Tales from the Commonwealth
Finally, home at last. I enjoyed a nice trip to Minneapolis around Labor Day taking in the state fair and a blues club. I've now used up all my vacation time for this year, so no more traveling. I hit King's Dominion with Todd, Lichiel, and Lizeth, had a blast, got quasi-mooned, saw flying phones. 

Briefly let's touch on some states I've been to recently:
West Virginia - everything you heard is true...and worse. Inbreeding and unpaved roads.
Kentucky - Don't believe the hype. It's West Virginia with horses.
Indiana - Lots of wind. Kansas with trees.
Illinois - Chicago's big, rest of the state is green, but sparse.
Wisconsin - lots of water, lots of yawning
Minnesota - I love Minnesota. Minneapolis has a small-town feel, but lots to do.
Missouri - nice state, reminds me of Virginia without the mountains
Kansas - godforsaken hole. barren. flat. dry. windy. plant a tree for cryin out loud.
Nebraska - Kansas without the charm.
Colorado - gorgeous scenery, great weather, 75 mph speed limits
Texas - big. you want it, you can find it in Texas
North Carolina - West Virginia without the mountains
South Carolina - Georgia without the stench
Georgia - one state, one odor
Florida - rain. rain. rain. bikinis in the sunshine
California - more bikinis, less rain
Oklahoma - Kansas with hills
Delaware - I think I blinked and missed it
Pennsylvania - nothing beats a philly cheese steak
Maryland - Virginia wannabe
Washington - Colorado with evergreens and rain
Oregon - Washington Jr
Louisiana - West Virginia just with swamps and no mountains
Alabama - one tooth, one last name
Mississippi - Alabama with less money
Tennessee - they filmed Deliverance here
Wyoming - Colorado without the scenery
Ohio - my, that's a lot of corn. Did you come here on purpose?
Arkansas - West Virginia with smaller mountains
Virginia - God's favorite state

Sports
As of this writing, the softball teams are tanking fast. The co-rec team I managed is 3-7 with four games left. We have an outside shot at finishing 7-7, but it won't be easy. The men's league team is worse having lost four straight to fall to 2-7. Ben and Lizeth have forced me to begin a workout regimen. The goal is to get in shape for next spring's softball teams. So far I've found muscles in places I didn't know I had muscles. I know this because I hurt in places I didn't know you could hurt. The two gallons of sweat were a lovely bonus. 

Are you excited yet about baseball? Randy Johnson looking for the strikeout record, Barry Bonds the homer record, Ricky Henderson the runs record and 3000 hits, the Mariners the wins record, and after all that, the Yankees are still the team to beat.

Hello, Green Bay! Favre is back in a big way bringing along a stud defense and new super-back Ahman Green. You get the feeling something special is brewing in Green Bay. 3-0 at the moment and looking like a contender. Life is good.

Hairstyles
Dr Evil rides again!

This month
Reading - Slave Narratives by Various Authors
Listening to - Zoolander Soundtrack

Contact
As always, I appreciate your thoughts and comments. You can email me at Shawn@somethingmonthly.com, or you can instant message using AOL's AIM program (look for The Folklegend). Don't forget to check out Something Monthly's message board!