This weekend felt like a long one, probably because it was: on Thursday and Friday, I was up north for the official OnMilwaukee.com, and other than some Farm Aid posting on the site, I did a pretty job keeping the laptop turned off.

But, boy, a lot has happened in the few days. I'd better weigh in before it's too late.

The Macha mistake: Even though I was happy to hear the Brewers make it official and send Ken Macha and his rented SUV back home to Pittsburgh, I never put myself in the hater camp. Maybe "mild disliker" is a better way to describe my feelings for the old man. Macha wasn't the only reason the Brewers have complied back-to-back losing seasons after 2008's campaign, but he didn't help the team, either. Ned Yost was a terrible manager; Macha just wasn't a very inspired one. He didn't make managerial mistakes, but he didn't get the best from his players, either.

I still have a little faith left in Doug Melvin, but the GM sure didn't give Macha much to work with. So, yes, I was calling for Macha's head at mid-season because he didn't put the Brewers in a position to win, but ultimately, Milwaukee must a field a better team, and Melvin is down to his final strike. While he has brought the Brewers many great players, he also signed head-scratchers like Jeff Suppan, Doug Davis and Randy Wolf.

On the coaching side, I didn't think Macha was a particularly inventive hire, and I'd like to see him bring in someone dynamic, and not just another retread. This team's talented nucleus won't be around forever, and the window is already closing. This winter, it's now or never.

The $208 million waste of time: I rarely have time to go out and see a movie these days, so when I do, I want it to count. A huge fan of "Billy Madison" and "Happy Gilmore," I expected big things from "Grown Ups," a star-studded Adam Sandler comedy that I spent $2 to see at the budget theater last night. And I'm still fuming over the waste of time and money (even at $2). This was one of the worst movies I've ever seen in a theater, and I just don't understand what Sandler -- and his coworkers -- were thinking. It was terrible. Just not funny. And it's grossed more than $208 million worldwide. I simply cannot fathom how a group of talented comedians can put their name on such a monumental artistic flop -- then have earn a quarter of a billion dollars. Clearly, I'm in the wrong business.

Call me Al: This Saturday, I will participate in Al's Run for the third time. I did it in 1982 and 2009, and this year, I'm hoping (though not expecting) to break 50 minutes for the five-mile race. It's funny that a year ago I wasn't sure if I could even finish, and now, while I'm still slow and fat, not only do I know I can run five miles, I did it this weekend pushing a jogging stroller. What a difference a year makes.

Travel warning for what: So, governments around the world are issuing vague warnings about traveling in Europe. Thanks, I think. I'm not sure how telling tourists to take more precautions and be vigilant really helps anyone. Without specifics, this is the State Department covering itself so when something happens that it didn't stop, it can say, "Well, we warned you." I'd rather have the government tell me what it's thinking will happen (which won't happen) or ban travel (which is equal to waving the white flag). Generic warnings like this make wonder if the so-called war on terror can ever be won.

Predictive typing: This has nothing to do with current events, but I've been wondering: if cell phones and Google can automatically fix my typing with near perfection, why can't my computer? I appreciate the squiggly red lines, but how about integrating into my computer that same remarkable predictive typing system that is omnipresent on my iPhone? Someone should make that happen.