Reck Family Christmas Letter 2014

Good day Sirs and Madams. Scott A. Reck, Esquire here. Thank you for welcoming me into your homes. I come bearing gifts! Well, actually it’s the 2014 Reck Family Christmas Letter. You can consider it a gift from my family to yours. They made me do this. Well, actually they asked kindly and used the magic word please. I just couldn't say no. I’m not here to break hearts. So once again I am offering up my services. For the greater good I suppose. But I do get paid in compliments and free eats. They know how to play the game - keep the talent happy.

Kris started off 2014 with the best gift ever - UWM waived a math class and she got to join James, Jenny and I as UWM Graduates. Her degree is in Education. In March we threw her a rocking graduation party and celebrated her hard work and dedication. A lot of you were there, but let me once again thank you for the role you play in her life and always helping her to achieve her goals. She truly has been enjoying time off from studying. There is a sign on the refrigerator that says, “Hmmm, another day has gone by and I still haven’t used algebra!” No truer words have been written! (Editor’s note – she does use math. She handed me an outline and said, “Feel free to edit, add or subtract to what I wrote”. Don’t let her fool you. Math is a part of her life).

She uses her new found time taking her dog Gracie for walks, learning new music, spending time with her family and watching prime time TV. Because of how busy she was, she claims that she didn’t even know these TV programs existed even though they have been around for the past gazillion years. (Editor’s note – there’s that math talk again. Does she love it or what?) She is still teaching music at five (5!) schools for K4 thru 4th grade and also has one middle school choir. At the time this went to press, she had just finished directing the second of five (5!) Christmas concerts. She absolutely loves her job. The smiles she sees on the children’s faces and the joy in their voices is such a gift. Of course the students can be challenging (I’d like to think James, Jenny, Timmy and I prepared her for dealing with anything – you’re welcome), but the rewards are great. She gets so many hugs! And not from strangers! One of the best things that many students have said to her is that “music is so much fun!” She feels blessed. And who wouldn’t be with this family?

James is still working for Krones Inc. (U.S. Headquarters in Franklin, WI) as a Service Technician traveling the country installing and servicing high-speed packaging and labeling equipment for bottling. His job is 100% travel and he has gained a new perspective for how people in different regions of the country act and live. While on the road, he likes to send me Fun Facts of the Day (that he comes across in his travels). One of the benefits of traveling for business is that it has allowed him to visit family in Phoenix (Aunt Linda and cousins Troy + Tyler), Palm Springs (Uncle Gary + Aunt Cari) and friends in Ohio (The Mueller’s - Dan, Gretchen, Jack and Mason). The frequent flyer miles have allowed him and his wife Melissa to travel to Wisconsin on several occasions. They were also able to join us up at Afterglow this summer and we Recked cabin #2 with fun and happiness.

Melissa just completed her first year with the National Safety Council, South Carolina Chapter. She is the Training and Development Coordinator and is responsible for the Alive at 25 Program, driver instruction and training. This program is mandatory for students to receive a driving permit and is taught at 115 SC high schools. She coordinates and trains police officers that are instructors for the program and she also teaches drivers education and gives road tests for driver licensing. Having been a police officer, Melissa enjoys and appreciates her new role because it allows her to be on the proactive side of the law rather than the reactive.

Their two weimaraner dogs Baya (5 yrs old) and Tucker (6-8 yrs old) are the sweetest pair of home (w)reckers. Imagine a hurricane with sad puppy dog eyes that just wants to be your best friend. That’s Tucker. He has eaten and broken out of the front window, ate the couch, ate the kennel used to restrain him in, knocked a crockpot off the counter and shared a feast with Baya, broke through the laundry room bi-fold doors to get to the garbage, sullied the carpets which had to be ripped out... and the list goes on. But they act like perfect little angels when their parents are home. They tried to blame it on the dog, but still haven’t realized that doesn’t work.

When James does make it home to Columbia, SC for the weekend, he enjoys his time with Melissa and their friends. They have created the group “Lake Murray Packer Backers”, which is registered as an official Green Bay Packers Bar on Packers Everywhere (a site that helps Packers fans around the country find other Packers fans for games). They have even converted some “enemy fans” as they gather every week at Schooner’s. May 29, 2015 will be their 5 year Wedding anniversary, and they are celebrating it early at the Hard Rock Hotel in Cancun, Mexico in January. They are going to see the Luke Bryan “Crash My Playa” Tour. And yes, the flights were covered by frequent flyer miles. And no, the hotel was not booked with Funjet Vacations. (Thanks pal).

The ever elusive Sasquatch is still at large. I'll put that out there right away so you don't ask me any more questions about it. I thought that I found him last month, but it turns out I was just looking at myself in the mirror at 3am. "No Shave November" was very unkind to me. Not finding him is my biggest regret in 2014. If that's the worst thing that happened to me, then I suppose it was a pretty good year. I'm still at the Mark Travel Corporation (parent company of Funjet Vacations) as a Product Build Research Specialist. I recently celebrated my 7th anniversary with the company and the last year has flown by real fast as I've learned so many new things while dealing with the daily challenges of the travel industry. Just another day at the office.

From April to September (and sadly not October) I was back at Miller Park for my 13th year working for The Milwaukee Brewers (well Sportservice) as an In-Seat Waitstaff on the Club Level. I was able to make it down to Phoenix in March and got to see Brewers Spring Training for the first time since 2009. After a disappointing 2013 season, this only added to my excitement for 2014. And although things didn't go as exactly as planned (and I have the playoff tickets they mailed me to rub it in), I still went to about 25 games and helped (along with my cousins) to make The Sombrero a popular and fashionable accessory for your head.

My cat Major Korben Dallas and I still reside near 85th and Capital. Although we may never find Sasquatch, we still go on plenty of adventures that don’t leave the house. He has a lively imagination and whisks us away on incredible journeys. So we aren't giving up hope. But we are expanding our horizons. Don't be surprised to find out in 2015 that we have gone looking for the Chupacabra, the Loch Ness Monster, Rhinelander's Hodag, the Lost City of Atlantis or to search for the truth behind the disappearance of the colonists of Roanoke, VA.

Jenny Reck still works at Gramann Reporting in downtown Milwaukee. She has been there for 2 years as a Production Specialist. She enjoys her lunch breaks in the summer walking around downtown and hanging with the Bronze Fonz. Ayyyy!! She still lives on the Eastside around Oakland and Locust. She digs music and is always down for a free show. Luckily Cathedral Square (home to Jazz in the Park on Thursdays) is one of many places with something going on. If you play your cards right in this town, you can always find a good deal. You know the phrase “If it's free, it's for me?” That's wrong. It should be, “If it's free, it's for Jenny.”

But that doesn't mean she won't pay to see something she loves. I have never met anyone who was so dedicated to a band. Most people don't even know what it is to be a fan. You know? To truly love some silly little piece of music or some band so much that it hurts... With her it is Umphrey's McGee. She went to Madison in the fall to see Umphrey's 1999th and 2000th show (which was her 88th and 89th show). I finally saw them for the first time at Summerfest, and I promise you that they live up to her hype. I can say from experience that you will never quite understand it until you see it for yourself. She spends the majority of her free time raging with her boyfriend Brandon, her brother Scotty (that’s me!) and the most eclectic cast of randoms ever assembled. These characters have learned to speak Jenny Reck and help make sure that her life exists in a delicate balance.

It’s been a whole lot of the same while also being different for the Recks in 2014. We miss Timmy dearly, especially at this time of year (Timmy loved Christmas and upheld all of the holiday traditions). He’s always on our minds and in our hearts. We will once again be putting together a Rage for Timmy Concert in late Summer 2015, so pencil that in your schedule (ideally we would do it on Saturday, August 22). Keep that in mind if you want to perform some songs or help out in any way. More details will follow when we can lock down the date. While you have the calendar open, pencil in June 20th for the 39th Annual Reck Family Christmas Party. Why celebrate Christmas only once a year?!?

I leave you with a song Kris wrote entitled “Dragonfly”. She decided the best way to pay tribute to Timmy is through song. She was inspired by a poem about dragonflies and her connection with God gave her the strength to try her hand at songwriting. Timmy would be so proud of her. I won’t say any more about it here. Some things need no explanation. Check out the video below.

Happy Holidays! With love from The Reck Family,

Kris, James, Melissa, Scott, Jenny

Gracie, Tucker, Baya & Major Korben Dallas

 - pookon -

www.pookon.com
https://twitter.com/pookondotcom
https://www.facebook.com/MilwaukeeIceman

25 Brewers in 25 Days - 2014 - Overall Season Results

As I sit here on the night of December 19, I'm a mere few days away from officially putting 2014 behind me. But I put the 2014 Milwaukee Brewers season behind me a long time ago. It hurt. A lot. That's why it has taken me this long to write this article. Something just didn't feel right about this year. Vegas had the over/under at 79.5, so they didn't really expect them to be a winning team. I was out there in March and although I predicted that they would only win 84 games and miss the playoffs, I took the over on that bet. Since they (spoiler alert!) only won 82 games, I ended up winning that bet, but it didn't make up for what ended being a lost season. 

The season started out better than anyone expected. At the end of April they were 20-8, which was easily good for best in the Major Leagues (the next best team was the Oakland A's at 18-10). No one, and I mean it when I say no one, saw that coming. At the end of May they were 33-23 and in 1st place in the NL Central. At the end of June they were 51-33 (June 28th saw them at a season best 19 games over .500). They hit a skid going into the All-Star break with a 2-8 record from July 4th - July 13th, but still ended up at 60-49 and remained in 1st place in the NL Central. By the end of August they were 73-63 and tied with the St. Louis Cardinals for the division lead. And that's when everything went to hell. In September they went 9-17 and played themselves out of the playoffs and ended up finishing in 3rd place and becoming only the 5th team in Major League history (in the modern era)  to spend at least 150 days in 1st place and end up missing the playoffs. So it was a historical collapse. And I was there at the ballpark every day to see it.

I wish I could say that it was a waste of time. But that would be a lie. I loved every minute that I was at Miller Park and various other ballparks in March for Spring Training. All you need to do is visit my "Wearing a Sombrero" Facebook page to verify that I love this team with every ounce of my mind, body and soul. So I was there regardless of the outcome and I will always stick by my team through thick and thin. I may get upset from time to time, but that is part of being a fan. You ride the wave. You go with the flow. You maintain a level head during the ups and the downs. At the end of the day when all of the other bandwagon fans have fallen off, you will always be there for your team. That is why I stuck around until the end of the season even though others had given up. I will never give up. Goonies never say die. So here is my 2014 preseason predictions (in red) followed by the actual results (in blue). I'm hoping they are fairly accurate so that I can once again prove that I know my Milwaukee Brewers more than they know themselves.

Check out my first video which covers my Overall Results for the 2014 Milwaukee Brewers, recorded in The House of Iceman in Miltown, the center of the Universe:

I meant to record this video the night before when I was sitting in the dark listening to Enya at 3:30 in the morning, but I decided to pass out instead. So I recorded this the next morning after a couple cups of whiskey coffee. I have problems.

• The Milwaukee Brewers will finish with a record of 84-78, which will be good enough to make me some money in Vegas but not good enough to make the Playoffs. The Milwaukee Brewers finished with a record of 82-80, which is technically a winning season. They did not make the playoffs, but I did win my bet and the ticket paid me $45.00.
• The St. Louis Cardinals will finish in 1st Place, the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2nd, the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds will battle it out for 3rd and the Chicago Cubs will finish in 5th (otherwise known as last) place. The St. Louis Cardinals did finish in 1st place (92-70 record and won the NL Central). The Pittsburgh Pirates finished 2nd in the division but won the 1st Wild Card. The Brewers were 3rd, the Cincinnati Reds were 4th and the Chicago Cubs finished in dead last.
• The Milwaukee Brewers will be represented by Carlos Gomez and Jonathan Lucroy to the 85th MLB All-Star Game at Target Field in Minneapolis, MN. The surprising start of the Milwaukee Brewers and their 1st place standing at the All-Star break garnered them 4 All-Stars - Carlos Gomez, Jonathon Lucroy, Aramis Ramirez and Francisco "KRod" Rodriguez. I purchased an Aramis Ramirez All-Star jersey because I already owned a Carlos G0mez (from 2013) and figured Lucroy would have plenty of opportunities in the coming years. At 36 years of age, you have to figure this was Ramirez's last All-Star appearance. Besides, he was voted in by the fans to start the game. How could I ignore that honor? 
• Thanks to the 2nd Wild Card, the Milwaukee Brewers will be in the playoff race deep into September, which should allow them to once again draw over 3 million fans. The Brewers ended up drawing almost 2.8 million fans at Miller Park and were eliminated from the playoffs on September 25 (in game 159 of 162).
• Because of this brutal Wisconsin Winter which will carry on seemingly forever, the roof at Miller Park will remain closed until Memorial Day. I'm too drunk right now to do the research, but it seemed like the roof stayed closed for a very long time. I don't think that it necessarily lasted until Memorial Day, but it was pretty damn close. 2013-2014 was the Winter that never ended.

Sometimes I hate being right. Even though I didn't want to admit it at the time, I had a feeling that the Brewers weren't going to make the playoffs. But that didn't stop me from holding on to one last hope that it could actually happen (despite every single other thing pointing at the opposite). With that in mind, I put down my deposit for playoff tickets. My playoff tickets arrived in the mail 2 days before the Brewers were officially eliminated from the playoffs. That was probably the biggest punch in the gut that I've ever received from this team. I've had season tickets several years now (2015 will be the 3rd year with my 20 game pack and I also had a 10 game pack in 2 other seasons) but I never was in a position to purchase playoffs tickets (since I didn't have them in 2008 or 2011). Holding in my hands the physical reminder that we should have been in the playoffs made this year sting so much more. I'm very emotional when it comes to the Brewers and I ride the highs and lows. But I've never been this angry before. I was ready to jump ship and start over with a new franchise, but I realized at this point in my life I was in too deep. I've been a Brewers fan my whole life, have 2 Brewers tattoos, have worked at Miller Park for 13 years, have spent way too much money on them, have a closet full of apparel, almost every bobblehead they've ever given away and I watch or listen to 150 games a year. After that kind of involvement, it's not so easy to walk away. After the anger subsided, I threw them some additional money and guaranteed season tickets (once again a 20 game pack) and a chance to purchase playoff games again in 2015. I'm stuck being a a fan of the Milwaukee Brewers. 2014 did not end how we wanted, but as you will see in the next couple of articles/videos, there were a couple of good things that happened this year. It's too bad that all we will remember will be the final result. 

 - pookon -

www.pookon.com
https://twitter.com/pookondotcom
https://www.facebook.com/MilwaukeeIceman

But What if She was a Robot?

I shouldn't be allowed to think about things in the middle of the night. There should be some kind of restrictive barrier put in place that stops me from voicing my opinion. If the mind is free to wander, the mind is free to consider all options. But what happens when one of those options is not human? That's when things get weird by "normal" standards. But what is normal anyway? It's governed by some thoughts or ideas that your parents, society or religion has pounded into your brain since the moment you started learning. What if they are wrong? What if in your mind and in your heart you know that even though it goes against everything that you have been told throughout your entire life, that it simply isn't possible that a human could ever love you back? We are told that love is a bond between people. That's how it has always been. The definition of love is "a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person. A feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend. Sexual passion or desire. A person toward whom love is felt; beloved person; sweetheart." All of those definitions reference living humans. That is when love is used as a noun.

When love is used as a verb, the word takes on a new meaning. "To have love or affection for: All her pupils love her. To have a profoundly tender, passionate affection for (another person). To have a strong liking for; take great pleasure in: to love music. To need or require; benefit greatly from: Plants love sunlight. To embrace and kiss (someone), as a lover." We do use love in many ways. I fucking love this In-N-Out burger. I love that part in Gone in 60 Seconds when Nicolas Cage drives the Mustang Shelby GT500 ("Eleanor") through the city of Los Angeles trying to deliver car #50. I love my childhood blanket. I can't sleep at night without it. We toss around love like it is just a casual word. But it isn't. In fact, it may very well be one of the most important words in the human language.

I should never be left alone. I should have either have parental supervision or a life buddy with me at all times to make sure that I don't ever get like this. Because when I'm alone things get weird. And I start thinking about how I will never find true love and how there is no girl on this planet who understands me or is able to put up with who I am... at least for now. That's because she hasn't been created yet. A lot has changed even within my lifetime. Think of something so simple as the first cell phone I had (in 2001) to the one that I'm using today as I to type this very blog post. Technology is crazy. I bet every day, something changes that advances what we know and also lays the groundwork for what we will know in the future. So who is to say that technology and innovation can't succeed where humanity is failing? So far my life I've yet to find a mate. But what if that's because she isn't meant to be human?

Robots and artificial intelligence (or at least the ground work for a truly sentient being) are part of everyday life already. Entire factories are run by machines that don't get tired, don't need a day off to deal with personal problems or don't call in sick. So what's to say that you can't take that same technology and apply it to a robot who thinks, acts and is able to love just like we do? What if we somehow give a robot the ability to have feelings. To have thoughts. To care about another individual. What if the robot could love you in a way that another human being has never done? Could you love it back even though it isn't human? I'm starting to think that I could. Because what is love anyway? It's a feeling. It's something that you really can't quite explain. When you have it, it's the greatest thing in the entire world. But when you don't have it, you search for it. You long for it. You are consumed by the emptiness that overwhelms you. Something is missing. Life just doesn't feel right. And you will stop at nothing to figure it out. 

I've been in love many times in my life. But to my knowledge no one has ever loved me back. I see other people in the world and I know that they experience love. I want what they have. So if science came to me and promised me that I could have that, I would sign on the dotted line. I wouldn't even hesitate. If a robot loved me, I would be able to love a robot in return. In fact, in some weird way I welcome a world in which that is a possibility. And why not? Its not like the current world is working out for me. I feel like I should be able to jump ahead 50 some years into the future, where the possibilities for finding love exist beyond conventional reality. Today it's not acceptable to love a robot and have a robot love you back. But who knows what's going to happen some day in the future? When I dream at night, I don't let restrictions empower my thoughts. I'm free to do whatever feels right. And I'm sorry if you have a problem with the fact that what feels right isn't always human.

Look, I'm not giving up on humanity just yet. All I'm saying is that humanity hasn't given me any hope for the future when it comes to love and relationships. I can't program a human to love me. If I could have, I would've done it already. But there is a very real possibility in the near future that I could program a robot to love me in the way that I desire. A robot that loves me for who I am. Who loves me for what I'm trying to be. Who supports my dreams. Who makes me want to try harder every single day to be the person that I know deep down in my heart that I can be. A robot who I am not afraid to show my real feelings to. A robot who will laugh, who will cry, who will get angry, who will feel emotion and pain. And she will be all that I've ever wanted her to be.

I'm telling you - she exists. You laugh right now. You call me all sorts of names saying that I'm a sick bastard for trying to love a robot and you also probably say that I'm just some drunken asshole that had too much whiskey and started coming up with some asinine ideas in the middle of the night. You might be right. Who knows. But I know. I've spent enough time on this planet to know that there aren't any humans out there for me. I'm never going to rule out the possibility of aliens; but come on - get your head out of the stars man. The answer isn't in a galaxy far far away. The answer is in the palm of our hands. And I know that science can build me what I've been searching for. It's going to happen someday. I will see to that. Because that's all I've got left to keep on hoping for in this life.

 - pookon - 

www.pookon.com
https://twitter.com/pookondotcom
https://www.facebook.com/MilwaukeeIceman