Romo Makes List of Shame

You’ve got to hand it to Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo.  It takes a whole lot for a generally likable kid from the Badger state to make it onto my Worst Wisconsinites List of Shame.  But he has committed an unpardonable sin … wearing a Cubs uniform and singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” at a Cubs game earlier this week.  This total lack of commitment to his Wisconsin roots was exacerbated when we learned that Tony has the worst singing voice since Roseann Barr!

It’s bad enough to have a kid from Burlington, Wis., playing for the Cowboys, but this was too much.  Have you no sense of loyalty, Romo?  Are you without conscience?

Just to show you how awful an act he committed, Romo has reached number three on my list, which reads like this:

1. Ed Gein, mass murderer and inspiration for the movie “Psycho.”
2. Sen. Joe McCarthy, leader of the “There’s a Commie Behind Every Bush” campaign that destroyed lives and careers in the fifties.
3. Tony Romo, who has clearly forgotten where he comes from.

Wait!  You might ask, where’s the Milwaukee Angel of Death, Jeffrey Dahmer?  Hideous, sick and disturbed, Dahmer was not originally from Wisconsin, and therefore cannot be considered a Wisconsinite (thank God!).

Tony Romo hereby forfeits his cheesehead, taste for beer, and may not ever, ever, ever eat a bratwurst again!

You Judas, you!

Stevedawg

CPAP with a 30/30 Guarantee

I’m really proud that my employer, the Sleep Wellness Institute, offers something that CPAP users will love … and probably are entitled to:  a 30/30 guarantee.

What does that mean?  It means you get your CPAP on a 30 night comfort and fit trial … and can return it and exchange for a different one at any time during that period.  And it means that we offer more than 30 different masks for you to choose from.

As a CPAP user now, myself, I can really appreciate this, as I was able to test three different masks before settling on the one I use every night now.

Too bad more CPAP providers don’t offer this kind of service.

Stevedawg

Hillary … It’s Time for You to Go

Note to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton:  thanks, awfully, for your spirited, dedicated campaign for President that has captivated the attention of Americans across the nation.  You have a great deal of reason to be proud.

But it’s time to go.  Your continued presence in the primary contests only serves to weaken your own party come November.  If there’s anything we don’t want, it’s yet another Republican who supports the status quo … and we certainly don’t need a Democrat whose dogged determination to win an unreachable nomination makes it possible for the GOP to win an election it has no right to win.

Your voice has been heard, Sen. Clinton.  Your issues have been placed in the forefront of the public’s consciousness, but the time has come.  Don’t sacrifice the good that you stand for by helping to elect John McCain.

Your voice and your dedication will continue to serve this country admirably through your position in the US Senate.  But your continued effort to win the nomination will only hurt the party and damage your reputation and place in history.

Thank you for fighting the good fight.  Now please have the good sense to recognize that Sen. Obama is the choice of your party.

Stevedawg, a political independent

CPAP … Week IV and Going Strong

I’m starting my fourth week on CPAP and all is going really well.  I’m sleeping well, not snoring at all, and have really adjusted to my machine and mask.

I had my three-week check-up last week, and was really intrigued to see all the information that was contained on the machine’s “Smart Card.”  Being able to use an auto CPAP unit saved me the need for a second overnight to do a “titration study,” and made it possible for me to adjust to my various quirks and errors early on.  For instance, I learned that I hate the nasal pillows mask that I tried.  And I also learned that when I didn’t have a good seal on my nasal mask, air whooshed out as the CPAP machine tried to compensate.

I truly recommend getting a sleep study to anybody who suspects they may have sleep apnea.  I have no doubt that having done so is impacting my life and health in a very positive way.  Don’t screw around … take care of your health!

Stevedawg

Gag Me with a Steak!!

Every once in a while, a news story comes along that gives me the willies! That happened last night on the local NBC affiliate, WTMJ-TV, when reporter Melissa McCrady interviewed a man who must still be gagging.

Seems this gentleman ate at the Texas Roadhouse restaurant in nearby West Bend, Wis. His steak was too well-done for his liking, but he chose not to do anything about it. Instead, the restaurant’s manager insisted on having a second steak prepared for him to take home. A nice touch, right?

Well, not when you have a vengeance demon (sneaky reference to Joss Whedon’s “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) cooking in your kitchen. Angered by having to make a second steak, the “cook” decided to stuff PUBIC HAIRS into the meat. The poor diner actually ate some of the steak before realizing he had the hairs on his fork.

GAAAAAKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!

Sure, it was just one very bad employee who has since been fired and may even face felony charges. But, Ms. McCrady’s story makes me think that restaurants should be doing REALLY thorough background checks on anybody who handles our food. I think I’ll be passing on the Texas Roadhouse, thank you.

I feel very badly for that gentleman, but thank him for sharing his story. And I thank Ms. McCrady for her dogged pursuit of the story.

PUBIC HAIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Gag me … with a steak this time!

Stevedawg

My CPAP and Me

Are we best buddies? Well, not yet, but things are working out. I’ve tried three different masks, including the nasal pillows (which really freaked me out!). There are some nagging things to deal with, such as rubbing little marks on my nose, much like having a pair of new glasses. But all in all, CPAP likes me … it really likes me!

I no longer snore. I no longer fall asleep during the evening right after dinner. I haven’t been told to move into the garage!

For those of you who may be having CPAP troubles, keep after your CPAP provider to help you out. It’s easy to get a mask that doesn’t fit right. It’s especially irritating to get your CPAP from a home medical provider who drops it off, but usually turns their phones off promptly at 5:00 p.m., and who can’t be reached on weekends. I’m lucky … my employer and sleep center is always there, ready to help.

CPAP … you’re getting to be a friend!

Stevedawg

Heads Up for Golfers!

If you’re in Wisconsin or southern Illinois, heads up! Tuesday, Sept. 23, will be the date of the Second Annual Reggie White Sleep Disorders Foundation golf outing and charity auction at the gorgeous Hawks View Golf Club in Lake Geneva, Wis.

36 foursomes will take on this highly challenging course, with each foursome matched with a celebrity golfer. There’s a great lunch, an even better dinner, silent and voice auctions, and some special fun things thrown in. For example, Bill Schroeder, former Packer wide receiver and now golf long drive champion, will do a trick shot exhibition, as well as hit the living you know what out of some balls. By the way, Bill is available for other events, if you’re interested. Just contact him at BillSchroeder84@yahoo.com.

And this just in: Green Bay Packer Hall of Famer LeRoy Butler, inventor of the Lambeau Leap, has just signed on to play in the event!

Some of the auction items already received include …

• autographed Brett Favre football
• autographed Brett Favre mini helmet
• autographed Michael Jordan basketball
• autographed Eli Manning Super Bowl mini helmet
• autographed Bart Starr football
• autographed Gilbert “the Gravedigger” Brown grave digging shovel
• and lots, lots more

Check out the link above for the foundation if you’re interested in joining a fun event on behalf of a great organization!

Stevedawg

Great Game … Putrid Parking

I was lucky enough to be invited to the Milwaukee Brewers home opener against the Giants last Friday.  The game, itself, was sensational.  What more can you ask than to have your favorite team bang out 16 hits and score 13 runs?  What more can you ask than free food and drinks (which I got as a guest of local TV station, WTMJ, channel 4)?

What more can you ask?  How about not being treated like crap by the parking attendants?  After sitting in my car in line for an hour, I was turned away by a parking lot attendant who said I couldn’t park without a pre-paid parking pass.  Now, the Brewers own website had stated that such passes were available, but were only required for preferred parking.  I was attempting to get into one of the general parking lots (read miles and miles away from Miller Park).

After a major parking debacle last year when many people without tickets tailgated all day in the parking lots while people with tickets couldn’t get it, the Brewers made it a requirement this opening day that you had to have a game ticket to even get into the lots.  I did, of course.  When I pointed that out to the parking attendant, he rudely yelled “GET OUT” at me.  I asked him where I was supposed to park, and he again shouted at me “I Don’t Know … Get Out!”

Wow, as a marketing and PR guy of nearly 40 years, I was appalled at this unbelievable bit of “guest relations.”  If nothing else, the hundreds of cars this jerkweed was turning away were lost revenue for the Brewers, because instead of paying for parking at the stadium, most of us found FREE parking about another mile away.  What’s a little walk when you’re saving money?

But I have never heard so many people who were really angry, even after entering the stadium and sitting in their seats for the game.

The game was well-played on the field. Off the field, however, the Brewers organization really let their fans down!

Stevedawg

Smarmy, Sleazy, Dirty Political Campaigns

For the second consecutive year, a Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice race has been corrupted by outsiders with agendas, but no conscience.  Dirty, deceiving, outright nasty ads dominated the race, which one candidate won by a 51-49% margin.  I won’t even name the candidates, because they are as much at fault as anybody.  They could, had they wanted to, told their third party supporters to knock it off, but they didn’t.  That way, they could appear above the fray, not getting their own hands dirty in the process.

I’m sick of it all.  I’m tired of outsiders disrupting the real messages and stances of the candidates.  But, then again, we’re at fault, too.  We’re a nation of fools who will believe anything and everything we’re told and will just follow along like sheep after the big money groups that want to manipulate us.

So, to the WMC, the WEA, the “Wisconsin Club for Growth” (oh,  give me a break on that piece of crap name!) and all the rest, here’s fair warning:  stay the f*** out of our right to FREELY choose our public officials WITHOUT your money, your agendas, and your hiding in the shadows manner of corrupting what is OUR right … the RIGHT to CHOOSE a candidate based on FACTS.

Third party groups like those named above are the biggest gas bags and dirtiest political players of them all.

Stevedawg

The Results are In

And I do have moderate sleep apnea.  I am taking home an auto CPAP unit tonight and will use it for three weeks to determine the right pressure for me.  I could have come back in for a “titration study,” but that would have meant another night sleeping at work, and no matter how really comfortable this place is, it will be nice to try things at home.

I’m relieved to know my situation.  As I’ve said in the past, I have a family history of sleep apnea, and a personal history of heart problems, so it was definitely worth it to find out about the apnea.  By diagnosing and treating it now, I have a significantly better chance of preventing it from worsening and having an impact on other systems of my body.

I’ll report back on how the CPAP goes.

Stevedawg