Brotherly Perspectives

2 brothers 1 Blog 2 perspectives

[andyandjoe-blog]

Early-season Evaluation: Minnesota Vikings

  The BROggers favorite NFL team is the Minnesota Vikings. The following is their evaluation of the Vikes early season success. 

JOE:

The Vikings are tied with the Bears for first in their division. The Vikings have played very well. Against the Colts, they lost because the Colts' offensive tackle held Jared Allen  for the whole ENTIRE game. I wish the normal refs were there, not the REPLACEMENTS. 

Offense: Christian Ponder has thrown the ball much better than last year. The offensive coordinator has made great calls. The receivers are catching the balls that Ponder throws. Peterson and Gerhart are like bulldozers! But Gerhart needs to work on not fumbling the ball. Grade: A-

Defense: The defensive is doing PRETTY good. The defense is good at pass rushing. Everson Griffin is like BOOM BOOM POW, getting sack after sack. The defense needs to work on better pass defense. Grade: A-

Special Teams: The kicking is going GREAT. One field goal missed, but zero extra points missed!  Grade: A

Favorite Players: #1 Marcus Sherels, the best punt returner ever! He averages 15 yards a punt return. I'd like a Sherels jersey, because at recess I do pretty good returning myself.

#2 Percy Harvin. Wide Receiver and sometimes Running Back and ALWAYS kick-off returner. Again, I like him because I am a good returner too. He doesn't always fake people out sometimes he just runs and no one can catch him because he is so fast. 

Outlook for the rest of the season: The Vikings need to keep doing what they're doing. Ponder is doing super good. I predict that the vikings will make the playoffs and win the superbowl. Their record is 4-1 right now, they need to be at least 9-7 to make the playoffs. So they just need to win 5 of their next 11 games. But i predict that they will be 14-2. SKOL VIKINGS LETS WIN THIS GAME! etc. 

-J

ANDY:

So far the Vikings have been a pleasant surprise. I really did not expect them to be terribly good this year. I was optimistic that they would be better than last year, but they have certainly exceeded my expectations. I really hope that they continue to play well, but even if they tank down the stretch I'm glad we poor Vikings fans have had the chance to enjoy at least some success, not to mention the added bonus of the Packers' misfortunes. HAHA. (Note: I, of course, do not think that the refs should ever decide the outcome of a game, but it always seems that when something weird like that goes wrong, it always happens to the Vikes, it was kinda nice that it didn't happen to them for once.. even better that it was the Packers :D ) It is important to point out that the Vikes still have a lot of areas to improve upon and the first half of their schedule is significantly less difficult than the second, but they have definitely taken care of business and if they had play a little better against the Colts they'd be undefeated.

Offense: Christian Ponder looks like a good game manager. He has done well and only just this week threw his first interceptions. I'm still a little skeptical of his skill set. He doesn't appear to have the strongest arm. He doesn't often throw the long ball, nor does he through the bullet strikes that you might see Aaron Rogers throw. He still misses receivers from time to time and will sometimes force the ball to covered receivers and fail to notice open ones. His speed and agility have been a nice surprise and despite his shortcomings he routinely has completion percentages in the 60-70% range. It's hard to argue with success! I do think the offense in general needs to play better though. 20-25 points a game isnt going to cut it in the long run. The need a little more firepower, a few more touchdowns and a few less field goals. Hopefully, a healthy Jerome Simpson will provide a spark. Also, can somebody tell me why the Vikes continue to waste Joe Webb's obvious athletic ability on the bench?? I doubt he'll ever be our quarterback, so why don't we trade him or play him? Grade: B

Defense: The defense has really carried the team this year, allowing a mere 15 pts a game. Without the solid effort from the defense the Vikings offense would not be producing enough points to win. I am most surprised by the improved defensive backfield. For as long as I can remember the Vikings have been vulnerable to opposing passers, but they have really stepped up. A good pass rush helps, which the Vikes have, but the d-backs have really held their own. That said, I still think they can improve, especially on third down. They play so well on first and second downs only to give up a big play on third down. If they can eliminate the big plays and get off the field on third down, they will be in great shape. Grade: A-

Special Teams: Kickoff and punt returns for touchdowns; 3 50+ yard field goals; Solid kick and punt coverage.. The special teams are having an exceptional year. Rookie kicker Blair Walsh has been nearly perfect. He's missed only once in 13 tries, but he's made all three of his kicks from beyond 50 yards. Walsh has proven to have both strength and accuracy. He's been huge for a team that has struggled to come away with touchdowns.  Grade: A+

Favorite Players: 1# Adrian Peterson. He's a monster. So tough and he's like a lizard or something. He destroys his knee and basically just chops it off and grows a new one. He is a freak. He works hard and he seems like a decent guy too, which is refreshing for someone so talented. I do think he has a ways to go yet to get back to where he was before, he doesn't seem quite as elusive or dominant as he was.

#2 Percy Harvin. He is so tough. Compared to his fellow players he seems 'small' by comparison, yet he is consistently one of the most difficult players to tackle. He rarely goes down on the first hit and he is just as effective running over a defender as he is faking them out. He absorbs a lot of big hits, but he always seems to get back up. He even manages to overcome his debilitating migraines to play on Sundays. So tough. 

Outlook: I think the Vikes have played well, but really benefitted from a weaker schedule. However, if they play well, I think they can compete with just about anybody, I don't think they will win quite as many games going forward, but I don't see any reason why they can't make the playoffs. I think they need 10 wins to make the playoffs. I think they finish one better: 11-5. 

[andyandjoe-blog]

The Broggers' Restaurant Review #1

Tonight, September 14, 2012, the Broggers A and J dined in beautiful downtown Sioux Falls at Chedd's Gourmet Grilled Cheese restaurant. Here is our 'professional' review of our experience for the benefit of our readers. 

J's review

Service:  I loved it. The guy who helped us was a nice person. He was verrrry polite. *burp* It was sort of fast service. We ordered at the counter and we had to come get it ourselves. Grade: A+

Ambience: It was pretty cold in there. It was pretty cool decorations in there. My favorite one was the mouse with a “cheese belly”. On the walls they have pictures, Wisconsin license plates and a big fat balloon cow.. welllll... maaybe not fat... but pretty skinny. It was really relaxed in there. I thought the furniture was pretty good... pretty soft chairs.. once again I am saying the word “pretty”. And now i’m going to give it a grade... drum roll pleeeeeaase .... A

Menu/Selection: It was a pretty good selection. There was lots of cheeses to pick from. My favorite cheese is cheddar and American. AMERICA!  Grade: A+

Taste/Quality of food: I had a grilled cheese sandwich with white bread and cheddar cheese. They put a lot of cheese on there, they do. The ingredients in the food were fresh. Luckily they know that some people like ketchup on their grilled cheese. Like me! (haha Andy spelled people wrong) My sandwich tasted reeeallly good. It tasted kinda... kinda CHEESY. It was both soft AND crunchy. I thought they might have put too much cheese on mine.. well i guess i did only have cheese on mine so.. yeah. The bread was verrrry good. I wonder if “Big Easy” from the Globetrotters likes cheese, then we could call him the “Big Cheesy”. For dessert I had a chocolate milkshake. And it was kind of melted when I got it. I didnt really like it melty, but it was still pretty good. I ate it all.  The Grade issss : B+

Presentation of the food: The presentation of the food was PRETTY lousy. All they did was take my grilled cheese sandwich and cut it in half and wrap it in some paper. It felt like a present.. but it was a sandwich. (Andy keeps spelling sandwich wrong). Grade: D-

Cleanliness: It was really really clean in there. I felt like it was safe to eat the food. Our table was very clean. Umm .. uhhh ... i cant think of what i was gonna say... OH YEAH ... uhh I forgot again. The reason may be that the customers were pretty clean. The bathrooms had one toilet in each... i mean I think ... i didn’t go in both. I’m just guessing. They didnt even have stall doors they just put a little toilet in there. But it was very clean in the bathrooms. 

Grade: A+

Overall: ****.5  (out of 5)

**********

A's REVIEW

Service: I thought the service tonight was actually pretty good. I've been to Chedd's before when it hasn't been as good. The guy who helped us was really nice and helpful. He didn't make us feel rushed or try to talk us into ordering something we didn't want. He chatted with us, thanked us as we left, and laughed at Joe's oddball remarks. The few times I've been to Chedd's I thought the service was kinda slow for grilled cheeses.. even gourmet grilled cheese. However.. tonight it was rather prompt. Overall, I was quite pleased. Although I have my doubts as to whether it is consistently good, the review is for tonight! Grade: B+

Ambience: I really like the inside of Chedd's. It's kind of a counter style place. With the milk shakes and grilled cheese it has a 50's diner kind of feel. Very laid back, but it's still kind of unique and 'hip' (I use this word cautiously as I myself have very little experience in what is 'hip'). The walls are decorated with various cheese and dairy themed pictures and knick-knacks, including wisconsin license plates that actual customers have donated in exchange for a free sandwich. Seating is limited, although we had no trouble getting a table. My main complaint is that it was really cold in there and we could feel cold air blowing on us the whole time, which made the meal less enjoyable. Grade: B+

Menu/Selection: For a restaurant specializing in such an ordinary sandwich like grilled cheese, Chedd's offers a wide variety of interesting and unique variations to the classic. You can also create your own gourmet grilled cheese. Just pick out a type of bread, a cheese (or two), and then pick from various sauces, vegetables or meats. I'm not sure how it fits but Chedd's also offers grilled brats. It's a little random.. but I love brats, so I'm all for it. There is also soup and chips as well as cookies and milkshakes for dessert. It's a pretty good menu and ice cream in any form counts for bonus points. Grade A-.

Food Taste/Quality: I ordered a grilled cheese with sourdough bread, Colby Jack cheese, bacon and ham. The sandwich was grilled just right. I like my grilled sandwich crispy and it was, but not overcooked. I thought the bread and cheese were great, obviously good quality. The ham and bacon, however, was not as good. It was cheaper and lower quality. I think you can get better stuff just at Hy-Vee. The vanilla shake, on the other hand, was great! Unlike my fellow Brogger, I like my shake a little melty. Grade B+

Presentation: The sandwiches were cut in half and wrapped tightly in paper. Nothing fancy, but it kind of fit the atmosphere. Plastic utensils were also available. I didn't have a problem with it, but I wouldn't have minded a plate or something. B-

Cleanliness: Everything looked pretty new and clean. At no time did I fear ingesting some toxin lurking in the food or on the surfaces of the furniture. I didn't check out the restrooms, but J gave them a glowing review. Good enough for me. Grade: A

Overall: I like Chedd's. It's a nice relaxing place to go for a good meal. **** (out of 5)

-A

Recommendation: J and I both strongly recommend Chedd's to our friends and anyone looking for a place to eat in DTSF

SPECIAL THANKS to our sister MAGGIE for accompanying us on our outing for helping document the occasion with her excellent photography skillz.

[amandapalmer]

[andyandjoe-blog]

The Broggers Ranking Series: #1 Superheros (and Villians)

JOE:

Heros: 

5) Iron Man - I basically just picked this one randomly because I just wanted to have a bunch of avengers

4) Nick Fury - Cause he looks cool with his eyepatch on. 

3) Captain America - He has a cool shield. 

2) Thor - It is cool that Thor can shoot lightening. I liked it (in the Avengers movie) when Thor hit his hammer on Cpt. America’s shield because there was a HUGE explosion.

1) Hulk - I like Hulk because he can smash through anything. He is green and he has green blood.

Villians

3) Dr. Bushroot - It was funny when he planted a vampire potato and he always loses to Darkwing Duck and he does a good job at messing up

2) Killer Croc - He does a good job at losing to Batman and I like he is a Crocodile... I wonder how he turned into one? Does anybody out there know?

1) Loki - Because he has a cool sword thingamajig. He has cool powers like he can make people able to go through him and he can transport.

I would also like to say: Why don't they call Optimus Prime, Trucktimus Prime? Cause he's a truck. 

-J

ANDY:

Heros

5) Darkwing Duck - This is a tribute to my childhood. Darkwing Duck was my favorite TV show when I was a little kid. I can remember asking my mom how long it would be until DW came on and she said “An hour”. When I asked how long that would be should told me to “count to 60, 60 times”, which seemed at the time like a fate worse than death. 

4) Iron Man - I have to point out that I am basing this almost completely on Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man. I have little if any experience with the actual comic book. I enjoy Tony Stark’s personality. I am also a fan of how he uses “science” to make his suit, making Iron man seem almost feasible. 

3) Spiderman - I am sort of late to the party when in comes to spiderman. I was never much of a spiderman fan as a kid, but he has grown on me recently. This is to say nothing of the quality of the Spiderman films, but the movies did spark my interest. I think I like spiderman for two reasons: his acrobatics and his personality. I've always like the swinging from buildings and climbing up walls stuff. Maybe not to spiderman's extreme, but I do wish my own agility and climbing skills were a little better. I really identify with Peter Parker better than any of the others. He is close in age and he deals with issues that are important to people in my age range. He has family issues and like all good super heroes he isn't perfect. (I plan to expand on that sentiment in a future post.) He's something of a nerd, and so am I. I feel like Peter and I would get along. I am also a fan of his running dialogue with himself. It's funny, it's insightful.. and, yes, it's relatable.

2) Superman - Now I know there are a lot of Superman haters out there. That's fine. I mean I get it. Some people don't like him because he is too powerful. Well I argue first that, the original Superman anyway, was more or less just a genetics phenom (able to leap buildings in a single bound!). He was just super strong. How is this different from, say, Hulk? He isn't necessarily as "magical" as he looks at first glance. And anyway, whatever Batman lacks in "powers" he makes up for in suspiciously convenient "inventions". And Superman has his weaknesses too and his own internal conflicts that are less 'alien' than one might think. Above all, Superman is a classic, he wears great primary colors, and he can fly... and who the heck wouldn't want to fly?!

1) Batman - Obviously. I mean Batman has it all. If I'm on the playground picking teams at recess, I don't care what game we are playing I'm picking Batman first. If nothing else he'd beat the crap out of anyone who tried to push us around. He is smart, he is determined, he rarely talks to much, he has some awesome gadgets, he has Alfred (that's worth a lot of bonus points right there) he's got the best sidekicks, the best villains, the best nicknames... The list goes on. And I like most batman sources too. Movies, animated series, comic book, whatever.. The plots just always seem to be better, cleverer. I like the detective aspect of the Batman character too. The stories just seem to have more substance, as do the characters.. to me anyway. There is something intriguing too about someone called the "Dark Knight" "Caped Crusader" etc. He lurks in the shadows dressed in black and takes his enemies by surprise. B. A. 

Villians

3) Shredder (TMNT) - In a way, I just needed a way to honor the TMNT. The shredder is relatively intimidating and has a cool name and he is on TMNT. That's really all I got here. 

2) The Penguin - I think part of this one is the fact that growing up my brother Alex and I had a book on cassette tape featuring Batman and the Penguin in "I Almost Got Him". It was great. And how cool is that the creators of Batman can take a cheesy name like "The Penguin" and turn it into a legitimate villain? 

1) The Joker - Cliche, maybe, but I have my reasons nonetheless. Obviously, Batman being my top pick above, it follows that I would have a Batman Villain (or two) here. I watched far more Batman growing up than anything else really and the Joker was always my favorite/most hated. He was so hard to understand and Batman could never seem to truly stop him forever. As a psych major, he is just terribly interesting to me, a caricature of real life psychopaths to whom money or other such motives aren't really that important. As a kid I always wondered (like my brogger with killer croc) where Joker came from. I wanted to see him without his makeup. How does a person turn into the Joker, someone who dresses up, paints his face, commits terrible crimes, and is funny... in the most frightening way imaginable?  In undergrad I got to work in a really interesting research lab that worked to answer those questions about real life Jokers, it was spooky. 

[andyandjoe-blog]

How do you feel about school starting up again?

I started school on August 16th, 2012. I am in the 4th grade. So far I have only gotten two papers back and one was an A+ and one was an A-! I feel about 4th grade that a lot times I will not have homework. Maggie (my big sister, who is almost smaller than me) says you get homework like everyday but I do not agree with that. cause there is only ONE time when I had two things for homework. The rest of the time was only one. I do like 4th grade so far, but it does not beat third grade yet because third grade was waaaay more fun. 3rd grade is waaay ahead of the pack (i.e. way better than Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, or 4th grade). 3rd grade was so awesome because Miss Mac was such an awesome teacher and I had Miss Mac. She made learning fun, she was on the news once. I like my teacher this year too. I feel so-so about starting school again. I miss summer because you dont really have to learn and because at school we have to miss 7 hours of the day and i only get 5 hours to play. I am glad to start school though because it was a relief to get out of hot air the whole day and our classroom is the coldest classroom in the whole school. I am also glad to see my friends, especially Zach. It is important to go to school to learn stuff. In conclusion: Apples are tasty. 

-J

I have some mixed feelings about school starting up again. This is the first Autumn in TWENTY years that I will not be in some form of school... I can't decide whether that statistic is impressive or just depressing. I will say this though, to my former Medical School classmates who just had their first Pathology test: HA! Sucks to be you! ... haha just kidding, I wish them the best.. but seriously. I'm excited to enjoy the fall without the burden of homework hanging over me for once, to go to a football or hockey game and not feel guilty about the homework time I was wasting. After twenty years of school I'm looking forward to some different challenges. And medical school was not like other school. Instead of being in class for a few hours a day and having the rest of the time for study and other activities, you spend 8 hours in class and you must study for the majority of the evening too if you want to be successful. I've never felt less human, than in my study of humans.

On the other hand, I can't help feeling nostalgic about the first couple of months of school in high school or college. My Facebook is flooded with friends who are excited about heading back to school, and I'm utterly shocked to admit that I kinda miss it a little. Homecoming, football, school activities, and seeing friends and being surrounded by people my own age were things I really truly enjoyed about school. And if I can echo Joe's blog a little, a good teacher or a good professor could turn an interesting class into a very rewarding experience. I am certainly not done with school. I am exploring some promising new career opportunities as I type this, but mark my words, even if these new business opportunities pan out, I WILL get a graduate degree at some point. If nothing else, I'd like to take what I will learn from my career and pass that on to others as a teacher. No, school has definitely not seen the last of me...

I also like apples.

-A

[andyandjoe-blog]

Thumb Update from Joe

I wanted to tell you about how my thumb is doing. I thought that I had broke my thumb and it was getting really big and my dad wanted to put a hole in my thumb nail so that we could let blood out. We wanted to let the blood out so that it would not be swollen up and so my bruise would GO AWAY. So we went to the doctor and the first thing we did was get an X-Ray and my thumb was perfectly fine except for the bruise and stuff and swollen stuff. Then we went back to the doctor place and they took a long rod and heated it up and burned a hole in my thumbnail. They touched it three times and on the third time Swooooosshhhh  the blood came pouring out! We put a bandaid on it and left. It is feeling fine and it looks GREAT there is a tiny bruise in the top right hand corner and way at the bottom. And if you pushed on it you might see some white stuff moving around under there. It does not hurt very much only a tiny bit when you push on it. If you like punch it or something then it hurts. I think the nail is going to come off though because i found the back of my nail and it is no longer under my skin. It is out and it will come off. I will keep you updated thanks for reading! -J

[andyandjoe-blog]

What does that mean? Does that mean you can't be petted? Because that is NOT true.

Joe, after reading Mom's Fortune Cookie, which read "you are never ...petty" He then proceeded to prove that it could be done.

[andyandjoe-blog]

From left to right the Broggers Joe and Andy and their sister Maggie. Olympic Gymnastics. Clearly Joe takes the Gold. 

[andyandjoe-blog]

What is your Pet Peeve?

Kids who don't go to the bathroom before they get in the pool.

 Because today when I went to the pool we all had to get out of the main pool because some kid pooped in the pool. It looked like a tiny rock floating in the pool. I bet it would be disgusting if you thought it was a rock and tried to grab it and through it out of the pool. They had to close the main pool for the whole day! I bet the people that just got there were sad they couldnt go in the main pool. We need to stop this from happening by making people go to the bathroom before they go in the pool. 

-J

  My Pet Peeve is how at every restaurant everywhere with every dish you could ever think of you have get one or more disgusting pickles on the side. There is no greater injustice inflicted on the human race than to have every dish in the world infected with pickle juice.

Because we all know... unlike apples or lettuce or carrots or any other harmless food out there you can't just have pickles on your plate and expect them to just mind their own business. Oh no.. they have to sweat off their disgusting odor and juices all over the rest of everything. There is nothing worse than going to your favorite burger joint and ordering a cheeseburger (a cheeseburger, not a cheese burger smothered in pickles, just a cheeseburger) and fries only to get your order only to find out that your bun and fries are all soggy from the pickle juice from the pickles the burger joint hid on your plate.

Also, if I am lucky enough to remove the pickles from my plate before they have infected the other foods, I now have my safe plate area reduced by at least a fourth! Imagine if you will a hypothetical plate with 1/3 of the area taken up by the burger, 5/12s by the Fries, and 1/4 by the pickle juice... (4/12+5/12+3/12=12/12 or 1 plate) Where exactly am I supposed to put my ketchup??? And what if, in setting down my burger, I am a 12th or two off and I set it in the pickle juice quadrant? I'm telling you it's stressful and, honestly, quite preventable and unnecessary.  

I just don't understand why every restaurant thinks that every one of their customers wants a pickle with their ham and cheese sandwiches and their French Dips.. who made up this rule that pickles are automatically included? Seriously! Couldn't these restaurants be saving money? I know that some deranged individuals out there like pickles. That's fine. You are entitled to your totally outlandish opinion. (I suppose you probably hate America too) But why must the rest of be subjected to your pickles? Why can't the pickle-lovers ask for them themselves?!

Take Culvers for example (Culvers is one of the worst offenders) I order my butter burger or ham and cheese or whatever (not once do i ask for a side of pickle juice) and they always put a pickle on top... What the heck? I bet approximately 100% of people don't eat the pickle. Ok ok. more like 50%.. fair? If Culvers stopped automatically degrading their meals and simply required those wishing for their meals to be degraded to ASK for it themselves. I bet they could cut their yearly pickle cost and improve their bottom line by thousands of dollars (if not bajillions).

This is a free country and if food establishments want to continue serving pickles I suppose they have that right, but I believe that in America one person's rights end where they infringe on another person's rights. I'm not saying pickles should be a controlled substance or illegal (mostly). Those who foolishly enjoy pickles should be allowed to continue to torture themselves if that is what they want, but let's stop this insensitive practice of ruining everyone else's food. Please join me in the fight to bring justice to America's restaurants again! We ARE the 50%! 

That's my pet peeve.

-A

DISCLAIMER: While I do hate pickles, this blog is meant to be humorous. I do not mean to offend anyone. Lots of my friends (and family) eat pickles.

[andyandjoe-blog]

OLYMPICS POST

WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE OLYMPIAN THIS SUMMER?

 Michael Phelps. I like him because he is a good American person. He treats everyone well. He is very good at swimming. He is actually the best at swimming. My favorite race that he was in was the gold medal final the 100m Butterfly he started off in 7th place and came back to beat the guy that was in first by one hundreth of a second! 

-J

Missy Franklin. There are a lot of athletes to love this year, but I think Missy is my favorite. She took care of business and won a whole bunch of medals. She didn't freak out and let the pressure get to her and she is only 17!! What impressed me the most about her though is how down to earth she seems. She seems so nice and humble... and intelligent too. We can all agree that those questions they have been asking the swimmers after their races are idiotic. I've been impressed with how everyone dealt with those ridiculous questions, but Missy's answers were great too. In a world of self-promotion and big egos, Missy Franklin is a breath of fresh air. Thanks for all your hard work Missy! Go AMERICA!

(NOTE: if we are talking about most beautiful olympian that is and always will be Nastia Liukin, regardless of whether or not she is competing)

DO YOU THINK PHELPS WILL BE BACK IN 2016

I do not think he is coming back. by the time it’s the next olympics he will be 31 so i do not believe he will be coming back because most of the swimmers in the olympics are like 21 and 23 and stuff like that. 

-J

I do think that Phelps will be back in 2016. Perhaps not to race in 7 races again. But maybe 2 or 3. I think he is the type of Favr-- i mean guy.. who will get that itch to compete again. Either way it's been a privilege to watch him race. Thanks for your hard work Michael! 

-A

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE OLYMPIC EVENT? 

Water Polo. Water polo is like handball.. but in the water! It’s like soccer using your hands but in a swimming pool. It fun watching people foul each other the whole time. I also like it because America always wins except for that one time.

-J

  My favorite event is the 4X100. I know, I know... real original right? It's not very imaginative but it is so exciting. There are lots of events to love in the olympics. I'm getting into handball, I like gymnastics and swimming, I loved that USA/Canada soccer game. I really can get excited about most olympic events. But the 4X100 (both men's and women's) amazes me. These are the fastest athletes on the PLANET! Sometimes, on a good day I sprint a short distance and I feel like I am moving pret-TY fast... But even on my best day I'm not coming even close to what these athletes can do. It is so exhilarating to run fast.. i can't imagine what it must be like for people who are actually... well.. FAST! And it always seems like it is a close race. Sometimes there is drama, like someone getting tripped or a dropped baton. It really has everything you could hope for. Oh and let's not forget, the United States usually has a team and a decent shot at a medal... so if I'm being honest that is an important aspect to me, I still love the olympics even with out a USA athlete competing, but i'm much more invested in the outcome if my country has a chance to win. GO AMERICA!

-A

WHY DO YOU THINK THE OLYMPICS ARE IMPORTANT?

They are for people to have fun, and for people to have happy moments and sad moments. It’s not about seeing who is the best in the world, it’s about having fun and playing together as a team (unless it’s in gymnastics in the all-around final because then you might have to play against your teammates)

-J

In addition to being a great measure of human achievement and process, the olympics to me is a very satisfying paradox: On the one hand, in America at least, the Olympics brings us together as Americans and stirs up some of the strongest nationalistic sentiments you will ever encounter. This is more or less true in other countries too. How often do we see displays of national pride by athletes and fans alike during the olympics? How many people get choked up just watching a fellow countryman on the podium while their national anthem is played? Or dress up in their colors and wave their flag? There is no doubt the Olympics is a moving experience that rejuvenates national pride but... on the other hand, the olympics is one of the greatest displays of sportsmanship, diplomacy, cooperation and global unity. People from all over the world gather together to put on what is largely a big party! We celebrate together at the opening and closing ceremonies. We exchange cultures and ideas. The athletes and fans exchange flags, jerseys, jackets, name tags, etc. Aside from a few exceptions, the sportsmanship of fans and athletes is unparalleled. Even after a close race, you see stars like Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt congratulating the other racers. Or after an emphatic drubbing of the confident Italian women's beach volleyball team (USA!!!) you see Misty May-Treanor offering words of wisdom to her competitor that looked up to her growing up. The olympics really are inspiring.. in so many ways. It is amazing how countries can both reinvigorate their national pride while at the same time uniting and cooperating with the rest of the world. To me, the Olympics are important because they remind us that we are all human and we are all on the same 'team'. GO AMERICA GO WORLD!

-A

[andyandjoe-blog]

JOE! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR THUMB? 

We were on vacation in the twin cities for our family reunion. So we got there.. we got out of the car... and we were waiting for our brother alex and a guy in a car pulled up and told us to go across the street and I quick closed the door so I could go across the street and I slammed the door on my thumb. It hurt verrrrrrrrry much.. observe my photo. Now every time we go on the blog i want to show updates on how my thumb is doing until my nail comes off. Do you see that bump in that picture from the side? Welllll that’s the back of my nail and it’s coming off. I think the nail is gonna pop off because of the swelling from my bruise under my nail. i’m going to let it fall off. Im not really nervous. It still hurts but only when you touch it. When you touch it it hurts verrrrrrrrry much. 

What colors can you see in your bruise?

Right now it has purple, a little bit of red.. wait is that scarlet? i dont think so. and maybe a little bit of blue, oh wait a little green but no yellow. 

-Joe

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ANDY, WHAT HAPPENED TO JOE'S THUMB?

This past weekend we drove up to the Twin Cities for a big family reunion on my Mom's side of the family. Joe and Alex and I all rode in the same car with Joe's dad. Joe was pumped for the reunion and a little squirrelly after having spent 4 hours cooped up in the car. When we started getting out of the car he was practically jumping up and down. Alex was slow (as usual) getting out of the car and we were waiting for him before we crossed the street to the house. The street was crowded with all the cars parked on the street for the reunion. A non-relative had the unfortunate task of maneuvering his pickup down the street as all this was happening. He could see my fellow BROgger jumping and squirming next to our car, and, not wishing to get charged with vehicular manslaughter that day, he politely motioned us across the street and slowed down. That was all the encouragement Joe needed. He slammed the door and started galloping across the street. As the door closed I heard him say "Ow". But it was not the "OWWWWWWW!!!" I am accustomed to hearing from my occasionally over-dramatic BROgger, so I didn't think much of it at first and even chuckled a little. As Joe continued across the street I saw him hunch over and heard the first of many sobs escape from his mouth "OWWWWWW". Needless to say Joe was out of action for the first half hour of the reunion. He is a tough little bugger tho, and it wasn't long before he was back outside wrestling on the ground with his cousins. He also made it to the quarter finals of the bean-bag tournament. Had he not been hampered by the injury, who knows how far he would have made it. It was difficult for him to learn that he will lose the thumbnail eventually. He now seems to accept this loss and is now equal parts terrified and interested to see how it will progress. We promise to keep you updated.

-A

[andyandjoe-blog]

What's up with all those VHS tapes in the Spiderman video?

Haha did you like that? we were in the basement in a room where we keep some of our older stuff for some privacy while we worked. There are some classic titles down there. Priceless relics.

[andyandjoe-blog]

Talk about Batman

It's coming... Joe's attention span (and mine) has a three post daily limit.

[andyandjoe-blog]

Blog #2 WHAT DID LAST WEEK'S GOSPEL (John 6:1-15) MEAN TO YOU? Parts A&J

J:

A bunch of people come over to hear Jesus and the disciples say “we dont have enough food, we only have two fish” and a kid comes up with 5 loaves of bread and says “you can have these loaves but this is all i have” Jesus does another miracle and he says “there will be enough for everybody and there will be leftovers” and there was enough for everybody and there was leftovers. I this story means that there is always enough food for everybody and everybody should be allowed to have food, especially the homeless. 

"What would you do if you were one of the disciples and you only had 5 loaves and 2 fish to feed the crowd?"  I would give them to Jesus and let him do his miracle work.

Morale of the story is you should always eat when you are hungry.

-joe

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A:

I have heard this story many times, but this week at Mass it resonated with me more than usual. As I am trying to figure out what I should be doing with my life, two things stuck out to me from this Gospel reading: 1) God will provide 2) What you have is enough.

These two things go hand in hand, but I think they are both important points. I shouldn't worry so much about the future. Just as God provided food for the crowds, so too will he provide for me. He has a plan for me and I just need to trust that He will show me what to do. But it is also important to recognize, as the deacon at the church I went to this weekend put it, what I have in my 'basket'. In the story they didn't start with absolutely nothing. They boy brings them 5 loaves and 2 fish. They had something. God gives certain gifts to everyone, and He gives these gifts for a reason. They may seem small or inadequate at times but ultimately they are enough if we trust in God. I have been blessed with many gifts and the best way to be grateful is to use what I have been given to the best of my ability. 

I think these two things are the key to overcoming my current situation... funny how they turned up in chuch like that... 

-A

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Blog #1 WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE SPIDERMAN MOVIE? Part J

This is the second movie in a row that I went to that somebody got stabbed in the back. The movie was ‘Amazing’ just like the ‘Amazing’ spiderman. There was only a couple scary parts. I liked how they edited the movie to make everything look real. I thought that Andrew Garfield was very funny in the movie. I thought Andrew Garfield was a very good spiderman because he could do that hand thing when he shoots webs really well. It’s hard for me to do that because I can’t keep my pinky straight. I thought that the lizard had a weird face. I thought he was a good villain because he lost to spiderman. I didnt think that Dr. Connors was a bad person because he didn’t know that the lizard DNA would turn him into a bad lizard. I thought Emma Stone was a very good scientist in the movie at least. I thought she was a very good Gwen Stacey in the movie. My favorite part was when Spiderman caught that guy trying to steal a car in the parking lot and here is my imitation of that scene:

-joe

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Blog #1: 'WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN MOVIE'? Part A

I really enjoyed this movie. Some people are hating on it. My little brother Alex (19), for example, hated it. He of course thinks it was better than Spiderman 3 (although most things are). I, on the other hand, enjoyed it. It was not the best movie I'd ever seen, but I really enjoyed Andrew Garfield's take on Peter Parker. I liked his back story and character development. I thought his 'awkwardness' (for lack of a better word) was over the top at times, but mostly I thought it was entertaining and effective. Spiderman, like most super-heroes, has to deal with some kind of tragedy or pain in his past, but he overcomes it. It is this pain that allows him to be 'super'. His past prepares him to endure pain for others as Spiderman. It's a common theme in super-hero stories, but it is inspiring. It's an interesting commentary on the human condition. Pain and suffering are a part of life, but these moments of pain and suffering mold us into who we are today. We admire those who overcome tragedy and pain and look up to them as heroes, both in the real word and in comic books. The Amazing Spiderman is no different. My favorite scene is when Spiderman saves the kid from the burning car.

I really enjoyed the graphics in this movie, and I thought the movie employed some creative uses for the webbing during fight scenes. 

Emma stone was great. Obviously.

I also really liked this movie because Andrew Garfield's Peter Parker and I have a lot in common. My real name is Andrew too, we look somewhat alike (dark hair&eyes, short & scrawny), we are both kinda nerdy and awkward around girls, but give us a mask (I have been a mascot for several different teams and organizations) and we lose all inhibition. Haha I left the movie going: I AM SPIDERMAN!

I did think the dialogue and plot were very cheesy and over the top, but overall I liked this movie.

-A

[andyandjoe-blog]

Hello Tumblr! -J

hi tumblr! i am joe i am 9 years old. and i am glad to be here. i am a 4th grader . and i love sports. i like football,baseball, hockey and basketball. i play piano. When I grow up I would like to play in the olympics. I do not know which event I would like to be in, but I would like to win a GOLD medal. If not the olympics, I would like to play basketball in the NBA. I would like to go to college at Minnesota, because we are Minnesota fans and  my mom is from Minnesota. When I am in college i would like to study bones like in fossils. When I grow up I want to have a family and have three kids. In my spare time I like to play knee hockey with my blog-partner, Andy. I like to play ping-pong. I think my brother Andy goes too fast with typing. I also like to watch tv, my favorite tv shows are: scooby-doo, phineas and ferb, lab rats, and sports. And my favorite movie is the avengers. Thanks for reading and have a good day.

-joe