Packer Pain

Sunday December 20th, 2009 - Milwaukee, WI/Kenosha, WI

Those damn Packers are going to give me an aneurism yet. I went to Milwaukee to visit friends at the monthly sports card show at Gonzaga Hall and after it was over a few of the guys felt like hanging out at Jimmy John’s so I joined them. The Packers were playing the Steelers in the late game but none of us really cared. We don’t get to hang out that often.

We had fun as we always do but I had to leave a little early to make it to Kenosha for a get together with Gary Pansch and Diane Ebert. They’re my co-hosts for the Mothership Connection radio show and we planned to have a holiday dinner at a Mongolian barbecue joint called HuHot Grill. I appreciate all they do on the show so I took them out to eat.

The Packer game was on a tiny TV behind the bar, and everyone in the restaurant had to see how it turned out. Neither Gary or Diane really care about sports, and I tried to ignore the game and give them my full attention but I couldn’t. All the other tables were glued to the TV and eventually I had to join them. Gary and Diane didn’t mind, but I still felt bad.

It’s amazing how many people are afflicted with the same disease I am. Strangers were talking to strangers and we were all lamenting at how the game was so tense right up until the end, and the Packers ended up losing on a last second touchdown pass. We were sunk, and the whole mood of the restaurant was somber as everyone returned to their own lives.

We talked about it and Gary found it funny that strangers in a restaurant would get to be so friendly so quickly just with the bond of a sports team. It’s true, and I tried to tell him I admired him for not liking sports and wished I could be indifferent but can’t. I’m hooked.

In the scheme of life the game means nothing, but a whole restaurant full of people sure got quiet in a hurry and stayed that way even though the food was really good. We talked about it as we ate and I really do think it’s a curse. But it’s over, and the Packers got beat. Gary and Diane enjoyed the meal, and I enjoyed their company. That took the sting away.

The real fun was doing the radio show after dinner. It always is. Scott Markus joined us as he’s back from L.A. to visit his family for the holidays and we let it rip for three hours on the air, talking about many subjects. It’s getting to be easier the longer we’re doing it.

Filling three hours of somewhat intelligible talk of any kind on the radio is no easy task, much less attaching some kind of entertainment value to it. At first, two hours was tough but now we’re breezing through three fairly easily. We’ve got regular callers and they add to the mix nicely. We’ve had some very interesting guests too. The show is coming along.

My question, as with Jerry’s Kidders is, how do we make that pay off financially? I like fun as much as anyone, but now it’s time to get paid. That’s the hard part, and I haven’t a hint of a clue as to how to make any of this start paying my bills. That needs to change in the new year or I can’t keep doing all these projects. I’ve paid my dues, now I need to pay my bills. That’s going to be a priority for 2010, but for tonight we all focused on the fun.