Prior to Hang Gliding

It is 10am here. Just got done with a cappucino and have a short time before I go hang gliding. It is going to be awesome. The hang gliding actually takes place from The Remarkables. Very much looking forward to it. Compared to the bungy, this should be a walk in the park. Last night was a quiet night for Queenstown. Just threw some lamb chops on the barbie and had some "lovely" wine. Funny how they call a good meal lovely. But it actually sounds kind of cool, depending on who says it. Than at about 6AM, just looking for some rest, all I could hear was a pack of Brazilians just making tons of noise. OK. There was only 3 of them, but it might as well have been 30. Leaving for Australia tomorrow morning, so this will be the last post from NZ. Will post pictures at some point in Sydney.

Later from New Zealand. Hope all is well back home.

Back in Queenstown and Cheers

I am back in Queenstown and digesting my lunch here after my short bus trip from Te Anau. Last night ended with the tour of the Glowworm Caves. They are underground caves with rivers flowing through and limestone rock where Glowworm's are the bug of choice. These little worms, who have a 4 day lifespan radiate light from there belly when they are hungry. I have to admit it was unimpressive at best. After about 2 minutes of looking at the Glowworms, I thought "That's great. Can we leave now?" Maybe I was just overly exhausted from the Kayak trip that day. Anyways, glad I went to see them.

So the last couple of days will be spent here in Queenie as the locals call it. After my lunch gets digested and I get done with this blog and email, I am going to head off to a 3-4 hour hike which ends with some incredible views of The Remarkables. The Remarkables are the mountain range here where the best skiing in New Zealand takes place. Tonight, I will hook up with Jane for a night on the town. And tomorrow will finish up with Hang Gliding. You read that right, I have booked my hang gliding trip. It actually starts on The Remarkables. It is going to be awesome. After that, Friday is a travel day that takes me to Sydney, Australia where I will meet up with my awesome cousin Debbie. That is going to be great.

Cheers to the following for making this time in New Zealand awesome. This is my best shot at it and doesn't include everyone:

Jane- Amazing kiwi woman

Uncle Jerry- Great to see him in Christchurch

Air New Zealand- Locating my bags, getting them to me, and buying me $100 worth of clothes.

Greg Bogun- Hooking me up with the All Blacks jersey at cost.

Old Countryhouse Christchurch- Great comfy place to stay.

Rich- Awesome guide on Franz Josef heli hike

Karina- Fun german girl from Heli Hike

John- Great irish guy who was my roommate in Franz Josef before reconnecting in Queenstown.

Shaz, Alex, Dean, and Gary- The other 4 who along with Jane made 2 great nights in Queenstown.

Elad- Israeli guy from the bungy jump who took pictures for me.

Livvy- Irish girl from bungy jump who I reconnected with in Te Anau and who did the glowworm cave tour with me.

Tim- Absolute best guide. Sea kayak guide who took me for a side hike to The Chasm by the Milford Track.

Pam and Ron- Couple who invited me to see the Pancake rocks and blowholes.

2 Unnamed Aussie Sr. Citizens- 60K kayaking on 3 day trip on the Doubtful Sound. Impressive.

Andy, Gordon, Dana and Rick- For covering my ass back at work.

Elliott- For covering my ass at the house.

Todd- For graciously lending me a bag and 3 fleeces (which are all now located in China)

Mom and Laura- If I didn't put them on here, I would get yelled at.


All apologies to anybody who I may have left off.

Kayaking the Milford Sound

Today has been a truly amazing day, and it isn't even finished yet. It started at 5:30AM from Te Anau and headed down to Fiordland National Park and the Milford Sound for a sea kayaking adventure. Led by our guide, Tim, we arrived down at Milford Sound after driving through the World Heritage protected Fiordland National Park, home of famous hikes such as the Routeburn and Milford Track.

After arriving, we got swarmed under by sandfly's as we suited up in our kayaking gear for what was to be a 4 plus hour journey on the sound. The kayaks were tandem with 2 people per boat and I was paired with Simone from Germany. OK. I am sure there may be some funny comments about that. We hop in the water and start paddling towards the sound to see some of the most amazingly beautiful scenery I have ever seen. Highlights included the famous Mitre Peak and Lady Elizabeth waterfall. 154M high, more than 3 times as high as Niagara Falls. Truly amazing. After about 2 hours into the trip, we hopped off our kayak for a short hike to get a closer view of the waterfall. After hopping back on, we were extremely lucky to see a fur seal lounging on a rock. They are an extremely rare seal that nearly faced extinction. Only slight disappointment was that we didn't see any penguins on our trip, which is a rarity. On the way back, we pulled off for a short hike to see this whitewater waterfall called The Chasm.

I am back now to grab some food, before heading off to see the Te Anau glow worm caves. Should be pretty interesting.

As for tomorrow, it is back to Queenstown for my last couple of days in New Zealand. I love this place and the people have been phenonemal. It is pushed very near the top of all the places I have ever been. The decision has been made. I am going to do a tandem hang glide on Thursday for my last hoorah in Queenstown.

Hope all is well with everybody back home.

Other Comments:

In response to my thumbs down on Elliott's blog for lack of pictures, you can expect photos upon arrival in Sydney.

Elliott is a great fantasy football manager.

Air New Zealand didn't find Todd's bag. Supposedly, it has made it's way to Kenya.

I was just reminded that I work for IBM, because I am on an IBM computer (I hope my boss doesn't read this. :)

Has boss been controlled yet?

One week down....

After a truly amazing first week, much needed rest was on the agenda for last night and the goal was accomplished. I feel refreshed and ready to go for 3 more weeks. Hell yeah. Today, I am going to just lounge around Queenstown for a few hours before catching the bus to Te Anau for my kayaking trip on the Milford Sound tomorrow. Super excited about that. The weather has been amazingly beautiful with every day being sunny. Knock on wood. Milford Sound is notorious for rain, so we shall see. An English couple that I met in Franz Josef did the same trip I am about to do and they said they kayaked in the pouring rain for 4 hours. But, added that it didn't take anything away from the trip. It actually made it better. For those unfamiliar with the Milford Sound, do a google search for images and check out some of the views. Actually, the Schwartz family has a picture hanging in their house that they took while there.

As I type this, I have 2 brochures sitting next to me for activities on my last day in Queenstown. Have to go out with a blast, I guess. One brochure is for aerobatic flights where you go up in a plane and do the stuff you would see in an air show and the other brochure is for tandem hang gliding. What has come over me? I live an incredibly boring life in Atlanta. It remains to be seen which one I may do.

Well. Glad to see UGA won yesterday. Next post from Te Anau. Cheers to all.

I AM STILL ALIVE

HOLY SHIT. The bungee was absolutely amazing. After being pretty calm, the group of jumpers congregated around getting ready to depart on the 45 minutes to the jump site on the Nevis River. As we all started talking, the nerves started kicking in. Some of the others had the look of death on there face. As we arrived at the site and got harnessed in, we got our jumping order. It goes in order of weight from heaviest to lightest. I was right in the middle of the group of 22 jumpers. They than put you on a cable car type device to bring you over to the small box. With music blaring, I started to get really nervous. I remember thinking that I have never had sweat pour out of my armpits like that. It was like a waterfall. As several people jumped and came back talking about how awesome it was, started to feel pretty calm and relaxed. Until, it was my turn to get strapped in.

They put you in a chair and hook y0u up. Than they slowly walk you over to the edge. Your feet are strapped together so you don't move very fast, nor would I want to. Get to the edge and 5-4-3-2-1, I scream "GO BUCKS!!" and dive. The bungy was actually very smooth and you didn't even feel it pulling you back up, than you realize you are cool. I must admit a good part of me had been thinking "What the hell is the big deal about bungy jumping?" But it is unlike any feeling I have ever experienced in my life. AWESOME.

We will have a DVD watching when I get back so you can see the jump. I may have to charge for the viewing with all proceeds going to the "Beleza Relief Efforts." As for tonight, I need some rest, but not quite sure that it will happen. I am thoroughly exhausted. No way in hell could at last 4 weeks at this pace. As everybody seems to say down here, "Cheers"

2 Hours...

2 more hours to the most anticipated 8 seconds of my life. For some very odd reason, I am extremely calm right now. There is no logical explanation. So, I try a few of the options. It could too much NZ wine last night, so my head isn't clear enough to be scared to death. It could be seeing my roommate still alive and psyched after doing his jump yesterday. It could be Dean's story last night of doing the canyon swing three times yesterday and the final one called a "Bin Laden" The canyon swing is where you swing 150KM per hour (go convert it to miles for me) through a canyon. Supposedly, it puts the bungy jump to shame for fear factor. On his last jump, they tied his arms behind his back and put a garbage can on his head before walking him to the edge and pushing him off. HELL NO FOR ME.

After today, I will leave Queenstown for a couple days to go down to Te Anau and kayak the world famous Milford Sound. It will be a hell of a lot more relaxed and I need a couple of nights like that to recharge. Last night, I met up with Jane and the crew for what was going to be a quiet night and didn't pull in until 3:30. I just can't keep up with the Kiwi's. But they are an amazingly fun group of people. So far, everybody has been great (with the exception of the girl at the grocery store who accused me of using a fraudulent credit card.) By the way, I was buying $3.50 worth of stuff. Anyways, enough about her. There are great pictures of the nights in Queenstown. Mom, you can't see them.

It has been a week on the road and it is everything I could have expected and more. It has truly been a blast and if the next 3 weeks are anything like week 1, WOW.

So, I was checking espn.com and saw some interesting stuff with the Red Sox, Iowa St., etc. I have totally lost track of time back home as it is Sunday afternoon here and the GT-UGA game hasn't even started.

OTHER RANDOM COMMENTS

• The Boss situation has me highly concerned. Somebody please get control of that wild animal.
• Elliott will be charged a "failure to control boss" fee.
• Good work by Elliott managing the Icy Hot Stuntaz to a victory over the Mullet Maniacs
• www.laurakalin.blogspot.com is the 2nd best blog in the Kalin family. If my mom creates a blog, things have really gone haywire.
• Todd's bag is lost again. I think it is in Fiji or Antartica. We will send Air New Zealand to go find it.
• Will we get more than one sighting from C Bomb or was that an imposter C Bomb comment?
• Why don't English people speak proper English? I almost need a translator for some of them. Especially when they are drinking.

I AM SCARED ALREADY

Here we are on my first full day in Queenstown. I just booked my bungee jumping for tomorrow afternoon and my heart is already racing. I truly have no explanation for why this sounds like a good idea. On top of it all, when all is said and done with the DVD and photos with the Shotover jet boat ride, they set me back about $350 NZ. That being said, there was no way in hell I was coming back home having been in Queenstown and not doing the bungee jump. The bungee trip is at 2pm tomorrow, so if you don't see anything after that, you may need to start making phone calls to AJ Hackett Bungy in Queenstown. To make things worse, I was out having coffee this morning with 2 guys from Melbourne and they were doing the bungee today and the guy lifted up his hand and it was completely shaking. Than somehow, I got convinced to do the Nevis jump. The Nevis is 134 Meters high and the other two jumps are less than 50 meters. WHAT THE HELL!!!!!!

Next on the agenda is the shotover jet boat ride later this afternoon. Maybe this will give me a shot of adrenaline to get me over last night. Last night was completely random. I arrived and than went for a walk around town. I saw this bar, Brazz Bar, that had heaps of people outside it. The only place in town where I saw any signs of life. So I figured, what the hell, go in have A beer. While at the bar, I met a guy from Melbourne, FL and 3 girls living local to Queenstown, Jane, Shaz and Alex. Jane is a full blown kiwi having grown up on a sheep farm. To make a long story short, the 1 beer was more than that and ended at 3:30 in the morning. After the Brazz Bar, they took us to the Boiler Room for more beverages and dancing to cheesy American 80's music. They were awesome and a ton of fun. Looking forward to catching up with them again tonight for "1 Beer" There are pictures from the night.

Anyways, off for now. Going to grab a quick bite before the Shotover Jet. This place is fantastic and again the scenery is jaw dropping. Hope all is well back home. GO DAWGS!!!!

PS- Is Beleza done destroying my room yet?

Queenstown Time

After a night out in Franz Josef with Irish and German friends and a long bus ride, I have arrived in Queenstown. The so called adventure capital of the world. Bungy jumping and jet boat riding are among the things on the agenda for the next couple of days. The bus ride from Franz Josef - Queenstown was a long one with some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen. This seems to be a recurring theme here in New Zealand. Everywhere you look two things are guaranteed, beautiful scenery and lots of sheep. Other than the tourist centers, the south island is truly an extremely rural place. Even the city of Queenstown which attracts 1.3 million visitors a year only has about 10,000 permanent residents.

Happy Thanksgiving to All

To all my friends and family, I want to wish all of you guys a very happy Thanksgiving. Hope everybody has a great time and please eat some turkey for me. I am going to try and find some turkey for dinner tonight.

Today, I did the long awaited glacier (or as Elliott and the kiwis refer to it as the Gla-C-Yer) heli hike. It was absolutely everything I had expected and more. It was the first time I have been on a helicopter and the views from the chopper were absolutely stunning. A group of 12 of us, led by our guide Rich, took the 10 minute helicopter flight and than strapped on our crampons and hiked around the glacier for 3 hours. Nobody was hurt in our international crew of folks from Denmark, Germany, England, Scotland and me being the lone representative from North America.

Right now, I am pretty exhausted. The hostel here in Franz Josef is very nice. I am sharing a room with an asian girl and an irish guy. The Irish guy is super cool and we will grab a beer later before meeting up with a german girl who I met on the Heli Hike. She is very cool and also is headed to Queenstown tomorrow. As for the Asian girl, she was extremely bizarre. When walking in the room, she didn't even lift her head up from her book and acknowledge me or the Irish guys existence. We than talked for 30 minutes in the room and she never even looked in our direction. Oh well.

Tomorrow, I jump on the bus at 10am and head to Queenstown, the adventure capital of the world. I may do the world famous AJ Hackett bungy or the jetboat ride. Not sure of which first, but I must admit the bungy jump is already scaring me half to death.

I am off for now, but Happy Thanksgiving to all.

I AM AT FRANZ JOSEF GLACIER. MY LUGGAGE IS...

AT FRANZ JOSEF GLACIER. I truly can't believe it. Air New Zealand amazingly got my bags to me. They were waiting for me as I arrived at 7:00PM. Franz Josef isn't exactly a major metropolitan area. It is off the beaten track. But they did it.

As for today, didn't exactly start off as planned but was awesome. I took the Tranz Alpine train which was absolutely amazing and had you looking at breathtaking views almost every step of the way. Beautiful views of mountains, gorges, rivers, etc. Here is a sample of a view.

While on the Tranz Alpine to Greymouth, I met a really interesting couple, Pam and Ron. They are retired school teachers who are travelling the world. They rented a car and invite me along to Punkaiki, a small place on the coast with pancaked rock formations and blowholes. They are headed to Franz Josef to the same hotel, so I decide to ride with them. It is about a 2 hour detour but worth every minute. There are absolutely stunning rock formations and blowholes where the ocean flows in. Words don't do this place justice.

Anyways, tomorrow is the Franz Josef Helicopter Hike to the top of the glacier. Off for now. Take care.

I AM IN NEW ZEALAND. MY LUGGAGE IS IN....

HAWAII. Yes. You read that right. No, I am not kidding. I finally got into Auckland after 25 hours of flying and sitting at airports and I wait by the carousel. All 300 plus people on the flight have now left the carousel and neither one of my bags shows up. You have to be kidding. I go to baggage services and they check on my bags to find out my bags have gone to Honolulu. The first flight I was on was Atlanta- Los Angeles and than it went on to Honolulu. Seems like they didn't take my bags off. So. I am now in Christchurch with toiletries, the clothes I wore, guide books, iPod, digital camera and the brand spanking new NZ$100 worth of clothes that they gave me to buy. And a dream. Supposedly, my bags are going to catch up with me in Franz Josef tomorrow. Franz Josef is pretty out of the way, so I am not sure. They better get there as I am scheduled to hike a glacier on Thursday. We shall see.

Anyways, when I finally arrived in Christchurch, I met my Uncle Jerry about 30 minutes later as he departed the plane. We had a very nice time going to lunch and than heading off to the New Zealand wildlife park. We saw lots of interesting animals including Emus, Llamas, Rams, and many different kinds of birds, including the nocturnal and national bird Kiwi. It was a very interesting time as he is a link to the family who has been in New Zealand for many years now. He shared a lot of interesting stories and insight about the family. He headed back to the airport at about 7:30 and I headed back to the hostel for a glorious shower. It is 9:10PM here and I am going to head off to bed soon. Take care and hope all is well with you guys.

Journey Down Under

The journey begins today, Sunday November 20th to New Zealand and Australia. The first flight to Los Angeles departs LA at 1:40. I finally will arrive in Christchurch, New Zealand on Tuesday, November 22nd at 8:30AM. When I arrive, my Uncle Jerry will be at the Christchurch airport to meet me. It has been a long time since I have seen him. I will be in Christchurch for the day and depart on the TranzAlpine train journey ( http://www.tranzscenic.co.nz/services/alpine.aspx ) the next day and than follow that up with a short bus ride down to Franz Josef glacier, where I will do a Heli Hike. It is a helicopter ride to the top of a glacier followed by a 3 hour hike ( http://www.helicopter.co.nz/helihike.asp )

After that and 2 days in Franz Josef, it is on to Queenstown. Queenstown is the so called adventure capital of the world. Activities in Queenstown include Bungee Jumping, Jet Boating, Fly By Wire, Kayaking, and Rafting ( www.queenstown.com ) After several days there, kayaking on the Milford Sound is on the agenda followed by Dunedin ( Edinburgh of the South) and a return to Christchurch for the flight to Sydney.

I will be greeted there by my cousin Debbie. We will spend 5 days in the Sydney area before heading up to the Whitsunday Islands ( www.whitsundays.com.au )for a 3 day 2 night yachting trip on the Great Barrier Reef with snorkelling. The rest of the trip is yet to be determined and all of this is flexible and has the potential to be changed at any moment.

See you all in a month.

WHAT A CATCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CLASSIC OSU CATCH

BUCKEYES WIN!!!!!!!!!! BEAT MICHIGAN

OHIO STATE- 25 scUM- 21

What an amazing game. A roller coaster of emotions. OSU jumped out to a 9-0 lead with a TD drive on the first possession, missed extra point, and a 47 yard field goal. All was looking good until a fumble gave Michigan the ball in great position which they converted into a TD. Going into halftime up 12-7 was far from comforting. Than the 3rd quarter just went horribly as Michigan finishes up 18-12. Than Michigan tacks on another field goal to push it to 21-12 with about 8 minutes left in the game. It was not looking good.

Than it happens. We go straight down the field with great passes and runs by Troy Smith and convert on a TD to Santonio Holmes . A horrible call on Holmes diving into the end zone helps give Michigan great field position but the defense stiffens up and forces a punt to get the Buckeyes the ball back with 4:13 to go. Troy Smith just calmly leads the team down the field, capped off by an absolutely incredible play between Smith and Anthony Gonzalez. Smith scrambled away from the rush and threw a ball up to Gonzalez who leaps high to snag the ball and comes down with it at the 2. Antonio Pittman caps it off with a TD run with 24 seconds left.

WOW. So OSU is finished on the season as Co Big Ten Champions and looking at a possible BCS bowl game. Tressel has now beaten Michigan 4 out of 5 times under Tressel. If we get a BCS bid, that would make it 3 out of 4 years. AMAZING DAY.

OHIO STATE 25 MICHIGAN 21

GAMEFACE...

Little Abram Hire has his game face on for the big game today. This is the young son of Trent and Mary Hire. Mary has Abram off to a good start supporting the Buckeyes. His father, Trent is a confused man. Despite the fact he went to OSU for undergraduate and dental school, he still supports Michigan. Although, rumors are swirling that Trent is wearing a Buckeye shirt today.

Welcome to the Buckeye family Abram. 

GAMEDAY- THE BIG GAME

I wake up and all I can think about is how much I hate Michigan. First thing that happens today is repeated playings of Carmen Ohio, Buckeye Battle Cry and Hang on Sloopy. Even the dog is fired up for this one. This is the game you wait for all year as a Buckeye fan and it is time to get it on against the scUM from up north. This is the game when Jim Tressel got hired, he said "You are going to be proud of your boys in 334 days." That was to be his first Michigan game and Coach Tressel was already talking about it on the first day he was hired.


It is time for us to step up and get the job done. We have won 3 out of the last 4 and a win today would be huge in showing we are in control of this series. As it is the tradition, kegs and eggs will be served. Only a little later than the 5:30AM that was par for the course as a student at one of the fine establishments on High St. Time for AJ Hawk, Santonio Holmes, Troy Smith, Mike Kudla, Bobby Carpenter, Ted Ginn, Antonio Pittman and the rest of the men in Scarlet and Grey to make us Buckeyes proud.

GO BUCKEYES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BEAT MICHIGAN

FOOTBALL FREAK IS BACK.......

Well. Freak Wannabees. It's that time again. Time for the Football Freak's weekly predictions. One thing is guaranteed. The Freak will improve on last weeks goose egg. So, dig into your couches, find that loose change and call your booky or your internet sportsbook and lay it all on the line.

First, in honor of the big game, we must pay our respects to one of the greatest traditions in all of college sports "Script Ohio" The picture is the first ever Script Ohio. It was done in 1936 and has been a fixture for the OSU-Michigan game and other big games in OSU history. One of the greatest honors that can be bestowed on you is to "Dot the I" Many dignitaries have had the priviledge, including past presidents.

Now for the predictions:

OSU vs. Michigan- OSU - 3 1/2
The big game. What more needs to be said about OSU-Michigan? OSU offense is finally starting to click. Granted, they have been scoring at will against the weakling defenses of the Big 10. That being said, this game will come down to defense and special teams. That is where OSU has the edge. OSU is very stingy against the run and will put heat on Chad Henne all day. Look for them to get him to make a key mistake or two. AJ Hawk and company will not be denied as OSU makes it 4 out of 5 against scUM. GO BUCKS!!!!

Prediction- OSU - 3 1/2 OSU- 24 Michigan- 17

Auburn vs. Alabama- Auburn - 7
Auburn is playing it's best football of the year after beating UGA last weekend. Alabama lost a tough overtime game last week. Look for Auburn to pull out a close one, but Alabama's defense is too good not to keep this one close.

Prediction- Alabama + 7 Auburn- 17 Alabama- 13

Penn St. vs. Michigan St.- Penn St. - 8
Michigan State is a team that has gone into the tank. Penn State has too much to play for to come out flat. As much as I hope this is wrong, Penn St. wins going away.

Prediction- Penn State - 8 Penn St.- 34 Michigan St.- 17

Special Game Prediction of The Week- Fantasy Football

Icy Hot Stuntaz vs. Mullet Maniacs- Pick Em'
Look for the Stuntaz to rebound off the tough 1 point loss to the Mullet's earlier in the season with a easy victory. Mullet's go bald, lose and are out of contention for the season.

Prediction- Stuntaz 83 Mullets 40

FREAK OF THE WEEK CHALLENGE- PRIZE AWARDED

Since the Football Freak received much hate mail after last weeks abysmal performance, there is a challenge issued to all of the Freak Wannabees. The winner will receive a special gift from Australia or New Zealand: Here it goes ladies and gentleman:

1. To be the Freak of the Week winner, you must have a better record than the Freak.
2. You must pick at least 3 games with the spread. But there is no limit on how many games you can pick.
3. To make your selections, you must put them with your name in the post comments section.
4. Best winning percentage wins the prize. If nobody beats the Freak, nobody wins.
5. If you pick against OSU, you are automatically disqualified. (OK. You can pick against OSU, but only at your own risk.)
6. Tiebreaker is total points in the OSU- Michigan game.

This will be the last installment of the Football Freak's predictions until the Bowl games. For the next 4 weeks, the Freak will be heading to Australia and New Zealand to focus on cricket, rugby, and aussie rules predictions.

God Loves The Buckeyes and Other Notes

Funny sign at a church in Ohio. Getting ready for the big game. Other ramblings. Sitting on the plane on the way back from Pensacola tonight, the gentleman next to me suggested that the way to stop terrorism was to put a live pig on every flight. He than goes on to tell me that the Koran forbids you from dying with a live pig. So, I respond "Where in the koran does it mention you should blow up planes and killing people?" He said "Good point." Anyways, I thought that story was funny. If you don't like it, go read elliottintheatl.blogspot.com. Hell. You should be reading that blog anyways.
Funny Blog of the Day"

In honor of Thanksgiving: Turducken Blog- www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,175233,00.html

 

Happy 2nd Birthday to Big Jake Ryder...

Jake Ryder after turning 2 years old on monday says " BRING ON MICHIGAN" Jake is fired up and ready to suit up for the big game on Saturday. Obviously, he is being raised the right way. The kid is a flat out stud and there isn't a damn 2 year old in the whole state of Michigan who wants a piece of him. 

Thought of the day...

MICHIGAN SUCKS 

Beautiful Places of The World...

Santorini, Greece
Whitewashed buildings situated on a cliff formed by volcanic explosion overlooking water and beautiful mountains in the back is the lovely place of Santorini, Greece. Don't forget the absolutely gorgeous red beach. One of the many Greek Islands, Santorini is an absolute treat for all kinds of travelers no matter what your speed. But you have to make sure to catch the sunset.

The picture on the left is of Ia, one of three parts of Santorini. More beautiful places to follow.

Red Beach, Santorini, Greece

RED BEACH 

It's Tuesday and Michigan Still Sucks...

 

Thoughts from the weekend and the week ahead.

Well. A good weekend has come and passed and here are some thoughts of the weekend that has passed us by and the week ahead. This time next week, I will have departed on my 4 week journey to New Zealand and Australia. But not before the big OSU-Michigan game on Saturday at the big house. Can't wait for them to kick that one off.

So for the weekend past, Martini's and IMAX is a huge winner. We headed there on Friday and watched a show on "Mystery of the Nile" It was an exhilarating showing of the first team in history to run the river in a raft in one single journey. 114 days and several near death experiences was extremely fascinating and highly recommended. Awesome cinematography had you on the edge of your seat.

A good Happy Birthday celebration for Tony Greathouse. Great turnout and good fun was had by all at Taco Mac and than heading to an old classic The Righteous Room in Virginia Highlands. Despite the worst bar service in all of Atlanta, good friends made it good times.

OTHER RANDOM TTHOUGHTS FROM THE WEEKEND:

Congrats to Becca Kilby on quitting her job and taking a job to help her chase her dream of opening a gift shop.

Thomas Daniel is still crazy. But thank you for the Buckeye ski cap.

J E T S- Just End The Season

Fantasy Football- Shitty luck this week. I would like to prevent Keyshawn from making it to the stadium. I am currently up 3 points and he has Keyshawn and I have nobody. May the fantasy gods curse Keyshawn or may I get even with him for screwing the Jets.

Bad loss by the Falcons. Losing at home to a 1-7 team.

BLOGS TO COME THIS WEEK:

Multiple posts on how Michigan sucks.

Sneak preview of the trip itinerary.

Photos from the Tony Greathouse birthday party.


It's Monday morning and MICHIGAN STILL SUCKS.

 

GOOSE EGG FOR THE FREAK

• You may ask, "What the hell is this picture for?" That my friends is a goose egg. The only picture fitting enough for the Football Freak. It has been clearly stated that the football freak takes no responsibility for the actions that may be taken as a result of his predictions, unless they are positive. In short, the Freak went winless on the weak.
  
  Let's quickly recap. OSU destroyed Northwestern 48-7 with an easy cover of the spread. They look strong heading in to the big game next week with Michigan. UGA disappointed with a tough loss to Auburn. UGA lacks the playmakers on offense and defense to be the big time team they have been for the last few years. They will be back strong next year as a lot of young players have gained valuable experience.
  
  LSU beat Alabama as expected, but just didn't do enough for the cover. Game went to OT, but Alabama just couldn't muster enough offense in the 2nd half.
  
  GT is an extremely mediocre team and fell short at UVA. Looking at a 6-5 season unless they can pull a big upset vs. Miami or Georgia.
  
  Michigan St. is officially in the tank after getting destroyed by Minnesota. Good luck at Penn St. next week.
  
  Iowa still had some life as they beat Wisconsin in Barry Alvarez' last home game. Make no mistake, Alvarez is a hell of a coach who put Wisconsin on the map.
  
  Shocked at the Gators getting handled by USC. Urban Meyer made some huge mistakes in this game.
  
  On another note, I still believe that Texas is the best team because of the skill on defense and Vince Young should win the Heisman
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

 

Buckeye Dog

WOOF. WOOF. WOOF. 

UP NEXT......... Michigan

OSU did what they had to do today vs. the purple pansies from Northwestern. They convincingly took care of business. After falling behind 7-0 after the first drive of the game, OSU thoroughly dominated on offense, defense and special teams. Good return game putting OSU in good field position and dominating the line of scrimmage with the running game. After a brief scare with Antonio Pittman headed to the locker room, he came back to play a real strong game with 134 yards. Troy Smith added 70 on the ground.

The defense played a solid game after the first drive for Northwestern. AJ Hawk was all over the place as usual and even got a TD on a blocked FG in his last game at the Horseshoe. Hawk is hands down the best linebacker in the country and he should win the Butkus Award. If he doesn't get the award, it is highway robbery. This was the last game of his career at the Horseshoe.

But, he has the big one left. The annual battle with scUM (Michigan.) We are heading to the big house hoping to clinch at least a tie for the Big Ten title and hopefully a BCS bowl bid. With the win in the bag, this officially starts Michigan week. Stay tuned to howardkalin.blogspot.com for more updates leading up to the big game.

Special thanks to OSU seniors playing their last game in the shoe.

AJ Hawk Bobby Carpenter Anthony Schlegel
Nate Salley Mike Kudla Rob Sims
Nick Mangold Tyler Everett Josh Huston


GO BUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!! BEAT BLUE 

Blowing out the candles

The old birthday trick was at it again last night at Fritti. Here is Michelle Krogmeier blowing out her "birthday" candle. She was totally shocked and turned completely red when the waiter walked out with a piece of pumpkin cheesecake with a candle and everyone singing Happy Birthday. On another note, the pumpkin cheesecake was absolutely delicious.

Watch out for the old birthday trick. You never know when it may be yours. 

The Football Freak's Predictions

Ladies and Gentleman,
I know all of you blog attendees have been anxiously waiting for this. A sneak preview as to what is going to take place this Saturday around the nation in College football.

This is not meant to be used for gambling, but if you can make a few dollars, good for you. Remember, I take no responsibilty for your actions (unless you win.) So, here we go:



Game 1: Northwestern at OSU: OSU - 19
OSU has showed over the last few weeks that they can put up some points on weak defenses. They get another one this week. That combined with a great defense and the game being played at the Horseshoe in Columbus should make this a good win. That is if the boys in the Scarlet and Grey aren't looking forward to the Michigan game.

Pick for $1M Turkish Lira: Northwestern + 19 OSU- 34 NW- 17

Game 2: Auburn at UGA: UGA -3
In what will shape up to be a happy 30th birthday celebration for Tony Greathouse and Jeff Comer, UGA will take care of Auburn to clinch the SEC east title. With DJ Shockley back in the fold, a great defense, and playing this game between the hedges will prove to be too much for Auburn.

Pick for $1M Turkish Lira: UGA -3 UGA- 23 Auburn -13

Game 3: LSU at Alabama: LSU - 3 1/2
A lot is on the line in this one. The joyride for Alabama is about to come to an end. Alabama has struggled mightily to put together any offense. LSU is too good of a team to beat without any production from the offense. With the exception of a second half meltdown vs. Tennessee, LSU has played solid football. Look for them to take care of Alabama and end the dreams of an undefeated season. With a loss, Alabama goes from being undefeated to the outside looking in for the SEC west title.

Pick for $1M Turkish Lira: LSU - 3 1/2 LSU- 20 Alabama- 10

Other Games:

GA Tech + 3 1/2 over UVA- Tech's defense is stingy and gets enough offense to win a close one. GA Tech- 20 UVA- 17

Michigan State + 6 over Minnesota- MSU bounces back to try and salvage the season in a shootout. MSU- 38 Minnesota- 31

Wisconsin - 2 1/2 over Iowa- Wisc- 34 Iowa- 27

Florida - 4 1/2 over USC- USC doesn't have the horses yet to beat Florida, but the Gators better watch out the next few years. Florida- 23 USC- 14 

OHIO IS "IT"

You may look at this picture and say, "Hey. Has Howie lost his mind? That is Ohio University. Can't he tell by the green?" So now for the explanation:

I hop on to espn.com this morning for my daily scan of what is going on in the sports world. What do I see? This picture of the Ohio University basketball team with the headline "Ohio Gets 'IT' " Puzzled, the first thought that comes to mind, "Is Todd Grandominico a hacker?" Todd is our token Ohio U grad and I am obviously struggling to understand how this happened. No disrespect to Todd, but Ohio U isn't a regular front page feature at espn.com.

So I read on, and Andy Katz goes on and on about how good OU is going to be this year. That they will be a major threat come tourney time, thanks in part to point guard Jeremy Fears. ESPN has dubbed OU the second annual "It" school for college basketball. Pretty exciting stuff for the Bobcats who are back on the hoops map after making the tourney last year. First time, since Gary Trent (Shaq of the Mac) left campus.

Here is the link to the story. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/preview2005/columns/story?id=2219457

Atlanta Fish Market

Yesterday was dinner at the Atlanta Fish Market. As seen in the pic, the big fish that marks the place. It seems that whenever a request for seafood comes up from one of my customers, this is the place to go. My opinion is that the fish market is solid, yet unspectatular. The fish is very fresh and the preparation is nothing overwhelming. None of the entrees have too much flair or unique style to them.

The cold shellfish appetizer is not worth it. For $36, you get an extremely small assortment of shrimp, mussels, crabmeat and lobster. So here is what I ask of you who are looking at my blog. Please recommend to me good seafood restaurants in the ATL. 

Future of OSU hoops

OSU signed a banner recruiting class today on the first day of the early signing period. This is the recruiting class that will put OSU basketball back on the map, in a big way. OSU signed 4 of the top 30 players in the nation and 1 of the top junior college players. Included in that class was unanimous number 1 player overall, 7 footer, Greg Oden. Oden is joined at OSU by one of the top point guards in the country and high school teammate, Mike Conley, Jr. Also, signed were Daequan Cook, David Lighty and Othello Hunter.

Congratulations to Thad Matta and his staff on a fantastic job. We look forward to seeing these kids suit up in the Scarlet and Gray at the Schott. 

NO WAY IN HELL....

Here is the headline from the back page of the New York Daily News today. Let's remember this. The main reason for a front or back page headline is to sell newspapers. So, a bunch of New Yorkers hopping on the Subway in the hustle and bustle of NYC may plop down there 50 cents to read this paper based on the headline. Hell, they may even purchase it just to get into the office, get by the water cooler and say "The guy who wrote that article is a fucking idiot." Yeah. It's New York and the fucking is in there just to make sure it is accurate.

OK. So here is my two cents on TO going to the Jets. He thinks McNabb sucks. He sure as hell hasn't watched any Jets games with Vinny Testaverde or Brooks Bollinger at the helms of the Jets offense. He would come out and say they suck and everybody would just get mad at him for stating the obvious. There is nothing good that could come out of the Jets adding TO to the mix. He is the most selfish person in all of pro sports. He acted like a jackass on a team that went to the super bowl. How would he be on the Jets? I hope TO gets run out of the league. Send a message to guys. You don't do what is asked and be part of the team, we don't care how individually talented you are.