News From Lake Wherehaveyagone

It is unlikely that you have been asking yourself, "What has Sven been up to lately?" Well, FrankenKrsitin asks once in awhile but is usually more along the lines of, "What the hell did you do all day?" Whether your interested or not, these are a few of the things that have kept Sven away from the computer lately.

- Like many Minnesotans we have spent quite a few weekends at the Lake. My grandmother has a lakehome in Northern WI so we try to get up there as much as we can. We've gone fishing, tubing, and won first prize in the 4th of July boat parade.

- We spent a weekend in Duluth visiting our friends Jordan and Connie and their new baby Sabina. We tried to ditch the kids for a few quiet hours by burying them in the sand at Park point Beach but they managed to escape. Bugger!

- We have spend a great deal of time at the soccer field watching, playing and coaching. That all comes to an end next week with the big Year End Jamboree. Between the two of them they have seven games in seven days. Talk about soccer overload.

- As I mentioned last week, my aunt Maxine died. She was my Mother's sister and was renowned for her Nostradamus like predictions, most of which came true. Except for the one about me being elected Mayor of South St. Paul. Too many skeletons.

- We are still engaged in an ongoing battle with Medica of over the bill for FrankenKristin's brain surgery. Apparently Bill McGuire's $161 million golden parachute as well as the $30 million in stock options offered to executive Lois Quam make it impossible for the company to afford to provide us with in-network coverage for her surgery. Never mind that there aren't any in-network doctors who specialize in treating Chiari Malformation. More on that next week.

- The drunk that rear ended us last summer finally appeared in court. A year and a day after the accident. He pled guilty.

- We have been helping my sister get things ready for her golf tournament. I'm in charge of the entertainment.



As long as I'm at the computer I can't resist commenting on a few recent items in the local news.

- On Sunday a cousin of mine made the front page of the newspaper in a report on his highly partisan political blog. I haven't had contact with him in years but I do see his father occasionally as he does our taxes each year. The reason I started blogging was because I had to create a user indenity in order to comment on one of the particularly nutty things he had to say so least I can do is give him his props. Frankly, I'm not sure how much his blog actually contributes to the marketplace of ideas as it seems to operate from more of a "gotcha!" mentality, but I know tons of people read it and he made the front page of the paper which is more than I can say for myself. Good luck to ya Michael, and say "Hi" to your dad for me.

- Yesterday it was reported that the father of Minnesota's junior Senator, Norm Coleman, was arrested for engaging in lewd conduct in the parking lot of Red's Savoy Pizza in St. Paul. Now I'm no fan of Senator Coleman and frankly I can't think of another Senator other than Rick Santorum who isn't more deserving of a few jabs, but good grief, leave his dad out of it. If it were the Senator that would be one thing, but hid dad is 81 years old and suffers from poor health, if he can still get it on with a 38 year old woman, more power to him. Besides, I've been to The Savoy and there ain't much too the parking lot, if they were teenagers we'd call 'em thrill seekers.

Next week I begin the tale of FrankenKristin's brain.