from the ashes

"from the ashes"

mixed media collage on canvas

gregory a. milinovich

as i've already recently mentioned, i was approached about whether i would donate a collage or two to an auction being held by a church in which i have several friends who are doing some great ministry to young people in new jersey.  i agreed, and when i found out that the theme was going to be about new life or rebirth, i was instantly inspired and knew that i wanted to do something original rather than just donate one of my old collages. hit the orange "keep reading" link below to read more and see more pics of this collage. 

 i had purchased an old canvas from a yard sale in which someone had painted some apocalyptic scene, and it has been sitting in my art room for years, waiting to be renewed.  so i knew that this was the right time.  i wanted to give this canvas new life - new birth.  so i did.  i painted it.  i glued paper to it.  i glued puzzle pieces and bits of tissue paper and old sunglasses lenses and whatever else i could find that would help me illustrate the idea that life can grow from the ashes.  i have found this to be true in my own life, that some of my greatest successes have come as a result of some of my deepest failures.  the most vital and vibrant points of light seem to grow from bud to bloom right in the midst of the manure of life.  and that's what i was trying to illustrate with this new collage. 

saturday song: pilgrim

for today's saturday song, i give you steve earle and the del mccoury band singing a song called "pilgrim" from their 1999 album the mountain.  the song features several guest vocalists including emmylou harris, sam bush and john hartford among others. 

i love steve earle.  to me, if america had a singing prophet, he would sound just like steve earle.  not dylan...not springsteen...but steve earle.  it may be too much twang for some of you, but to me it sounds like the voice of this land.

and i chose this song this morning because it reminds us that this is ultimately not our home.  we are just passing through.  augustine famously said, "our hearts are restless until they rest in you," and mr. earle is essentially saying the same thing here, in his own gritty way.  we are pilgrims, and while this isn't our home, we are never really alone, either. 

enjoy.

sing like it's spring

it's still winter.  as much as that 65 degree day we had last week tried to tease me into thinking that it's not, it is very clearly still winter.  it's cold.  it's bitter cold.  it's gray.  it's dark.  it's snowy.  i want it to be spring, but it isn't spring.  it's still winter. 

but today as i was fighting against the morning chill, walking jack to school, i heard something.  you know what i heard?  birdsong.  and not just one, either.  this wasn't just one confused bird, back early from it's southern vacation.  no, this was a whole host of morning singer/worm-getters. 

  it certainly doesn't feel like spring.  but as i focused on the little green blades of spring flowers knifing their way through the frozen earth, and listened to the cacophony of bird songs, i realized that nature is acting like it's spring.

and this reminded me of something.  i remember when i was in high school i was struggling with the practice of spiritual discipline, particularly prayer and studying the scriptures.  i remember sharing this struggle with my mentor who asked me why i struggled.  i remember replying that sometimes i just didn't feel anything.  i didn't feel like praying.  i didn't feel like God was listening.  i didn't feel any response.  i simply would pray and pray but i didn't feel anything.  i was whining about this when my mentor said something that i have never forgotten. he said, "greg, don't pray when you feel like it, pray until you feel like it. 

during the month of february, i've been teaching a class about marriage and relationships at the church.  as i have been reading and researching for the class, i keep coming across the modern notion that it is okay to end our marriages when we just don't feel in love anymore.  something (or someone) else seems more exciting or satisfying, and we give ourselves permission to back out of our solemn covenant because we simply don't feel like it anymore. 

but i am reminded of the birds, and the words of my mentor.  we don't wait until the weather warms up before we start singing our songs.  we sing them now.  we don't wait until we feel like praying before we pray; we pray until we feel like it.  likewise, we don't love only when we feel like it.  we just sing.  we just pray.  we just love.  until spring comes, and the weather of the heart warms up and we feel like grabbing the hand of the one we love and going for a walk.  you may not feel like it now.  it may feel like the winter of your discontent.  but do it anyway.  do what paul says to do in colossians:  put on love.  even if you don't feel like it.  spring will come again. 

kids say the darndest things, toy story 3 edition

-my kids continue to say the most hilarious thing.  we recently watched toy story 3 on dvd, and when it was over, my 3-year old was playing with his toys singing one line over and over again ad infinitum.  but it wasn't "you've got a friend in me."  nope.  instead it was, "you've got the ham in me." 

that's right.  you've got the ham in me.  in his best randy newman voice.  and then the other day it somehow morphed into "you've got the humble ham in me."  i don't know how the ham got be so humble, but what i do know is that i might be in the middle of a pastoral counseling session and my brain will suddenly start singing to itself, "you've got the humble ham in me," as if this was perfectly normal.  this is how kids turn your brains to mush so that they can take advantage of you when they are teenagers. 

-jackson, on the other hand, who is now 6, doesn't say as many cute things anymore, choosing instead to debate his favorite theory for dinosaur extinction.  he did, however, coin a new expression in our home recently.  we let him play his nintendo dsi for only a half hour on weekdays, and then more on the weekends.  well, last weekend he got to play the dsi for an extended time, and then watch toy story 3 on top of it.  that night when we were praying and telling God what we are thankful for, Jackson said, "i'm thankful for all the screen i got today."  so now we gauge how much 'screen' we're getting each day. 

-back to toy story.  when we decided to go to toys-r-us on monday so jack could spend some of his birthday money, we had said that we would go to the toy store.  cade was running around excitedly proclaiming that we were going to the 'toy story 3!' 

-and finally, we've gone through several cases of kleenex this winter, unloading pounds of snot into their soft caress.  but in the process we have apparently confused caedmon as to the proper name for said device.  is it a kleenex?  is it a tissue?  well, if you're cade this is an easy problem to fix.  he just started calling them kleenissues.  and now we all have.  for example, at the end of toy story 3, i was bawling my eyes out, and asked cade to get me a kleenissue.  he carried one to me, all the while singing, "you've got the ham in me!"

our icy jester

 yesterday i woke up and wrote of impending spring. 

then i got dressed, went outside and made this guy with my children:

i suppose we could call him the last sentinel of winter, but that not only seems a little pretentious, but also a little premature.  winter may still have some more up her sleeve.  so, rather than curse her persistence and her over-stayed welcome, we made a "cat in the hat" snowman as a kind of a farce; a snowy court-jester if you will. 

do you see us, winter?  we aren't bothered by your persistent assault.  we are smiling.  we are still smiling at you, winter.  now, go away. 

spring is almost here (it's just buried under snow again)

o foul weather, you draconian devil!  on friday i was getting out the porch chairs and the lathering on the banana boat tanning oil, now i'm putting on my longjohns to go out and shovel several inches of snow.  while you were busy teasing us and meddling with our tender hopes, i was busy noticing these tiny little signposts, pointing towards redemption.  but now, you've tightened the wintry noose with a frozen white cord.  but i will remember that

but now, you've tightened the wintry noose with a frozen white cord. still, i will remember that underneath that dastardly blanket lies these heralds of hope, a green, enduring trumpet song that will not be muted.  so, sing, you heralds!  play your great green marches!  make the music that announces birth and life and victory!  spring will come, she will!

 

herald - (hair-uhld) - n. 1. a person or thing who announces important news

saturday song: just breathe

after a week where breathing was sometimes difficult and at other times seemed to be about all i could manage, this song took on new meaning.  also, it reminds us to tell the ones we love that we love them.  plus, i really like it. 

back in the saddle

well, it's friday morning and, i'm baaaaaaaaaaaaack in the saddle again, to quote that quirky american idol judge. 

seriously, though: it's good to be back.  i am sitting here with a cup of coffee, my first cup of coffee since monday morning, which means people who know me well will either (a) think the apocalypse is upon us, or (2) realize just how sick i was.  i was just not myself. 

more good news:  it's going to be in the sixties today here in central pennsylvania.  sorry al gore, but i have to be thankful for this one.  any sign that spring may be near, even if it's just a tease, is more than welcome.  i saw the grass in my front yard for the first time in more than a month. 

you'd think i would have more to say after being bed-ridden for 3 days, but, well, i was just lying in bed, so, not much to say.  you might assume that i had some time to think while the clock slowly ticked away the soundtrack to my sickness, and you'd be right.  here's what i was thinking: "this sucks.  i hate this.  blech.  my back hurts.  i'm hot.  i'm cold.  i'm hot.  i'm probably going to die.  where's the remote?"  and basically just more of that.  nothing earth-shattering.

here's a cool testimony to the connectivity power of social media, and more specifically, of this blog.   when i went to the doctor yesterday, i went through the normal paperwork and getting weighed in by the nurse and then waited in the room for the doctor to come into the room.   when the doctor (who, by the way, was wearing a sweet pink floyd tie) entered the room, he shook my hand, said hello, and then said, "102.1, eh?  that's not good."  

wait, what?  how did he know that my temp had been 102.1 during the week, unless...

"yep," he continued, "i read your blog every morning." 

how awesome is that?  my doctor reads my blog!  i sure hope he doesn't ever see this picture.  or read this post.  seriously, doc.  don't read it. 

anyway, it's good to be back in the saddle with a cup of coffee and the not so subtle smell of spring in the air.  thanks for thinking about me and asking about me and, in one reader's case, prescribing me some drugs.  my readers are the best. 

have a great - and healthy - friday. 

grace|peace,
greg.

102.1

this has been me since tuesday morning.  that's why you haven't heard from me.  i'm going to the doctor in about an hour to try and see if it's just the flu or something else.  we'll see.  blech.

valentines day 2011

to my bride,

happy valentine's day, sweetheart.  i pray you know how grateful i am for you; how much i adore you; and how much i need you, not just on this one day, but each and every day, and that it wouldn't be my words only that say this, but my actions, also.  and when i fail at this, as i often do, i thank you for understanding, for trusting, and for loving me in spite of it.  you are my beloved valentine, this day and everyday. 

all of me,

greg.

ps.  remember when we starred in "Titanic?"  that was awesome.

saturday song: i and love and you

for today's saturday song, i thought you might enjoy one of my favoritist songs.  it's called "i and love and you" by the avett brothers.  i love it.  maybe you will, too.

to my kids: what i love about you #744

everyday is full of moments.  not just minutes - that's just the passage of time - but moments.  and in those occasions when i'm not too distracted or tired or irritable or preoccupied to miss them, i get to experience them.  and i am always the richer for it.  i firmly believe that we miss 90% of our lives because we are too preoccupied with the other 10%.  these moments just pass us by, unnoticed, unclaimed, uncelebrated.  unless.  unless we seize them and examine them.  and enjoy them. 

when it comes to my children...well, i am always the richer when i find a way to enjoy them.  and i mostly fail at documenting them.  they pass by, often barely noticed, into my subconscious where i may never recognize them again.  i hate that.  i want to write them all down.  i want to put it all on film.  i want to declare it to the world: my life is amazing!  i am so blessed! 

and so i keep blogging. 

and i keep wanting to make sure i let my kids know how much i adore them.  so, i keep trying to find ways to tell them.  here are just a few of the reasons why:

-i love that when i come home from a meeting at church, and your mother has already put you to bed, and i come into your room to kiss and pray for you, you often reach out your small little hands and pat my hand.  half asleep, your subconscious state doesn't stifle your affection.  with tiny sleepy movements, you pat me.  and my soul flies with joy. 

-i love when you love one another.  when you think of your brother as well as yourself.  when you break yours in half to give part to him.  i love when you wrestle together, and when you make each other laugh.  i love when i discover you both in the top bunk, reading books together, like you are discovering some secret treasure of knowledge.  i love that sometimes cade falls asleep on jack:

-i love that you know how to be joyful.  when we decide to watch a movie as a family on a friday night, you dance.  when you get a couple gummy worms in your snack, you smile like you just won the lottery.  when you get upset, you get over it.  and you dance again.  thanks for teaching me about joy. 

-i love that you, cade, need to pick out your outfit everyday, and that you need it to "match," which to you means that somewhere on the piece of clothing there needs to be a hint of the color on the other piece, even if it's on the tag.  i love that you care. 

-i love that you, jack, like to try new things.  like when we said you could buy lunch at school one day this week, you choose chicken fajita salad instead of pizza.  when i asked you why, you said, "i like to try new things."  that's awesome.  i want to be like you.

-i love that you, baby #3, are already expanding your tiny little world, growing your way into our hearts as we watch you rising in your mommy's belly.  i already adore you, and can't wait to watch you continue to grow. 

new collage: agents wanted

now that football season is over, i have turned some attention back to collage-making.  i'm currently working on one about new life/birth/creation that will be a gift to some friends who will be doing a fundraising auction event to raise some money for their church and ministries.  i love being able to do stuff like that, and i'm having a ton of fun getting back into the glue and paint, so i'm glad they asked me to do it! 

so i thought i'd take this thursday as an opportunity to share with you a collage i made a few months ago:

"agents wanted"

mixed media collage on hardcover book binding

gregory a. milinovich

and just for the fun of it, can i get some captions for this picture:

have a most amazing day!

give it a thumbs up

as i was looking at my camera to see what pictures i have on there that i haven't posted yet, i came across these from sunday's super bowl.  i have sort of blocked most of that day out of my mind, as much as possible anyway, so i forgot about these. 

but just look at that kid up there.  what a cutie.  wearing his worn out troy polamalu jersey.  with smilin' hines in the background.  giving us the "thumbs up!"  and it reminds me that the joy isn't just in the final outcome, but in the journey. 

i mean, we know that to be true in our lives, right?  it's like when i used to collect baseball cards.  in 1987 i would save up my money into little 40-cent increments so i could make the trek through my backyard, along the creek, up the hill and past the car dealership to the mini-mart to buy a pack of topps baseball cards.  i thought i wanted certain players.  i think i was really interested in rickey henderson, nolan ryan, don mattingly, and especially anyone with a pirate or an interlocking NY on their uniform.  but as i think back to that time, i don't really remember being satisfied with a piece of cardboard with a semi-blurry picture of nolan ryan about to deliver a fastball.  i don't remember that at some point i looked at my whole collection and said, "Yes.  Now i have finally accomplished it.  I am now completely satisfied." 

nope. 

what i do remember is the joy i had in collecting those cards.  the joy of the independence of an 11-year old boy walking to the mini-mart.  the joy of being able to buy a pack - or five - of baseball cards.  the joy of putting my sweaty coins down on the counter and making my own decisions.  the joy of stepping outside those heavy glass doors and ripping off that waxy paper like a golden ticket might be inside.  the joy of shoving five sticks of stale pink gum into my mouth at once.  the joy of flipping through those cards right there on the sidewalk, just to see who i got.  the joy of studying the backs of those cards, so that i could tell you how many stolen bases rickey henderson had for the previous 5 years. 

you see, i don't remember some destination or pinnacle.  i remember the journey. 

and what is true of baseball card collecting - at least for me - is true for steelers football, too. 

no, we didn't reach the ultimate ending, the utmost destination.  we fell just short.  i didn't get to go to pittsburgh for a victory parade.  but it's not just about the destination.  it's about the journey. 

and it was an awesome journey.  it was a good year of sharing my fanaticism with my family, of cheering on the black and gold.  it was full of adversity and challenges and hurdles and difficulties and crushing defeats.  it was a season of hope and disappointment, of achievement and failure, of glory and agony.  it was a great journey, and that is where the joy is. 

and what is true of steelers football - at least for me - is also true of life.

we all need to stop worrying so much about where we are going or where we want to be "in 5 to 10 years."  we need to stop thinking that we'll be happier when we get the next vacation or the next part of our collection, or when we upgrade to the iphone.  we need to release our death grip on our obsession with the destination, and trade it for a joy in the journey.  we need to stop and take a look around right now, because these are the days to remember!  right here, right now.  this is life.  this is what it's all about.  this is the place of joy and hope and everything you've ever hoped for.  it's all right here.  so pay attention.  enjoy it.  give it a huge "thumbs up!"  cock your head to the side and give it a silly grin.  it may be blurry.  it may be only cardboard and stale gum.  it might not have a storybook ending.  but it's not the ending that matters: it's the journey. 

enjoy it.

the end.

sigh. 

this is not a pittsburgh steelers blog, but, for the most part, you probably haven't been able to determine that from the content over the last 6-8 weeks.  during the season i like to write about the steelers once or twice or even three times a week, but during the end of this last season and the playoff run, i got really into it, and wrote about them almost exclusively.  for those of you who don't care about football, or don't especially like the steelers, thanks for putting up with me. 

and now its the end. 

not the end of my steelers-obsession, mind you.  just the end of all the writing and pictures.  the steelers, as you know by now, lost superbowl XLV to the green bay packers, and so what must still be considered a successful season is now over.  caput.  in the books.  fini.  the end.

still, now that the initial shock/pain is starting to dull a bit, i just wanted to say a few things about it to sort of wrap it up and at least give it some closure, for me. 

-all year long i've been talking about how the steelers "wanted it more."  on sunday night, it really looked like the packers wanted it more.  as much as it pains me to say that, that's what it looked like.  because, to be honest, they didn't really outplay the steelers.  the steelers held the ball longer, they took away the run game, they moved the ball relatively easy, and they were in a position to be able to win the game with a drive with two minutes left in the game.  all of that after allowing 21 points off turnovers?!?  the steelers three turnovers were very costly, but no more costly that the defenses inability to stop green bay from scoring on the subsequent drives.  the packers just seemed more determined.  all three turnovers, for example, weren't really the kind of 'dumb mistake' turnovers that you often see.  they were really a case of sheer will by the packers, one by a defensive lineman, one by a safety, and one by the linebackers who made a rashard mendenhall sandwich turn into a infield pop-out.  did the steelers play great?  nope.  did they still play well enough to win?  almost.  did the packers play great?  nope.  did they seem like they wanted it more?  yep.  and, to me, that was the difference. 

-i just want to give a shout out to my hines ward, who had a pretty darn good game, with 7 catches for 78 yards and a touchdown.  he's always been my boy, and it was great to see the "old man" with a great showing on the sports biggest stage. 

-i'm sorry, but the nfl is embarassing sometimes.  how does christina aguilera not remember the lines of the anthem?  how do the black eyed peas get to do the halftime show when they clearly can't sing without the help of a studio and some really expensive software?  the whole thing, in my opinion, was ridiculous.  they are entertaining, to be sure, but they are a joke, really.  it's all flash (literally in this case, with the flashing suits and lego hair), and very little music. 

-and don't even get me started on the seat situation.  the nfl, along with jerry jones, sold tickets to seats that weren't ready, assuming that they would get them ready by game time.  oops.  they didn't.  and they had to turn people away.  actually the statement read that they would find them another spot in the building (as if we were supposed to believe that there were 1000 unsold seats somewhere else in the stadium...yeah, right).  they herded them to the basement where they could watch on a screen.  they promised them 3x the face value on the ticket, and a free ticket to next year's superbowl.  that isn't just a FAIL, it's a SUPERFAIL.  who cares about next year's superbowl?  if you are a green bay fan, do you really want to go watch the steelers and the falcons in next year's superbowl?  nope.  and who cares about the refund?  does it also cover the airfare and the hotel costs?  the food?  the superbowl memoribilia?  does it even cover the cost you paid for the dang ticket on the secondary market?  it's terrible and the nfl should be ashamed of it's unending greed.  it will be the downfall of the league, one way or another. 

-i took the loss harder than i thought i might.  i'm not that guy who gets mad (very much) and throws or punches things.  actually, during the game i'm relatively even-keeled, unless the steelers do something awesome and then i'm jumping around and waving my terrible towel and screaming things like "that's what i'm talking about!" and "BOOM!" and so forth.  but after the game, i was really pained.  i couldn't sleep, with images of the game just replaying in my cranium (also the fact that jackson was up most of the night with an ear infection didn't help).  and then yesterday i just felt like i lost a loved one.  my mind kept telling me that was ridiculous and i would try to stop feeling it.  but it would just come back when i least expected it.  even now as i write this i feel the emotion in me.  it's so weird that sports can do that.  but it is real for me, so there you have it.  i'm sad.  i texted my sisters last night just this simple 6-word text that sums it up for me:  it feels like a broken heart.

-that being said, while i am sad, i am not one of those fans who thinks all is lost.  we played in the superbowl, for crying out loud!  30 other teams would have given their throwing arms for this opportunity, so we should recognize how we reached the pinnacle of our sport and just fell short.  is it wildly disappointing?  yessir.  but is it also a huge accomplishment that we ought to be very proud of?  you bet.  and i am proud.  i'm proud of this team.  of all that they overcame.  of how they play like brothers, not individuals.  of how they stand up to the sometimes overwhelming legacy of the past.  of how they play with heart and desire, and not just talent.  i'm proud of a season in which they beat the ravens.  twice.  i'm proud of a season in which they crushed the browns and the bengals.  i'm proud of a season in which the city of pittsburgh got to host two playoff games and see their steelers win both of them.  i'm proud of the fact that the steelers as an organization continue to be a solid team year after year.  i'm just darn proud to be a steelers fan. 

-so, goodbye, football season.  i so enjoyed your company.  and now i eagerly look forward to the spring; to the sound of an ash bat striking a small white ball; to smelling the fresh cut grass infused with the aroma of hotdogs.  baseball can't get here soon enough. 

-for those of you who haven't been stopping by much because the steelers stuff bored you, welcome back.  it's over.  the end.

-now let me go and nurse my broken heart. 

congrats to the packers

i have some thoughts swirling around my disappointed brain that i would probably like to say at some point, just to tie up the loose ends of the 2010-11 football season, but i just don't have it in me today to delve into all of that.  for now, let me just say that i am happy for the green bay packers, not only because they played the better game and deserved to win, but because they have a great franchise and they are hard not to like.  good for you.  enjoy it!  and let me also add that i am proud as heck of the pittsburgh steelers and the season that they had this year.  i am no less blessed to be a steelers fan after they lose the superbowl than i am when they beat the ravens.  it's all part of the story of the pittsburgh steelers, and it's a story i am helplessly in love with.  i'll have some more thoughts when i don't have to stop every few sentences and collect my self. 

it's time

it's time. 

it's time to rise up.  time to run this town.  time to do work.  time to earn it. 

it's time.

everybody needs to just stop talking and get it done. 

the steelers just want it more. 

right here.  right now.  rise up.  get it. 

here we go, steelers. 

here we go.

will it be a miraculous day for this defense?

gameday

it's gameday. 

get your game face on. 

more from me later as my level of excitement/anticipation gets  jacked up to way past 11 on the dial. 

45 thoughts, pictures, links, videos, and other ways to get you pumped for the big game

oh man, i am literally quivering with excitement, and it's still 2 days, 9 hours and 55 minutes until kickoff as i write this.  so, as i watch the hands of the clock creep casually towards kickoff, i thought i'd share with you a few of my thoughts about the game...

I.  i absolutely heart being a steelers fan.  it is unbelievable to be a fan of a team that not only has a consistent winning tradition, but that also continues to behave itself in ways that make you proud.  as an organization of owners, directors, coaches, scouts, trainers, assistants, players, administrators and so forth and so on, alot can go wrong.  and i can't say i approve of every little thing the organization has ever done, but overall, from the choice of which coach to hire, to which players to release, to which contracts to sign and so on, i admire the choices the steelers make and the way they do business.  plus they keep winning in the process.  it is just really fun. 

II.  is there any more intimidating color combination in all of football?  that shiny black helmet with the bold "gold" stripe, with the logo only on one side, just says, "we are going to pound you on this football field and impose our will on you for these 60 minutes.  awesome.

III.  you know the song "empire state of mind" by jay-z about new york?  well, there's a pittsburgh version now, and it's not terrible.  just click here, then right click on the words "pittsburgh version of empire state of mind" under the jay-z picture.  then click "save target as" and save it to your computer.  then imagine that you are driving dawntawn listening to B94.  yinz'll love it.

IV. everyone's got an opinion about the outcome of this game on sunday.  i'd like to see a chart with all the talking heads from all the networks and who they picked.  can't say for sure, but it seems like a majority are picking the packers.  if someone can get me this chart that would be awesome, that way i'll know who to send nasty emails to when the steelers win. 

V.  what is better, steel or cheese?  this video answers that age old question. 

VI.  superbowl ticket prices have become ludicrous.  $2,500 for a ticket to a football game?  seriously?  it would be a dream come true for me to get to see the steelers in a superbowl live, but i would never part with that much scratch to watch a football game.  just ridiculous. 

VII.  maurkice pouncy has been ruled out of the game on sunday.  to be honest, i'm surprised, because i thought they'd give him a chance, but i'm glad they made the decision and will give the big legursky a chance to succeed.  feel bad for pouncey, though.  what a rookie season he's had, and it stinks that it ends this way for him.  still, he's got a very bright future ahead of him.

VIII.  yeah, i've got more of these points.  just click on the "keep reading" link below to see what else i've got, including my rant about mike tomlin, and my kudos to ben roethlisberger for his rendition of "piano man." 


IX.  the steelers will be wearing their white "away" jerseys for this game, just as they have in the last two superbowls that they've won.  the mojo-ist in me thinks that it's good luck that they've won in those jerseys the last two times, but there's another part of me that wishes i could see them in the black - more intimidating and awesomely awesome - jerseys. 

X.  best steelers tattoo ever?

XI.  bell bellicheat just won the 2010 nfl coach of the year award.  that's fine, i guess, even though i personally have very little respect for a man who has been caught cheating, continues to display terrible sportsmanship, and then gets rewarded for his team's success. 

XII.  but what really got me upset is that coach mike tomlin didn't even receive one vote.  not one vote.  let me rant for a moment:  why would bellicheck win the award, while tomlin failed to recieve even one measly vote?  didn't many prognosticators predict the patriots would win their division?  after all, they have the high and holy tom brady as their quarterback.  some may have predicted that the jets would win, but there were many analysts who recognized that new england still had pieces in place for a legitimate chance to win that division.  and they did.  ho hum.  on the other hand, i know of only one nfl predictor (other than the local homers) who picked the steelers to win their division.  not only that, but most had the steelers finishing third in the division behind the bengals and the ravens.  third!  not even making the playoffs!  and so how is it that coach tomlin gets no respect at all for taking a very difficult situation (ben's off field antics and subsequent suspension) and turning it into a successful season?  ridiculous.  absolutely ridiculous.  andy stinkin' reid even got a vote!  for what?  i don't want to be a conspiracy theorist, but, what the heck, man?  that doesn't make any sense. 

XIII.  if you're on twitter, this is a really cool website.  someone has set it up so that everytime someone sends a tweet with the hashtag #steelernation , a mechanical arm twirls a terrible towel.  we're trying to keep it twirling right up until kickoff. 

XIV.  i wish gus johnson was calling the game sunday. 

XV.  troy is not a lady.  (from youtube)

XVI.  i'm using this keyboard to type this. 

XVII.  yum.

XVIII.  it was apparently big news a couple of days ago when the awesome journalistic enterprise known as TMZ reported that ben roethlisberger was seen in a north texas piano bar with some of his offensive lineman drinking a rum and coke and singing "piano man."  it was further reported that he bought drinks for the entire bar, racking up an $800 tab and then tipping an additional $200.  this was reported as if it was a problem.  well, it wasn't.  he was back to the hotel before curfew.  he wasn't driving.  he was with his team.  he was being generous.  i mean, really, what is the problem here?  are our "heroes" on such a pedestal that we won't allow them to be normal people?  i actually appluad him for being normal, because if i had been through all that he has, i probably would be much too private to be able to still be able to have a good time with my teammates.  good for him. 

XIX.  give yourself a brett kiesel beard. 

XX.  stairway to seven.

XXI.  or this song.

XXII.  or yet another one.

XXIII.  and speaking of lady gaga, there's always this:

XXIV.  the dogs like the steelers:

XXV.  and so do the cats:

XXVI.  how awesome is it to be able to play this game in the jerry jones-majal, home of "america's" cowboys?  i will tell you awesome it is:  YEEEEEE-HAAAAAWWWWW! 

XXVII.  this is what happens when cheeseheads meet the steel curtain:

XXVIII.  when the steelers are NOT in the superbowl, i really enjoy seeing the commercials.  but when they are, i have no time for the commercials.  i'd rather watch them the next day on youtube.  seriously, commercials are just an opportunity to catch your breath in between the rest of the game.  that's all they are to me.
XXIX.  i want this van:

or this car. 

XXX.  i know many of you will go to a party (or two) to watch the superbowl.  i, for one, will be watching the game at home with my family.  when it comes to big games like this, i have a "no-civilian" rule.  i can't be having non-steeler fans who want to talk about the commercials or aaron rodgers' eyes.  i can't even deal with the nominal steeler fan, you know the ones who know who troy polamalu is, but can't name the other steelers safety.  no civilians.  period.

XXXI.  i think we know who the commander-in-chief (POTUS) will be cheering for. 

XXXII.  one of my biggest fears for the superbowl isn't about legursky, or about the packers' passing attack.  it's about what wardrobe malfunction fergie's going to have at halftime.  dear fergie and the rest of the BEP crew: this isn't about you.  okay thanks, that is all. 

XXXIII.  i know that everyone is talking about the packers' strength matching up nicely with the steelers' weakness, and that they'll be able to pass with ease against us.  this may be true, but i think the balance of the game may lie more in the ability (or lack thereof) of the respective running games.  will the packers be able to run against one of the better run defenses in memory?  will they be able to bottle up rashard mendenhall?  i think this may be a bigger factor in the game than many are saying, mostly because the other storyline is sexier. 

XXXIV.  one of the things that absolutely infuriates me is how football fans have largely lost their collective minds.  in the age of fantasy football, stats have come to mean everything.  if i ask you which quarterback you would rather have: ben roethlisberger or drew brees, how many would take brees.  most people would.  or what if i said roethlisberger or peyton manning?  even more would take manning over big ben, but why?  because peyton is better?  really?  prove it.  oh, his numbers are WAY better, that's true.  but who is more of a winner?  who is more clutch?  who throws his team under the bus when he loses (see the postgame press conference after the divisional playoff loss in 2005)?  who has more rings?  look people, stats aren't everything.  they just aren't.  they are something, sure.  but only one thing among many.  there is also leadership.  and teamwork.  and pure will to win.  and instinct.  and improvisational skills.  and performing under pressure.  that doesn't show up in a fantasy football box score, but it separates the really talented qb's from the winners.  i'll take ben.  "I wasn't the fastest.  I wasn't the strongest.  But I did want to win more than anyone, and that will was what helped me accomplish what i did" -Joe Greene

XXXV.  on a serious note, the superbowl happens to be the site of an unbelievable amount of ugliness, including the atrocious act of human trafficking, which means girls are bought and sold against their will, used as objects for the pleasure of anyone with enough money.  as awful as it is, we ought to be aware of it, so click here to read a good article and get informed. 

XXXVI.  lest we forget, the steelers were just in a superbowl not too long ago.  how'd that turnout?

XXXVII.  and if that didn't pump you up, how about this one? 

XXXVIII.  and another one. 

XXXIX.  and still one more.  now you better be primed and pumped, baby!
     
XL.  on the menu for sunday?  kielbasa sandwiches with coleslaw.  yum.  oh, and chicken wings that shannon is frying up at home.  double yum. 

XLI.  and speaking of double "y" words, how about we win one this one for myron?  yoi and double yoi. 

XLII.  best stories for the steelers?  how about flozell adams leaving a long career with the cowboys to come and play right tackle for the steelers and finally make it to the big dance?  or how about shawn suisham and jeremy kapinos joining the team halfway through the season?  or bryant mcfadden, antwaan randle el and larry foote coming home like prodigal sons, only to be treated to the fatted calf?  of course there's rashard mendenhall, who didn't get to be a part of the last superbowl becauseof the broken collarbone experienced at the hands of ray lewis and the ravens.  lots of great things to celebrate this time around. 

XLIII.  and speaking of the ravens, just try this little excercise with me:  sometime in the middle of the first quarter, when it has finally registered that the talking is all over and there is a real game being played, just take a moment and imagine ray lewis, terrell suggs, t.j. houshmanzwhatever and joe flacco.  imagine where they are at that particular moment.  maybe sitting in a stadium chair.  or at home on their couch.  just imagine what that must feel like for them, watching their bitter rivals on the sport's biggest stage.  and then realize just how lucky you are to be a pittsburgh steelers fan.

XLIV. let's hope there's another one of these:

if so, let's meet up, because i will definately be there.

XLV.  ...and finally, my prediction.  i think that the packers offense will have some success against the steelers defense, especially in the passing game with quick passes.  i think the steelers defense will do alot of bending, but not so much breaking.  i think that the steelers offense will have more success that most are expecting against this defense, with a balanced running and passing attack.  steelers win, 27-20. 

ps.  even if they don't win, i will be somewhat satisfied.  i mean, don't get me wrong, i'll be sad, and probably mad, but it won't be the worst feeling in the world.  i'm still going to feel blessed that the steelers got to be in the game - their third in the last few years - and proud of what this team accomplished this year.  plus, i can't work up any kind of hatred for the packers.  they're a good team, a quality opponent, and a traditional and solid franchise, just like, um, the steelers.  so, win or lose, it's going to be fun, and i'm going to be proud to be a steeler fan.   go steelers!

a groundhog day resolution

whereas it is groundhog day, the day of strange creatures looking for the shadows while humans watch in expectation;

and whereas it is far too near to the end of football season when we will soon enter the sports wilderness;

and whereas troy polamalu was just voted as the 2010 nfl defensive player of the year,

therefore i resolve that you watch this short commercial immediately:

 

we've had some snow here, like everywhere else this winter, and so yesterday i finally decided to make the best of it with a steelers snowperson.  not content with just throwing a steelers shirt on it, i decided to try and make it look like it's twirling a terrible towel.  it's not perfect, and he looks like he needs a V-8, but it was fun to make and the neighbors came out to take pictures, so i guess that makes it a success.  hey, it's superbowl week!  what can i say?

2010 defensive player of the year

congratulations to troy polamalu, the nfl's 2010 defensive player of the year.  he was awesome this year, and his value goes beyond the statistics in terms of how teams have to prepare for him, how he leads by example, and how he brings a humility and quiet strength to the team.  his value cannot be measured, but it is nice to see it being so publically recognized.  congrats, troy! 

sometimes you just want it more: slideshow

as you have no doubt noticed by now, i've been taking photos from every steelers victory throughout this season and playing with them to create little sports-art cards.  it's completely and totally amateur, but i've had fun doing it, and i've always loved sports photography, so it's been fun to just play with it with tools that are widely available and easy to use. 

you also probably know that i assigned a phrase to this year's steelers team, pointing out that this particular manifestation of the pittsburgh steelers seemed hungry - ravenous even - for another championship.  despite so many odds and unfortunate circumstances, these steelers kept demonstrating a steel will, and so i kept coming back to my phrase: "sometimes you just want it more."  after every victory i would find a way to incorporate this theme with a photograph (or two or three) in addition to the other photos i was playing with.  by the end of the season, i had quite the catalog of images, so i decided to put many of them together here in a slideshow (set to my favorite ever steelers song:  steeler nation rise by joby harris) for your perusal/enjoyment.  admittedly they are very basic and amateur.  it wasn't meant to be about demonstrating graphic skill and acumen.  it was simply another way for me to express my love of and joy about the pittsburgh steelers and their quest for a seventh championship this year.  enjoy!