Eh, it depends on where you live. I said this in another comment, but where I live travel ball is more of the norm than playing public/rec department leagues. So there’s a hierarchy of how competitive and talented even the travel ball teams are. My sons’ teams (12, 10, and 9) aren’t that competitive and don’t travel…

Yeah, my boys’ travel league coaches are pretty similar in their outlook. Teach fundamentals, have fun, try to win not at all costs, etc. It’s pretty great, honestly. But in the area I live playing select/travel ball is now more common than rec/public/park district ball, mainly because the Khoury leagues and other…

This is my exact ranking, except for curly fries. I don’t know what it is, but I just can’t stand curly fries.

Re: Alaska...it’s like the Australia strategy in Risk

What are your thoughts on price controls in the dairy industry, or other farm/ag subsidies? (that’s a genuine question..not trying to be internet snarky. I’m honestly interested in your opinion)

I grew up on a dairy farm in Southern Illinois and worked on quite a few other farms in high school and college. Every single farmer I knew had planters, harrows/cultivators, and most of them had combines. I’m not sure where you’re getting that they “lack the equipment to plant and harvest row crops”. Every single…

The most memorable meal I’ve ever had was, objectively speaking, disgusting.

Adventure Time holds an incredibly dear place in my heart. 7 years ago, as a first-year teacher teaching 6th grade, I remember my students’ jaws hitting the floor as I hummed the theme song to myself while grading papers during a work period. They were amazed that a 27 year old guy (positively ancient seeming when…

The only things I’ve ever seen my grandfather eat are strip steaks, pimiento cheese, Johnny Walker, RC Cola, Moon Pies, baked potatoes, and Coors Light. He’s still puttering around at 91 years old.

Did he use “tenuous” in the right context? That’s got to be a glitch in the matrix, right? I mean this sincerely...I’ve never heard him use a vocabulary word of that level.

Yeah...I was/still am in a similar boat. I was a philosophy and religion major, a sociology major, a psychology major, and a social work major (all at an expensive, private liberal arts school) before transferring to a state school where I spent another 4 years getting a history and teaching degree.Then when I got my…

I appreciate the kind words. I really do. I’m not so sure about being a great person, though. I’ve done enough terrible shit in my personal life...lol. But you’re right, there’s a shit ton of stress and it’s a pretty draining job, but not for the reasons a lot of people think. A few of my co-workers and I talk about…

As a former middle school teacher, and current case manager for at-risk kids (runaways, legal trouble, etc.) I just want to commend you. I see some people saying you’re being too harsh, but I wish more parents took this approach. And I like that even his punishment still allows him to improve as a person (going to the…

My grandpa’s 1988 Dodge Dakota Sport that I inherited when I turned 16. I have so many great memories of being a kid and driving to the lake with him and my grandma in that truck. When I got it, I found a few old stale Cheerios behind the seat when I folded it forward, leftovers of one of many long roadtrips with the…

Rauner intrigues me. He’s hated equally by Republicans (mainly because of the abortion and “sanctuary state” issues) and Democracts (because of all the other shit he’s done). I’ve lived in Illinois for 30 of my 34 years on this planet, and our state politics never cease to amaze me. Then again...I live in St. Clair…

As a 34 year old who was in middle school in the mid ‘90s, I fortunately avoided JNCOs even though I hung out with all the wannabe skater kids. However, I chose to rock LUGZ...similar kind of obnoxious pants, but instead of the X Games crowd they were “urban” and appealed to the rap crowd. Because nothing is as…

When I was in high school, one of our football/basketball coaches let us bring in our Starting Lineup figurines to decorate his classroom. I think it was part of some social studies project. Anyway...this was right after Kerry’s drunken use of racial slurs became public. A friend of mine brought in a Kerry Collins…

No, it’s just ice cream!

I’m in NO way defending how shitty Triplette is, but some of last nights fuckups could be contributed to that not being his normal crew. At one point the announcers said that each ref in a playoff game is made up of guys from different crews, and that can negatively impact how a crew works together. You get used to…

“They gave me my own personal Rascal, Jerry!”