Here is some fan footage of WTMJ 4’s Lance Allen spinning out last night at the Slinger Super Speedway. I am the third car to fly around him (the purple one) after he stops.

Well, I did good enough to finish second in the Gilbert Brown Celebrity Shootout at the Slinger Super Speedway, this evening.

The race started with Gilbert on the pole, The Big Unit - Bill Michaels in second, yours truly in third, followed by Lance Allen, Dave Kallmann, and Scott Lopes.

After a few hiccups (read: a few guys behind us didn’t know how to drive stick), we finally got rolling. Gilbert and Unit were pretty strong competitors, whereas the other gentlemen didn’t even show up in my mirrors. By the sixth lap, we had our first spin-out.  After a very brief caution, we hit green again. I worked up speed and passed Unit on the inside, and about a half of a lap later, I was up to the front of Gilbert’s driver’s side door. Then, like a piece of fiberglass cholesterol, the lapped car of Scott Lopes blocked my ascent into first. I had to fall back into the top groove and ended up back in third. I was still strong, though, going into the final lap. Just then, Michaels spun out in turn two, I crept up to the outside but had no chance of catching the Gravedigger. I placed second.

My new nickname for Scott Lopes is “Scott Slow-pez.” The car that I was driving had been the winner of both the Midwest Sportsman heat race and the feature, so it was definitely the fastest car out on the track. I’m not one to brag, but I was a pretty damn good driver for it being my first time out with other cars on the track, too.

All in all, it was an awesome time! I want to thank Mike Graczkowksi and his staff in the #2 Schroeder Implement Pontiac (ding!) for letting me drive their car. I would also like to thank the Slinger Speedway for inviting me to take part in this event, and Gilbert Brown for being a great guy. He is seriously a lot of fun… and he’s huge.

There will be a video of the race posted on YouTube. I will post it up on FuzzMartin.com as soon as I see it.

Holy shit that was cool! I just got home from driving Mike Graczkowski’s #2 Schroeder Implement Pontiac at the Slinger Super Speedway. Tonight was just a practice run for my Gilbert Brown Hall of Fame Race, this Sunday. Yours truly had the fastest practice lap, as I turned a 13.6 (seconds) lap around the quarter-mile oval. Gilbert’s fastest time was a 13.89. On Sunday, I’ll be taking on Gilbert Brown (Green Bay Packers legend), Bill Michaels (WTMJ sports guy), Lance Allen (Channel 4 Sports), and a guy from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal around 7pm. Apparently, Bill Michaels has some experience behind the wheel of sprint cars in Pennsylvania. We’ll see if I can kick his ass (since I never do at the Women for MACC Shoot for a Cure). It should be a lot of fun.

As most of you know, I am a pescetarian (a fish-eating vegetarian). The other day, while waiting for my cameras to get cleaned, I decided that I reeeeeeally wanted a hamburger from Fuddrucker’s.

It was effing delicious.

I won’t be going back to eating meat on a regular basis, but it was a nice little treat after being burger free for such a long time. Actually, I did have a burger during my graduation party in May, but that was the first burger I had eaten since February of ‘07.

…drove so goddamn fast, never did win no checkered flags, but he never did come in last…

I’ve been told before that the name, “Fuzz Martin,” sounds like a race car driver’s name. Well, this Sunday at the Slinger Super Speedway, I get to put that theory to the test. Around 7pm, I’ll be racing against former Green Bay Packer, Gilbert Brown. It’s the “Gilbert Brown Hall of Fame Race,” and Gilbert will be racing against local radio and television celebrities.

For once, I will have the weight advantage. Well, at least against Brown.

Winner gets a Gilbert burger.

C’mon out and watch me. If GB puts me into the wall, it may be the last time that anybody ever sees me.

This afternoon, I made Blueberry Zucchini Bread from a recipe I found at AllRecipes.com. My goodness, it’s delicious! Seriously, you should be jealous right now that I didn’t make you any.

Check out the recipe and make it for yourself!

The Martins (sans future Martins) and the Toutants went to the NEW Zoo near Green Bay on Sunday. Not only is it a new zoo, but NEW is also an acronym. NorthEastern Wisconsin Zoo. Clever.

In six hours, I’ll be getting aboard a KC-135 Stratotanker with the 128th Refueling Wing of the Air National Guard.

I can’t wait!

When I was younger, my dad had a beard. I distinctly remember a few times when he shaved it off. My sister, the poor little thing, would cry her eyes out every time he did.

The other day, I shaved off my goatee.

My almost-four-year-old daughter’s response: “you look like a girl, daddy.”

BOO.

Though I’ve been photographing models and still life for a few years now, I did my first wedding over the weekend. I had a lot of fun and I think that I’ll do it again someday. If all of the brides in the world were as cool and laid back as Mrs. Zelenski was, I’d do weddings all of the time.

I’ll post a gallery after I get the photos to Tom and Kelly.

Thanks to Tracy, btw, for being the best assistant a man could ever ask for.

This afternoon, my always-bouncy, never-stop-running, three-almost-four-year-old daughter climbed up onto my chest and fell asleep for almost two hours. It was the best Father’s Day ever. I hope yours was good, too.

Happy Father’s Day, Dad.

Vrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh-CLICK.

a) Members of Hillary’s campaign getting home, shutting off their vans, and taking off their seat belts.

b) A washing machine at the end of the spin cycle.

c) My sump pump.

ANSWER: If you picked any of the above, you are correct.

At 4:30 this morning, I saw an extremely bright lightning flash that was followed by one of the loudest claps of thunder that I have ever heard. About five minutes later I heard sirens that seemed to turn off right by my house.

My neighbor’s house, about forty yards away, was struck by lightning. The ladder truck was up and I couldn’t see how much damage was done, but they had the full arsenal of fire trucks from the Mayville Fire Department on the scene.

I hope that everyone is okay and that the damage is not too severe.

Well, I finally did it. On Sunday afternoon, I finally and officially graduated from UW-Milwaukee. It was a nice day, there were tons and tons of students graduating, and it was all worth it.

Some of the highlights from the event:

• Getting to skip to the front of the 530+ business students in line, thanks to a friend in the AMA who let about seven of us in.
• U.S. Congresswoman Gweneth Moore’s gaffe. She read her notes, “committed suicide,” instead of “committed students.” Everybody’s jaw dropped.
• Some of the text messages sent to me by Tracy and JG that were just about the funniest things that I have read in ages. JG’s cousin, Michael, should be a comedian.
• The fact that they actually read, “Fuzz Martin,” as I walked.
• Walking.

I’m just happy to be done. I initially planned on attending UW-Whitewater to get my MBA, but now I think I may just return to UW-Milwaukee. It’s about $10,000 less to do the UWM program on campus than it is to do the UWW program on the internet. Plus, UWM is more widely recognized than UW-Whitewater, so it’s probably in my best interest… I’m just sick of driving.

Thank you, sincerely, to all of you who have put up with me through my BBA program and who have congratulated me on finally graduating! It was a lot of hard work, but it was a great experience and a hell of a lot of fun.

Tracy’s lawn mower didn’t work. She said that every time she went to engage the blades, the mower would shut off. From my younger days as a landscaper for Achtenhagen Services in Big Bend, I was able to diagnose the problem over the phone: the safety switch wasn’t engaging.

So, I went out to her apartment to try it out. It worked fine for me. Turns out that her butt isn’t big enough to trip the switch. Not too shabby.

As Claude referenced in the previous post, I have finally finished my bachelors degree. Yesterday, I took my last two final exams as a college undergraduate! So, aside from walking up to the stage and picking up my diploma, I am done with UWM!

At times it was a long, hard road, but I feel like I finally accomplished something great. It is like a gigantic rock has been lifted off of my shoulders.

Congrats to everyone who is graduating and best of luck with your careers.

Of course you have heard by now that the Home Depot is closing three stores in Southeastern Wisconsin. Of the stores are two near my home — Home Depot, Beaver Dam and Home Depot, Fond du Lac.

Before my kitchen-remodeling project, I bought some tiles from the Beaver Dam store. Luckily, I purchased the rest of my supplies from Home Depot or Menards in West Bend. Today, when I went to take back the extra tiles that I had, the lady at the Home Depot in West Bend said, “sorry, sir, all sales from Beaver Dam or Fond du Lac’s stores are final.”

WTF? It’s a national chain store that is corporately owned. What’s the difference if I bring back a box of tiles that it stocks at every single Home Depot store?

Since I’m sure I’ll end up buying from The Home Depot again, I’ll simply return the tiles without my receipt, so as to get in-store credit. It’s just ridiculous, though, that I have to jump through hoops to get $6.97 back.

On another note, I think that it’s completely ridiculous that The Home Depot will come in to a town, build these sprawling stores on vacant land, and then close up shop within three years. All while vowing to open 36 new stores in the U.S. this year. How about making your other stores profitable before building new ones?

Yours truly is now a card-carrying, certified American Red Cross FAST (First-Aid Service Team) member. Everybody please step back… I’m here to help.

Never look down to test the ground before taking your next step; only he who keeps his eye fixed on the far horizon will find the right road.

~Dag Hammarskjold

This is that time of the year when I am inundated with work, school projects, and more work and school projects. I will be done with school two weeks from tomorrow! After that, it’s fun, sun, and taking my GMAT for my Master’s.

Now, back to a hot word processor. Later tonight I might tell you about the awesome trip to Chicago that Tracy and I took over the weekend. But right now… I’ve got isht to do.