In 1859 Charles Dickens wrote "A Tale of Two Cities" about pre-revolution France and the plight of the peasantry under boot of the wealthy ruling aristocracy. The starting lines of this book can easily be applied to much of everyday life. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times: it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity;..." One of the most quoted and misquoted introductions in literary history. Here I use it for another type of plight, for another epoch of both belief and of incredulity. 150 years later I bring you a recap. A Tale of Two Cities... A Tale of Two Halves.
I've been a Colts fan for far too long now to start sweating a game in the first half, I've seen all 41, no make that 42 come back 4th quarter wins form Peyton and his receiving and rushing cadre. I've seen ineptitude and greatness in the same game before. I made it to at least one game every year until last year, and have averaged three home games a year over the history of the Colts in Indianapolis. I've refused to leave any game where the Colts were within 10 points in the last 2 or 3 minutes, I've been both rewarded and disappointed for my team loyalty, but mostly rewarded. Sunday's game against The Texans in Houston was a rewarding experience, even if it was from the love-seat across from a HD TV. I didn't get up for anything during that 4th quarter. Another 4th quarter comeback, another record. This time not a two or three point squeeker win on the final drive, but a 21 point Colts 4th quarter; with passing, rushing and defensive scores. The 35-27 score was not as close as the scoreboard would let on, the final drive by Houston was not so hotly contested by the Colts defense because only one team had Peyton Manning on it.
If there was going to be any 1st half cause for alarm it wasn't the Colts being shut out in the first quarter while Matt Schaub's execution was nearly perfect or the Texans passing or rushing touchdowns. The momentary panic trigger for some would have been Peyton's 1st play of the 2nd quarter, continuing a drive from the break, but being picked for the 1st turn over of the game. Houston was able to kick a field goal on the ensuing drive and led 17-0. The next drive got the Colts on the boards with a 9 yard Manning pass to Pierre Garçon, only to be countered by yet another Houston field goal. The Half ended with another Manning interception Houston 20, Indy 7. It was the best of times for The Texans, and a time of incredulity for Colts fans.

The Colts received the ball to start the 2nd half and quickly put the 1st half's age of foolishness behind them with an eleven play drive culminating in a 4 yard Manning to Reggie Wayne touchdown. On Houston's following drive Schaub was intercepted by Antoine Bethea, and the defense came awake and ready to play! The epoch of belief was beginning! The third quarter the Colt's defense pitched Houston a shut-out. Then came the 3 touchdown 4th quarter and a 15 point lead until The Texans mounted their final drive, after their score they attempted an onside kick and the Colts covered. Soon a knee was taken to end Houston's misery. Yes they were dispirited, we truly beat the Dickens out of them! 
Four hours later, with a nod to Fagin (and a little twist for Oliver) Jacksonville took a 14-3 drubbing at the "Stick" in San Francisco. The Colts are once again officially the AFC South Champions for the 6th time in 7 years and owners of the second longest winning streak with 20 straight, looking forward to Tennessee, another Division rival and another possible record at home next Sunday. 


Chuck Pace ©2009  |

Colder weather is moving from the lands between the Brightstar and sleep home of the Golden fire-god, soon the ground will be covered with snow and ice. I fear this is the end, I don't know how we are going to survive this Ice-age that is coming. I already stopped cutting my hair andI will stop shaving too, hopefully a good pelt will protect me from some of the worst. If it comes down to it I will take the pets one at a time and gently ease them into their afterlives and use their fur's for warmth and their meat for sustenance. I hope I can adapt quickly to this terrible climate change and wish that I'd listened more intently to what our great leaders and shaman were telling us about it's signs. I should have tithed more to the leaders, paid more attention to the writings on the walls of the dwellings in the center of our village, now I fear my careless attitude may have doomed my race and my planet. Surely the Gods have looked down at us and decided we are not worthy, that we didn't give them the love and respect they deserve for creating our world. Now the end comes, I will continue to leave these messages for any who come out alive on the other side of this great White death.
Chuck Pace ©2009 
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Just like summer gives way to fall, and fall gives way to winter, Thanksgiving gives way to the shopping holiday rush. Like many previous years the economy is a factor, and people are concerned about finances, and like many years the camera industry is less affected then many others industries. The reason? People still take vacations and have kids and pets and milestone moments in their lives that need validation and remembering. Kids still graduate, (though maybe not as smart as in the past) people still get married, babies are still being born, and memories are still being remembered with the help of silver halide chemical emulsions (thought not as common as in the past) or in the form of pixels and memory cards, CD's and DVD's. Newer technologies evolve and push the older ones out of the way faster than Darwin could have ever dreamed. Ordinary people strive to be near the leading edge of the those emergent technologies. For proof just look at cellphones and computers as other "today's hot ticket, yesterday's news" segments that are eating themselves like the Ouroborus, Socratic snake.
The cycle and the circle are unbroken, everything is cyclical; morning, afternoon ,evening, night..., summer, fall, winter spring, summer..., climate..., birth, life, death..., the tides, the rotations of planets, stars, galaxies and the Cosmos. Truly what comes around goes around, and simple man is not in control or capable of controlling the forces of nature and time.
Have a great post Thanksgiving Holiday season, and we'll all meet here again after another 365 more rotations of the planet and another rotation of the sun and do it all over again. Really. I promise.
Chuck Pace ©2009 
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-0
It's a good start. A record breaking start. Also pseudo-typical Colts start. Of course I am talking about the Indianapolis Colts 2009 season up to and including Sundays squeaker in Baltimore. I also have to reference the other team that is making just as much noise. The New Orleans Saints under the steady arm of Drew Brees. This is the first time in the storied history of the NFL that two teams have been undefeated after 10 games in the same year. This is also the first time that New Orleans has ever been 10-0 to start a season. This is not the first time for the Indianapolis Colts though, the 2005 version of the team started their season with 13 straight wins, and finished with a 14-2 regular season record.
In 2006 the Indianapolis Colts again started hot with 9 straight and eventually finished 12-4. The Indianapolis Colts have also posted 9 or more straight wins in other seasons, just not always from the start. Last years 9 in a row to finish of the regular season wraps around nicely to this years start, 19 consecutive regular season wins.
What does worry me in spite of the regular season prowess we are exhibiting is that we have been less than stellar in post season for most of our Manning era years.
At the end of the 13-3, 99 season (1/20/00) we lost the Divisional game to Tennessee at home 16-19 after winning the AFC East division. The next year after posting a 10-6 record we lost to AFC -East rival Miami 17-23 after making the Wild Card berth. What followed in 2001 was Manning's only other non-winning season(his 3-13 1998 rookie year being the other losing season).
In 2002's post season Indy faced another AFC East rival the New York Jets who quickly dispatched the Colts with a crushing 0-41 drubbing in the Meadowlands.
The 2003 season saw the Colts make their first legitimate run at greatness, winning the Wild Card at home against Denver 41-10, then taking the divisional round from Kansas City 38-31 to finally make it to an AFC Championship game. Bill Belichick's Patriots game plan to keep the ball out of Manning's hands worked so well that a desperate Manning forced 4 interceptions and only 1 touchdown and the Pats went on to the Superbowl after delivering a 14-24 defeat (and a historic Rivalry was born).
In the 2004 post season the Colts again defeated Denver in the Wild Card, and again lost to New England, this time in the second round. 2005 brought the Steelers to Indy in the Divisional game where Pittsburgh won 18-21.
The 2006 post-season started to look a lot like 2003 all over again as the Colts had to go from Wild Card to Division to Championship games again.
This time Kansas City -in the Wild Card- fell to the Colts 28-3, then the Horseshoes were off to Baltimore. The Ravens where next with their 15-6 loss. So the Colts came back home for the Championship game. On January 21st 2007 the Colts finally got the Belichick Monkey off their backs defeating, no deflating Tom Brady and the Patriots 38-34 and earning plane tickets to Miami for the Superbowl.
Superbowl XLI was not as close as the score would lead one to believe and the Colts took home the trophy with a 29-17 victory.
The next two years the team sent down in one post season game again, losing the divisional game at home against San Diego in 2007 24-28, and again losing in San Diego in the Wild Card game to end all hopes in 2008.

So try as I might to be slap-happy I still know that even a 16-0 regular season does not mean a Super ending. If I didn't already know that, then I learned nothing from watching Tom Brady and his Patriots crash and burn after their historic 16-0 regular season in 2007, plus 2 more victories in post season, before eventually falling to the Giants in Superbowl XLII (back to back Manning Brother SB wins) and ending 18-1, and failing to seal the deal!
So more important than the "streak" is when you streak, like all the way through the post season, like in 2006! Yes an undefeated run would be nice, bit it is not a necessity.
Chuck Pace ©2009 
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My unlimited budget to restore, repair, refurbish and replace the bad and bent and bruised of the Blue Frankenstein is fantasy. I have been tinkering with this car since 2005, and the only absolute truths are; I have a small budget and I have lots of patience. Today I took a small drive just to see how things were going, (and because it's the first day in 5 that it hasn't been raining).
As to the smallish budget. I have been able to much of maximize my spending dollars by shopping a lot of new and used parts at E*Bay's Automotive section. I have replaced the trade mark "kidney" center grill and the right and left grill and headlight assemblies, the front bumper (and bumper shocks), both rear taillight assemblies, the shifter console, the Hella fog lights, and added after-market Angel Eyes all from e*bay stores.
I've mentioned that I also use some of the companies who advertise in the BMW CCA monthly publication. I've been able to buy many items through these vendors and save a lot of moolah that the Local BMW retailer would have charged.
The above photo is how the Frankenstein looked when I first got it. Bumper messed up. Bumper rubber missing, headlight doors damaged, grill pieces left and right broken or completely missing, and of course the scrapes and dents from some unknown accident.
From the looks of the damage I assume that someone drove this wild beast through a fence and the scars are from the fencing putting up a small struggle. This right corner in the photo had some considerable damage too, can you say fence post?
This photo is a recent one, from just a few day ago. I have sanded and primered a lot of the areas that needed attention so the blue cast is gone in a lot of the car, replaced by sand-able grey primer (I can't really call the car the Blue Frankenstein now). In the photo the light pink is bondo filling in some of the worst problem areas where the (presumed) fence post did a number on the nose. this is two coats in and I still need to apply another.
Above is a photo similar to the original shot at the top of the post where you can see the bumper, bumper rubber and covers and the grill pieces in place. The rubber is actually black but I did not wash the bondo dust and sanding debris off since there is un-primered metal there just looking for a reason to rust!
Chuck Pace ©2009 
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