Serious Drafting

Front Yard This Morning

Enough is enough.  I wrote earlier this week about reserving my embrace of spring.  I was only, kind of, kidding.  I certainly didn’t expect to wake up this morning to an inch of snow and an ice covered driveway.  I consider this completely unacceptable and intend to file a very terse complaint with the Management.

Back Yard

This would echo Europe’s response to the unfolding events in Ukraine.  You’ve really got to almost admire the way Putin’s campaign is unfolding.  He’s certainly done his homework.  Last week he backed the Europeans off by threatening their gas supply and is certainly not worried about Obama whose goal is life seems only to be liked (despite his spectacular failure in that area).  Putin’s goaded the Ukrainians into responding militarily to the Russian organized bandits occupying government buildings and airports in Eastern Ukraine.  The Russians also undermined many of the Ukrainian military units sent in.  Putin will wait a respectful period of time (less than a week) before he launches forces across the border to protect “ethnic Russians” in Eastern Ukraine.  It’s all so very, “Russian”. 

Well Played Sir

This is a European problem and you can only hope some leadership emerges over there to confront Putin before the next Iron Curtain goes up.  The European tendency to “wish away” problems won’t work.  They may be re-thinking their condescending attitude towards “American adventurism”.

Speaking of adventuring, last night was date night.  I wasn’t too sure what to make of Draft Day when I first saw the previews, a movie about the NFL college draft.  Since Kevin Costner was in it I knew I was going to see it since my wife has a serious, almost troubling crush on him.  I was pleasantly surprised by a very strong movie which is kind of a comedic drama. 

Costner plays the general manager of the Cleveland Browns (poor bastard) who’s trying to build a better team while also dealing with the recent death of an iconic father and a pregnant girlfriend as well as the whirling maelstrom of the college draft.  Costner is so good in sports related movies and he delivers again as a force of reason in the unreasonable world of professional sports.  Jennifer Garner is a great foil as the supportive and strong willed girlfriend. The film does a great job of building up suspense as we’re kept wondering to the final scenes whether he’ll succeed or fail spectacularly. 

This turned out to be one of the best movies I’ve seen all year.  My wife even said she wants to watch this year’s college draft day now that she knows what it’s all about.  At some point I’m going to have to tell her that none of the NFL’s GMs even remotely resemble Costner.