TEN RANDOM THOUGHTS: UPPER MIDWESTERN ROAD TRIP EDITION

1. Given the splashes of bright yellow and khaki in the farm fields, along with many tree leaves turning silvery, I’m guessing we’re going to have an early fall this year. Today in particular you could almost smell football in the air. I love it.
2. Another great sight: seeing “SPEED LIMIT 70″ signs on I-35 in Iowa.
3. Am I the only person who’s caught on to the fact that Drew Rosenhaus did not negotiate Terrell Owens’ current contract and therefore isn’t getting paid for representing T.O. right now? Don’t you think it’s just possible that that fact might have something to do with Owens’ intransigence a couple weeks back?
4. When I grow up, I want to be a children’s musician. You don’t have to know anything other than “oomp-da, oomp-da” in a single key. Unless you’re the xylophone player. Then you’re called on to make some of the songs sound “wacky.” (Insider musician joke: How many children’s musicians does it take to change a light bulb? One, five, one, five . . .)
5. It’s definitely the second trimester when you wife comes out of the gas station with malted milk balls and a giant bag of Munchos.
6. After a few years of experience, I think I’ve finally come to the conclusion that I like everything on the menu at Culver’s except the hamburgers and custard. Both are just a little too effulgent for me. But dang, the Philly Ribeye hit the spot tonight.
7. Speaking of Culver’s, this trip brought two more semi-regrettable Culver’s marquee sightings: CARAMEL PECAN BBQ PORK was pretty funny, except I could see somebody on the Food Network making that. I won’t hold my breath waiting for a BOSTON CREME TURKEY BLT BASKET, though.
8. We saw no signs of Katrina in the upper Mississippi valley this afternoon. I was a little surprised by that after spending the better part of Sunday night and this morning flipping back and forth between CNN and Fox News. I at least thought there would have been a little storm surge in Prairie du Chien.
9. That’s not meant to make light of the incredible devastation that happened down south today, of course. Nor is it really intended to rake the media over the coals for wall-to-wall coverage of what had the potential of being the worst storm anybody had ever seen. I expect that by the end of the week I’ll have a mailing from Lutheran Disaster Relief in the church mailbox, and yes, we’ll raise money for the victims. It’s a small effort, but I know we have to do something.
10. And if you think you weren’t affected by the storm, just wait until gas hits $3.25 a gallon.