?" I could just see somebody new to the language trying to assimilate this question. He knows what a rookie is, he understands "of the week" in this context, they have a different one every week, but what does Diet-Pepsi have to do with any of this? What is a "Diet-Pepsi rookie"? Someone who has never had Diet-Pepsi before? Oh I don't know, maybe they can figure it out.

I have the strangest feeling tonight that the Packers are going to win tomorrow (today). It makes no sense but there it is. We shall see.