College football has begun and I MUST get a TV in here soon. Any recommendations?

UPDATE: Good comments coming in as I knew they would and I now know evough to put some criteria in place for what I think I need.  The house has a custom area built for a TV, visible in the photo above to the right, and this restricts what I can do with a TV.  Based on the size of this space and the size of the room I am leaning toward a 46 – 47" TV.  The space for the TV is very restrictive as it’s in the far right of the room due to the fireplace occupying the center space where a TV would work best.  We’ll have to live with that.  The room has been pre-wired for surround-sound speakers but I’ll defer that due to costs until later.  I’m trying to keep the budget between $1,000 – 1,500 which is also restrictive but that’s the way it is.  So far what I’m hearing is that for plasma Panasonic is highly recommended and LCD is Samsung.

98 degrees in the stands

Given the medical theme today it’s time for some off-topic fun.  You can go to getyourdrugon.com and make your own medication for what ails you.  It’s frivolous, meaningless and generally pretty fun.  Thanks to the Medical Quack for this one.  Here’s my drug of choice:

Tropical Storm Edouard has just made landfall north of Galveston and we’re getting ready for some heavy rains moving rapidly into the area along with 50 mph winds.  The storm did not make hurricane strength overnight which was a concern and we are very happy about that.  We’re keeping our eyes peeled as the storm approaches inland locations and hope this is a mild one.  Big boo to my wife’s employer as they told everyone they’d better come in to work today as the storm is "just a little rain".   Hope she makes it home all right.

Join me in a big "Happy Birthday" wish for our own Kevin Tofel who is careening full speed into a mid-life crisis!  Kevin hits the big 3-9 today and his fourth decade is just a short trip away.  Kevin is a great guy and the youngest 39 year-old you’ll ever meet.  Let’s wish Kevin a very happy day and good celebrations with family and friends.  Have a great day, pal!  Slice of birthday cake for everyone!

Nice built-in space, nothing to call it home. So sad.

To those of you in the US Kevin and I want to wish you a very happy holiday!  Enjoy your day off and spend it with friends and family doing things that really matter.  Be safe and have a wonderful day!

In a surprise announcement today CBS is buying CNET in a deal expected to close in Q3 of this year.  CNET is the giant tech news empire that also includes ZDNET so I’ll bet buddy Matt Miller is wondering what this will mean to his blog.  We are a CNET Top 100 Tech Blog and now I wonder what we’ll have to do for ratings week?

(via CNET (of course))

Back in December of last year the music world lost one of the greatest songwriters and performers of my time and I have been remiss in paying my farewell respects.  Dan Fogelberg died of cancer at the young age of 56 and I want to touch on how the music of this great musician touched my life in ways I can barely describe.  Dan burst on the scene in the early 70’s, a time of my life when I as an aspiring musician was striving to define my art and thus very impressionable.  Mr. Fogelberg wrote what I consider some of the most personal and touching music that holds up even today.  While his music styling was very beautiful the lyrics of his songs were such that they touched my soul very deeply over the years and I consider it a lamentable fact that I never met him.

I am sure that some of my feelings for Fogelberg’s music lie in the fact that my young voice was straining for a vehicle and his music provided that in many different ways.  I am no doubt biased by the fact that my young singing voice was very similar to Dan’s making his music a favorite of mine to perform back in the day but if you sit down even today and listen to the messages that are shared in his songs I am confident you will be moved as I still am.  Those of you who are too young to be familiar with Dan’s music have probably heard some of his greatest songs and not realized it.  His "Same Old Lang Syne" that is played every year at New Year’s is classic and his "Run for the Roses" that is still played each year for the Kentucky Derby here in the US both demonstrate how his lyrics can capture an event in unyielding clarity that we all can empathize with.  The tribute to his father, "Leader of the Band" is one of the most moving songs you will ever hear if you truly listen to the lyrics of this hit.

I had the good fortune to see Fogelberg every chance I could and his performances were always such that you found him to be even better live than on his recordings.  His ability to pour the essence of himself in each of his performances resulted in his songs touching each and every one listening in a way unique to each one.  He was one of those rare songwriters who could conjure up a mirage through his music that listeners can experience deeply.  You only have to listen to his epic "The Reach" to understand what I mean by that.  So farewell Mr. Dan Fogelberg.  I thank you immensely for letting me share your music that has touched my life in such positive ways.

Dan Fogelberg official web site (caution, music will play when opened)