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We're heading out of town for a wedding today so posting from this camp will be light until Monday.

But I went to a soiree last night that's good for a story or two. Will share upon return.

Significant Picks: Week4

Your weekly NFL picks from Jacki's significant other...

Last Week: 5-6-4
On the Year: 12-13-5


Chicago at Detroit
The Bears are down at least five defensive starters in this game, and it could be as many as seven (!). Oddsmakers think replacing Rex Grossman with a decent quarterback will make up for it. I don’t. Lions + 3

Oakland at Miami
The Raiders must like playing on the road. Have you ever caught a game in Oakland? It’s like this: barbed wire fences; no view; no frills; there’s a couple of stoned guys playing bongos in the bleachers. It’s the only stadium where the crazies who dress up like wrestlers and Darth Vader and yell the whole time aren’t faking it. Dolphins - 4

Houston at Atlanta
Matt Schaub has even less to throw to with Jacoby Jones out. Ahman Green is banged up. This the safest pick of the week. Falcons + 3

Baltimore at Cleveland
Baltimore takes its overrated show to Cleveland, where the Browns have discovered Offense. By the way, have you seen the Indians lately? That’s my World Series pick. Browns + 4.5

Green Bay at Minnesota
It’s weird that everyone now agrees that the Vikings discovered North America, but we still celebrate Christopher Columbus doing it. Is it because the Vikings landed in Canada and that doesn’t really count? I bet that if they’d found those Viking settlements in Maryland, there’d be a National Viking Day and some big Viking Village out near Gaithersburg with helmet forgers and hair braiders--all kinds of crap. Vikings + 1.5

NY Jets at Buffalo
This is a pick ‘em. Take the home team here. Bills + 3.5

Seattle at San Francisco
I think the Niners are due for one of those inexplicable, unexpected home team offensive explosions. Maybe I’ve had too much coffee. Niners + 2

St. Louis at Dallas
I wanted to pick up Brian Leonard with the last pick in my fantasy draft, but didn’t have room, and when I went to get him this week he was gone. I’m trying to think of how to express this feeling across the gender gap. Maybe it’s like this: two cool pairs of shoes are on sale, but you convince yourself you should only buy one. Then, for days, you think about how great it would be to have the other pair. Finally, when your next payday rolls around, you go back to Macy’s, but they’re gone, and in their place is a bright green pair of Crocs. Rams + 13

Pittsburgh at Arizona
The Pittsburgh machine stalls out on the road. Cardinals + 6

Philadelphia at NY Giants
The Giants actually looked ok last week, but God they mope and whine. They’re like a bunch of ten year olds with really big bodies. Giants + 2.5

San Diego at Kansas City
No matter how bad the chiefs suck, Kansas City is a tough place to play. Chiefs + 12

Denver at Indianapolis
Has anyone been to Indianapolis? What’s it like? I’m thinking the beginning of 28 Days Later. Denver + 9.5

New England at Cincinnati
Have you ever been in one of those booths where money blows around and you grab as much as you can in 30 seconds? That’s how Tom Brady’s going to feel against this Bengal’s defense. Patriots – 7.5


Jacki’s Lock of the Week (except last week!)™ (0-2 on the year!)

Tampa at Carolina
I'm going with the Bucs on this one. Why? Because the Panthers website creeps me out. Really. What is with the charred cats? I get the whole menacing mascot thing, but there's a difference between spooky and scorched. And if anyone knows burnt, it's me. Therefore, Tampa takes it. Bucs + 3

Room for change

There's nothing like a sharp dose of harsh reality to bring everyday life into perspective. I found out this morning that a friend's got cancer. He's the second friend this week. Both seem to have caught theirs early and preliminary prognoses seem good on both counts. That's the upside. The downside's obvious. It's cancer.

I've been thinking a lot lately about age and evolution. I think it's one part approaching birthday, one part career shift, and two parts weddings and babies. Toss in having to go for my 3rd Couric, and you've got a recipe for some serious big picture contemplation.

I'm not wise enough at 30-something to have the answers, but I do know this much. While it's inevitable I'll make some adjustments in the coming months, I can't think of anything offhand I would opt to go back and change. Moving forward, it's got to be about living the mantra - waking up every day and loving what you do. With your time. With your space. With passion.

It's all slightly melodramatic, I know. But now that most of us are beyond the indestructible youth stage and onto the "do you have a good doctor?" stage, I think it becomes even more important to think big and push hard.

(insert immature naughty giggle here)

Sam Walton, So Dreamy

Wal-Mart has apparently—and quite reasonably—concluded that many, many Americans lack even the most basic economics education. And from the looks of things, they’ve spent lots of cashola in a modest, friendly attempt to remedy this.

The ad/site is here. Yes, it’s glossy and corporate; saccharine and hagiographic all at the same time. The choice of indie hipster rock for the soundtrack is an awkward grab. In fact, it’s just the sort of thing that could only be produced in the hothouse environment of a high-powered ad agency: the love child of a Hallmark movie and an episode of Milton Friedman’s Free to Choose.

But here’s the thing. It’s totally right. Sam Walton is right. “If we work together, we’ll raise the standard of living for everyone.” As I sat on my couch the other night, late in the evening, and watched this on my laptop, I got a little misty. Just a little bit. No kidding. And then my wife ridiculed me, which, for reasons I won’t go into, I richly deserved. But I couldn’t help it.

It is so nice, finally, to see a corporation like Wal-Mart—a corporation that has done more for the low-wage earners in this country than just about any other institution—explain just a little bit about the creation of wealth instead of apologizing to activists and hiding in boardrooms. Ah! I think I’ll watch it again.

(photo by The Gonger. Thanks Gonger!)

Driven to drink

I just got home from the DMV. My license expires Tuesday so I couldn't put it off much longer. Plus, I still had a Florida license even though I haven't lived in Florida in about 10 years. I know, I'm an outlaw. A rebel. I live on the edge.

Anyway, this is just one reason why I couldn't renew online. Truth be told, I - the Internet Reporter - didn't know you could. But my mother did. And when she asked why I was bothering with the DMV in person, I didn't know which was more surprising - the fact that the government is technologically savvy enough to allow you to renew online or the fact that my mother knew this was an option and I didn't.

Turns out I had to go to the office regardless - due to my illegal status and whatnot. So after a lovely lunch with my signif, I trekked down to the DMV.

They've got some odd system of letters and numbers, and when you walk in, they hand you a ticket and your estimated wait time. Mine was 1 hour and 11 minutes. All in all, it could have been worse. I did a lot of people watching and waited with pathetic anticipation for my letter/number combo to pop up on the screen. The whole thing did take about an hour and 11 minutes, and I am now the proud owner of a driver's license with what could be the most bizarre license photo ever. I look possessed. I have this odd blank stare that is probably best described as DMV haze. I'm thinking the woman in charge of the photos could have suggested a retake (Seeing as how she had the tall attractive man before me redo his three times until she got one she liked. I kid you not). But she said nothing, and her nonchalance has left me to figure out what to say when people ask when I joined the cult.

Meanwhile, I'm going to console myself with a dirty martini and taunt the poor souls at the Alaska DMV.

Short and speech

Thank you to all the bloggers - left, right, centrist, moderate, and moderately political - who shelved their inherent distaste for the MSM and trusted that Abbi and I would do right by them on live TV.

And the winner is...

My cat's name is Emmy - as in the award. I always say, "Since I probably won't ever win one for the type of work I do, she's my prize."

Tonight, CNN won an Emmy for Election Night 2006. I was part of that coverage. I have won an Emmy.

I'm considering changing my cat's name to Lottery.