Current Favorites

Yeah, it's been awhile since I fired off a current favorites. But the NY Times said my boy Castro was looking frisky in a recent appearance with Hugo Chavez, so I figured I'd commemorate the occasion with a Current Favorites.

Music

Deerhoof Friend Opportunity

Being a bit obsessive about music, I monitor the “Top 25 Most Played Songs” feature on iTunes more than I probably should. That being said, this past week something unprecedented happened. Deerhoof’s “Galaxist” dropped like a bomb shot all the way up to number two. I played the thing 21 times in the past week. There’s something to be said for a song that can do that. The last one to ever reach that level of play was Spoon’s “Sister Jack”. There’s something about certain songs that just lend themselves to being played over and over. That something is being catchy and short. And if I were to use two words to describe Deerhoof’s Friend Opportunity it would be catchy and short.

Friend Opportunity is catchy in that quirky way to be sure, but it doesn’t take much effort to fall into its trap. Sure its unconventional, but the thing is loaded with hooks. It abounds with little vocal quirks that you keep humming to yourself no matter how absurd they sound. (Case in point, I was singing the part of the silly “Kidz Are So Small” that goes “If I were man and you a dog I’d throw a stick for you” and my special lady friend said “Oh well thank you!”. These are moments that will likely happen to you when you start humming things from Friend Opportunity. And hum you shall).

Friend Opportunity also lingers for only a short period. Clocking in at just over 36 minutes and keeping the majority of its songs around the 3 minute mark, Friend Opportunity makes the most of your attention span. Interestingly, the least interesting track, “Look Away”, closes out the album for an unwelcome 11:45 seconds. If you don’t pay attention, it’s like it’s not even there.

Is Friend Opportunity going to reorient everything you ever believed about music? No, but it will probably give you about 7 songs that will stay in your head and make you smile. 8/10

Suggested Tracks: “Galaxist”, “+81”, “Matchbook Seeks Maniac”

Movies

The last two movies I watched seem to be overwhelmingly pretentious...but, well, let's face it, I'm a little pretentious. Just ask my special lady friend...

Me, You, and Everyone We Know - A movie that's weirdness might make someone think it's more special than it really is. It has things that seem like they should be shocking, but end up feeling kind of innocent. Overall, it's a feel good movie disguised as something arty. Not that this is a bad thing. It ends up being quite satisfying overall, and it's quirkiness gives it a little extra charm you couldn't find in a typical romantic comedy. 7/10

The Motorcycle Diaries - Typically I feel pretty ambivilent towards biopics. No matter how well made they are, I always feel a bit dissatisfied afterwards. I usually like a little more of a story to something besides, "this is a great person's life". In addition, there's the annoyance factor of knowing something about their lives and seeing it happen on screen that always makes it seem a little forced. I once watched that Elvis biopic on CBS a couple years ago, and I couldn't get over how forced the whole recording session scene felt. It was if the director was trying to say "THIS IS IMPORTANT!!! WATCH!!!" This always seems to happen during these types of things, I suppose, because some of those moments just don't seem real as they've been turned into legend. It seems that a filmmaker has to be ridiculously subtle in those sorts of instances...which, to be honest, not many filmakers have the ability to do.

Somehow, someway, The Motorcycle Diaries is able to keep these moments to a minimum. It makes a movie that's less about Che Guevera than a movie that happens to have Che Guevera in it. Perhaps it benefits from takling only a portion of his life (especially a portion that is fairly unfamiliar to American audiences). Perhaps I was unable to pick up on cringe-worthy subtleties since I don't speak Spanish that I pick up on in English language movies. But regardless, there was only one really forced exchange. Where young Che 'learns' of Communism from a mention by some indiginous people. Um, forced maybe? But compare that to say, Ray, which made me cringe every fifteen minutes or so...

8/10

That's all for now...I quit reading books...

NFL Picks, Playoffs

So I stopped doing NFL Picks for awhile, at least on this blog. Well, I decided to write up a little something about how the remainder of the regular season went and what fun wrinkles the playoffs added to the whole shebang.

First of all, I got myself out of the basement after spending much of the season as the doormat. Here were the standings at the end of the regular season:

1) Adam (7-9) 154-102 GB (-)
2) Todd (9-7) 152-104 GB (2)
3) Jane (8-8) 152-104 GB (2)
4) Shawna (11-5) 150-106 GB (4)
5) Amy (7-9) 149-107 GB (5)
6) Ann (8-8) 145-111 GB (9)
7) ZT (9-7) 144-112 GB (10)
8) Tim (10-6) 143-113 GB (11)
9) Renee (9-7) 140-116 GB (14)

Now this is not the end of the season. We decided that for the playoffs, each player would adopt a playoff team. 1st Place would get first pick, 2nd place would get second pick and so on. If your pick wins the Super Bowl, this is worth 10 wins. In the case of a tie, the first tiebreaker is head to head (if your adopted teams played each other) then regular season record. Anyways, this is how it shook out:

Adam: San Diego
Todd: New England
Jane: Chicago
Shawna: New Orleans
Amy: Kansas City
Ann: Baltimore
ZT: Indianapolis
Tim: NY Giants
Renee: Dallas

So, given the recent results, Ann, Amy, Tim and Renee were eliminated. I can't possibly win now, as I won't have a chance to go against Adam head to head...though by this nice little fluke, Adam can still win if the Colts win. So the best I can hope for is 2nd. Still, not bad after being in last most of the season...

To say this setup isn't ridiculously fun would be a lie. Looks like it'll all come down to the Super Bowl with four people still in the hunt for the trophy, which will be revealed on Super Bowl Sunday as well. Anyways, I'm a temporary Colts fan...even though it will only get me second now.

Current Favorites, 2006 Edition

I've read two or three articles hating on end of year retrospectives. I don't understand this...I love end of year retrospectives. I'm a nostalgic person I suppose...so poo on you naysayers. It's a bit belated but here is the Unencumbered Enthusiasm Year in Review.

Best Songs of the Year:

5) "Bitter Tea" The Fiery Furnaces - The schizophrenic nature of the double F's can sometimes be frustrating, but then they hit on something that is so brilliant in the short burst setting that they use, that it makes the song. That refrain is just brilliant.

4) "We All Lose One Another" Jason Collet - In the short bursts of time that I was able to listen to music on my trip to Toronto this summer, I listened to this song. It's a song built for car rides, watching the landscape speed by. It's a nostalgic person's wet dream...

3) "The Needle Has Landed" Neko Case - This soundtracked my super trip from Flagstaff, AZ to Winona, MN this spring. It connected, I suppose, because of the line about the Greyhound Station popped up and got stuck in my head whilst waiting at the Greyhound Station in Flagstaff waiting for the bus to take me to Phoenix.

2) "Incinerate" Sonic Youth - My favorite SY songs since "Teenage Riot". The guitars make the song, and the work just seems better and more mind blowing with each listen.

1) "Stuck Between Stations" The Hold Steady - What a triumph...I saw this for the first time when I went to a Hold Steady show in Baltimore. I knew they had a new best song when Finn shouted, "We drink and we dry up and now we crumple in the dust". Then as the guitar responded, you tell Finn dug it just as much as the rest of us. I don't think The Hold Steady can top this one.

Top Albums:

To be honest, I didn't really listen to that much new music this year, so my sample size is pretty limited. But here's a top five anyway:

5) Beirut Gulag Orkestar
4) Jason Collett Idols of Exile
3) Neko Case Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
2) Sonic Youth Rather Ripped
1) The Hold Steady Boys and Girls in America

Most disappointing album of the year:

Beck The Information I just kept trying to like this album, but the fact remains...it's boring...

As for movies...um, I could give you a top five list, but I can only think of two very good movies from 2006:

2) Scoop - Ridiculously entertaining movie...just because Woody Allen isn't making "Annie Hall" anymore, doesn't mean he's making crap. This was my favorite movie of the year until the best movie of the year came out:

1) The Departed - Best movie I've seen in quite some time. Just plain amazing. If this doesn't win Best Picture...I mean...seriously, what else could possibly win best picture?

Well, there you go...best music, best movies...fun times for everyone!

NFL Picks, Week 11

A couple of great things happened last week in football. First of all Green Bay beat Minnesota in the Ugly Dome in a fairly satisfying game. It was good to see that Minnesota does, in fact look as bad as it has against New England and San Francisco.

But almost as important, I've got my picks back on track and posted a winning record this week. In no time at all I'll be making a run for the overall lead. Speaking of the lead, we have a new leader, all by themselves, too. Take a gander at these standings:


1) Jane (11-5) 89-55 GB (-)
2) Adam (9-7) 88-56 GB (1)
2) Shawna (8-8) 88-56 GB (1)
2) Tim (9-7) 88-56 GB (1)
5) Todd (7-9) 87-57 GB (2)
6) Amy (9-7) 84-60 GB (5)
6) Ann (10-6) 84-60 GB (5)
8) Renee (10-6) 83-61 GB (6)
9) ZT (9-7) 77-67 GB (9)

Ah, sure I'm still in last place, but did you see that 9-7 record? Sure it's not as gaudy as Jane's 11-5 or Ann and my Mom's 10-6...but 9-7 is tres sexy mes amis!

I feel a resurgence coming on:

Atlanta at Baltimore

I have no idea how Atlanta will perform anymore. So I'll just pick against them.

ZT's pick: Baltimore

St. Louis at Carolina

I'm tempted to just give up on St. Louis, as they've treated me poorly all season long. But Carolina never seems to impress either. Nah, there's no way I'm taking the Rams again.

ZT's pick: Carolina

Pittsburgh at Cleveland

Yawn...

ZT's pick: Pittsburgh

New England at Green Bay

Yikes, the Packers didn't have much time to celebrate that win over Minnesota! While New England hasn't looked quality the last two weeks, I know that the Patriots are more than capable of carving up the Packers secondary. However, New England made me pay for hopping off the Jets bandwagon, and therefore, they will experience my wrath...

ZT's pick: Green Bay

Buffalo at Houston

Um...I dunno...

ZT's pick: Buffalo

Oh screw it, I've got nothing important to add...here's the rest of the picks, no explanation whatsoever.

Oakland at Kansas City

ZT's pick: Kansas City

Minnesota at Miami

ZT's pick: Miami

Cincinnati at New Orleans

ZT's pick: New Orleans

Chicago at NY Jets

ZT's pick: Chicago

Tennessee at Philadelphia

ZT's pick: Philadlephia

Washington at Tampa Bay

ZT's pick: Tampa Bay

Detroit at Arizona

ZT's pick: Arizona

Seattle at San Francisco

ZT's pick: Seattle

Indianapolis at Dallas

ZT's pick: Indianapolis

San Diego at Denver

ZT's pick: San Diego

NY Giants at Jacksonville

ZT's pick: NY Giants

And I'm out...

NFL Picks, Week 10

I am most certainly on the fast track to being under .500 overall. Now I could blame this on the NFL. It has most certainly been frustrating. There's no rhyme or reason to anything. Every single team is capable of looking great one week and then awful the next. But somehow, someway, many other people in my picking pool have found a way to post winning record after winning record. There's no skill to this season. It's all luck! And I'm just plain unlucky.

Sure, this can be exciting at times. Watching the end of the Dallas-Washington game was a joy and a half, but it seems that close games rarely go my way. I don't get it...is anyone consistently good?

Whatever, I'm getting so disgusted that it took a bit of get-er-going to make me do these picks this week. Take a look at the standings to see why:

1) Shawna (9-5) 80-48 GB (-)
1) Todd (8-6) 80-48 GB (-)
3) Adam (8-6) 79-49 GB (1)
3) Tim (9-5) 79-49 GB (1)
5) Jane (7-7) 78-50 GB (2)
6) Amy (7-7) 75-63 GB (5)
7) Ann (9-5) 74-54 GB (6)
8) Renee (8-6) 73-55 GB (7)
9) ZT (5-9) 68-60 GB (12)

Yes, that's correct. I went 5-9 last week. I'm eight games away from .500. How do you go under .500 in straight up picking? There's no handicaps! Bah! Anyways, congratulations to my dad, my sister, and Ann on tying for the weekly championship. Congratulations to Todd and Shawna for being on top of the standings. Blah, blah blah...I hate the world.

And here are my picks, like it even matters...

Cleveland at Atlanta

Do I pick Atlanta because they're at home and are supposed to be good? Or do I peg them as a team that can raise their game for a quality opponent but can't beat a bad team? Chances are they'll prove me wrong whatever I say.

ZT's pick: Atlanta

San Diego at Cincinnati

Cincinnati's just waiting for me to pick against them so they can win, aren't they...well I'm just bitter. Lose, Bengals, lose!!!

ZT's pick: Cincinnati

San Francisco at Detroit

Something tells me I won't be watching this game. Coin flip game all the way, and it came up tails.

ZT's pick: San Francisco

Buffalo at Indianapolis

Durning the Packer game last week Buffalo gained approximately 2 yards in offense but forced 4 turnovers. Translation: The most frustrating loss of the season for the Packers. If you think Buffalo is getting that lucky the rest of the season, you're crazy (cue Buffalo upset)

ZT's pick: Indianapolis

Houston at Jacksonville

It's like they scheduled this game now just to make me crazy. Hell if I know...

ZT's pick: Jacksonville

Kansas City at Miami

Hmm, let down game...

ZT's pick: Kansas City

Green Bay at Minnesota

Well needless to say, I would love for the Packers to pull this one out.

ZT's pick: Green Bay

NY Jets at New England

After surviving a near fatal crash on the Jets bandwagon, I'm going to get back on...after this week.

ZT's pick: New England

Washington at Philadelphia

Philadelphia is much, much better than this! This is pretty much ridiculous. No way Washington wins this one. You know, unless there's an opportunity for some wacky "how could that happen" type of play. Then Philly's screwed.

ZT's pick: Philadelphia

Baltimore at Tennessee

I'm having trouble believing that Baltimore is this good...but if they keep winning, I'm with them. Plus, picking Tennessee has never worked out well for me.

ZT's pick: Baltimore

Denver at Oakland

So I tried picking Oakland last week. Wasn't really a good time. No thanks, I'd rather not anymore.

ZT's pick: Denver

New Orleans at Pittsburgh

Maybe it's Pennsylvania...something in the drinking water is making teams underachieve. At this point last season would you ever have backed New Orleans in Pittsburgh?

ZT's pick: New Orleans

Dallas at Arizona

Picking Arizona is also not terribly fun.

ZT's pick: Dallas

St Louis at Seattle

As much as I like to think that St Louis is good, they really aren't that good...and Seneca Wallace isn't bad. But...eh, this just feels like at St. Louis win.

ZT's pick: St Louis

Chicago at NY Giants

This game would have been a lot more exciting if the Bears had won last week. But now some of the luster has been taken away from the Bears. Now I'm questioning if the Bears will be a flawed Giants team. But I think that last weeks game might just be an abberation.

ZT's pick: Chicago

Tampa Bay at Carolina

Sixteen games this week. ZT is tired and likes neither of these teams.

ZT's pick: Carolina

Vote, You Damned Fool, Vote!

Well, I went and voted a little while ago. I was really looking forward to it all day at work. After I got done my mom and I hopped into the minivan and drove over to the armory. It was pretty sweet. We here in Portage County still have the paper ballots, so it was kind of like taking the SAT's, but much, much easier. I didn't have any sort of difficult choices like I did during the state representatives primary a couple years ago. No, the choice was fairly clear. I probably could have just voted straight democrat and saved my hand a little bit of exercise, but that wouldn't have allowed me to write in my sister for city coroner. I usually write in my dad, but as my sister is going to school for a health related major, I figured she was more qualified (although by her report, human anatomy is not her strongest subject).

Now the waiting game begins, and I'm quite hopeful that the "tsunami of discontent" as CNN keeps calling it occurs. I've been having hopeful thoughts that somehow, Democrats win many, many more seats than anyone could have possibly guessed. I doubt this will happen, but it would put a hop in my step. Hell, just gaining some control would put a hop in my step. Am I certain that Democrats in power will save this country from its unfortunate direction? No, but I'm sure that they can't hurt anything.

What I'm really nervous about are a couple of very troublesome referendums here in Wisco. One is to define marriage as a union between one man and one woman. Not only that, but make it the only form of union, thus denying any type of rights to any other sort of relationship. This makes ZT very worried, not because I stand to lose much, but because many people stand to lose much in this, and not just homosexuals who want to enjoy the same rights as us heterosexual folks without commitment fears do, but because it reaches too far. If you don't believe in gay marriage, I suppose that's your perogative, and you can go ahead and make sure your church does not honor such things. But to deny the right of people to share a household and get such things as health insurance or hospital visitation rights is wrong, pure and simple.

The second ballot initiative here in Wisco is to allow the death penelty in our fine state. ZT is very much against the death penelty. I believe that in an uncertain system, we should never deal in the certainty of death. I believe it brutalizes society, and that a society that accepts state sanctioned homicide, even for some of it's most reprehensible citizens, is more willing to accept state sanctioned violence in the future.

Finally, here in the Stevens Point Area School District, we'll be voting on a school referendum to increase the district's budget by $6 million dollars over three years. For the most part, I approve of school referendums, and this one included. I believe a strong and well funded school district will be a boon to the community in which I grew up. Particularly troublesome if the referendum does not pass is the elimination of nearly 100 teacher jobs over the next three years. I believe that having these teacher positions filled is not only good for our schools, but good for the local economy. These are 100 good jobs in the area that will be able to contribute money to the area. Teachers will tend to stay in the area and bring families in. Upon losing their jobs, younger teachers will almost certainly leave the area. I cannot see how this would be good for the Stevens Point Area.

So there you have it, now you know how I voted. I hope you all will go out and contribute to the election. Also, best of luck to my sister on winning that coroner's position. I'm pulling for ya!

NFL Picks, Week 9

These words were spoken by me at approximately 3:30 pm CST last Sunday by your humble narrator:

"Woo-hoo, I'm 6-2 right now! If St. Louis and Denver win this afternoon, I'm looking at winning the week!"

These words were spoken by your humble narrator at approximately 7:00 am CST on Monday:

"Carolina LOST! Good lord, I'm 6-7 right now...New England better win..."

And hence, the 7-7 record this week. I, like the Arizona Cardinals, managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. I even called the Jacksonville win in Philly! Ye Gods I hate this game.

However, the Packers won yet again, and brought themselves up to 3-4. ZT approves, and no matter how bad my record looks in NFL picks, I can't be upset as my team put together a couple wins, and looked good doing it. Watching that running game last week made me reminisce for a time not too long ago when the words "2nd and 4" were a common refrain when the Green and Gold's offense was on the field.

Of course, another team that strung together two victories were the "At Least We Aren't the Cardinals" Oakland Raiders. And thus, the 7-7 record.

Beyond that, the past football week has me feeling a bit flabbergasted, so lets just get to the picks:

Here are the standings:

1) Todd (8-6) 72-42 GB (-)

2) Adam (9-5) 71-43 GB (1)

2) Jane (11-3) 71-43 GB (1)

2) Shawna (8-6) 71-43 GB (1)

5) Tim (6-8) 70-44 GB (2)

6) Amy (9-5) 68-46 GB (4)

7) Ann (7-7) 65-49 GB (7)

7) Renee (6-8) 65-49 GB (7)

9) ZT (7-7) 63-51 GB (9)

Congratulations to Todd for taking back the lone spot in first place, and congratulations to Jane on winning the week with an impressive 11-3 record. Perhaps you'd be more interested in their picks for the week. However, neither of them have blogs, so your stuck with these, The Unencumbered Enthusiasm Probably Destined to Fail Somehow, Probably in a Fairly Painful Manner, NFL Picks:

Atlanta at Detroit

Not to jinx anything, which I probably will, but something that's worked pretty well for me over the course of the season is picking against Detroit. It's also worked out pretty well for teams that play the Lions.

ZT's pick: Atlanta

EDIT (8:58 am, Sunday November 5): I accidently wrote that I picked Detroit...I would never, under any circumstances do such a thing. Glad I caught it in time.

Cincinnati at Baltimore

As I'm making self pity a theme of this week's NFL picks, I should perhaps point out that my record has been abysmal in games involving teams that could go either way. It's like losing a coin flip about 439 times in a row. Here's another coin flip game, involving teams good enough beat just about anybody, but also bad enough to lose to just about anybody. So you know what to do degenerate gamblers, do whatever I don't say.

Now, this won't stop me from doing a little analysis. Now, Chad Johnson did a little trash talking and targeted Ray Lewis. No one really takes him seriously, and everyone got a little laugh out of it. But as most sports coverage in this day and age feels the need to stir up debate on just about everything, there were some people wondering if Chad Johnson just needs to shut up. Conventional wisdom seems to hold that it would be nice if Ocho Cinco wants to talk so much, he should have more than 2 TDs in the bag. As these pundits usually have a knack for being wrong much of the time, I predict that Ocho Cinco will get about 116 recieving yards and 2 TDs.

ZT's pick: Cincinnati

Dallas at Washington

Conventional wisdom has softened on the Redskins, while an impressive performance by the Cowboys last week has turned to talk back to how good the Cowboys are. However! Dallas has been so up and down, that this game just feels like a letdown game for them. I hate to put my eggs in Washington's basket, but at this point, why not?

ZT's pick: Washington

Green Bay at Buffalo

The best part of the Packers mini-resurgence the past two weeks is that the pundits tone towards Brett Favre has become more favorable. I was watching Mike & Mike in the morning this, er...morning, and Mike Greenberg said, "Favre versus Lossman, I'll take Favre". It's one of those things puts a hop in your step. It was like those moments that remind me that the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004.

ZT's pick: Green Bay

Houston at NY Giants

You know how you percieve that some guys in sports are "good guys" and some guys are jerks, even though you have absolutely no idea what they're like? About two football seasons ago, I made a joke about Craig Krenzel being the Bears quarterback that was perhaps a bit viscious. My then roomate remarked that he might be a really nice guy, which evolved into a running joke that Craig Krenzel was personally feeding starving, AIDS infected children in Africa during the offseason. Because of this joke, I still to this day feel that Craig Krenzel is one of the nicest people alive.

Anyways, I've always sort of felt like Tiki Barber was a really nice guy, mostly because his name is Tiki. Because of this, I'll be kind of sad if he retires at the end of the season because I feel like the league will be losing a really nice guy. There is no rational basis for this. And they give me the right to vote!

ZT's pick: NY Giants

Kansas City at St Louis

I'm sure someone, somewhere has already billed this game the "Show-Me Showdown". Lost in all of this is that Missouri's state nickname, the "Show Me State" is incredibly stupid.

In a related thought, if current trends continue, the St Louis Rams will go 7-9 before going on to win the Super Bowl.

Last thought on this game...while I was a bit dismayed to see the 83 win Cardinals win the World Series, at least one sporting prediction that I made has come to fruition. That's right, I predicted this in March! The proof's in the puddin'. Please don't pay attention to the other predictions...

ZT's pick: St Louis

Miami at Chicago

Heh...um, yeah...did you know there's a show on television called "Pants Off-Dance Off"?

ZT's pick: Chicago

New Orleans at Tampa Bay

Poles aren't just for barbers and stippers anymore...they can play quarterback too! Well, sorta...

ZT's pick: New Orleans

Tennessee at Jacksonville

I think I have Jacksonville pegged...

ZT's pick: Tennessee

Minnesota at San Francisco

I thoroughly enjoyed watching New England dismantle the Vikings last week, but unfortunately, I don't see the 49ers doing that.

ZT's pick: Minnesota

Cleveland at San Diego

As Cleveland caused the Jets bandwagon to flip a couple of times before falling into a lake, I'm not allowed to pick them, as I have a pending lawsuit against them.

ZT's pick: San Diego

Denver at Pittsburgh

I'm gonna say it so you don't have to...Johnny Unitas would've never gotten hurt in a motorcycle accident, he would've totaled the car he hit just snacking on the steel! He sure as hell wouldn't look so up and down in his return to football!

ZT's pick: Denver

Indianapolis at New England

This is a coin toss game disguised as a probable win for New England. Everyone's going so crazy about New England's win last week that they're missing the fact that Peyton Manning has looked so good in the last minutes of games. I'm still going to pick the Patriots, but I feel a little uneasy about it.

ZT's pick: New England

Oakland at Seattle

Oakland seems to be feasting on troubled teams. So I'm going to do it...for the first time this season...

ZT's pick: Oakland

Bye Week: NY Jets, Arizona, Philadelphia, Carolina

Hey Jets fans, I wouldn't abandon you during the bye week! J-E-T-S JETS, JETS JETS!

ZT's pick: NY Jets

NFL Picks, Week 8

I'd like to start out and apologize to the readers with gambling problems. No, not for saying that you would spend your winnings on booze and whores (you did), but in giving you some bad advice. For the first time all season, I correctly picked games involving the Washington Redskins and the NY Giants. How did I do this? Simply by fianally coming to the realization that the Giants are the best team in the NFC East and the Redskins are the worst. This doesn't mean they have completely shed the lable of "slightly schizophrenic", but they seem to be medicated, at least this past week.

The team that now has everyone scratching their heads has to be the Jacksonville Jaguars, and not just because people are wondering why Jacksonville would have a professional sports team, but because they can destroy the Jets one week, and get destroyed by the Texans the next. If I were a gamblin' man, I would avoid them at all costs. But as my only form of extra-curricular football fun is free, run by Ann and I, and promises only a small, undetermined prize at the end of the season, they simply hurt my pride when the wins and losses are tallied. So ZT's least favorite team at this time remains the Jacksonville Jaguars. I mean no insult to the city of Jacksonville, they have a fairly nice welcome sign on one of their highways and the Red Lobster I ate at in Jacksonville had some good cheddar biscuits (though the waitress looked at me funny when I asked for some hot tea...apparetently Jacksonvillians never get a scratchy throat...). But regardless, consider yourselves on notice.

As for the furtherance of the Unencumbered Enthusiasm Approved Overtime Plan, it has gone nowhere, as I've heard no one else talking about it. Which is a shame, because it is quite possibly the most exciting overtime plan in the history of organized football. Remember, walkoff touchdowns good, anticlimatic 33 yard field goals bad.

Finally, before we get to the picks, I'd like to commend my Green Bay Packers on looking fairly impressive against the Miami Dolphins to go to 2-5. One less fumble and the Pack could be 3-4, but who's to nitpick. I know I won't complain when they're 11-5 (though at the rate the recieving corps are going, Wisconsinites under the age of 30 and over 6 feet tall may find themselves attending mandatory tryouts in Green Bay soon).

As for the Krogman-Halbach-Lehmann-Spilde Family Picks, there was a bit of change as Todd went an underwhelming 4-9 last week allowing my dad to sneak into a tie for first. Also, my sister beat out Adam for third place with an impressive 9-4 record this week. At the halfway point, the field is still jumbled, and there's no time like the present to set the pace for the rest of the season. Here are the standings:

1) Tim (9-4) 64-36 GB (-)

1) Todd (4-9) 64-36 GB (-)

3) Shawna (9-4) 63-37 GB (1)

4) Adam (7-6) 62-38 GB (2)

5) Jane (7-6) 60-40 GB (4)

6) Amy (8-5) 59-41 GB (5)

6) Renee (7-6) 59-41 GB (5)

8) Ann (6-7) 58-42 GB (6)

9) ZT (7-6) 56-44 GB (8)

Congratulations to my dad for getting back into first place and on sharing the weekly crown with my sister. Now for the Unencumbered Enthusiasm National Football League Picks:

Arizona at Green Bay

If there was ever a time for Green Bay to string a couple victories together, now is the time. One doesn't lose to Oakland without being deeply, deeply bad at football.

ZT's pick: Green Bay

Atlanta at Cincinnati

I don't really trust Atlanta, and something about Cincinnati's victory last week signals a bit of a resurgance after that crushing defeat to the Patriots.

ZT's pick: Cincinnati

Baltimore at New Orleans

People got hyped up at the beginning of the season, quoth the Raven,"Nevermore".

ZT's pick: New Orleans

Houston at Tennessee

These teams are both bad at football...but...I dunno...pick the home team?

ZT's pick: Tennessee

Jacksonville at Philadelphia

Oh man, you know with Jacksonville being so schizophrenic...after losing to Houston, they'll probably jump up and pull this one out. I can't really believe that Philly could lose this many games though. ZT is so torn! Screw it!

ZT's pick: Jacksonville

Seattle at Kansas City

Seneca Wallace at quarterback scares the opponent only if you play in the Big 12...

ZT's pick: Kansas City

San Francisco at Chicago

Look at Chicago to build on their bye week victory last week...

ZT's pick: Chicago

Tampa Bay at NY Giants

This is kind of a tough one, because Tampa Bay looks resurgant, and who knows when the Giants will stop looking good. But fresh off a victory picking them last week, I'll swallow that pill again.

ZT's pick: NY Giants

St. Louis at San Diego

The Raven would also like to add "Nevermore" to San Diego's season as well...

ZT's pick: St. Louis

Indianapolis at Denver

I'm not sure how the thin air will affect Peyton Mannings "rocket, laser arm" but something tells me that Denver is the better team. But oh how my tummy feels squeemish about this pick...

ZT's pick: Denver

NY Jets at Cleveland

Some guy hopped on the bandwagon when it was demonstrated that the Jets can beat a bad team at home...but he got cold feet about beating bad teams on the road, so I pushed him off. Plenty of room though...seriously people.

ZT's pick: NY Jets

Pittsburgh at Oakland

Oh how Pittsburgh has been a thorn in my side. One of those killer games for NFL Picks purposes last week. Oh well, they're still a good team with a bad record, while Oakland is a bad team with a bad record.

ZT's pick: Pittsburgh

Dallas at Carolina

Dallas' season is about to burst into flames. Quarterback controversy, TO on the team...is it even fun to be a Cowboys fan right now?

ZT's pick: Carolina

New England at Minnesota

Minnesota is thriving on beating almost good teams like Seattle. They won't do much against an actually good team like New England.

ZT's pick: New England

Bye Week: Buffalo, Detroit, Miami, Washington

Assuming that Buffalo and Detroit would not win a bye week under any circumstances, I have to narrow this down to Miami and Washington. Now these two cities figured prominently in my last vacation, so I'm well qualified to judge them against one another. I'll use five categories: Weather, Mass Transit, Friendliness of Locals, How much fun I had there, and overall look of the city on a scale of 1 to 10.

Miami:

Weather: While it was nice and warm most days, the rain did cause some problems. 6/10

Mass Transit: I never got a chance to use it, but most of the information about it was darn confusing. 1/10

Friendliness of Locals: People were quite smiley and eager to get our tourist dollars. 8/10

How much fun I had there: I'm going to include the Key West parasailing adventure in this score to make up for the Mass Transit score. The only thing that got in the way of a very good time was the rain. 8/10

Overall Look of the City: Parts of it are distinct, downtown skyline nothing special. 7/10

Overall score: 30/50

Washington DC:

Weather: Can't think of a much better place to be than Washington in early autumn. 10/10

Mass Transit: It was a bit pricey compared to other places, and we had to drive to access it. But once we were on, it worked like a charm and got us where we wanted to go. 7/10

Friendliness of Locals: Meh, it was neither great nor bad. The people at the museums were willing to help, and I met a couple of actual Ghanaians while wearing my I (heart) Ghana shirt, who seemed to appreciate it. 5/10

How much fun I had there: It's a history nerd's paradise, but I think its non-educational appeal is slightly limited. 7/10

Overall Look of the City: The monuments at night are magical, the rest is ho hum. 7/10

36/50

Well, that settles it...

ZT's pick: Washington

NFL Picks, Week 7

You know what's worse than having the flu? Getting your ass handed to you in NFL Picks while having the flu. It was a slaughter! And holding to form, the NY Giants won when I picked against them and the Washington Redskins lost when I picked them. At the very least, I can claim to have a very reliable way of picking games. My question is this: what would happen if I made my usual picks, and then laid a big bet on the opposite? Would it work out? Or would fate just laugh and pull the old switcheroo on me? It's an interesting thought...one I will not be testing with money...but if any of you are degenerate gamblers, heed this tip...If I pick the Giants or the Redskins, bet against them. If I pick against them, back them. Gifts for this valuable advice will be accepted (though you'll probably just spend your winnings on booze and whores, won't you...).

As mentioned before, due to a bout with flu last Sunday, I watched quite a bit of football. Of course, I missed large portions of games due to sleeping (I missed the third quarter and the end of the Philadlephia-New Orleans game). However, I feel as though my day of exclusively focusing on football (and not vomiting on the floor) served me well. I can now 100% guarantee my picks this week. But before we get to those guaranteed picks, lets take a look at the standings in the Krogman-Halbach-Lehmann-Spilde Family Picks:

1) Todd (8-5) 60-27 GB (-)
2) Adam (10-3) 55-32 GB (5)
2) Tim (7-6) 55-32 GB (5)
4) Shawna (8-5) 54-33 GB (6)
5) Jane (7-6) 53-34 GB (7)
6) Ann (9-4) 52-35 GB (8)
6) Renee (8-5) 52-35 GB (8)
8) Amy (7-6) 51-36 GB (9)
9) ZT (7-6) 49-38 GB (11)

Congratulations to Adam for winning the week with an impressive 10-3 record, enough to put him into a tie with my dad. Congratulations to Todd for maintaining his lead. Blah blah blah, who cares, let's talke about the Unencumbered Enthusiasm 100% Guaranteed Picks for the week:

Detroit at NY Jets
Top Five things I'm doing with all the empty space on the Jets bandwagon:

1) Finding a rug to tie the bandwagon together
2) Installing a fountain
3) Redoing the bathroom
4) Watching whatever I want on TV
5) Pants off-dance off

ZT's pick: NY Jets

Green Bay at Miami

Not only will I get to cheer against Miami like I normally do for screwing me earlier in the season, I'll also get to cheer against them because they're playing the Packers. Things are coming up Krogman!

ZT's pick: Green Bay

Philadelphia at Tampa Bay

These teams are actually quite similar. Both cut ties with troublesmome recievers. Both have home stadiums in the Eastern Time Zone. Both choked on the road against the Saints. Last week, the Buccaneers beat the Bengals, and I'm sure, at some point, so have the Eagles. That being said, this just feels like one of those games that will go against me no matter who I pick. So in that case, I'm just going to play it safe.

ZT's pick: Philadelphia

San Diego at Kansas City

Part of me wants to say that Kansas City will pull this one out at home. But I should know better. San Diego can run LaDanian Tomlinson roughshod over a defense that looked useless against Pittsburgh, and Kansas City won't be able to work against San Diego defense. So, yeah, I'm playing it safe again...

ZT's pick: San Diego

Carolina at Cincinnati

This seems to be a game that Cincinnati has to win. They're going to pull out all the stops here and go hope to be long gone by halftime. If they get off to a shakey start though, it could be a long day. But they're at home, so I'll bet on the former.

ZT's pick: Cincinnati

New England at Buffalo

The schedule is fraught with games that are easy to overthink. Buffalo almost beat New England in Week 1, and now they're at home. But, the truth remains, Buffalo has been in a steady decline and New England has been on rising in ZT's opinion. Another one I could get killed on, but:

ZT's pick: New England

Pittsburgh at Atlanta

In last weeks game against the Chiefs, Pittsburgh running back Najeh Davenport (formerly of the Green Bay Packers) broke a run and was off to the races. However, a defensive lineman caught up to him and made the tackle. Was ZT even remotely suprised? Of course not! Back when I used to play Madden '04, the Packers default kick returner was Najeh Davenport. On occasion, when playing as the Packers, I would forget to change the kick returner before the game. I cannot tell you how many times I was about to get a runback when I'd realize, "Oh no, I have Najeh Davenport in!" and be tackled from behind at the 40.

ZT's pick: Pittsburgh

Jacksonville at Houston

This makes me nervous, a schizophrenic team against a bad team. But Houston is just too bad to take.

ZT's pick: Jacksonville

Denver at Cleveland

So I'm really into the new Hold Steady album, but I don't love it yet. And the reason is that I haven't found any really cool lines, aside from the opening one. I'm sure they're in there, but so far, I haven't picked up on anything that surpasses Separation Sunday. I feel the same way about the Broncos. I know in my heart that they're a good team, and that they show flashes of brilliance. But they don't have anything that makes your jaw drop like a great line in a Hold Steady song. So, just like I can't hail Boys and Girls in America as a "great" album with complete confidence, I can't feel completely confident picking Denver even against a vastly inferior Cleveland team. I'm going to do it, but I just don't feel good about it...

ZT's pick: Denver

Washington at Indianapolis

If recent trends continue, Washinton will lead 13-7 at half, making scoreboard watchers say, "Hey, check it out, Indianapolis is losing!" before the game finally ends 14-13 Colts.

ZT's pick: Indianapolis

Minnesota at Seattle

With all that water in the Seattle area, I just don't trust the Vikings' ability to resist chartering a boat.

ZT's pick: Seattle

Arizona at Oakland

While I don't want to take away from Arizona's ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, I can't take away from the Raiders ability to go 0-16.

ZT's pick: Arizona

NY Giants at Dallas

While this one might be a tough game to call on paper, rest assured that whoever I pick will lose.

ZT's pick: NY Giants

Bye Week: Chicago, Tennessee, St. Louis, New Orleans, San Francisco, Baltimore

As I've been to all of these cities besides San Francisco (which you can just feel wouldn't win the bye week anyway) I'm going to figure this one out by ranking these cities by how much I enjoy them.
5) Nashville
4) Baltimore
3) St. Louis
2) New Orleans
1) Chicago

ZT's pick: Chicago

Enjoy the pigskin, and remember to always protect your quarterback!

NLCS Top 5

I watched most of the first two games of the NLCS, and now that it's tied 1-1, it looks like this one might shape up to be the first interesting series of the postseason. While the A's are becoming victim number two in front of the Detroit buzzsaw, the Mets and the Cardinals are looking more and more like an exciting matchup. Game 1 was a pitching duel, and game two was a slugfest that was decided in the ninth. Now, the series heads to St. Louis, and there's plenty more reasons to believe it will remain compelling. Here are the Top 5 Reasons this series could be a classic:

1) These crowds are electric. Mets fans are hungry after years of mediocrity since the Subway Series and St. Louis fans have been teased repeatedly over the past few years. Both fans want it and know that it's close.

2) Both teams feature compelling players. I don't need to tell you that Alber Pujols is fun to watch. But who wouldn't want to see Jim Edmonds play defense or Carlos Beltran continue his career as a Cardinal killer. These are all players that seem to raise their level of play under pressure, so this series promises to be both teams at their best.

3) Shakey closers promise 9th inning craziness. St. Louis is without Isringhausen who seemed to unravel constently this season. Billy Wagner throws 1oo mph but somehow doesn't inspire much fear in opponent hitters.

4) With St. Louis picking up it's game since the postseason has started, neither team seems to be discernably better than the other. It has the feeling of a coin toss, and that sounds like a game 7.

5) Both teams have good defenses, and therefore promise some jaw dropping web gems.

NFL Picks, Week 6

You know what's even worse than experiencing the loss the Packers experienced on Sunday? Having to be around people who think you're weird when you say things like, "Fall on it you idiot!" So the Packers fumbled away a chance at being 2-3, which isn't a bad place to be in.

The problem as I see it, concerning the Packers at least, is that they are a good enough team to stay in games. Favre looks good in these last few games, and they found someone in Noah Herron who can run the ball capably. However, they just aren't lucky, and they can't seem to respond at the right time.

Now, it might just be me, but I think that this is sort of random chance. It's the difference between being a low wild card entry and being a "bad" team. Not to be a homer, but there's a definite difference between being bad and being okay but unlucky...it just doesn't show up in the standings. The Oakland Raiders are bad, the Green Bay Packers are unlucky. The Detroit Lions are bad, the Cleveland Browns are not as bad, but definately unlucky.

So enough of being a homer, I'm going to have to declare that the best team in the league is in fact the Chicago Bears. I will not pick against them accept in the next Green Bay-Chicago matchup due to karma reasons. I have no doubt in my mind that they would destroy Indianapolis. No doubt. They are scary good...

As for my adopted sleeper this year, the New York Jets, they dissappointed the hell out of me last week. But they play the cream puff Miami Dolphins this week, so I'm back on the bandwagon.

But now, upon week 6's dawning, I'm starting to get a better grip on how good teams are. I know to always take the Chicago Bears. I know to take Indianapolis, but feel a bit wary about it. I know that it's probably a good idea to back Denver and Baltimore at home. I know to never, ever, under any circumstances, to pick the Raiders. But I know there are a couple teams that make me crazy. Three of them especially, that are entirely capable of putting together an impressive win, or a horrible failure. The Washington Redskins, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the New York Giants all make me go crazy! I put a hex on them, as they always screw me over. Anyways, I hope none of them even sniff the postseason as punishment.

Now, as for the Krogman-Halbach-Lehmann-Spilde Family Picks, ZT is now all alone in the cellar, but he improved in his picking and went 10-4. Now this was not nearly enough to get me out of ninth, nor was it good enough to win the week. Those honors go to my mom, who went 12-2. This was good enough to crawl out of the basement and also gain a game on the overall leader Todd, who went 11-3. Here are the standings:

1) Todd (11-3) 52-22 GB (-)
2) Tim (10-4) 48-26 GB (4)
3) Jane (11-3) 46-28 GB (6)
3) Shawna (9-5) 46-28 GB (6)
5) Adam (10-4) 45-29 GB (7)
6) Amy (7-7) 44-30 GB (8)
6) Renee (12-2) 44-30 GB (8)
8) Ann (7-7) 43-31 GB (9)
9) ZT (10-4) 42-32 GB (10)

It's a hard road ahead, but I think if I can have another week like this one, I won't find myself sitting in the basement anymore. Here are the picks that will put me on top:

Buffalo at Detroit

Buffalo is one of those teams that I can't really get a handle on...however, they've only burned me once. So they get the call this week, even though this is a game that Detroit might have a chance at winning.

ZT's pick: Buffalo

Carolina at Baltimore

Carolina hasn't been terribly impressive this year. Well, they sort of were against Cleveland last week. Baltimore, on the other hand, has impressed me with their defense. With the game happening in Baltimore, I can't see any reason to go against them.

ZT's pick: Baltimore

Cincinnati at Tampa Bay

As predicted, Cincinnati suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the bye week in Week 5. But look for them to snap the two game skid this week against the team that's mascot is a slightly more metrosexual way of saying "pirate".

ZT's pick: Cincinnati

Houston at Dallas

Did anyone else watch the Philly-Dallas game the other night and worry that TO would attempt suicide after the look of dismay he had on his face. This is evolving into a very uncomfortable subplot for the rest of the season. Do you think openents are a little careful with the trash talking? I think I would be...

ZT's pick: Dallas

NY Giants at Atlanta

I'm trying to figure out rules for the NY Giants. Like whether or not to back them at home or on the road or against good teams or bad teams. Nothing really comes to mind. So we'll just go with this...when ZT picks the Giants, they will lose. When ZT picks their oppenent, they will win. So enjoy it Giants fans...

ZT's pick: Atlanta

Philadelphia at New Orleans

I was wrong about Philadelphia fans last week. The collective hatred of all the fans could be focused. However, they won't be able to parlay that into a Super Bowl win. But hey, maybe all that negativity can overcome the feel good Saints stuff. ZT's banking on it!

ZT's pick: Philadelphia

Seattle at St. Louis

St. Louis should have lost to the Packers last week. Seattle was looking pretty good until they ran into the Chicago buzzsaw. Here's the thing about St. Louis...they didn't look very impressive. They had plenty of killer penalties, and they should have had two killer turnovers that the Packers just couldn't convert. St. Louis, so far, has just been lucky. I think St. Louis used up all their luck last week...

ZT's pick: Seattle

Tennessee at Washington

Washington can go screw themselves. I'm picking them just so they lose to Tennessee...take that Redskins fans!!!

ZT's pick: Washington

Kansas City at Pittsburgh

The Super Bowl hangover has begun, but I still think the Steelers are good enough to take one from one of those schizophrenic teams as long as they're at home.

ZT's pick: Pittsburgh

Miami at NY Jets

The Jets are sitting pretty at 2-3. There's plenty of room on the Jets bandwagon kiddies. Seriously...when they go 13-3, you're going to have a tough time saying you predicted it if you don't jump on soon. Get on while we still got some Lazy Boys open...pretty soon we'll only have folding chairs. I got a nice chili cooking up here...

ZT's pick: NY Jets

San Diego at San Francisco

The battle of the Sans! Which is Spanish for "Saint". If you would like to know more about Saint Juan Diego just click on his name. He sounds kind of bad ass...plus he has LaDanian Tomlinson on his side.

ZT's pick: San Diego

Oakland at Denver

You may have read earlier that I said, "Never pick Oakland under any circumstances". I also said always pick Denver at home. So it seems obvious...but wait a minute!!! This is Broncos-Raiders baby! Anything can happen. At least that's what the Oakland press is probably trying to tell poor Raider fans...

ZT's pick: Denver

Chicago at Arizona

This could potentially be a trap game for Chicago...if Chicago wasn't the best team in football...

ZT's pick: Chicago

Bye Week: Cleveland, Green Bay, Indianapolis, Minnesota, New England

For karma reasons, I will have to pick the Packers. But let me defend my pick a little with a couple of fun things the Packers players can look forward to in Wisconsin with their weekend off:

-Beautiful Door County

-The Gophers and the Badgers battle it out for Paul Bunyon's axe at Camp Randall on Saturday.

-If this weather keeps up, there could be ice fishing by Sunday.

-Bow hunting season is in full swing.

-A Madison trip is always a fun time.

-Empty Bowls is going on this weekend, and if they make the trip to Stevens Point, my parents will be there to say hi.

-No time like the present to go out and get some deep fried cheese curds.

ZT's pick: Green Bay

Updates! Updates!

I really shouldn't take vacations, as I can't really find a whole lot to talk about once they're done. I'm finding myself in a bit of a quandry here. I'm down to two dedicated sections on this blog, Current Favorites and NFL Picks. I'd like to add more, and I have a few ideas...

One would be a running story, kind of like a soap opera or Tales From Lake Wobegone or something like that. The problem is that sort of thing would take lots of preparation, and I can't seem to get up the initiative to do it. But I would like to see something like that on a consistent basis.

Another good idea Ann had is where I ask a question to myself and answer it, sort of in the manner that Carrie Bradshaw would do on "Sex and the City". Ann is a little too into that show, but I like the concept, and I'd like to try and adapt it. But it also requires quite a bit of preparation...but seems like it might be a little bit easier than the other one.

Also, it being election time, I would like to start addressing some current events. Here in Wisconsin, there's a referendum up to reinstate the death penalty, make the state constitution forbid civil unions, and there's a school referendum in Stevens Point. I'd like to start addressing these ideas in the coming weeks. So I plan to make on of the days each week a current events type column, hopefully with a snappy and interesting name.

Finally, I'd like to revive the Top Ten Albums section, but instead count down different things. Some thoughts I have are "Top Ten Movies", "Top Ten Hip-Hop albums", and "Top Ten Songs". Of course, that means I'd have to figure out what all of those are.

Feel free to suggest things, but as of right now, that's what I'm working on.

The Krogman 25 is Dead

I know, I know, there's supposed to be a Krogman 25 on Tuesday...but I decided that it's my least favorite thing to do on this blog after a computer fiasco two weeks ago. So I'm letting it die, at least for now. So if this was your favorite section, too bad. I don't really even feel bad for you. It was stupid.

Current Favorites

Now that I'm back in Wisconsin, I have a little bit of time to write up a nice little Current Favorites. The problem being that I didn't really watch many movies or read much. I did get two new albums while I was on vacation, but I haven't gotten a chance to listen to them much. But I'll try to give a half assed opinion on them.

Of course, that doesn't mean this Current Favorites isn't special. Of course not monsieurs and madames! You will get reviews of Florida and Maryland, Virginia, and Washington DC tourist attractions. Fantastic!

Music

Whilst on vacation, I found time to pick up the new Beck album and The Hold Steady album. The Beck album, The Information on its first listen was pretty dissappointing. I think the word for it was blah...But I'll give it more of a chance. I didn't like Guero much, but it worked it's way up from "awful" to get full on "mediocre" status.

As for The Hold Steady, it's obvious their still pumping out interesting music. When I went and saw The Hold Steady in Baltimore on October 2, I was worried because I felt like the new songs were inferior to their earlier work. But on my computer speakers, they're sounding better and better. What I don't like is that Craig Finn's pulled back on his vocal stylings to make them a bit more conventional. I liked how Finn's singing was a character in and of itself. But the sacrifice pays off on some songs, like "First Night" and the absolutely phenomenal "Stuck Between Stations", though it hurts songs like "Chips Ahoy!". I'm still getting to know the album, but my initial feeling is that it's not as good as Almost Killed Me or Separation Sunday but it's a direction the band had to take, and is going to pay off.

Travel

Miami - There are times when I'm in a place, and it just makes me think, "Wow, they specifically designed this place for _______." Miami was specifically designed for my sister, or at least South Beach is...shopping galore, beautiful beach right on hand, and she could get herself a scooter so that she wouldn't have to walk too much. That being said, while Miami was not specifically designed for me, there was plenty to enjoy. South Beach is highly recommended, as is a trip to a Marlins game if you get the chance. 7/10

Key West - I'm not sure if I know anyone that Key West is specifically designed for, but that's because I'm not big with the Jimmy Buffet crowd. However, Duval Street was a fun walk, plus I went parasailing, a highly recommended activity. 7/10

Washington DC - For a history nerd, there are quite a few cool things to be found here. I'm sure it's even cooler for politics nerds. The monuments are a must, as well as the Holocaust museum, which takes a lot longer than we thought it would, but it was worth it. The only problem is that we didn't have enough time to do everything, especially since almost everything is closed at five. Once that happens, the scene kind of dies. 8/10

Presidential Housing - I took the opportunity to visit Mt. Vernon and Monticello while in the area. Both are excellent ways of humanizing the founding fathers. If you only have time for one, I'd go with Mt. Vernon, there's just so much more there. However, the Monticello house tour is a bit nicer (mostly because the house itself is just nicer). Mt. Vernon gets an 8/10, Monticello a high 7/10.

Baltimore - I can't really give a review of the city itself, as I didn't spend that much time there. I went there to see The Hold Stead at the Ottobar, which wasn't the best venue in the world, but The Hold Steady played it well. Still felt they put on a better show in Madison, however. 7/10

On this manic Monday...Current Favorites is still here...later folks.

NFL Picks, Week 5

Well, it's not Thursday, I know that, but I couldn't let a week go by without an NFL Picks. So who cares if it's barely coming before the games start and if it's going to be rather short. I know I don't! So in lieu of the usual beginning rambling you normally get here, I'm just going to give y'all the current standings in the Krogman-Halbach-Lehmann-Spilde Family Picks:

1) Todd (10-4) 41-19 GB (-)

2) Tim (7-7) 38-22 GB (3)

3) Amy (9-5) 37-23 GB (4)

3) Shawna (7-7) 37-23 GB (4)

5) Ann (6-8) 36-24 GB (5)

6) Adam (6-8) 35-25 GB (6)

6) Jane (9-5) 35-25 GB (6)

8) Renee (7-7) 32-28 GB (9)

8) ZT (6-8) 32-28 GB (9)

Congratulations to Todd for winning the week, as well as taking sole posession of the overall lead. Also, congratulations to my mom for not being the only one in last place. Upon walking into my home on Saturday morning, my dad asked that my mom and I stand together so he could "See the two basement dwellers together". Har har...my revenge will come this week...mark my words.

As for the games...

Buffalo at Chicago

Upon destroying the Seahawks last week (which despite a bad week, ZT predicted with relative ease), the Bears have proven they're at least with Indianapolis in coversations about the best team in football. At least until Rex Grossman realizes he missed his regularly scheduled injury this year...

ZT's pick: Chicago

Cleveland at Carolina

Carolina seems like they're back on track again. Cleveland almost lost to Oakland...

ZT's pick: Carolina

Detroit at Minnesota

Can we really feel bad for Lions fans? I mean, all of their other sports teams are doing very well. Michigan football is on track...can we really call these fans miserable? Same thing with Oakland...they've got a baseball team in the ALCS. I hearby declare that Detroit fans can no longer be considered "miserable" because one out of the four sports teams in their city sucks horribly.

ZT's pick: Minnesota

Miami at New England

The moratorium on picking the Dolphins in effect for the second straight week. It will only be lifted in the event that the Dolphins play the Raiders. Also, I have to give props to ESPN.com's Bill Simmons for calling that Patriot win last week. Spot on, sir...

ZT's pick: New England

St. Louis at Green Bay

If current scoring trends are to believed, the Rams will score one touchdown in this game and four field goals, giving the Rams a score of 22 points (assuming the extra point is good). At the pace they are going, the Rams will score a total of 22 touchdowns this season, and 59 field goals. The lesson being, field goals are worth points too...they've led the Rams to 3-1.

ZT's pick: Green Bay

Tampa Bay at New Orleans

New Orleans seems frisky and exciting...Tampa Bay's quarterback ruptured his spleen...

ZT's pick: New Orleans

Tennessee at Indianapolis

Tennessee has shaken my belief in dreams as a way to pick football games. While my confidence had been low...it's gone now.

ZT's pick: Indianapolis

Washington at NY Giants

Washington looks like a different team with Portis slashing and gashing with impunity. The Giants look like a different team in the fourth quarter, which could help them in a close game which this one figures to be. Both teams won overtime games with wild walk off touchdowns (which would have assured victory in the ZT approved overtime format). So it's a toss up...

ZT's pick: Washington

Kansas City at Arizona

If I do not care about the teams involved, am I still expected to write something up about them? No I am not...

ZT's pick: Kansas City

NY Jets at Jacksonville

Just so everyone knows, there's still plenty of room on the Jets bandwagon. While they don't necessarily beat good teams, they come very, very close. Plus I think Jacksonville's been exposed as not quite as good as we thought. Also, I think Pittsburgh's been exposed as not really all that good at all due to Jacksonville's swoon.

ZT's pick: NY Jets

Oakland at San Francisco

Despite the fact that San Francisco is not good at football, they are playing Oakland, they cure all for teams that are not good at football.

ZT's pick: San Francisco

Dallas at Philadelphia

Last Monday, whilst in Baltimore, Ann and I stopped at a bar to watch the first half of the Philadelphia-Green Bay game. There was a group of four Philly fans in there. Philly had the ball inside the Packer's 5 yard line, and one of the Philly fans said, "Just don't mess this up". What happened? Philly promptly fumbled it into the arms of a Packer defender. I do not trust a fan base this tortured in a game like this. How can Owens not run all over Philadelphia in a game like this? The football world is not a just one.

ZT's pick: Dallas

Pittsburgh at San Diego

I had made the prediction that Pittsburgh would swoon a little this year, then overreacted to a less impressive by the week victory over Miami. Well, the swoon is back in effect, and Pittsburgh is getting perilously close to getting the "bad at football" tag.

Baltimore at Denver

Because Baltimore doesn't seem like one of those teams that would build on the momentum of last weeks victory and Denver is getting better all the time. That victory over New England is getting more impressive all the time.

ZT's pick: Denver

Bye Week: Atlanta, Cincinnati, Houston, Seattle

Only Atlanta had a good week going into the bye week. I don't count Houston because beating Miami is not impressive, and at the end of the day they are still the Houston Texans. I can't figure out if the Football Gods will reward Atlanta for throwing the New Orleans game because it was nice, or be angry that they disgraced the game. It really all depends on how many of the Atlanta players hang out with Cincinnati players.

ZT's pick: Bye Week

Enjoy the pigskin and try and stay above .500...Time for ZT to watch the Packer game and eat some brats.

ZT in WI

Well, my vacation is over and I'm back in Wisconsin. I had lots of fun, but I'm happy to be back in the Upper Midwest once again (and just in time to see the leaves change). And while I apologize for the lack of posting lately I enjoyed the vacation a bit too much to be really sorry. Anyways, for today, there's going to be an NFL Picks (just in time for the games to start). Enjoy...

ZT in DC

Sorry about the lack of posting and the lack of features. I wasn't able to get on the internet until now. As the title implies, I'm in the nation's captial (well, actually I'm in College Park, MD right now...but I'm just a short metro ride away from DC...). I'm soaking up the sights, saw the capital yesterday, the Washington Monument, the Supreme Court, The Library of Congress, and the National Archives.

Some of the cooler things I saw at these places were:

1) The Gutenberg Bible (at the Library of Congress).
2) Declaration of Independence
3) Magna Carta

Then I headed up to Baltimore and caught The Hold Steady concert last night. It was super fantastic. The Ann was less than enthused as she was missing the Packer game...and I don't think she likes the Hold Steady. But I had fun, sang along a little, got to hear some of the new stuff...

As for today, I think it's off to Mt. Vernon where I'll get to know a little more about the original GW. We'll get back to the old format next week.

Miami!

Well, I've been in Miami since Tuesday evening, and it's been fun. Spent some time on South Beach, checked out the Everglades, went to a Marlins game. Today we're heading down to the Keys (I'm not sure which one yet, though I would like to go to Key West).

The Marlins game was fantastic. I'm sure you've never thought while watching on TV, "Wow, I'd love to see a baseball game at Dolphins Stadium, it looks so nice!". But it's a great place to watch a baseball game. While the crowd is small, it stays lively (as opposed to a Tampa Bay Devil Rays game, where the crowds are small and comatose). The night we went, the temperature was a perfect, though I can imagine it might get much too hot sometimes. We sat in the Outfield Reserved section (tickets there cost $14), and the view was good, we had a couple balls come our way (unfortunately they died at the track). In addition, there was an Edy's Ice Cream stand near our seat which sold pints of ice cream for $5 (which is cheaper than the hot dogs). With the crowd being lively when the attendence is under 10,000, I can only imagine the atmosphere with 30,000 people in the stands. Finally, my favorite part of the whole shebang was the big teal out of town scoreboard in left field. It's sort of like a smaller, "teal monster" or something. ZT approved...

All in all, Dolphins Stadium (at least for baseball) gets a 7/10...

NFL Picks, Week 4

Unencumbered Enthusiasm has been hard at work coming up with a theme song for NFL Picks (or, if you happen to be an announcer or pundit, National Football League Picks). But I simply haven’t anyone as completely inappropriate and ridiculous as NBC’s choice of Pink for their almost as ridiculously titled Football Night In America. Hey NBC, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim called, they want their syllables back (oh the irony of ZT criticizing others for wordiness…). But while the name and song have gone clunk, ZT finds himself almost convinced while watching FNIA, he’s watching Monday Night Football. Kudos to NBC for putting together a pretty good program, intro notwithstanding.

Other kudos go to Chris Collinsworth. I loved Collinsworth when he worked the booth for Fox, though I can imagine Joe Buck didn’t…now he’s doing a great job talking about football highlights. How long before he’s back in the booth? The thought that it could be only one turducken tragedy away has me slightly giddy.

In separate news, no one has responded to my idea for overtime reform. This is ludicrous. THIS IS THE GREATEST OVERTIME IDEA EVER…if it’s not in place by next week, ZT may quit watching football until the next Packer’s game.

Speaking of the Packers, Dave Rayner (MAKE IT RAAAAAYN!!!) and company notched their first win of the season last Sunday. Needless to say, I’m quite excited. And while it came against the lowly Lions, ZT is sure they’ll build on their success. Oh, and Favre haters can shove all 340 of those yards right up their asses…

As for my picks, well, this week was like the Milwaukee Brewers this season. Exciting for the first half, but then by September you realize they’re ten games under .500. For the early games, I went 6-2, but then took a beating in the later games, finally getting to a less than respectable 8-6. This is partially due to some boneheaded decisions, such as:

-Backing the NY Giants not only on the road, but on the road on the west coast…against the defending NFC champs. I think it might be because they have much cooler uniforms than the Seahawks’ monstrosities.

-Going against New Orleans. While I was watching this, Ann said to me, “you know, it’s probably rigged.” It didn’t have to be…just shoot me…

Anyways, this is how everyone in the Krogman-Halbach-Lehmann-Spilde Family Picks are doing:

1) Tim (10-4) 31-15
1) Todd (9-5) 31-15
3) Ann (12-2) 30-16
3) Shawna (10-4) 30-16
5) Adam (8-6) 29-17
6) Amy (6-8) 28-18
7) Jane (8-6) 26-20
7) ZT (8-6) 26-20
9) Renee (10-4) 25-21

So your faithful narrator stays just out of the basement once again. Whew…I could use one good week here though…Congratulations to Ann for winning the week, and to Todd and my dad for being in the top spot (for now).

As for this weeks picks…

Arizona at Atlanta

It looks like Arizona is still Arizona, and Atlanta probably threw the game last week.

ZT’s pick: Atlanta

Dallas at Tennessee

The night before I looked at this weeks picks, I had a dream Dallas was playing Tennessee. I had picked Dallas and was very frustrated as Dallas was incapable of doing anything right. Here’s the weird thing about it…the Dallas Cowboys were playing against the Tennessee Volunteers, but Vince Young was their quarterback. Regardless, normally I would pick Dallas in this situation, but a premonition is a premonition, and who am I to ignore it…

ZT’s pick: Tennessee

Indianapolis at NY Jets:

Now, the NY Jets are my sleeper pick for the year, but that doesn’t mean they’re an elite team. And we’re at least twelve weeks away before Archie Manning starts working on the Heimlich maneuver.

ZT’s pick: Indianapolis

Miami at Houston

I’ve made two solemn promises for the rest of my season. Never pick the team that was stupid enough to pass on Reggie Bush. Secondly, never pick the Dolphins. When these two collide, flip a coin.

ZT’s pick: Houston

Minnesota at Buffalo

It seems to happen every year, the Vikings sign a former Packer to their roster, usually a fan favorite. Two seasons ago it was Darren Sharper, this season it’s Ryan Longwell. Where does this strategy get them? Not far…so why the hell do they keep antagonizing me like this?

ZT’s pick: Minnesota

New Orleans at Carolina

Is it just me, or does New Orleans just look like a solid football team this year? They got the steal of the season in Drew Brees, and they got the real #1 pick in Reggie Bush. Plus they got all kinds of karma on their side. The only thing you hear coming out of Carolina is “disappointing”. Sign me up for the New Orleans bandwagon.

ZT’s pick: New Orleans

San Diego at Baltimore

I’m still having a hard time believing that San Diego is this good. But I can believe that Baltimore had a pretty easy schedule to start and got pretty lucky against Cleveland. Plus San Diego’s coming off an emotional victory over the bye week. Baltimore’s gonna get crushed in this one.

ZT’s pick: San Diego

San Francisco at Kansas City

San Francisco is looking frisky enough to maybe go 8-8…Kansas City looks like they would prefer if the season ended today…

ZT’s pick: San Francisco

Detroit at St. Louis

Once upon a time, ZT stopped in St. Louis for some sightseeing on his home from Mardi Gras. It was pretty sweet, we got some bagels, went to the top of some random building and went up in the arch. While at the top of the arch, I saw the Whatever It’s Called Now Dome (Edward Jones maybe?). It was called the TWA Dome, but we all know what happened to TWA…Anyways, they had just whitewashed the TWA on the roof, but the name was still slightly visible and outlined in lights. I find these moments quite hilarious. There are few things as good for unintentional comedy as corporate vanity pasting themselves on sporting venues (just ask Enron Field).

ZT’s pick: St. Louis

Cleveland at Oakland

I remember some pretty bad Packers teams form the pre-Favre era. I remember that no matter how bad the Packers were, at least they could always beat the Buccaneers. Well congratulations Cleveland, at least you can beat the Raiders.

ZT’s pick: Cleveland

Jacksonville at Washington

I’m afraid that upon discovering that Jacksonville is good at football, they’ll end up being bad at football just in time for me to pick them. However, Washington is pretty bad a football, no matter what happens…

ZT’s pick: Jacksonville

New England at Cincinnati

New England looks dead. Yet another team destroyed by their own hubris. They just let veteran after veteran go, thinking, we don’t need players, we just need the team. Unfortunately, a Porsche with Hyundai engine is not a Porsche.

ZT’s pick: Cincinnati

Seattle at Chicago

Everyone in the KHLS Family Picks is going for Seattle in this one, but I chose Chicago because they actually scored touchdowns in their first two games. Seattle’s dismantling of the Giants last week will be a harbinger of how weak New York is, rather than how good Seattle is.

ZT’s pick: Chicago

Green Bay at Philadelphia

ZT is still waiting for retribution for 4^th and 26, and he thinks it’s coming on October 2, 2006…

ZT’s pick: Green Bay

Yay football!

Current Favorites

After he held up a copy of Noam Chomsky’s book, I was a bit remorseful due to the fact that Hugo Chavez and I hadn’t kept better relations. Perhaps then, Unencumbered Enthusiasm would be on the world’s mind. But alas, I don’t write left wing literature, I write fantastic literature…or at least my mother says so (hi mom!). And no one can account for Mr. Chavez’s taste (though he did say I was his numba one blogga).

So what else can a poor ZT do, ‘cept keep writing Current Favorites for the fans? Well, not much else…I mean, there’s only so much you can do on a three hour car ride…without further ado…

Music:

The Fiery Furnaces Blueberry Boat – I don’t remember the last time I had this much fun listening to an album. Blueberry Boat uncovers surprises with each listen, and always finds a way to stay interesting through its 76 minute runtime. Which is saying something, ZT hates albums that gas on far too long. I usually put the cap at about 55 minutes with little exception. But Blueberry Boat never feels this long. In fact, when it’s over, I’m ready for more. That being said, the only thing missing from Blueberry Boat is an emotional punch that would make it a truly memorable, pantheon level album. Which is the central problem of the whole thing: Blueberry Boat’s gimmicky nature makes for fun listening, but also undermines its gravitas. Which means it’s a great album, but not a Great album. 9/10 (Top 3 Tracks: “My Dog Was Lost But Now Is Found”, “Paw Paw Tree”, “Chief Inspector Blancheflower”)

Movies:

Snakes on a Plane: One of the more ridiculous movies ever made…and everything I ever hoped a movie called “Snakes on a Plane” could be and more. That being said, I will only see this movie once…the most solid 6/10, ever.

Paradise Now: Great movie with a fantastic ending. I’m not sure how accurate it was, but it was interesting to get a glimpse at life inside of Palestine as well as realizing how difficult it is to carry out a suicide bomb mission. 8/10

Books:

ZT’s was recommended “Lupus: The First Year” but he has been unable to get it at the book store, so I’ll probably buy it from Amazon.

And remember, all of you are a 10/10…