Althouse: "I don't care about being first. I care about being best."

January 4, 2015

"I don't care about being first. I care about being best."

Said Meade, about his early morning sidewalk shoveling.

38 comments:

Sydney said...: Did you have snow this morning? I hope so, that means we will be getting it soon. Today we have rain and 57 degrees.; 1/4/15, 10:35 AM
traditionalguy said...: Meade will never become a bored man in the Great Meadehouse Society.; 1/4/15, 10:43 AM
Wilbur said...: I remember shoveling snow. I loved that it was one of the few ways to comfortably exercise outside in that weather. I found it invigorating.

Whether I still would after 28 years older in the sun and heat of South Florida is questionable.

That's a good quality shovel, Mr. Meade. You need one in order to do the work efficiently. They didn't always used to sell well-designed shovels, remember?; 1/4/15, 10:47 AM
Ignorance is Bliss said...: I don't care about being first. I care about being best.

Was he talking sidewalk shoveling, or husbanding?; 1/4/15, 11:05 AM
Danno said...: It looks like Madison received about the same amount of snow that the Twin Cities received overnight. At least it is about 20 degrees yet in Madison. It is already 3 below zero in St. Paul. Yuck!; 1/4/15, 11:08 AM
LYNNDH said...: He needs one of the ergonomic snow shovels. So much easier to use, better on the back, arms and especially the heart.; 1/4/15, 11:12 AM
Wince said...: Am I mistaken, or is Meade clearing the grass lawn?

Reminds me of the controversial New England Patriots "1982 Snow Plow Game" against the Dolphins. The snow plow driver was on work release from prison at the time. He later jokingly remarked, "What are they gonna do, throw me in jail?"

Here's the Snow Plow on display.

The incident is commemorated with an interactive exhibit at the Hall at Patriot Place within the Patriots' current home, Gillette Stadium. The plow itself, a John Deere Model 314 tractor with sweeper attached, hangs from the ceiling at the exhibit...

The Patriots would reach the playoffs, finishing 7th in the AFC (the normal playoff format was scrapped due to the player's strike), but the Dolphins would exact revenge, eliminating the Patriots by a score of 28-13, en route to the Dolphins' reaching the Super Bowl.

The following year, the NFL banned the use of snowplows on the field during a game. In a 2007 interview for an NFL Network segment about the game, Shula recalled protesting the "unfair" act, to which Commissioner Pete Rozelle responded that, while he agreed wholeheartedly, without a rule explicitly barring such use of the plow, there was nothing he could do.; 1/4/15, 11:13 AM
Steve said...: Bravo on the shoveling technique. One long push down the walk and then finish across the path.; 1/4/15, 11:14 AM
lemondog said...: You missed a spot.....; 1/4/15, 11:28 AM
Anonymous said...: Basically, this is the mantra of HRC as she starts the journey for being the 45th POTUS.

HRC is the best. The greatest.; 1/4/15, 11:34 AM
Big Mike said...: I'd offer to come and help, but it looks like he's done already.; 1/4/15, 11:50 AM
chillblaine said...: He beat the plow.; 1/4/15, 12:15 PM
Saint Croix said...: No snow here yet. Although the temperature is dropping down to the single digits sometime this week.

The President of Egypt gave an amazing speech the other day. Very brave. This is the sort of thing that got Sadat assassinated.

His argument is that Islamic terrorists are engaging in the worst sort of blasphemy. He is accusing them of defiling Islam and offending God.

I have huge respect for this man. Unlike critics in the US, or Israel, or anywhere else, he is in the belly of the beast. And saying what needs to be said. Awesome bravery.; 1/4/15, 12:33 PM
PB said...: OK, Sisyphus.; 1/4/15, 12:34 PM
Moose said...: I care about having someone else doing it.; 1/4/15, 12:47 PM
Original Mike said...: "OK, Sisyphus."

I think snow is amusing. This stuff just falls out of the sky, covering everything. In order to go about our business, we first have to shovel and push it out of the way. Then we get up the next morning and here's this stuff again, covering everything.; 1/4/15, 12:51 PM
m stone said...: Agree with St Croix above about the courageous speech given by al-Sisi of Egypt. Read the excerpts (cited) or text in full.

Some leaders somewhere and some times step up and take the mantle given them seriously and with wisdom.

Not ours and not now unfortunately.; 1/4/15, 1:09 PM
Michael K said...: " So much easier to use, better on the back, arms and especially the heart."

When I was a kid in Chicago, there was a guy in the neighborhood who had a Jeep mounted snowplow. For some token amount, 10 bucks a month or so (This was the 1940s), he would plow everybody's side walk early in the morning. If someone didn't pay, he just raised the plow. Pretty soon everybody paid.

You still had to shovel your own walk to the house.; 1/4/15, 1:09 PM
kjbe said...: A good snow clearing, early on, sets the tone for the rest of the season. We outdoor runners appreciate the effort.; 1/4/15, 1:20 PM
Tyrone Slothrop said...: Less snow than we got in Lake Elsinore, CA last Tuesday night. Lat/long 33.6, -117.35, 20 miles from the warm Pacific Ocean. Pity us, Wisconsinites in sultry Wisconsin.; 1/4/15, 1:22 PM
chickelit said...: La Befana would have used a broom for such a light dusting.; 1/4/15, 1:55 PM
Anonymous said...: One fond memory from early in my marriage is about snow shoveling. My wife commented on the look of satisfaction I had after shoveling about a foot of snow from a one-car driveway about 50 feet long. It was a big job and it felt good to complete it. Her comment added to my sense of accomplishment.

That was about 30 years ago. A word of encouragement can go a long way.; 1/4/15, 2:01 PM
lemondog said...: re: President of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, military man, seemingly moderate in some respects, and per an interesting wiki:

Sisi's administration also showed unusual actions dealing with the US, calling on Obama's administration to exercise restraint in dealing with "racially charged" unrest in Ferguson, echoing language the US used to caution Egypt previously as it cracked down on Islamist protesters.[95] They also checked U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his top aides through a stationary metal detector as well as with a handheld wand before meeting with el-Sisi in an unusual screening for a senior State Department official.[99] Sisi also skipped Obama's invitation to the American-African summit.[100] However, in a 2014 news story, BBC reported: "The US has revealed it has released $575m (£338m) in military aid to Egypt that had been frozen since the ousting of President Mohammed Morsi last year; 1/4/15, 2:04 PM
Rube said...: Look at ergonomic snow shovels on Amazon.com, your back will thank you as the years go by. It makes snow shoveling a lot more enjoyable.; 1/4/15, 2:25 PM
Phil 314 said...: Its been a long time, but I do miss shoveling the driveway. Since childhood I took pride in my technique, honed in the snow belt of upstate New York.; 1/4/15, 2:35 PM
zefal said...: I second the ergonomic shovel comments. 1/10 the effort for the same snow removal output.; 1/4/15, 2:39 PM
Emil Blatz said...: I lived in Wisconsin for 38 years, including the record low in Madison in January 1982. I learned all sorts of tricks for starting recalcitrant snow throwers/blowers at 10 below, how to disconnect the frozen extension cord hooked up to your car's factory engine block heater, etc., etc., etc.

But today it is 79 degrees and sunny where I live, and I laugh in the face of the poor schlubs up in the Great White North.; 1/4/15, 2:40 PM
Unknown said...: If he were worried about being best he'd have no snow-striped walks. ijs

Pushbrooms are good for trivial amounts of snowfall.; 1/4/15, 2:43 PM
Michael K said...: lemon dog, al Sisi may be more moderate than Obama; 1/4/15, 2:45 PM
The Godfather said...: I grew up in Connecticut. If there was less than 6" of snow, school started at the usual time; you could get up early to shovel the driveway and sidewalk. 6-12", there was a one hour delay. More than 12", two hours. It wasn't a big deal: It was life.

When I moved to Washington, DC, I found that 3" of snow could paralyze the entire metropolitan area for a day, and more than that was a major humanitarian crisis.

I now live in NC, where we do sometimes get a little snow, but then the weather warms up, and it melts. I don't own a snow shovel (I'm retired; I don't HAVE to go anywhere). I did enjoy watching "Frozen" with the grandchildren over New Years, though.

I am not a robot.; 1/4/15, 3:46 PM
David said...: The perfect philosophy for a second spouse.; 1/4/15, 3:47 PM
Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this son of New York said...: Meade - alpha male.; 1/4/15, 4:18 PM
Fritz said...: chickelit said...
La Befana would have used a broom for such a light dusting.

I've used a leaf blower for up to 3-4 inches.; 1/4/15, 4:27 PM
Deep State Reformer said...: A push broom and some finely ground halite and sand mix would have those steps just about perfect.; 1/4/15, 5:52 PM
Saint Croix said...: Funny that his name is Al-Sisi ("sissy") and he's the exact opposite.; 1/4/15, 6:44 PM
Coconuss Network said...: Hot Cocoa with mini marshmallows for Meade !!; 1/5/15, 1:20 AM
Saint Croix said...: (Not sure if this is a cafe post or I should Keep Talking About Snow)

Hey, do you remember back in the day when the networks would go to sleep and your TV would go to snow?

Anyway, netflix is introducing some interesting programming this year.

It's kind of funny to get excited about television, that free (or semi-free) small screen low budget shit. And yet, not surprisingly, low budget is where all the adult drama is. So, for instance, Daredevil on the small screen might be way cooler than a big budget movie. We will see, I guess, but back when Frank Miller was doing it, that was an awesome comic book.

I am also a huge fan of Tina Fey and Kyle Chandler, respectively, so I will be checking out both of those shows. I think sitcoms have improved because they have become more like movies (i.e. R-rated in themes and ideas). You don't actually need a big screen for comedy. But it's drama where the migration is really notable. A human drama, with characters talking in a room, it makes sense that this would migrate to a small screen, an intimate screen. So as movies focus on special effects and car chases, adult drama has found a home in the old wasteland. Cool.; 1/5/15, 3:40 AM
kjbe said...: "I don't care about being first. I care about being best."

Why is this a competition?; 1/6/15, 9:39 AM