A Toddler, a Loose Gun in a Car, and a Mother Dies

I saw this story reported by Milwaukee media Tuesday. This from The New York Times today.

The weapon, which investigators found on the floor of the back seat, was a .40-caliber pistol used by Ms. Price’s boyfriend, a security guard. His gun belt and tactical vest were also in the car ... 

The 2-year-old, who was not in a car seat, “retrieved a firearm that slid out from under the driver’s seat and shot through the seat, striking the driver.” ...

In tales of gun violence, accidents involving curious children and weapons seem especially tragic, but they are not especially unusual. Most often, they involve guns left unsecured by the child’s parents. In the seven days that ended Tuesday, in addition to the death of Ms. Price, a 3-year-old in Georgia, a 3-year-old in Louisiana, a 2-year-old in Missouri and a 2-year-old in Indiana fatally shot themselves; a 4-year-old in Texas shot and wounded a family member; a 16-year-old in California killed a 14-year-old friend in a shooting that officials called accidental; a 15-year-old in Texas accidentally shot and wounded a 16-year-old friend; and a 13-year-old in Indiana accidentally shot and wounded herself. ... 

Everytown for Gun Safety, the gun control group, says that since the start of 2015, at least 342 people in the United States have been accidentally shot by people under age 18. 

Make it stop.

Cookie Monster waiting and other March Madness ads

For the last few years, I've said March Madness commercials are more entertaining than the Super Bowl ads.

Here's one of my favorites from this year's batch. From good ol' Apple showing off its latest iPhone.

Poor Cookie Monster.



Update 4.24.2016: Here's some outtakes from the commercial.


And while I'm at it, I really enjoy this year's Buffalo Wild Wings spots, especially the one with the Wisconsin cheese curds shoutout.

Summerfest 2016 Headliners!

Aw yeah! I wait all winter for this announcement to come each spring.



I probably won't get to see all of them, but I'll be eyeing dates for, at the least, Death Cab for Cutie, Ray LaMontagne, Ben Folds, Indigo Girls, Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers, O.A.R., and even Richard Marx.

The countdown begins.

Reasons we won't get a dog

So I came dangerously close to adopting a dog for our family last week.

A colleague brought this puppy in our office for the afternoon, and it was torture for me. I’ll just leave this here for the memory.

I’ve come to my senses since, and some friends of ours have stepped in to provide him the home he deserves. It’s meant to be for them, not us.

This happens every few months. Through conversations with family and friends, or visits to homes with pets, or something the girls see on TV.

But I'm standing firm. We will not get a dog. Period.

Once and for all, here’s why …

I’ve tried it. In college. Didn’t work.

I let a couple great friends convince me to visit the local Humane Society and was swept up by the adorable face of a German Shepherd puppy. My roommate and I agreed to adopt him, though the responsibility really fell on me. I named him McGwire, after then home run king Mark McGwire… I ended up spending hundreds of dollars, at least $1,000 – which was major money for me as a college student that could have been better put toward my savings account or other more meaningful purchases – on vet visits and supplies. … Within seven months of me adopting him, he was no longer that adorable puppy. My roommate and I were at odds over who was pulling the weight to care for him. I couldn’t give him the care he needed or desired. Ultimately, I dropped him off at a humane society with barely a goodbye rub.

You can argue I was too young to care for him. Didn’t have the right breed for my lifestyle. Sure.

I learned to love dogs in college after I started dating Kates and got comfortable with her family’s old Westie, Eli. And I probably enjoy being around a good dog more now than ever.

But we will not have one of our own.

I don’t want to have to spend the hundreds of dollars on vet bills, supplies and other needs.

I don’t want to have to alter vacation or travel plans because of a dog’s needs.

I don’t want to have to wake up in the middle of the night, go home in the middle of a busy work day, or cut an evening out, to let a dog outside.

I don’t want to have to clean up the yard after it does its business.

I don’t want to have to be pulled away from a project at home, or plan my day around a dog that needs a walk or playtime.

I don’t want its hair all over our carpets and furniture.

I don’t want to worry about it chewing on things it shouldn’t.

I don’t want to worry about it biting one of the girls, or anyone else.

In addition to my own experience, I’ve stood back and observed family members and friends deal with all of these things through the years. And I want no part of it. Probably to a fault, I’m very protective of my lifestyle, how I invest my time and my goals and dreams.

A dog does not fit into the equation.