Here it comes

So there's a big storm coming our way ...

After a late night of partying, somehow Kates and I got out of bed early this morning and ventured out to run some errands and stock up on groceries before the snow arrived ... Turns out the rest of the population was thinking along the same lines ...

The grocery store was never more crowded. There were impatient people pushing carts everywhere. These carts need brake lights and blinkers, I muttered to Kates at one point ... and when we were ready to check out, the lines extended about 50 yards from the register and into the produce section. No exaggeration.

Luckily, the line moved smoothly; the people stuck in it were patient and resigned to the fact that nothing anybody could do was going to alter the situation ... It took us about 20 minutes to get our cart full of groceries to the checkout counter. I can't even see the back of the line anymore, a young bagger said as we pulled up.

Then, as if the situation wasn't amusing enough already, the store's computer system went down as Kates was about to pay with her debit card. The clerk sighed and said the same thing happened earlier this morning, too. She had Kates try swiping her card again -- still nothing. It's ok, I'll just write a check, Kates told the clerk ... And I laughed as I noticed, like a wave traveling through a stadium, the same transaction occurring at every other register in the store: Harried clerks realizing the computers were down and desperate women echoing, It's ok, I'll just write a check ... Pretty funny.

Finally, Kates and I wheeled our cart to the exit. As we approached the automatic doors -- there it was ... the snow had begun to fall. We donned our gloves and hats and went for it ...

Funny. We were dealing with a batten-down-the-hatches storm a year ago today ...

It was fun while it lasted

Game over. Cowboys win 37-27. Packers fall to 10-2 (although, they should be 11-1. Stupid Bears game).

Turns out the Packers almost pulled it out in the second half. And they might have, had it not been for a tricky pass interference call ...

But hey, that Aaron Rodgers didn't do too bad for being thrown into the game after Brett Favre went down. The Packers were down by 17 when Rodgers entered the game, but he got the Pack back in the game and kept the team in it until the last minute. As the TV analyst just said, Green Bay has had a tough time in Dallas, but tonight might have been the best 10-point loss they've ever had ...

Now we all hold our breath that Brett can recover...

I'm going to bed.

Love 'em, hate 'em

That’s just great. Brett Favre is hurt. And this Packers-Cowboys game is turning into a route … for the Cowboys. Terrel Owens just scored, dumped popcorn in his helmet and the Cowboys are up 21-10.

Kates and I are being as vocal as ever tonight, too. I'm not sure our television has ever taken so much abuse ...

“I hate the Cowboys!” Kates just yelled. You should have heard the venom in her voice.

I laughed. “What did the Cowboys ever do to you?”

“They’re cocky!” She paused. “And they don’t have real grass! Just like the Vikings. I don‘t like them either!”

She’d never admit to being a sports fan. But she never ceases to amaze me with the things she learns and picks up …

A Wisconsinite's dictionary

A co-worker passed this on to me recently... I couldn't think of a better time to post it than tonight with the big Packers-Cowboys game.

My grandparents always used the Davenport reference and I've never understood it. (What are you talking about Grandma!? It's a couch!)

AIN-A-HEY: Placed at the end of a profound statement; as in "isn't it?" "Cold out, aina hey?"

BART: A Green Bay institution who doesn't need a last name; (see"Vince"). "Me and Dad saw Bart sneak into da endzone 'gainst Dallas! DAT was cold, aina hey?"

BELIEVE-YOU-ME: Attached to the beginning or end of a statement, makes it more credible; as in,"Really!" "Belive you me, dat was REALLY cold!"

BLAZE-ORANGE: What deer hunters and cold-weather Packers fans wear at Lambeau Field. Also a popular color for jail uniforms.

BORN IN A BARN?: A sarcastic question which usually means you left the door open or could not correctly differentiate between an alewive and a 'schmelt'. Youse guys was dipnettin' for da schmelt in Lake 'Sconsin?!? What, ya born in a barn?"

BORROW: Used in place of lend, as in, "Could youse borrow me a couple two-tree bucks, yahhey?"

BRAT: A sausage; a Wisconsin tail gate favorite; doesn't have anything to do with a spoiled kid.

BUBBLER: To the rest of the world outside Wisconsin's borders it is known as a drinking fountain. "I gotta get me a drink, once. Where's da bubbler?"

BUDGE: To merge without permission; cut in; as in "Don't you budge in line for a brat, I was here first!"

CHEESEHEAD: Someone from Wisconsin; see, "Cheddarhead." ALSO a cool wedge hat, known fer savin' da lives of udderwize planecrash victims!

CHEESE CURD: Small pieces of fresh cheese that squeak when you bite into them if der fresh.

COMEER ONCE: A request for the presence of another Cheddarhead. "Comeer once and help me lift dis half-barrel."

CRIPES: A Wisconsin expletive. "Oh, cripes, what kinda play was dat?"

CRIPES-SAKE: A mild Wisconsin expletive. "For cripes-sake, dat walleye just trowed my hook".

CRIPES-SAKES-ALMIGHTY: A wild Wisconsin expletive. "Cripes-sakes-almighty, what da heck kinda pitch was dat what he smacked over da wall once. What a rubber-arm, hey?"

DA: Aubstitute for words beginning with "THE" as in "Da guy over dere in da Bears shirt dere."

DAVENPORT: What your mom called 'the sofa'; a couch. "Go sit on da Davenport once and I'll be witcha in a couple-two-tree minutes."

FAIR-TA-MIDDLIN: Not bad or great, just "O.K." "How'sit bitin?""Oh, fair-ta-middlin."

FISH FRY: A Friday night dining ritual in Wisconsin.

FLEET FARM: A Cheddarhead's answer to Bloomingdales.

FROZEN TUNDRA: Lambeau Field.

GEEEZ!: Another Wisconsin expletive. "Geeez, der goes da game. Throw a strike once a couple times, will ya hey?"

GOAHEAD (Alt: "Go'head"): Proceed; as in, "go'head and back up your car dere."

GOTS: Used in place of "have;" as in "I gots my tickets to watch da Packers play on da FrozenTundra."

HEY: Placed at the beginning or end of phrases for emphasis, as in, "Hey, how 'bout dem Packers?" or "Hows about dem Packers, hey!"

HUMDINGER: A beauty; as in "dat croppy youse caught up-nort is a real humdinger."

M'WAKEE: Wisconsin's largest city; located just down the lake ( Lake Mitchigan) from T'rivers and Man'twoc. Also known as " Cream City"

N-SO?: A word inserted at the end of a statement; (sometimes pronounced as AIN-SO), used as a substitute for "isn't that right?" or "Correct?" "Kopps make good custard, ain-so?" (also can use "aina" or "aina hey" instead. Linguistically probably originates from the German "nicht wahr?", "nicht?" or "gel?", which Germanic-speaking people use to substantiate a statement they feel is correct.

POLKA: The national dance of Wisconsin. The best ones are Polka masses and Slurry Store Polkas (don't ask).

'SCANSIN: The state where Cheeseheads are from.

SKEETER: Wisconsin's state bird. Usually preceeded by "Ouch!" as in "Ouch!" "Skeeter?" "Yah, hey!"

STOP-AND-GO LIGHTS: What everyone else refers to as traffic signals or stop lights. "Mayville only has one stop-an-go light." (Notice, in defense of 'skanin, dat des lights aren't just stop lights. Dey tell ya when to go, too, aina?)

WHERE-ABOUTS: Locality; proximity; as in, "where-abouts are youse-guys from?"

UP NORT: Where Wisconsinites go on vacation.

VINCE: The other Green Bay icon who doesn't need a last name for instant recognition; (see "Bart"). Recently "Brett" and "Reggie" were also added to this category.