Answer - hubris, the same tragic flaw that felled Achilles in the Iliad.

John McCain is no Achilles. He didn’t stand a chance against the overwhelming power of his own ego.

Does this seem a bit narcissistic?  Possibly.  But here is my evidence:

1. Tom “Pretty Good for Nothing” Brady - He is by far my least favorite player, but I figured he was as solid a QB as you could get.  I figured I would let my personal preference go by the wayside and try to have a successful team.  If you follow sports at all, nothing more needs to be said.  That’s what I get for using logic when it comes to football.
2. LT - Seriously…I get the experts number one draft pick and what has he done this season? Well, besides a hurt toe…jack squat!
3. Indianapolis Defense - WTF happened in Indy? Was their defense not great last year?  Did I imagine that?
4. Chad Ocho Cinco Johnson - Always an entertaining and solid player.  But not this year…he truly is Ocho Sink-O!
5. Plaxico “I Am Proud to Be Suspended and Fined” Burress - Come on, man!  You have been my go to WR in FF.  You are my one decent WR in both leagues.  Quit being such a Prima Donna before I am forced to go to New York to kick you in your Giant ankle…Asshat!
6. Matt Hasselbeck - Another QB with a knee injury.  Stupid auto draft!
7. Trent Edwards - My newest kick in the ass.  He is my QB on my ‘other’ team.  He scored 0…yes, 0 points this week although his team scored 17 points.  I click on his name to see what is going on.  Apparently on the third play of the game he took a nasty hit and was knocked out cold for some time.  He had to leave the game with a concussion.

So you see….I have 7 good reasons as to why I am the curse on the NFL this year.  And it’s only week 5.  There are 12 more weeks to get through.  I’m sure I will be adding to the list…grumble…grumble

It appears that I will be looking for a new title for my blog. (I will gladly take suggestions from now until January!)  A few weeks ago my parents agreed to sell us my childhood home.  We will be movin’ on up to the west side of the river at the end of December.  And before we move, there are some updates that need to be made to the house, including: take out a wall, tear out and replace a floor, patch two ceilings, update the fuse box to a breaker box, prime & paint, wall-paper, fence the back yard, and dig out the crawl space to a full basement.  We may be overly optimistic with the fence and ‘basement’, but we will see.

In other news, Heyzeus is a very resilient dog.  Last week he attempted to eat razor blades and lived.  This morning it was toilet bowl cleaner.  I was frantic trying to figure out if he had ingested any.  After about 15 minutes he was not throwing up or passing out, so I figured we were OK.  But I still had Boyfriend come home for lunch to check to be sure he was alive and spinning.  It turned out everything was just fine. Whew!

Clayton got some exciting news tonight too.  As most of you know, Clayton races dirt bikes.  His dad and step-mom put his profile out on this web site for Motocross sponsorships earlier this week.  Tonight he got his first major sponsorship.  As soon as details get firmed up, I will be plugging the heck out of them on this site!

I guess that is it for now.  If anyone has a yearning to help on demolition, painting, shoveling, etc…we would gladly welcome any and all help!

Friends for Joan Krupa are extending an invitation to meet Joan Krupa on Wednesday, October 8, at Sky Harbor (1321 N. Park Rd., West Peoria) from 5-7 p.m.
Complimentary appetizers, coffee, and iced tea. Cash bar.
Please RSVP to 691-1900.

Hosts are:
Wendy Bowles
Sharon Crews
Sharon Kennedy
Sharon McBride
Jan Powers
Todd & Laurie Baker
Gary & Sandy Dutro
John & Diane Powell
Michael & Diana Swearingen

Adopting an aggressive tone on the eve of their second debate of the season, the Republican presidential candidate criticized Obama’s ties to Chicago, his legislative record and even his pair of best-selling memoirs.

McCain, speaking about the financial crisis, took offense at Obama’s accusation that McCain opposed regulation that would have prevented the credit crunch. “I guess he believes if a lie is big enough and repeated often enough it will be believed,” McCain said.

First of all, Obama isn’t telling any falsehoods…McCain HAS ALWAYS, until about two weeks ago, opposed regulation, and Obama continues to hammer on it because he - Obama - talks about the issues, and that’s an issue.

But on top of that, Mr. McCain is aware, isn’t he, that the line I put in bold is the EXACT thing George W. Bush and his administration has done for the last eight years, right? I mean, it’s Page 1, Rule 1 of the Karl Rove playbook. And if ANYbody in this campaign has been doing it, it’s John McCain when he continues to lie about the Obama Tax Plan.

What happened to this formerly honorable man? What happened to an honorable campaign? What happened to the civil discourse, focused-on-the-issues, may-the-best-man-win campaign that McCain promised us?

I have been growing more and more disappointed in McCain and his campaign by the day…tonight I’m simply appalled.

This is NOT a problem that crops up in the weeks before elections. This is a constant problem. It’s not just signs for yard sales, or “for sale” signs. Commercial businesses think nothing of littering the city’s right-of-way with their ugly signs.

It appears the city is going to enforce the law, now that the violators include candidates for office. It won’t stop until the city decides to issue tickets to violators, and frankly I’m not sure the city has the power to do that.

Feh.

Date: October 6, 2008
Released by: Alma Brown, Communications Manager, 494-8554
Subject: SIGNS IN RIGHT-OF-WAY

All private signs in the public right of way are prohibited. Political candidates will have until Thursday, October 9, 2008, to remove their signs from the public right of way. If they are not removed, City of Peoria Public Works crews will start removing the signs on October 10, 2008. Signs can be retrieved from the our Public Works Facility on Dries Lane, 3505 N. Dries Lane. After ten days, the signs will be discarded.

Creve Coeur Club Contributes $5,000 to the Peoria Riverfront Museum

Peoria’s renowned Creve Coeur Club has given a $5,000 contribution to the proposed Peoria Riverfront Museum project. The donation represents proceeds from the annual George Washington Banquet held in July with guest speaker Mayor Richard M. Daley of Chicago. 2008 marked the 110th annual banquet, making it one of the nation’s oldest continuous community events celebrating the first President.

The contribution will go towards the most important economic development project in our region. This $136 million investment on the central block of Peoria’s downtown will include the Peoria Riverfront Museum, The Caterpillar Experience, green spaces and retail and commercial development.

For more than 114 years, the Creve Coeur Club has been known for their efforts to “promote the business interests of the City of Peoria and the social enjoyment of the members,” as promised in their first charger. Organized in 1894, today the club now counts a membership approaching 400 of the area’s most prominent citizens.

Presenting the check were, from left, Dr. Elsburgh O. Clarke, Member At Large; Pamela D. Johnson, Treasurer; Jim McConoughey, Board Member; Dennis G. Bailey, Senior Vice President; Nikki Cole, Vice President of Development at Lakeview Museum; Don Welch, President; and Mike Quine, Immediate Past President.

I had been hesitant to do so. I long ago came to the conclusion that RS’s reputation for journalistic excellence was largely undeserved, probably because its conclusions usually jibed with the preconceived cultural biases and world view of those who pass judgments on journalistic reputations. Plus, the RS is just soooo …. sixties.

There are a few parts of this article that make me cringe, like this one:

During his 1992 campaign, at the end of a long day, McCain’s wife, Cindy, mussed his receding hair and needled him playfully that he was “getting a little thin up there.” McCain reportedly blew his top, cutting his wife down with the kind of language that had gotten him hauled into court as a high schooler: “At least I don’t plaster on the makeup like a trollop, you cunt.” Even though the incident was witnessed by three reporters, the McCain campaign denies it took place.

I’ve seen this story in print before. If true, I makes it almost impossible to vote for McCain. But, as I’ve said before, I would find this anecdote would be much more believable if it named the reporters.

It’s a glaring omission in an article I found remarkably well-sourced. Time and again, writer Tim Dickinson quotes colleagues and former comrades — including those held at the Hanoi Hilton — to paint a picture of a reckless aviator who was accustomed to special treatment, who pulled strings to advance his career, and who didn’t behave especially bravely compared to other POWs:

Soon after McCain hit the ground in Hanoi, the code went out the window. “I’ll give you military information if you will take me to the hospital,” he later admitted pleading with his captors. McCain now insists the offer was a bluff, designed to fool the enemy into giving him medical treatment. In fact, his wounds were attended to only after the North Vietnamese discovered that his father was a Navy admiral. What has never been disclosed is the manner in which they found out: McCain told them. According to [Air Force Lt. Col John] Dramesi, one of the few POWs who remained silent under years of torture, McCain tried to justify his behavior while they were still prisoners. “I had to tell them,” he insisted to Dramesi, “or I would have died in bed.”

Dramesi says he has no desire to dishonor McCain’s service, but he believes that celebrating the downed pilot’s behavior as heroic — “he wasn’t exceptional one way or the other” — has a corrosive effect on military discipline. “This business of my country before my life?” Dramesi says. “Well, he had that opportunity and failed miserably. If it really were country first, John McCain would probably be walking around without one or two arms or legs — or he’d be dead.”

McCain own words are also used to source the article. But the writer quotes Republican colleagues, who say they don’t want McCain’s finger anywhere near the trigger because he’s too hotheaded. The picture painted is that of a candidate too willing to place career above principle, too willing to flip-flop on matters of core ideology and who has never really stopped being the selfish son and grandson of admirals.

Basically, McCain is a maverick only because he keeps telling us he is. All evidence in this article is to the contrary.

It’s a fascinating read.