Deer Hunting

Thanksgiving time is upon us yet again, and like every year, there are many things to be thankful for. Most importantly, families will gather this week to reminisce about the year and enjoy delicious turkey dinners together. The Green Bay Packers are currently 9-0, and they are putting on great performances week after week for fans to enjoy too. And lastly, the thing I am most thankful for is the opportunity to relax out in the woods while I wait for a giant deer to walk into my vision.

Deer hunting has been a tradition in Wisconsin for much longer than the 160 years in which it has been regulated. Every year men put on their warmest blaze orange clothing and make their way into the woods. They withstand the cold breezes, rain, and sometimes even snow. Regardless of the weather conditions, everybody has the same goal in mind, shooting a big deer.

This year I followed my normal deer hunting routine. Like usual, I didn't fall asleep until very late Friday night because of the excitement running through my body. I awoke at 4am tired, but ready to get out to my tree stand in the woods.

I sat all day Saturday waiting patiently for a deer to walk past my stand. There was a cold breeze in the air, but it was not cold enough for me to see my own breath. The rustling of leaves and breaking of twigs kept me on edge all day. Unfortunately, the only animals making noise in my woods were red squirrels.

I heard gunshots in the woods nearby, but no deer crossed my path. My hunting crew of 3 guys only managed to shoot one doe opening day. After shooting it, we gutted it and hung it up by its neck to drain the blood out of its body. Today, we will take the doe to get processed and cut up into steaks. The day wasn't a complete failure, but I still have 2 deer tags to fill. Hopefully when I go up north I will be able to see some deer and fill some of my tags too.

Cutting the Energy

When I moved into my first apartment, last year, I paid very little attention to my personal energy consumption habits. The only preventive measure I remember taking was changing the 60W and 100W incandescent light bulbs to 13W and 26W compact fluorescent bulbs. Lights and appliances were always running, but the only time I paid any attention was when the bills came. Strapped for cash, and inspired by Dr. Byrand’s Human Impact on the Environment course, I vowed to change my morbid consumption habits.

In the beginning, it was hard to break my worst habit of leaving the lights on. I was always walking back into rooms only to turn off lights, and the lights were only a fraction of the problem. It was almost painful breaking the bad habits. Constantly being disappointed in my own memory and having to walk back into a room was a pain. Constructive criticism from my roommate also powered my desire to break my bad consumption habits. It was a slow process, but eventually I started to care enough to always turn lights off.

The apartment began to have a more peaceful feeling to it as I started cutting back on energy. Birds started to replace the sounds of television as background noise, and sunlight began to supplement for much of the light I used too. I started using the bear necessities. Everything was simple and I enjoyed it. Seeing the price drastically reduced on my Alliant Energy bills was enjoyable too.

The battle to reduce my energy consumption has been rocky. I still sometimes leave appliances on, and my most recent major failure was allowing the air conditioner to run constantly. Central air is expensive! Every day is a day to learn though, and I must continue finding ways of making positive changes. The learning may be simply working on breaking bad habits in my mind, but its better than nothing.

Alternative Energy

Over the weekend I was scrolling through Nexflix on my XBOX 360, and I came across a movie called Fuel. Like any other movie which I find on Netflix, I began to read through the movie's summary. According to the summary, the movie explores origins of America's dependence on fossil fuels, and it also campaigns for more environmental friendly sources of fuel and energy. I am very interested in "going green", so without hesitation I pressed A on my XBOX controller and began watching the movie.

I normally don't take much interest in documentary movies, but my eyes were glued to the 42 inch plasma screen tv in my living room for the entire 1 hour and 51 minute duration of the movie Fuel, and I highly recommend it to anybody else who is interested in the future of America. Our current fuel sources are finate, and they emit massive amounts of harmful chemicals into the environment. As a nation, we must begin to support alternative and renewable sources of energy and rely less on imporactical fossil fuels. The first step in this process is to raise awareness to the cause.

Raising awareness is simple. It can be done through blogging, protesting, or by writing to people who hold public positions. to take matters a step furthur, uilizing alternative sources of energy in your own home, and promoting those energy sources, will undoubtedly raise awareness to the issues at hand.

There were many theories discussed in Fuel concerning why our government doesn't begin to endorse alternative sources of energy as much as they do oil companies . One fact that I thought was interesting is that oil companies have alot of power and influence in the United States Government. Before becomming the vice president, Dick Cheaney was the CEO for a company called Halliburton, which is the second largest oilfield corporation in the world. After becomming vice president, Cheaney used his power to massively fund Halliburton and other oil companies.

I am positive that the millions of dollars which our government has thrown away to the oil tycoons could have been used to fund sustaniable energy sources. Before it is too late, we must raise awareness to issues like Cheaney's funding of oil companies. We must strive to fund and support the renewable energy sources, and not finate fossil fuel sources of energy. If we cannot trust our government to make the changes on their own, then we must force them to. Everybody knows promoting alternative energy sources is the right thing to do, but unfortunately the government and the oil industries are only out to make a profit instead of making positive changes for the future.

Packers

The Packer Nation is unlike any other in the National Football League. In the beginning, the Green Bay Packers won the first Super Bowl versus the Kansa City Chiefs. The next year, they played the Dallas Cowboys in brutal weather conditions. Many refer to this epic game as "the ice bowl". Last year, they Packers defeated their rivals,the Chicago Bears, twice. They went on to win the Super Bowl too. All the while, there has always been a strong fan base supporting the team.

Chants like "Go Pack Go" fill the stadium! The intensity of the crowd echoes throughout the stadium. It seems to stimulate the players. Throughout the years, Packers fans have always been there to cheer on their team, and help them win.

They come from all different areas and walks of life. Some wear fresh jerseys, and others wear Super Bowl hats from 1996. It doesn't matter. It's always fun to watch. The fans love to watch and support the players as long as they continue to play "the greatest game ever played" for the greatest team that ever played the game, the Green Bay Packers.

In the beginning, there were stars whom the fans enjoyed to follow. Bart Starr and Don Hudson provided fans with shows which were fun to watch, sometimes. Bart Starr ran the ball in -26 degree weather, after being sacked eight times, to defeat the Dallas Cowboys in the ice bowl. The fans were at Lambeau field since the days of -26 degree weather to watch each and every Green Bay Packer Game. When the weather is cold enough to freeze a person to death, I don't know how enjoyable it can be to watch. This doesn't matter to Packers fans though.

When many teams in the NFL fail to preform, or have losing seasons, their fans fail to support the team. Green Bay Packer fans are different. They have shown up, regardless of weather conditions, to support the players. Besides weather conditions, Packers fans have supported their team every season, even during losing seasons. Every year since 1960, Green Bay Packers tickets have been sold out. Fans have supported the team every year!

The outlook of the season is promising for Green Bay, yet again. Packers fans will cheer regardless, but a winning season for Green Bay will give those people a true reason to cheer. Aaron Rodgers, Ryan Grant, Donald Driver, Clay Matthews, and Charles Woodson are dominant players. They are feared throughout the league.

On offense, the running game is not always working. Sometimes, Ryan Grant fumbles the ball or can barely get past the defensive line. This doesn't stop the Pack. Aaron Rodgers will find other targets to pass the ball to, like Donald Driver. If it isn't Driver or Grant, the Rackers have less known weapons like Jordy Nelson and James Starks. This year, the running game and the passing game both look dangerous. This is a good sign for the team and the fans.

The defense has the same type of weapons this year. If opponents manage to get past Clay Matthews on the defensive line, they still have to deal with the secondary. Aj Hawk and Charles Woodson have helped the Packers to remain 5-0 this season. The Packers defensive line and their secondary both contribute and make plays when they matter. The Packers are currently undefeated, and if the players continue to work as a team they will remain undefeated.

The Packers fans are dedicated to every player on the team. It doesn't matter which player makes the big play, they will always be welcomed by fans when they do the Lambeau Leap. The fans love the players, and the players love the intensity the fans provide. Maybe the reason why the Packers are 5-0 this year is because their fans have given the team support unlike anywhere else in the NFL. Or maybe its just because the Packers are truly the best team in the league yet again this year! GO Pack GO!

Good Day to Be From Wisconsin

Today, my day began like most other days begin. I awoke far earlier than I would have liked to, and it was all thanks to the annoying beeps of my alarm clock. My breakfast was rushed, and before I even felt awake I was scurrying out the door. when I emerged outside the air felt cool, and there was dew on the windows. A familiar question passed through my mind, would today be a good day?

Under normal circumstances, that question takes thoughtful delibration. There are events, encounters, and occurances throughout the day which will affect the final decision. In other words, I usually can't wake up and say the day is going to be a good day before living it.

Some days I can though. I am a huge Wisconsin sports fan. Today and this entire weekend were days in which Wisconsin sports fans like myself got lucky, and knew that their days were going to be enjoyable even before they woke up. There were going to be two huge sports games each day to watch. Huge games will make any sports fan happy, well at least untill they are over.


This weekend could be argued as one of the greatest weekends in history for Wisconsin fans too. To me, it would have been entertaining and awesome regardless of outcome of my team's scores. I was able to wake up today and knew the day was going to be great just because I could watch my teams.

The Badgers versus Nebraska, the start of the playoffs for the Brew Crew versus Arizona, and the undefeated Green Bay Packers versus Denver were all factored into the adrenaline pumping through Wisconsin fan's veins. Especially after the Brewers game 1 win and the Badgers crushing victory over the Huskers, we could all wake up today and know our it was going to be great. There is nothing better to a sports fan than watching huge games, even when your team doesn't preform as well as expected.

Corn Roast

The time of the year is upon us yet again. Days are become shorter, and the air is already showing signs of the upcomming fall chill. The end of summer is near, but is is not over yet!

Summer is my favorite season in Wisconsin. It is a time to get outside with friends and family. Its a time to enjoy nature, the warm sunny days, festivals, or just relax on a cool, breezy night. My friends and family are getting together tonight tonite to do just that. We are going to be having a corn roast to enjoy summer one last time before it is too late.

I think this will be a great way to appreciate the summer one final time. We will be eating the fruits provided by the summer's warm sunny days and also enjoying the cool summer night, with some cold beverages to compliment them both.

I love to enjoy living my life, especially in the summer. I am glad I will be spending the night my friends and family, and I hope the warm weather will still be here in the morning. Even more than that though, I hope there will not be another attack on our nation tomorrow.