Anderson/Hatgidakis/Nelson/Metcalf: Newsletter

Old news: October 2007

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Erika
10/31/07
We've had 324 trick or treaters

Wow! Grandma was a close second: she had ....4. :-) (Thanks for keeping track, Erika!) --Gary


The Hatgidakis Family
10/31/07

Happy Halloween, Everyone!!!!!
Ryan, Amanda, Tristen & Teghan
10/31/07

Happy Halloween!


Happy Birthday John!


Karen
10/30/07
Don't worry about holding candy back for us -- I ALWAYS get a few bags of chocolate for our snacking and hand out the cheap suckers -- guess they don't care because we do get about 300 kids every year :)

Happy Halloween
Karen
10/30/07
I checked out the cool site for today. I've been to most of the places in SC, but hadn't heard any of them were haunted, well maybe the stockyards. That place is creepy!! Been a busy week already and more to come. The 1st grade teacher is still gone (hoping that she will return on Thursday), the sub for her is crazy. The kids are getting out of control, so it's been a challenge for the last two weeks. Yesterday was our "fall festival" party (they aren't allowed to celebrate Halloween). So everyone was loaded up on sugar and in costumes -- it was wild! Brent leaves early tomorrow morning for Dubuque. He has a planning conference there and will be gone until Friday night. So Erika and I will be the only ones home. We do have to make a quick Walmart run tonight. She has volunteered to answer the door for all the trick or treaters, but she didn't think I had supplied her with enough candy. She "likes to give them at least two pieces if they are cute." Cute pumpkins Metcalfs, this is the first year in a LONG time that we didn't get any pumpkins. Did anyone hear about Osborne's slip of the tongue the other day? Brent was filling me in on the details -- he mentioned the "new coaching staff."

I heard Osborne say that. This time next year, Callahan will be somewhere far away, counting his millions from the buy-out. Erika, good candy policy! Plus, you gotta have some extra candy on hand for snacking. Be sure to keep track of how many T-or-T'ers visit you and give us a report later -- I'm always amazed how many you get! --Gary


Nelsons
10/30/07

Happy Birthday John
Donna
10/30/07

Happy birthday, John!


Happy Halloween, everyone!

Great pictures, Amanda. I bought a new camera and took a cute picture of Teghan the other day while we were on a walk but I'm still trying to figure out how to send it.

Gary, just the commercial for that show gave me the creeps. I wouldn't be able to watch it.


Grandma
10/30/07

Happy Birthday, John!!


Happy Halloween, Everyone


Gary
10/29/07
Metcalf Halloween photos!
Marsha, Zach, Sam, Anna and Sunny
10/29/07

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!
Gary
10/29/07
And here we are at Halloween Eve Eve. Everyone got your costumes lined up for Wednesday night...?

I got my Halloween scare early: I watched a show last night on the Travel Channel (I think) about Eastern State Penitentiary, an old (and now closed) prison in Philadelphia. It was a horrible place in its day, and is now off-the-scale creepy. If you believe in such things, it is one of the most haunted places in America. Even if you're not a believer, the place is guaranteed to give you the heebie-jeebies. My pet phobia is prisons and confinement to begin with, so I got a rapid pulse-rate just by reading the program notes in the cable guide. After the show was over, I went online to find out more about it, and I found some scary videos of "ghost hunters" and seances at the prison. I would post a link to them, but for the life of me I can't find them now. I'll keep looking. Unless I hallucinated them....

The game Saturday was not a hallucination, sadly, but real. Definitely an improvement over the past several weeks. but still nothing like Nebraska football. You can find Nebraska on the NCAA defense ranking by scrolling way way way down to the bottom of the page: We are currently 107 out of 119 in total defense. (Still above the poor Gophers, though -- sorry, Minnesotans!) But when it comes to rushing defense, even the Gophers beat us -- we are dead last. And what about sacking the quarterback, which used to be a Blackshirt point of pride? We're in the lowest five percent. Our numbers are making Bush's approval ratings look good.


Donna
10/25/07
Ahhh, the Storm of '97. That was a tough week. No phones, no power for an entire week and no work for the first two days. Remember the non-stop sound of chain saws? We all had plenty of firewood that year. I hope we don't have to go through something like that again any time soon.

Yes, I'll be working from home Friday. Perhaps I'll stop over. ;-)


Grandma
10/25/07
Amanda, I will be happy to have Tristen and Teghan tomorrow! Was thinking this morning that the week was over, but realized it was really only Thursday. Doesn't seem like it has been 10 years since the snowstorm, what a week that was! Enjoyed the pictures of it. The young oak by the deck still has a bend in it from the weight of the snow that bent it to the ground, now it would probably break it. So far we haven't had a killing frost this year either. Better than the fires in Calif. tho'. I have a canna that is blooming for the 3rd time this season and bulbs that I planted in August are up and budding, crazy weather!
Amanda
10/25/07
Grandma, tomorrow could the girls come over for their last day of break this week? Monday they went to Deedee's for half a day, then to my moms where they spent the night & stayed all day Tuesday (and made those delicious white cookies with the frosting in Halloween shapes!). Wednesday it was back to Deedee's all day (which they love, by the way!) and then last night they went to Dad's to spend the night & they will stay there all day today. So, if tomorrow, Friday works I'm sure they'd love it. It would be from about 8:15-4:30. I thought Donna might be working from home that day??
Gary
10/24/07
Remember where you were ten years ago? Ten years ago tomorrow morning I woke up hearing loud cracks and pops outside -- which turned out to be ice-covered branches breaking off the trees, after an overnight blizzard. Also heard a few small explosions when the downed power lines caused the transformers to short out and blow up -- which meant we had no power for the next several days. I think Donna may remember that week.... :-)

Pictures here and here!


Donna
10/24/07
I have some friends that work in the LA office that are really close to the fires. The Gallup office is on the 11th floor and they're saying it looks like it's snowing outside -- but it's falling ash. And it smells like a campfire in the office. One said she was close to being evacuated from her home Sunday night. They had packed some stuff and were ready to leave, they're only given 15 minutes once they tell you to get out. She said the hardest part was just trying to breathe that smokey air.

The home tour was a lot of fun. Karen and Marsha, I wish you could have been there. The mansion on Sheridan took the longest to see. I expected it to be really nicely decorated but it looked like they stopped buying anything new after 1970. I guess just because you have money doesn't necessarily mean you have good taste. ;-) In most of the homes, you were only allowed to see certain rooms but the couple on Sheridan opened up their entire house and even printed off unique bits of information on most of the rooms. And the owner was playing the organ -- well it was a player organ -- and it sounded a little creepy, good for Halloween. And they also asked that everyone sign a guest book as you left. I thought that was nice.


Grandma
10/23/07
We have been having great Fall days so far this week also. About time to carry in plants, I guess, but where to put them? Marsha, the hanging plant I brought home from you is really pretty. The red verbena has taken over and full of blooms, I bet Bachman's wouldn't put it in the trash now! The carpet got put in yesterday and I really do like it. We had a good sized Hawk alight in the Oak in front of the house yesterday looking for supper, Livy got a picture of it. The house tour was really fun, but I didn't see any I would trade for (as if). Was a really fun day, but I was TIRED when we got home.
Karen
10/23/07
Why does everyone have school off? We have a full week here -- still with the sub at my school, but beginning to go a little smoother. The house tour would have been fun, why was one so junky?
We are finally getting nice weather. After a week of nothing but rain, we are getting nice fall days. We all went to Vermillion on Saturday -- a nice scenic drive to see the leaves. Then we had a great dinner at a chinese restaurant.

School is out because of "fall break" (or so it is called on the campus). It always catches me by surprise -- I mean, it seems like school just started a few weeks ago...? --Gary


Amanda
10/22/07
Im typing this while reading it on our new 19" LCD flat panel widescreen monitor. We had a 19" LCD flat panel before, but last week it "junked out", so we took it to Best Buy. They sent it in, word back today was it was unfixable (they actually called it a Junkout). We got it a year and a half ago but thanks to the warranty we walked out with an upgrade for free! Love the warranties... These LCD's are touchy, we have gone through 3 in just a few short years... Anyhow, we are glad to be back in business!

Oh, and grandma, LOVE the carpet! Especially the basement. ;-)

??? What's in the basement? (I haven't seen the new carpet yet.) --Gary


Gary
10/22/07
No students here on campus, either, but only for today and tomorrow. Campus is stone quiet, in almost a weird way -- I just walked across campus to return some stuff to Love Library and it felt like I was the only person for miles around. Normally 20,000-some people milling around, and today only me.

The football rumors are flying again: According to "I know somebody who knows somebody in the NU athletic department," Bo Pelini has all but signed the papers; so we should expect a Callahan resignation soon. (Word is Jim Leavitt of USF and Gary Patterson of TCU have been or are being considered also.) It may be that Callahan resigns "effective at the end of the year" (as per Osborne's much-quoted pronouncement that no changes will be made until that time) but resign he will.


Amanda
10/22/07
The home tour was SO fun! Wish you could have been there Marsha & Karen, you would have loved it. It took us almost all day. We did all 6 houses, some were very nice, one was junky... But, Im sure you'll hear all about it from Grandma.
Girls are out of school this week. Wish I had the whole week off!
Gary
10/20/07
Apologies for throwing all this football reading at you recently, but here's another great read: A few days ago, Jason Peter went online with his own blog. His first entry is a real insider's look at the past and current programs, and he also offers up some strategy for today's game. Read it here.
Gary
10/19/07
Good article here on the football situation. It talks specifically about something I wasn't aware of: how Pederson/Callahan refused to let former players on the sidelines on gamedays (breaking an old Husker tradition) and even made it difficult for former players to attend games, and how one of Osborne's very first acts as AD was to overturn that. Worth reading!

I don't know how the team will perform tomorrow, but I can say the band will be great. They were practicing in the stadium this morning, playing Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue," and it sounded good even a block away.

I do feel kinda sorry for Callahan right now. He's in a no-win situation: If the Huskers win tomorrow, everyone will say, "Yay, Osborne won it!" If the Huskers lose, everyone will say, "Boo, Callahan lost it." Callahan will undoubtedly be fired (or resign), no later than the end of the year; and it is known he is no fan of Osborne, who is now his boss -- so it has got to be hard for him to get out of bed and go to work every morning. I guess now is when he earns that million and a half....

KETV (channel 7) reports in this article that the tunnelwalk has been re-vamped for tomorrow's game, and are urging people not to miss it. We can watch the tunnelwalk (but not the game, of course) on the KETV website here. Kickoff is 1:05, so be online earlier than that.


Emily
10/19/07
I've heard about that candy bar! I would definitely try it...

I have to say it sounds pretty good to me too. As Homer Simpson said when he tried bacon with fudge: "Move over, eggs! Bacon just got a new best friend!" :-) P.S.: Did you look at their How To Eat Chocolate page? Their recipes look pretty intense, too... --Gary


Gary
10/19/07
Attention bacon fans and attention chocolate fans: click here!
Gary
10/19/07
BREAKING NEWS (7:45 am): There are reports coming in of a large yellow-white ball in the sky, producing light and heat. Details are sketchy right now -- more on this here as it becomes available.
Amanda
10/19/07
Grandma, if 1-ish is OK with you on Sunday we will do that. I got the tickets last night. Tristen is going, not Teghan. She is going to stay with dad. I just didn't think she would get much out of it... Not $8 worth, anyway!
Gary
10/18/07
Bush makes a little joke in yesterday's press conference:
Reporter: Mr. President, following up on Vladimir Putin for a moment, he said recently that next year, when he has to step down according to the constitution, as the president, he may become prime minister; in effect keeping power and dashing any hopes for a genuine democratic transition there ...
Bush: I've been planning that myself.
Funny.

LATER: On re-reading the above, I realized that I didn't make it clear he actually said this. Read more here.


Karen
10/18/07
It would be fun to come to Lincoln, but Sunday Marcia and Opal are coming here. Opal made a quilt for Emily's graduation and is finally finished with it so Marcia is bringing her. No school for me today. In fact I am just about to head to the funeral. Went to the visitation last night, and it was packed. So I will need to get to the church early to find a seat. Another dreary, rainy day here, I am sooo tired of rain!!

Same here! But at least two clear dry days scheduled for this area, starting tomorrow. Hope you get 'em too! --Gary>


Donna
10/18/07
Amanda, 1:00 works for me. Are T&t coming? I hope so. ;-)

Karen, why don't you guys drive down Sunday and you can join us?


Gary
10/18/07
The Daily Nebraskan has an interesting article today, on a soon-to-be-published book called The Nebraska Way. Talk about great timing... The book is on the rise and fall of Nebraska football, including quite a bit on Pederson, Solich, and Callahan. You can read the article online here. It's worth your time!
Amanda
10/17/07
Donna & Grandma, what time do you want to go Sunday? Lori is joining us. I prefer closer to the start time of 1 o'clock. Let me know what you think...
Gary
10/17/07
BREAKING NEWS! Nothing official on this yet, but at least one radio station is reporting it as fact: Callahan is out, and Charlie McBride has been asked to step in as interim coach.

The grapevine has been saying that Callahan, Cosgrove, and a few other assistant coaches were twice asked to resign over the weekend. All refused. So I don't know if this means Callahan was fired, or finally decided to resign. Osborne, say the rumors, has been talking with Bo Pelini, who is very interested in the NE head coach position. Supposedly there is a press conference scheduled for 6, but I haven't seen any official word on this either.

If it was a firing, it would seem to conflict with Osborne's press conference yesterday, where his message was "wait and see." But if Callahan resigned, then.... Anyway, take this one (again) with a grain of salt. But the story is really going around....

UPDATE: The McBride part, at least, is not true. (Though the Fox Sports station that reported the above has not corrected/retracted the story yet.) McBride was on another radio station just now laughing about it -- says he has not been approached by the athletic department, has no plans to contact them, etc. Something is stirring the pot about Callahan though, but the outcome may not (or may!) be an imminent resignation.


Gary
10/17/07
Rainy dark morning here. Had my headlights on (first time this year) all the way to work, and would still need them now out there, an hour later....

More Husker gossip, anyone? You may have heard that at yesterday's practice, none of the defensive players were wearing their blackshirts, and the word was that they won't wear them til they have earned them back. I now hear that taking the blackshirts away was a team decision, and not one handed down by the coaching staff. That means two things: 1) The team gets it, and 2) The coaches don't. Way to go, team!

Great quote from former QB Zac Taylor, back in 2005: "I mean, they don't need to do anything to motivate us. We're playing Big 12 football for Nebraska. If you need motivation then, you know, well I don't know what's wrong with you."

And now, because it's getting hard to remember what real Nebraska football looks like, take a stroll down memory lane to one of the greatest Husker games ever: the 1996 Fiesta Bowl, against Florida. Get your hankies out! :-)


Karen
10/16/07
Got through the day, but it was LONG!! Alyce and her husband had two boys -- 17 and 14 (in fact Erika went to preschool with the youngest). Kids didn't ask too many questions, so that helped. Being in a Christian school does make a difference, I'm sure most of the parents must have talked with them. Brent had a few email conversations with Perlman when Emily was trying to go to UNL. I think they got rather heated. Another rainy, dreary day here -- think it's the fourth in a row. Ready for some sun. The leaves are really getting pretty around here.
Gary
10/16/07
One more detail: This same source still maintains, as I quoted yesterday, that Callahan (and Cosgrove) will be gone within two weeks -- probably after the Texas (not Texas A&M) game, maybe before.

I'm really curious about this Saturday's game now (A&M). Does all this recent stuff fire the Huskers up, or does it leave them untouched? (I realize that merely replacing the AD won't magically make them better players, but it could easily impact the "emotional" factor.) Do the fans come roaring back in support of the program, or will they leave early again if the play is lackluster? How will the fans treat Callahan and Cosgrove? This is a game I realllly wish was televised -- it may or may not be great football, but it would certainly be great TV!


Gary
10/16/07
More rumors, but pretty solid: Osborne as interim AD will be informally announced any minute now (3:15 pm), with a press conference scheduled for 5:15 where it will become official. He is expected to lay out his plans at this time. He is not expected to name a new coach by name, but the word is Bo Pelini is his main focus... Also, it is being said that Warren Buffet not only paid off Pederson's buyout (and presumably will do the same for Callahan), but will also be donating the $40 million still needed to pay off the Tom Osborne Center. I was all set to write a check myself, but now I guess I don't have to!

Wow, as I was writing the above, I received a faculty/staff email from Perlman announcing Osborne as interim AD. That is official. The source is good! :-)


Grandma
10/16/07
Karen, am sorry to hear about your friend's husband, we talked about them this weekend. Will be a tough week at school. Football dominates all the local news here, Listened to Callahan's news at noon, not much new there. Beautiful day, but I will have to turn the furnace on, the temp in the house is only 63 and I am feeling chilly.
Gary
10/16/07
Latest rumor is that Osborne has indeed agreed to be the interim AD, on the condition that Dave Rimington comes in as his assistant (and possible successor). Nothing official on this, but it's from the same "I know someone who was at the meeting" source as before, so it seems solid.

I also heard that "Blackshirts 2007" sweatshirts have been marked down to $2 at the Husker shop....

Callahan held a press conference this morning. I didn't see it, but I found a few details. He said, "Steve did some great things for our staff" (like recently renewing my contract!); also mentioned that they will "lose some recruits" over this, but didn't mention names. Then the usual bla-bla: Doesn't matter who the new AD is, we're just going to focus on Saturday's game and play our best, yadda yadda. Also said he doesn't plan to make any staff changes (???), and then said, "It's a wacky season--we could win Saturday and be right back in the Big 12 North race." I think he's medicated. Also noted was the fact that he wore no Husker gear of any kind....


Donna
10/16/07
Karen, that's sad news. I remember you talking about them before. Did they have any kids?

Poor Pederson just signed a 4 year contract and then gets fired, walking away with $2 million. Not a bad deal. It would have been nice if they could have fired him in July when his contract was up. Afterall it had nothing to do with football, it was his poor managerial style. And I've heard the media telling their listeners more than a few times, 'you guys asked for this, I hope you're happy.' Geez. I wonder if Perlman is nervous.
What are the rumors today? Anyone heard anything new?

Brent, why was Perlman less than cordial with you? Or can you say on a family website? ;-)


Karen
10/16/07
Not looking forward to school today! Yesterday we all learned that the husband of the 1st and 2nd graders had died. He had been battling cancer for about 3 years. We all knew it was coming, but still hard to hear. So the principal had to come into the classroom and try to explain to those kids what was going on. Today will be the first of a lot of subs and lots of questions. The funeral will be on Thursday, so of course, the school will be closed. Big news in Nebraska -- Brent has been following it pretty close. Sure that there will be more announcements to come. Brent is home sick today, guess I gave him my cold germs. Shouldn't get the flu this year, had my shot last week. The home tour sounds fun -- wish I was closer and could go too :)
Gary
10/15/07
Thanks to Lindsey for a new review!
Brent
10/15/07
Gee, Gary your e-mail conversation with Harv was a bit more cordial than the three I had with the little reichschan... er excuse me Chancellor.

Well, if I had emailed him after Saturday's game (as I almost did), it would have been a bit less cordial. But I figured he would be getting a lot of non-cordial mail that day (as he confirmed in today's press conference), so I held off. :-) --Gary


Gary
10/15/07
IT'S OFFICIAL! (2:16 pm) Steve Pederson has been fired! Perlman's official announcement will be at 4 this afternoon. Woo-hoo!
Gary
10/15/07
I just heard that Harvey Perlman will be making a statement at 2:15 this afternoon. Something's up!

If I may, I'll segue into a report on the last time Harv and I spoke (via email). In February of 2004, Perlman sent out a staff/faculty newsletter by email, to which I responded:

I would like to take issue, respectfully, with a statement you made in your announcement email earlier today:
"First there are budget cuts, then football coaches, and now the worst snowfalls in decades. We should probably get ready for locusts and the plague this Spring."
Including "football coaches" with budget cuts and snowfalls suggests that the coaching situation was something out of your control, like an act of God or legislation from the Capitol. But that shameful and embarassing business, which tarnished the Nebraska football program to the point that Tom Osborne wants to remove his name from it, was an act of Steve Pederson -- with, I gather, your complete support.
He wrote me back:
Sorry if you were offended. You are free to think as you will but as you might guess I didn't see anything shameful and embarassing about changing the leadership of a program that was declining in quality.
Harvey
I imagine the phrase "declining in quality" may come up again in today's comments.... :-)
Gary
10/15/07
To balance out all the rumors I've been delivering, here's a new fact: The October 27 Texas game will be televised, on ABC. If the rumors below are true, that could be Callahan's last Nebraska game....
Gary
10/15/07
Another you-heard-it-here-first rumor, supposedly originating from someone who was actually in the meeting this morning: Pederson is fired, Tom Osborne is interim Athletic Director, Callahan will resign within two weeks (probably after the Texas game), and they are hoping to get Bo Pelini as coach. Announcement will be made sometime in the next day or two. As before: Apply grain of salt before believing.

But the rumor is going mainstream. Nobody official is denying it, and the news media are starting to work on it. Lincoln's sports columnist Steve Sipple said he called Bo Pelini for comment, and Pelini carefully stated that he and his wife both loved Lincoln, and that he would consider returning "if certain conditions changed" (i.e., if he didn't have to work under Steve Pederson). It's possible those conditions are changing right now. :-)


Gary
10/15/07
Well, the rumors are still just rumors (i.e., no official word from anybody), but the rumors are still out there. My feeling is there's something there, and this should be an interesting week.

Random football comments:

  • Did you hear that at Saturday's game some people in the student section were holding up a sign that said "Surrender Steve Pederson" (ala "Wizard of Oz")? And that security immediately showed up and confiscated the sign? And that some fans were "watching" the game with paper bags over their heads, some of which had "Sack Callahan" and "Sack Pederson" written on them?
  • You did hear, I'm sure, that in an effort to "pump up the team" (as if that were the whole problem), they brought in Tom Osborne and the entire 1997 championship team to hang out with the players and sit with them on the sidelines. At Saturday's game they had a kind of receiving line with Osborne and some of the former players and coaches to greet the team as they walked on to the field. I saw some footage last night that showed several of the current players walking right past Osborne without even an acknowledgement, let alone a greeting or handshake. Weird! It showed Osborne watching one such player walk right past him, and Osborne turned his head to watch him go by with a "What was THAT about?" look on his face....
  • Interesting stat: In 11 years of coaching at Nebraska, Devaney gave up only 1 game where the opponent scored more than 40 points against us; in 25 years of coaching at NU, Osborne gave up only 4 40+ games; in 6 years of coaching at NU, Solich gave up 5 40+ games; and Callahan, in 3.5 years of coaching at NU, has given up 8 40+ games -- four of them this season....
  • Travis Justice, sports guy on KMTV, made an interesting comment last night. He said he doesn't think Callahan is to blame so much (although Justice was critical of Callahan's perhaps overcomplicated playbook). Callahan, he said, was a guy who had just gotten fired and needed a job when he came aboard here -- he had little or no idea of what NE football was all about, and when he got here "he went 'Oh...My...God...!'" Justice said Pederson is the culprit: You don't fire someone on this level (Solich) unless you have someone -- someone GOOD -- waiting in the wings to take over.
  • I watched a former NU player (missed his name) make some interesting points with the telestrator last night. He started up a play from Saturday's game with Oklahoma on offense, at 3rd and 1 in the red zone. OU is lined up and ready to snap the ball; then he paused the tape and circled two Nebraska defensive players in the backfield -- they're both standing up with their arms extended, palms up, and it's clear from their body language they are saying to each other, "What's going on? Where are we supposed to be? I don't know!" Then the tape advanced a bit, and from the corner of the screen we see another Nebraska defensive player trotting in after the ball was snapped -- clearly out of position and unready for the play. Then the tape advanced a bit more, and you saw the Nebraska front line getting swarmed by the offense -- because, as this former player pointed out, they practically stood up, putting their center of gravity not down low where it should have been but way up high, making them easy to knock over. Bottom line, said this player, is that our defense may have some talent, but they are confused and don't know what to do. He pointed out that he'd never before seen defensive players wearing wrist flipbooks like some of ours do; he said that's a sign that our defense is too complicated and our guys aren't on top of it.

    Okay, enough complaining. Oh, except for this: Enough with the rain already! Normally I welcome rain in any shape or form, but this batch is bugging me. Everything is grimy and sticky, and the whole town smells like wet dog. I want that beautiful October weather back!


    Donna
    10/15/07
    Amanda, I'd like to go. Great pictures from Vala's.
    Gary
    10/14/07
    Probably no one reading this at this hour (late Sunday night), but the rumors are swirling on the football chatrooms: Lots of people with "inside sources" are saying the big-money alums have gotten Pederson, Callahan, and maybe others fired tonight by giving the University enough money to buy out their contracts; that Tom Osborne will step in as temporary Athletic Director and oversee the new hiring; and that this will all be announced at a 9:30 am press conference Monday. If true, you heard it here first! If not true -- hey, I said they were just rumors. :-) (But if it doesn't happen at 9:30 tomorrow, I think it's a safe bet something like it will be happening soon...)

    Update: Rumor now has it that the 9:30 thing tomorrow is a (closed) meeting of the athletic department, and that whatever the announcement is will be made on Wednesday. We'll see! I'm going to bed.


    Amanda
    10/14/07
    Grandma, did you read this? Do you want to go? I would, I think Tristen would too. Donna? Give me the word & I will get the tickets.
    Gary
    10/13/07
    Whew, that game hurt bad.... It sounds like the players have given up on the coach/coaches. No fire there at all. I'm betting we'll be looking at a new coach next year. I checked some of the online football chatrooms after the game, and many people are calling for Callahan and Pederson to step down. Several people (including the author of the piece I will quote below) are suggesting that Osborne take over Pederson's position as Athletic Director. Hmmmm... interesting idea!

    One person posted this online, and I thought it was interesting enough to post here:

    I'm not embarrassed to be from Nebraska.
    I'm not embarrassed to be a fan of the Cornhuskers.
    I'm not embarrassed for the kids who are playing this year.
    I won't even be embarrassed if we lose the rest of our games.

    But!! I am embarrassed because, once again I have to say my dad was right. the next time I see him, I will have to say, "Damn, Dad. You were so right about Pederson and his hiring of Callahan. And the way they screwed over HuskerNation." I don't know if Solich would be doing real well today, obviously we never will.

    But even if he had gotten fired later or they would have hired other Nebraska people, we could be doing it our way. I asked my dad why he thought Callahan wasn't a good hire and why he hated Pederson so much. After all Pederson is from Neb, right? And my dad said Pederson is an egotistical, stubborn, know-it-all. No one took the job at first because everyone has too much respect for Solich and the way it went down, which in turn led to NO respect for Pederson and why he fired Frankie. Coaching circles are REALLY tight knit. They look out for each other and stand up for each other. No one took the job here cuz no one wanted to coach for Pederson, my dad told me. I said bullcrap, everything will be just fine. Callahan will learn what this is all about.

    My dad was still friends with the secretary who worked for Osborne and Solich every single day they were at memorial stadium. He knew Callahan wouldn't work when, she told my dad the day he got there he took down a giant picture over his desk of the state of Nebraska with a Big N in the middle that had been there since the late 60's (i even remember it as a kid). In its place was a picture of himself (Bill) wearing Raiders gear on the sidelines of the NFL during the Super Bowl. Two weeks later he fired the secretary and anyone else working in the office who was from Oz and Solich. My dad would give me an update of about a dozen stories exactly like this one over the following months from people he knew inside the program. I should have recognized.

    I said who cares? he wants his own people in there. let him go for changes and get the program into the 21st century...etc, etc...But damn it, i was wrong!! Those people, that picture, the offices, the trophies--they ARE Nebraska! They are who the program is. My dad is a former coach and player and was involved in the University for almost 12 years of his life. He has never been invited or informed of any functions or speaking engagements or camps or ANYTHING since Bill has got there.

    But I turned a blind eye. I said the wins will speak for themselves. Pretty quiet, huh? Geez, I gotta look @ my dad and brothers and say it...I was wrong and we need Ron Brown back here. Turner Gill. Monte Kiffin. Scott Downing. Osborne for AD.

    I feel bad for all of us cuz we were straight up lied to and dumped on. And now we can't even get real answers to the problems or a fair assessment from the AD or HC. ENOUGH!! I am not embarrassed to be a Huskerfan. I am just ready for this nightmare to be over.


    Gary
    10/12/07
    I don't know if there's any interest in reviving the cat-vs-dog controversy (Livy? Donna?), but here's a story that must be entered into the record: A dog in Maine saved the lives of his owners when he woke them up after a fire broke out in their home. And who caused the fire? Their cat! :-) Story here.
    Gary
    10/12/07
    New photos!
    Amanda
    10/12/07
    Be nice if we could WATCH the game, for free... Or at least for the $100 a month we already pay in cable! That PPV deal is such a rip, I wish people would boycott it. They'll just keep doing it, and doing it more often...

    Anyway, yeah, Happy Birthday to Ryan... We were at the pumpkin patch all day yesterday, didnt get home til about 9:45, in bed pretty soon after that & Teghan came to us crying at about 11:30 that her ear hurt. So we got her in bed, got her tylenol & a heating pad & vicks & the works. She just couldn't settle down. She just whimpered/cried for at least an hour. I finally got her up and into the loveseat (which is just her length) with the heating pad & the "Soundscapes" music channel on TV & she finally crashed. Poor Ryan probably didn't start getting sleep until about 1, and his alarm goes off at 4. Yuck. So, happy birthday to him! And, another year of birthdays for him that someone is sick! Dr. confirmed an ear infection this morning, so we are home with the first round of amoxicillin in her. In 2005 on his birthday my gall bladder finally gave way & I got a correct diagnosis & scheduled surgery... Poor Ryan... Crummy birthdays!
    Gary
    10/12/07
    Quick update on this weekend's homecoming: The theme is "Johnny Carson," and the displays are really well done -- and funny! -- this year. I understand Carson's family will be here for the festivities. Be nice if we could win the game, too.... :-)
    Donna
    10/12/07
    Gore was just awarded the Nobel Peace Prize! Oh I hope he runs for president!

    If he doesn't, he will be the only person in American history who has been offered the Presidency as a sure thing, and turned it down. I wouldn't blame him if he decides not to, but his Presidency is the only thing that could erase the past eight years. (Okay, I would blame him a little....) Hillary? Obama? Edwards? They are all fine, and whoever is nominated I will support; but any of them would only be someone new, who would attempt (with limited success) to clean up the mess that Bush has left behind. (In fact, I don't really trust Hillary or Obama to aggressively correct Bush's failed policies -- they've supported him too much already. For example, both have said they would leave a military presence in Iraq through at least 2013.) Only Gore could symbolically and spiritually undo the damage Bush has done. The past eight years have proven Gore right on every single issue -- the war, the economy, global warming -- which is a test none of the other Democrats can pass. Most importantly of all, perhaps, is the fact that the office belongs to him: he won it in 2000. But it was taken away. This is America's chance to undo that wrong. I hope Gore allows it to happen. --Gary


    Donna
    10/12/07

    Happy Birthday Ryan!!!
    Emily
    10/11/07
    Is today really the last day of summer?! It has been feeling like fall around here for awhile now, I would rather have summer back...
    I am liking college, and have been keeping pretty busy so far this year. I am already a little over half way through with first term, and just got done taking midterm exams. Next week I have to meet with my advisor to officially register for next term's classes. I'm planning on taking Macroeconomics, Algebra, American Government, Public Policy, and Developmental Psychology. Now, my AP credits are starting to pay off a little bit. I get to skip introductory psychology at least and should hopefully get to skip a few basic english classes...
    Gary
    10/11/07
    Hey, want to see what our webpage looked like one year ago today? Here it is!
    The Hatgidakis Family
    10/11/07

    Happy Birthday Ryan!!!!!
    Grandma
    10/11/07

    Happy Birthday, Ryan!!
    Nelsons
    10/11/07

    Happy Birthday Ryan
    Paul, Lori, Lindsey, Olivia
    10/10/07

    Happy Birthday Ryan!!!
    Marsha
    10/10/07
    Our weather went from summer to fall on Monday, gorgeous trees and jackets are necessary. Karen, I love that you found that typo, it really made us laugh. Donna, your new computer sounds great, would love to have DSL too.... Just got out our Halloween decorations, looks spooky. Zach made us some awesome chili so I don't have to cook. Hey Erika, could you put up a picture of your room makeover? Hey, I think the Cornhuskers could beat the Gophers, well maybe.

    I'll take that bet: 5 large on the Gophers. --Gary


    Gary
    10/10/07
    Now this is more like it! Fall is definitely in the air. Leaves are just beginning to turn color, and the fraternity/sorority houses are all busy building their homecoming displays. (I haven't picked up the theme yet -- just a lot of plywood and chicken-wire at this stage.) With the temperature supposed to get down in the 30s tonight, I just might wear a jacket tomorrow!
    Donna
    10/10/07
    I loved yesterday's cool site. The cat haiku was so cute. Those were the only kind of poems I could write in school. I love my new computer! I appreciate it more every time I use it.
    Emily, I loved the Shrek movies but I haven't seen the 3rd one yet.
    Erika, how do you like your room?
    Olivia, where are you? Do you know you still have a birthday present from me waiting to be opened? Did you move out of state and not tell anyone?
    Tristen, how was the new water resort?

    And P.S. to Livy: Tell your big sister that the Oscar is still waiting for her at Grandma's. If she doesn't pick it up, I'm going to reclaim it and keep it for the whole year! :-) --Gary


    Karen
    10/8/07
    Gary, your story made me laugh -- I was reading along and read "kept driving two more blacks" -- had to go over the story again wondering where you picked up two blacks to take to the Kwik-E-Mart. Nice to know that I'm not the only one who makes mistakes when I'm typing :) Just back from Erika's school conferences -- she is doing great!! Nothing but good reports and grades from all her teachers. Donna -- you will love your new computer -- DSL is great -- changed our lives!

    Dang, now I can't correct my typo but have to leave it for historical purposes! :-) --Gary


    Gary
    10/8/07
    You're gonna love that widescreen (not to mention DSL) more every time you use it. Like I said, you should inform Gallup you're working from home now and skip that daily I-80 commute... :-) No commute for me this morning (yet); but to tell the story, allow me to go back in time a bit.

    I left work on Friday night and drove through town on my way home. I stopped at a stop light, everything normal -- I pulled away and I immediately heard a loud flubbada-dubbada coming from behind. I opened my door and looked back: My left rear tire was flatter than the Husker defense. There was no blowout or anything; it was fine one minute and totally flat the next. So I gritted my teeth and kept driving two more blacks to a Kwik-E-Mart place where I 1) called the nearest repair station (about six blocks away) to see if they could fix my tire tonight (I figured I would need a new one after driving on the rims like that) and 2) inflated the tire to hopefully get me six more blocks.

    At the station, the guy put my car up on the lift and inspected the tire. Not only was it still holding the air I put in, but he couldn't find a puncture anywhere. I was sure I would need a new tire anyway, but he didn't have one in the shop. So I drove it home. The tire held that night, driving around all day Saturday, and it held all day Sunday. But this morning: flat city. So it's at a local shop right now, and I'm home waiting for the call for me to walk over and get it.

    ...which just came, as I was typing the above. So I'm back on the road again (or will be soon).


    Donna
    10/8/07
    Yes, I have a brand new computer. My old computer was on its last legs for awhile. I was working from home Friday and it kept freezing up. I emailed Gary and said hook me up with something fast and he did. We went to Best Buy Saturday and I got a computer like Mom's. I love it! It came with a printer/copier/scanner that still needs to be set up. Oh and I now have DSL so it's like night and day from what I had before. Thanks again, Gary! I am really enjoying it! I wish I was working from home today. It's actually faster than my computer at work. It will be heavenly to work from home on snowy days this winter!
    Gary
    10/7/07
    Lindsey brings us another moving-picture review. Thanks, Linz!
    Karen
    10/7/07
    My long week-end is about to end. Been busy -- Friday Emily and I went shopping most of the morning, then met Brent for lunch. Yesterday Erika and I got up early and started to paint her bedroom. After two coats of primer, a coat on the ceiling and trim, we were tired. We seemed to get a little energy about 7 and finally painted the walls. This morning we cleaned everything and she is snuggled in there now. She painted it a "salmander green," not my first choice, but it does look nice, and she is happy with it. Brent watched some of the game. I think just the first half, he wasn't too happy about the outcome. Emily had her first car trouble a week ago on Friday. Went out to go somewhere and it wouldn't even turn over. Brent and I went up later in the afternoon to check it out, but we know NOTHING about cars. So called for a tow, but late Friday afternoon -- it sat in the shop til Monday morning. Luckily it wasn't anything serious - just a new battery. So she is back on the road again. She is already half way through her first tri-mester.
    Amanda
    10/7/07
    So, did anyone stay up for the game last night? Sheesh! Ryan fell asleep in the 1st quarter (getting up at 4 am will do that to a guy) but Tristen & I stayed awake and watched it til at least the 3rd. Then Teghan came down & we all had blankets & pillows & I mentioned I was getting sleepy & Teghan said, "we can just sleep in the livingroom! Tristen, shut that light off!" Tristen didn't shut the light off so Teghan jumped up, shut the light off & all we were left with were our blankets, pillows & a crummy football game. Needless to say, Teghan was right, we could sleep in the livingroom.

    Tristen had her last soccer game yesterday & Teghan has her last today. It was about 2 months full of soccer every weekend & some during the week when Tristen had British soccer practice, but I'm glad its over...

    Ryan's sister Steph got married yesterday. It was uneventful. We weren't too excited about going, as we don't really support it, but we went, slipped in & out basically & that was it.

    The website I created for my friend Amber's twins: She found out she's having twin girls! She had an ultrasound that confirmed it & found out they are perfectly healthy so far! They are much bigger than they should be, at 21 weeks they should be 10 ounces each, they each are 1 pound 2 ounces, so 18 ounces, 8 more than expected! They are naming them Alivia (a new twist on Livy's name!)Ann & Grace Lynn, and they will be called Livy & Gracie.

    Donna, a new computer?? Details???


    Gary
    10/5/07
    Yeah, agreed. That's one of the problems with having a sucky mediocre less-than-excellent team this year: the TV guys aren't lined up at the door throwing money....

    Tomorrow's game is televised, though, and the Missouri game is almost always a good one. Our team is expecting a lot of crowd noise, apparently, because every day this week they've been practicing in the stadium with LOUD crowd noise blaring from the speakers. It sounds like a real game in there!

    My prediction for tomorrow's score: 38-33, with Nebraska being either the 38 or the 33. :-)


    Amanda
    10/5/07
    Are you kidding? I see that our homecoming game next weekend against Oklahoma State is on pay per view! God, that's crap.........
    Donna
    10/2/07
    Those pictures of T&t are great! And I love the pigeon bandit video.
    Amanda
    10/2/07
    Check out Omaha's new water resort! It just opened in September, and Tristen gets to go there next weekend for a birthday party! She is going Saturday night & spending the night! It looks similar to Great Wolf Lodge. Try the second link for the "fly through" video, if it doesn't work, click on the link for the interactive fly through on the home page. Lucky Tristen!
    Gary
    10/1/07
    Lindsey has been to the movies. Thanks for the review!
    Amanda
    10/1/07
    GREAT photos Gary, can't wait to show the girls!

    These were kind of quick and sloppy, just to experiment. Next batch will be better. :-) --Gary


    Gary
    10/1/07
    New photos!
    Gary
    10/1/07
    Happy October, everyone -- arguably the best month of the whole year. My favorite, anyway!

    At long last I have done some updating on the webcam pages. Webcams have a short shelf-life: Old ones go black, and new ones pop up all the time. Most of the ones on our pages had gone extinct. So I deleted the extinct ones, kept some of the still-working ones, and added a whole bunch of new ones.

    The "World" cams section still needs some work: I lumped everything, old and new, onto one page. I'll be adding more soon and dividing them among several pages.

    So, enjoy the new cams. And don't forget the Fall foliage cams -- already some color there!