Christmas comes and goes....

Christmas was a good time. Bolted town on Xmas eve and went to see Grandma and Uncle Jerry...xchanged gifts, ate some meatballs, crackers and etc. , then moved on to see Nanna and Papa... exchanged gifts with Aunt Ashley, Uncle Wes, cousin Madison, Aunt Ellen and got ready for Santa. Santa arrived and brought the twins a couple of remote control vehicles, a barbie Guitar, Howheels stuff, Transformers...of course and...a computer. So they did pretty well, i figure.. we then went did a little mud-dawgin in the new 4 wheeler thingy. i also go to see the new jetski..now that should be interesting...
I got a few things...a new video Nano ipod...A cool camera/laptop combo bag...tickets to darlington race...a slick tripod that allows me to place my camera virtually anywhere I can reach...digital binoculars...some other stuff. I am fortunate and for that I am very thankful...

time marches on...

9 years ago we were getting ready for a wedding...today we are getting twins dressed in pajamas for a slumber party at school, warming up the car, packing lunches, etc. I'm not going to launch into my usual rant about people wondering out loud about "what about the kids?" or the wedding invitations being sent back to us rips in pieces by family members... i guess I should conveniently let all that water flow on down the river...or should i? Funny how all the gloom and doom talk has not even remotely become an issue. The ship set sail and there were people on the boat, and some people had to catch a plan to catch up...but at any rate.... i listened to a song yesterday and i thought I'd share part of those words with you...

I set out on a narrow way many years ago
Hoping I would find true love along the broken road
But I got lost a time or two
Wiped my brow and kept pushing through
I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you

[Chorus:]
Every long lost dream led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like Northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you
-Rascal Flatts

Some day, and that day may never come, I will call upon you to do a service for me. Until that day accept this justice as a gift on my daughter's wedding day - Don Vito Corleone

They are reporting now that there are more cell phones now than landlines... And I am wonderin when the masses are going to start figuring out that cell phones dont work everywhere, especially in buildings. I mean I have a cell phone and it works in my home. But jessica's doesnt work as well and not at all in some parts of the house. It just amazes me how people buy cell phones and think they will work everywhere. i guess the advertising the cell companies do has worked very well. But I wonder when people will figure out that cell phones are just glorified walkie talkies...

another year down...

yesterday was the twins 6th birthday. I am always happy but a tad saddened by their birthdays, because while we can see their gain in knowledge and maturity on a daily basis, every year is another notch closer to reality for them. But it happens to everyone so... well... they got Leapsters (one pink, one green) and Backyardigans and Island princess games and they have been playing them non stop. And the first thing they did when they got in the car this morning was start playing....

...kinda amused (and glad it aint happening here) by all this WINTERSTORM OF THE CENTURY madness I'm seeing on TV in regards to the Midwest and Northeast. I'm confused... doesnt it do this EVERY YEAR? I dont get it. Ice, Windstorms, blizzards...this been going on every December thru March for as long as I can remember....

Why music can be so cool....

Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten - Natasha Bedingfield

I am always amazed when music is used in other places other than where it was originally intended, and you hear it so much, but most people dont listen to what is being actually said when there are words with the music, like in the song above. You hear this song all the time on TV in commercials, but I wonder how many people tie in the words that are being said with the music they are hearing.... When I was standing at the initiation of an Honorary the other day in the Frat, I was struck by how much band members who are not members would be like "Ohhhh...now i get it!" if they knew the true meaning of the letters Kappa Kappa Psi and their significance.... always brings a chuckle when I see a new initiate and the look of understanding when that is revealed to them....

what goes around....

children are a blessing, not a curse. And I certainly hope that everyone who reads this remembers this always. I see my kids as a blessing, just as my parents see me and jessica's parents see her. And I will always try to do whatever I can to see them be happy, even if it means that my children dont under stand my motives. Because...one day...when its all said and done, if a jetski or 4 wheeler helps create memories and moments, that will be worth it. Because at the end of the day, it will be those "moments" i will remember. Not how much something costs....

Long ago it must be, I have a photograph
Preserve your memories, theyre all thats left you -- Simon and Garfunkel

How 'Bout Them Cowboys!!!

ah yes...the team of my childhood (notice a theme here?) is rolling. The Cowboys win again, and the Panthers...well...sigh...I am not a big fan of firing coaches, etc. but...sure does look like the Panthers have quit on their coach.

I think I have the reason why I am not fond of Tom Brady...he looks like one of those smug frat boys with hair that hasnt been cut since he left home (and mama) back in August wearing just the right clothes with just the right hat with a kinda condescending arrogance when looking at the camera

took out Xmas photo for our greeting cards out back yesterday. While this isnt the pic we're using, I thought I'd throw it up anyway. It was such a nice weekend...gotta love 75 degrees in December in ole South Carolina...

musings...

Watching The Polar Express tonight... seems as though this is going to the the Charlie Brown Christmas for the twins... this is about the 20th time i"ve seen this movie. What I am seeing more and more is the subtle hints and references that are clearly aimed at "adults" within this movie...

...I was in Mast General store a while ago. Amazing to note that it seems black people dont shop at Mast General store. Except me, perhaps... and it was kinda disturbing to notice the obvious eyes of the sales people watching me as i was scoping out the goods. I guess they figured since I was wearing one of their lambskin lined hats, i must be back to snag something else...

...so Bowden worked Clemson over for more money. I say good for him. You go, boy (heh...)get all the money you can while you can, dude...because unless he wins a National Championship EVERY year, eventually that segment of "fans" are going to run him out of town. I say cash in now and bank that money and keep the movers number on the speeddial. Because the day will come...eventually. And I am all for Tommy Bowden. But some fans are never going to be happy and take Clemson football WAYYYYY too seriously.

...and it is evident to me that Ian has this movie memorized....

random...again

why is it that when you lay down in your bed in the middle of the day, it feels so much different than when you go to bed at night?

little snappies....

i forgot some stuff... I-Man and Ryles got awards at school the other day....









And since the other day was Turkey day we now have the annual Ryles Turkey Leg pix. We then set up the Xmas tree before heading to Columbia then Camden for a couple of days. I-Man has his ever present Transformers

observations....

Turkey day was good. Turkey meat and all the fixins over 2 days, first at home then down in Camden. And on a lark (not Susan) i went with Jessica and Aunt Ashley at (gulp) 4am and stood in line outside Best Buy... it was freezin...but interesting. We also hit up Kohls, McDonalds and Target all before 6:30am...

...got back yesterday evening and went to the local Belks. Got a couple of gifts and then retired to the house to watch the Clemson/USC tilt. I must admit that I watched the entire game in amusement for I have come to sense that USC will always ultimately blow it, just like last night. I was actually more miffed last year when Jad dean missed that kick to tie because it was inevitable that USC would lose in overtime. But anyway, it was funny to go to work and the security guard who says "Clemson?!?!?!...they suck" everytime I wear anything Clemson to work...well today he just looked down at his paper everytime I walked into the lobby. tsk, tsk...guess the old man never learned trash talk 101...that you dont talk trash until the game is in hand, lest your have your dish served to you very..very..cold. At any rate, ClemTech (as dumbasses on the USC message boards call Clemson, as if being the state tech school is somehow derogatory) has a sure TD and 2 field goal opportunities missed, and should have won the game easily. But well, USc does have afew players, so like I said earlier, I was sitting here and when USC scored to go up by a point late, said to myself "scored too quick, you dumbasses... Clemson will probably drive right down the field and we'll see what type of gumption our kicker has now."...and sure enough....

...so...recap...Tigers win ( in basketball too....), Tarheels win, Celtics win...Cowboys win... Panthers...well(sigh) and JESUS CHRIST!!!!!! MUST WE CONTINUE TO SEE THIS PATRIOTS CRAP...go away..please...JUST GO AWAY!!!!!

4am?

ok..so I'm seeing commercials for stores opening at 4:00am on the day after Turkey Day. Dude...is it really that bad on this day? And I am even seeing where the outlet mall down the road is opening at MIDNIGHT!!!!! ummm, hhhhmmmm...ok?

Turkey day looming...

... on the menu.... two slices of buttered toast, some pretzel sticks, a handful of popcorn, and a few jelly beans.

...I'm always caught off guard how quick Thanksgiving gets here. And its like the race is on after that. I am a tad behind in the gift thing, but I will be good to go in a week or so, i figure. And I think i can live with this 76 degree weather.

murky

...tryin to find out when they will pickup trash this week. they tell you in December when they will pickup your trash the next November, as if you can remember that.

...not much to say about the football game except for the atmosphere. I walked down in the parade with the band, and the crowd reminded me of what it was like before some big games back in the Danny Ford era. I refer you to a previous post regarding the karma @ Clemson in regards to the game. tsk, tsk....

..however, this basketball team has serious promise. This may harken back to a couple of those Rick Barnes teams in regards to being able to go toe to toe with Duke and UNC. Lets just see about those free throws...

...up next...Turkey Day and the Xmas holiday stretch. Looks like we will have Grandma and uncle Jerry into town on Thursday, then headin to the lowstate for a couple of days

If you wanna make the world a better place,
take a look at yourself and make that change.
~Man In The Mirror

It was raining last night and I was driving home. And I was appalled. I'm like, how are you supposed to drive in this stuff. I can't see...there's water everywhere, all over the windshield.... guess it hasnt rained here much recently.

You refer to the prophecy of the one who will bring balance to the Force. You believe it's this boy? -Mace Windu

I-Man was overheard saying last night.."This is the Gweatest Day...EVER!!!!" upon powering up the Xbox 360 for....LEGO STAR WARS - THE COMPLETE SAGA!!!!. He then teamed with Ryles to blow thru The Phantom Menance in about 30 minutes. I"m kinda sittin there thinkin "gweatest day Ever?"...hmmm...not sure about that as he has said this before (see Birthday and Xmas) but I understand his happiness.

This Clemson/BC thing is starting to get a little out of control...talking about Harper for Heisman, "The Biggest Game EVER at Clemson University"... If Clemson wins out, Bowden will be up for thr Auburn, LSU, Texas A&M jobs...blah, blah, blah... all sorts of stuff. i say lets just take this one game at a time, please? i do agree with the fact that this is a little like sitting at the poker table and counting up the chips shoving them all into the center of the table and saying "I'm all in. Show me that last card...."

Remember, the Force will be with you. Always. - Obi-wan Kenobi


...so...I-Man sees this random (well, not so random i come to find out) commercial about LEGO STAR WARS - THE COMPLETE SAGA on TV and goes bananas. Like...he has to have it. NOW. (not an uncommon reaction for an almost six year old, i might add) well, I'm like thinkin that Santa might want to research that assuming it will be available for Christmas. ummm...no. Its out now and I-Man and Ryles are on a warpath for it. NOW! Well, since I-Man is prone to fits of random mischeif at school, we occasionally award him with a treat if he doesnt get in trouble at school for a few days or weeks or something like that. So, I went out and got it, which means I-Man and Ryles will be occupied for the next 18 evenings in a row or so...

...getting ready for the BC game come Saturday. it will be a pretty good day for football...catch the Ohio State/Michigan game at noon then head over late for the 7:45 kickoff for Clemson. Find me a good spot along the road, facing out and go from there, I guess. Although I seem to remember Harwood saying something about going to this game. i may need to drop him a line and see whats up.

...Ok...I'm thinkin that I might have to start crossing some people off my list before I wanted to in this presidential race thingy. I was thinkin i would wait till January and let those folks in Iowa and New Hampshire weed out some folks for me, but...wow...Fred Thompson sure has dissapointed me. I thought he would give a little bit more than that. kinda reminds me of a couple of times in the FRAT when people i thought would be a shoe in for President got up before the chapter and were like..."Hi...you guys know me...you know what I'm about...um...well...Y'all vote for me, OK?" and left you sitting there thinking..."I cant believe this fool just did that". And despite Browns' blusterings for Osama, he hasnt said anything of distinction either.

...congrats to Brandy and AJ on the birth of their daughter. It is indeed a good thing.

sigh..

tryin to clean up some clutter in our bedroom... why is it so difficult to get rid of that random circa1998 Gator/Peach/Tangerine/Hall of Fame Bowl sweatshirt that you wore like...say...twice. I mean I am never going to wear this thing again...but...they are like Superbowl rings, i think. Gaudy... pretentious... but a tad bit sentimental. But again...they take up way too much space. Same with the 10 frat tshirts/sweatshirts. I only have need for 1 or 2 max. But I dont want to toss the rest, and the current actives usually want their own stuff...sigh...

Lets see what this Wake game tomorrow brings us. 12 noon games are a bitch to go see...but awesome to watch on TV. its like...get up late, then BAM...there's the game. Lunch while watching, then you got the rest of the afternoon, which is really good when you win cause whenever highlights come on, you dont have to immediately change the channel and you can listen to the National shows and not be all pissed off when they mention Clemson in the same sentence as.."let down...hot seat...underacheiving...blah, blah, blah". then you can wtch USc implode and kinda snucker and revel in going to work on Monday and not having to hear the Gamecock fans blather on and on. Of course, if Clemson loses tomorrow, i will be annoyed...for a few minutes...then i'll get over it and just scowl at people at work on Monday. I just want them to win so when I'm on the sidelines against Boston College, the atmosphere is electric... so...We'll see... we should beat Wake. i say 34-21...pulling away late...

random

...a year from today people will be all in a tizzy over elections for a new president. at the first turn looks like Hillary is out front with Bin Laden already starting to fade.

...is there anything that feels better than a midday shower? well..I can think of a couple but still...a shower in the middle of the day feels soooo good.

headin into the weekend

a pretty uneventful week...outside of Halloween. twins dressed up as the same stuff as last year and got the usual loot of candy...hope we can get rid of this candy before 2009

by the way...

...kinda funny the USC fans were all over Clemson when they lost a couple of games in a row due to an offense that sputtered at times, turned it on to make late noise and then had your field goal kicker miss important field goals. Funny how that type of stuff comes around and really, NO team seems immune to it this year. I still say that when you are now my age, and you are getting all worked up over 18-22 year olds,well...I remember what I was like at that age... and I think Lou Holtz says it right every week when he says that you just dont get the same team each week, even though you have the same players. And he is 100 percent correct. That is why you see a little more reliable outcomes with the pros. and well...they ARE getting paid... well officially paid, that is...

It's a brother and a sister kinda thang
Raise up your hands if you all wanna hang

It was mentioned to me a couple of times this weekend that we always seem to have a busy schedule. I thought it kinda funny because it isnt really true, but it may come across that way. Its pretty repetitive and i do think its important to have "events" to be looking forward to. Else the wakeup/kids/work/kids/bed...repeat cycle would drive you crazy after a while. like now...we have no major events on docket till Turkey Day. Looks like I will venture over to Clemson for the BC game later in November but otherwise, nothing much on the horizon... oh I'm sure stuff will come up as usual.... but I always try to have things to be looking ahead at and planning for....

by the way...I'm sick of the Patriots. period.

week events and friends come to town

...ok...so I-Man got a Transformer as a reward for getting got reports from school. This particular Transformer is a bad guy.

I am paricualrly amused by the slogan "to punish and enslave"...

A couple of old friends from High School were in town this weekend and we got to visit. Just so happened that ole John turned 40 today. John was always sitting right behind me in class in High School and we were in Band together. Oh the stories I could tell...

They were actually going to do a local marathon tomorrow. I-man seemed to take a liking to Pam...and no, that isnt their child....

John and Pam had their niece with them and Ryles and I-Man had a great time playing in Wild Wings. Notice the Transformer firmly clutched in hand and Ryles new glasses.

"The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated."

"The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated."
- Mark Twain

"Preserve your memories, they're all that's left you."

So Homecoming comes and goes... got to see a lot of people. Lisa and TJ dropped by on Friday evening, then Erik, Pam and a couple of their friends from NYC came into town (late...like...3am late, but its all good) and they crashed at our house. I got up and went a got a spot at Brooks and Aunt Ellen, Kenneth and Erik and his gang got into Clemson a little later. We did the game and we got to see a buch of people. Dropped by the Frat alumni gathering. Then...bolted back home and had dinner with Erik, Pam, Ellen, Kenneth, Brandy and AJ. Aunt Ashley and Uncle Wes dropped by too with cousin Madison...a busy weekend it was....

we saw bunches o people...and it was especialy good to see Claire, Brent, Andrea, Stephen, Danny, Sara, Jenny, Greshem, Cheryl, Kelly, Caroline... amongst many others at the game tailgating (its really late and if I left you out...well...sorry...I'll come back and add ya in the morning when Im rememberin better....)

a samplin of pix follows....

"Music Charms the Soul"

Yankee Haters?

I got an email from Brown the other day talking about "Yankee Haters" that insinuated that I am in that group. I started to reply about that directly to him, but decided to post here my explanation....

I am not really a Yankee Hater. I think that I am just simply tired of hearing NOTHING from the ESPN sports media but YANKEES this and YANKEES that...and RED SOX NATION this and that. Or New York Giants stuff.... or even more annoying out of Bristol is the constant Tom Brady/Bill Belichek/Patriots are the greatest of all time drivel. I think that if you live in New York/New Engand that you would expect to hear about that all the time because YOU LIVE THERE. But eveeryone else in the country has other teams they pull for or want to hear about, and we dont get a chance to hear about it because it is ALL Yankees, Red Sox, Patriots and Giants. It grows tiresome and boring after a while. I dont live in New York and i'd like to hear about what is going on with all the other teams as well. After all, when was the last time the Yankees won the series???? 2000. I think that if you lived away from the New York area, you would definitely see what the rest of the country sees... a definite slant toward a certain area and those teams...thats why people are so gleeful to see them lose.

That being said...I'm currently mulling coming full circle and going back to the basketball team of my childhood (NBA, that is) and jump back on the Celtics wagon right now, before the season even starts. Growing up, my father was a Lakers fan, and I was a Celtics fan. I kinda followed Shaq to the Lakers, then to Miami, where I currently reside. If I jump on now, I can say i was there before the mania started. And I wonder how batty ESPN will go if the Celtics become good again....

Homecoming, Alumni Band and Friends....

The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart. -Katherine Mansfield

This weekend is a weekend I always have somewhat mixed feelings about...for it is a weekend I often see people I dearly miss... more people I wish were still around to see more often.... people I could care less about...and... well i am always saddened by the thought of people I dont see.

I never do the Alumni Band thing. I always get a sense that some peole see me as being snobby by not doing alumni band. But...my reasons are somewhat personal, and has nothing to do with the activity or the fact that people doing it might find it fun. I simply am not one to spend my fleeting moments that I have left in my lifetime making smalltalk with anyone I dont really want to make small talk with. By that, I mean the random sax player you never really liked but you tolerated while in school, who you have no interest in knowing what it is they are doing, what their family is doing, or whatever. Now, I realize that these same people may feel the same about me...and well..in case you havent figured it out, I dont care what they think. I never have and never will. Kinda harsh...but I dont have anymore time to waste. I hope that I will be able to see those I truly care about, even if it is to say "hey", get a hug and whatever. I think that what i find ironic is that I give far more thought to these type of events than most people realize, and have given up thinking that they will even come close to my hopes, whatever those might actually be. And yes, while I might have more time to chew the fat with Lisa and TJ and their son in Alumni Band, there are a lot of other people i dont want to spend my now precious time dealing with. Yep, some people would be cool to mini chat with, but there are always the people who want to re-live their college role as the "Hey-look-at-me-act-a-fool-and-say-silly-stuff-blah-blah-blah" and that will just only serve to annoy me. And I aint feeling being annoyed anymore.

Along similar lines friends are coming to town and I know that many factors will play into the time spent with them being way too short...travel time, gametime, etc. I already have resigned myself that as much as I have looked forward to seeing old friends, that this year will be a wash. I-Man has a soccer match at 10am in Easley and it lasts an hour. While I will be at Brooks with people who are staying with me, by the time the kids would arrive, the game will be starting. I dont know if the twins will even make an appearance at Brooks this year for Homecoming. Who knows... but we shall see... I guess if it was THAT important, I'd get off my high horse and be more outgoing, huh?

The World Turned Upside Down

Ok...so...hmmm... SOUTH FRAKKIN FLORIDA is ranked #2????!!!!! South Carolina is #6????!!! Well, Clemson will certainly have a chance to do some damage in November.... now, I'm not saying that they shouldnt be ranked becasue they have won when other teams havent. Heck, Clemson would be up there too if they hadnt forgotten how to tackle...

Homecoming on deck. Should be a hectic weekend...

And theres always retrospect
(when youre looking back)
To light a clearer path
Every five years or so I look back on my life
And I have a good laugh - Emily Saliers

It is always a refreshing moment when you get home and the air has a nip to it and you can smell the wood fires burning in homes. It is also weird to me that you only notice that smell when it first gets cold. How come i dont smell that wood come January or February?

I started to reply to emails flying around on the alumni listserv and thought better of it. The Alumni gripping have a valid point. The Actives need to do better. And it is perhaps time that the dormant Alumni Association issue may need to be revisited. That would help facilitate activities geared toward them and serve as useful tool for the Alumni Sec to use and interact with.

And it is starting to get a little annoying, with all these kids going postal with guns in the schools and crap. I can tell you right now that if somebodies son shots my kids, God help them for they might be eating bullets too...

Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans. ~ John Lennon

So... starting to hear the annual chirping from the alumni in regards to the "actives" and the lack of info coming out to them from the chapter. Sigh... i just wish people would remember what THEY did when they were the "actives" and the alumni were chirping. While I agree that more information could be sent out, in a timely manner and more often, I am not going to hold their hands every week and yell at them about something that i think fundamentally they dont have a grasp of. Do I wish they would have planned their proposed events better and farther out? Yes. But it is THEIR chapter and they have to devote their energies were they see fit, even if it is the wrong place sometimes. In relation to Homecoming there is a difficulty in planning events that wont conflict with what CUTBA is planning. Because that will only create another set of political issues. If CUTBA plans their thingy, and we already know alumni are planning on doing that, how are they to schedule events against that? In a nutshell, they cant. The actives are in waiting game now every year to see what the gametime will be THEN figure out what they can do based upon their band responsibility, Alumni Band and their own gigs. at any rate the actives need to try harder to reach out to FRAT Alumni, but there has to be some understanding from Alumni as well.

here's what i think

I think that the Clemson Football team suffers from what is a complex that affects the entire University and has for many years now. there always seems to be a flaw in all the sports teams. In baseball, its either ALL Hit, No pitch or ALL Pitch, no hit every season. Clemson gets to the Playoffs and the very thing they have relied on all year fails, and its 0 and 2 and barbeque. Everytime there has been a good Clemson basketball team, free throws have been the achilles heel. heck, EVERY year its a problem. And they lose games because of it every year, no matter WHO the coach is. Watch..Clemson will have a great basketball team this year, and they will go to the free throw line and miss free throws....BAD. The football team has had special team problems since the time of Danny Ford. I can remember 2 seasons that were ruined during his era because of punt snaps sailing over the punters head, and a blocked punt.. Tommy West had the same issue and Bowden has seen it continue.

I think the special team woes stem from the fact that despite the obvious talent Clemson has, it still doesnt have enough of it, and it NEVER will. At least not as long as their is a emphasis on the academic side of things in Clemson. Clemson's first 11 on both sides of the ball ( well, at least the first 11 that started the season, not the injury riddled group we have now) could probably match up with any body. But as soon as we see linemen go down, then James Davis get hurt at NC State the "issues" started to pop up.

The "Issues" are many fold but boil down to this. Despite the plethora of talent on the offensive side of the ball, it all boils down to James Davis getting the tough yards inside the tackles. His injury and the inability of Spiller of run hard inside the tackles has changed the way the team attacks offensively. It has become quite obvious to me that James Davis is the heart of this team, and his toughness has been eliminated. Spiller does not possess that mentality. Watch how Spiller tip toes to the line hoping not to get hit and immediately tries to turn the other way and use his speed. And the lack of talent on the second and third teams translates to a vunerability on our special teams. Factor in mistakes by the players on those teams, and you have the breakdowns. then the "issues" start to pop up because the fans immediately turn on Clemson. And I mean Clemson fans. Immediately you hear Fire Tommy and people yelling at players. And it all turns downhill. There is a negative cloud over Clemson that has existed since the very day The Academics punted Danny Ford out in 1991 and still exists today. I am not a "Bring Ford back person" or anything like that, but since that day, Clemson sports seems to follow a pattern.... initial success built upon a sandy foundation weakened by a lack of talent depth.

In short, we aint as good as the other people because we dont have the waves of "athletes" LSU, Florida, Southern Cal, Michigan and potentially South Carolina have. because the others teams graduate players or lose players to injury and someone is there to step in just as good. Clemson loses a player to injury in ANY sport, and the entire situation changes. And the current administration seems to think that it can be done by keeping the high academic standards. It cant be done, not on a consistent basis. Stanford, Northwestern, Rice, Duke...make a flash for a season then they go away. ...now, I am not saying Clemson should lax its standards. But if they are going to have those standards, then I am going to look at the Athletic situation at Clemson for what it is...and be happy when they win, dissapointed when they lose...but...know that when they lose it aint the end of the world, and I can turn to my children and realize that there are FAR more important things than whether or not the Clemson football team is practicing how to cover punts and kickoffs (which I am 100 percent positive they have been, are... and will be)

Oh...I'm sure the Fire Tommy people are out in full force. They will look at South Carolina and see their success. But...look closely. They suffer from the same "issues". But people will start talking about getting rid of the coach. But they wont have a realistic answer as to who they can get to come to Clemson who will run a clean program, recruit and win. because the people we need to "take us to the next level' aint coming to Clemson. Period. End of story. because the Academics aint going to allow entrance to the 330 pound, 6 foot 3 inch just-training-for-the-NFL tackle who can barely read into Clemson. And if you want to go 10-1 every year... you need those guys on your football team. In waves....

So...I will continue to pull for Clemson. And I think that the 2 weeks off to heal James Davis as well as regroup will help. I think this team does not lose again until the BC game where they will be lying in wait to make their season. BC will probably be top 5 and it will be a 7:45pm start. And Clemson will upset BC. Then its a tossup at Columbia.... but if they lose another along the way, i will sigh and shake my head, and turn to my son and say, "hey...lets go out and lean to ride your bike without training wheels". For there are far more important things.

Mrs. Tarantino: Are you the police?
Elwood: No, ma'am. We're musicians

I've tried a different approach this year with the FRAT. Kinda a "hands off" way of things...not that i have been truly as hands on as i possibly could be at any time anyway. I have been hoping that the chapter will start to develop a better sense of internal direction this year and that some new leaders will take their opportunity to step forward. I sense that some new brothers are starting to feel things out. This is good. There are still things that they dont do. No treally much outreach to alumni, but...has there ever been? The Active way of thinking really never includes thinking of the alumni. That is probably an area where i need to tinker and press and prod. Other than that, they still produce yeoman work with service to bands....

I-Man keeps getting less than perfect reports in regards to behavior at school. Jessica is very dissapointed and well, I can uderstand why. But I also dont think he is doing that much bad stuff...probably one thing here or there that keeps him from getting a perfect "smiley face" on his daily report. But I dont want him to get into bad habits of not paying attention, so we are trying to get him to dial in and quit doing the little things that are not good. meanwhile Ryles seems to be a class darling. hmmm... why do I have a hard time believing that is totally true?

Tigers have VaTech tomorrow evening. Gut check time for Clemson. As Ole Tommy says..."ARE YOU CONTENDERS OR PRETENDERS?!"

..and memo to the Yankees, Phillies and Cubs fans... Memo: been there, done that....

what the hey?

oh man...it sucks that Law and Order, Criminal Intent is only going to be on USA TV now. man...that really sucks... Detective Robert Goren is DA MAN!!!! Oh well, power up the DVR and it will all be good...

Its like the twins go off to school and they are learning at a breakneck speed. Its a constant check on the mental senses to keep up with where they are. I have to keep myself from thinking that they are 3 years old and can barely talk, as they now can spell (limited) and are starting to read. Cant spell out M C D O N A L D S anymore...kinda like you spell it out and Ryles sits there and spells it in her head and says "I want McNuggets!!!!"

Oh...and i guess the Mets have gotten taste of what its now like to be a Braves fan. Supposed to win, chocked it away...sittin at home watchin inferior teams playin. Sigh'

And just so everyone is clear, I am an Independent (politically) with a definite lean to the conservative side. Am I against the Democrats??? nope. I actually agree with a lot of the socalled Democtrat platform (however vague it might actually be with their leading candidates right now). But I am not lock step hobnailed boot marching with America's DA or America's Mayor either. Somebody's gotta step up and show me something, and Osama, Billary, the NYC DA or America's mayor have not. So...i guessing that our friends in Iowa or New Hamphire are going to have to start weeding out the also rans here in a couple of months....

October is here...finally....

Ok...Homecoming looming in a little bit over 2 weeks... Still tryin to figure out what my plans are for that...pretty sure we're going to setup our tent in at the back edge of the Brooks center, similar to where we were last year. Gametime is going to be interesting and if its a 1 oclock game, i will have to get over to Brooks at like...oh...say...7:00am to secure the location and setup the tent. yeah...i know...thats a little extreme...but failure to prepare will have us parking on the golf course... i also need to start working on updating the fraternity roster with current addresses for the alumni. Should be an interesting day with all types of people coming to town that weekend.

random..again

So...Tigers...well.... hmmm.... here's what i saw. I saw the players drop 7 or 8 easy passes. i saw the players miss 4 field goals. I saw the players get a TD called back by penalty. One touchdown missed was by the previously mentioned dropped passes. I saw the players take their time to kick a punt and get blocked, setting up the lone Gatech TD. I saw players tip toeing thru the line. I say that this loss was NOT at all Bowdens fault. I say this all goes on the players. Yet still, their will be people all over Bowden. Ok...time to regroup and see what happens at home. At least I'm not a Oklahoma, Florida or West virginia fan today. think it sucks for Clemson to have lost. Well, Clemson wasnt going to win any National Championships this year....wow.

Mike...um...MIKE!!!!!????.....MIKE!!!!!!

A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small bundle. —Benjamin Franklin

Ok...I'm not going to do like the prosecuters in Virginia and pile on Mick Vick. but.... frack, man... you can't be doing pot when you are on house arrest awaiting SENTENCING!!!! sigh...dude...c'mon now... (shaking head)

And of course, the USA womenz soccer team goes down in flames...wow.

Sigh..

...i really, really, really, really....REALLY...need to start taking more pictures. i got my photog magazine yesterday and looking at the pictures makes me want to go out and take some photos. I just dont take enough, and I cant take pictures of people because evryone goes bonkers whenever I get my camera out to take a photo. I dont know....

It takes a wise man to learn from his mistakes, but an even wiser man to learn from others.

ok...and now for the real part of the schedule...

...Tigers are 4-0. GaTech might not be as good as we thought, but will be a real test in the ATL. Adversity will show its head this Saturday and we'll start seeing the true team....

...Panthers bounce back against my old team....

...Braves..tsk, tsk... way too little, way too late...

Went and saw lil Harwood on Friday night. The twins went a tad wild playing. I-man had his soccer match and he spent time as goalie and returned to his role as a midfielder. I am still not sure if he is Forward/Stryker material and he seems far more comfortable playing the "Fullback" role and sweeping in and getting the ball from players attacking the goal. We'll see as he advances to the next level and gets away from the "one mob around the ball" game it is now... then went down to Cola to see Aunt Ashley, Uncle Wes and cousin Madison. watched Clemson take care of business and the Gamecocks go down in flames, then returned home late Saturday...

not sure if i even want to comment on a lot of the racial stuff that is in the news. I guess I could, then wait for the anonymous posters to chime in....but...nah.... maybe tomorrow. Got stuff to do...

whoa...whoa...whoa...slow down....

So... i'm fixin dinner for Ryles and I-man tonight and Ryles wants to get onto Noggin online site. So, login to jessica's laptop and tell Ryles to hold tight a second while I fix something in the kitchen. I come back out of the kitchen and Ryles has already fired up Internet Explorer and is on the Noggin website playing a game. I'm like "Um.... where/when/how did you learn to navigate the computer?" Now I've got to ponder child proofing the laptops and desktop. This is all starting to go way too fast....

the BUCK BUCK Champion of the World

Aunt Ellen came to town... and we went with the twins over to the Furman/Clemson football game...tailgated for a moment then watched the marching band do their pep rally thingy. We then into the stadium and watched from the 50 yard line, visitor side, lower deck. pretty good seats. its was a little toasty for the twins though... we left after halftime.

Got to watch a lot of college football...hmmm...perhaps GaTech isnt as good as we thought, as Notre Dame is absolutely pathetic. But Clemson"s true mettle will still be tested in the ATL in a couple of weeks as i am sure they will attempt to use their tight ends in the same fashion Furman did. I am confident the Clemson coaches will be prepared for it but I always get the sense the the players never get a notion that they beleive that big slow white guys can lumber out and catch the ball...so i am sure the Clemson linebackers will still be prone to the short pass.... And I do think that Bowden is resting Davis for the better teams, no need to run him ragged against lesser teams when we will need to ride him when the going gets tough here soon. Better to get harper some confidence throwing now than to score 60 on LaMonroe for a sports center highlight.

Panthers...(sigh)....(shaking head).... but of course, every NFL team does about the same thing. The league is so tough. every week you can lose when you though you wouldnt, and vice versa. thats why everyone goes 8-8 every year. Unless you are the cheaters in New England. I really, really...REALLY am tired of the Patriots.

I-Man has started soccer and his first match is this coming Saturday. We also have Aunt Ashley's birthday party/NCstate watchin gig in Cola on Saturday. We also gotta get over and see lil miss Harwood at some point for her first birthday. Ryles has another doctor gig on Friday in Cola, so I am not sure how this upcoming weekend is going to shake out. But it will shake out as another whirlwind weekend,....

OJ got arrested. Fool...lets see if he can weasel out of this one....

Cooling down outside...windows now opened upstairs...finally.

Ha!

How many batteries does it take to shock a Michigan Wolverine?

(crickets chirping....)

...1-AA

Bill Belicheat

SOOOOOO....... the Patriots got caught...AGAIN. Hmmm...makes you wonder now and think back to all those reports about how teams used to always say after playing the Patriots that it seemed as if the Patriots knew what play they were going to run, or defense they would be in. Hmmmmmmm?????? Now, when you see those plays of Brady having all day to throw the ball and always having the right play called for the blitzes....kinda makes you realize..."hey, maybe they DID know what was coming." Tsk, tsk.... And to whoever keeps sending me the Patriots catalog, how ya feelin now. And if you dont know...I HATE THE PATRIOTS!!!! and if i have to see anymore of Brady and the sports writers fawning over him (even though he seemingly can impregnate supermodels out of wedlock and get a pass), I'll smash my HDTV. wait... I take that back cause I know that will happen..like...Sunday.

what? no outcry from Foxnews, MSNBC, etc.?....

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/0911071logansix1.html

hmmmm..... wonder why there is no mention of this virtually ANYWHERE on National news? kinda makes me wonder what it would be like if this was 6 black people and a blond, white woman.... oh wait, I KNOW what would be happening. Seems there is more concern over Britney Spears and her supposed bomb performance than outcry over this stuff these people alledgedly did. By the way, i dont know what the big deal is with Spears and her supposed weight problem. Looked fine to me... but her performance was very uninspired and obviously unrehearsed.

ramblins

Went out for lunch with Brandy today to Cracker Barrel. Its really strange how everytime I go into that place brings back all types of memories. i miss those times...

...Was watchin The Hills today...is that show real or is it acting? I watched for a while tryin not to get hooked.... i think its acting, but they do a good job of making it feel like Real World on steroids or something...

you know how long i've been on ya?
since prince was on apollonia
since OJ had isotoners
don't act like i never told ya -Kanye West

...<shakin head>...<sigh>.... now I gotta hear what kind of "art" 50 pennies is puttin out today.

Ok...the clinkling, chain sound you hear is me running the white flag up the pole on the Braves' season. Its over. But..heh, heh...wait till next year!!!

a decent weekend ... and other thoughts...

So...Tigers win and Panthers win... football of to a decent start....

...Kanye West pitched a fit about not winning awards at the MTV thingy. Hmmmm...pulled the race car, did he? Not sure about this one...kinda a pattern with him and these gigs...He might be heading to the Michael Jackson category of "All Artist, whacked brain" status with me....

... Fred Thompson announced he's runnin. Ok...time to start hearin some substance from America's D.A.

...and yes, Brown...I dont' understand why they do that with their hair.

...and I'm not sure I'm understanding the US soccer team (women) and their GOLD away jersey. Its sorta like Clemson showing up at the top of the hill in Green jerseys. Dont quite get it.

perspective....

Ok...now...I am not really a Michigan fan, although I do like their home uni's. But it is comical to me to see the reaction of the Michigan fans. It's like it is their birthright to win every game. I dont know whether or not its getting older, or what...but i no longer get as upset over the losses anymore, nor do I even get all that jacked up about a win of any team or person I'm rooting for. Although...it is a relief the #29 got into the Chase....but, to see the looks on the Sorority Girls and frat guys faces on TV...priceless. Or even better...the shots of the band in utter dispair...as I sit there thinkin "yep...been there, done that a few times." That free bowl trip is getting less fancy and shorter by the week. Yep...been down that road too many times... by the way, Clemson racks up a ho hum win, although (see above) better to win than to lose these days. I'll take it and advance, thank you very much. I'm sure there is a loss or two down the road somewhere this season.... started throwing the ball down the field a bit this game and the QB got some confidence. they didnt pound Davis that much tryin to save him for when they will need him in a couple of weeks or so... Anyway, take the W and advance. Furman should be slightly stiffer competition, but I expect another W before a road test in Raleigh...

After the PTA luncheon thingy, i went over to this new store in town called Steve and Barry's. It might become my store of choice right now. ..think Gap meets Old Navy meets Spencers meets Dick's Sportin Goods. I'll be curious how this store does in Greenville. If word gets out about it, it will blow up. if not...well, at least there's Chic fil A across the parking lot.

It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can keep him from lynching me, and I think that's pretty important. -MLK

buzz

OK..you can make fun of the bees thing if you want to, but..it's starting to make mainstream news now. I saw a report on it on CNN and its on Yahoo webportal today....

...going to a PTA meeting today at the twins school. Isnt it a little odd that a school would hold its PTA meeting at 11:30am on a weekday? kinda limits participation, dont you think? kinda makes you think that a small number of people want to limit who gets to play in their club? should be interesting...I'm thinking about changing into some ratty jeans and a white wifebeater with a brand new green Atlanta Braves cap with the sticker/tags still on it (bill still flat) cocked to the side and see what kind of reaction i get.

Throwback Wednesday

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it's queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there's some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

- Robert Frost

... dropped I-Man off at school today and it was kinda strange seeing your son get out, and run off into school. Its really different than daycare. It seems like you really are putting far more trust in a lot of strangers to watch over and protect your child. And your child is one of hundreds. But...it is what it is. Unless we are going to homeschool, then it is how it has to be. And i would rather not homeschool, even if we could for they need to social aspects that school provides, even though that have greatly benefitted from having each other all of their lives.

Ryles went back to the doctor today (jessica took her to Cola) and she got most of the cast removed today. Things seem to be progressing nicely with that and she is going to have to "rehab" some movement of her index finger, but the doctors expect full movement to eventually return. In the meanwhile she has become somewhat ambidextrous, which cant be bad.

whhhhhheeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

....ok...I'll take this W. man...looks like Clemson tried to get a tad too cute in the 3rd quarter. Clemson OBVIOUSLY has more talent than FSU. Speed, speed, speed and more speed on the Tigers side. It now looks like it used to look in these games, except reversed. I remember standing in the stands watching Warrick Dunn simply take a toss sweep and run around the Tigers defense. Now it is clemson doing it to FSU. And...it looks like only 2 or 3 starters for FSU would start for Clemson. Now... 3 easily winnable games until a roadtrip to the ATL for Gatech, a game that should be highly entertaining on the 29th.

Now...watch Clemson lose to to a pitiful NC State team...or worse......Furman. Still probably wouldnt be as bad as...heh, heh...Michigan losing to App State.

ok...now...this is better....

walked out this morning, and its like....15 degrees cooler. THANK GOODNESS AUGUST IS GONE!!!!!

I can think of a few games where Clemson Football has taken the gaspipe...a couple of Wake games and that Duke game a couple years ago come to mind. But....at no time has Clemson ever suffered a loss like what Michigan suffered. All the call-in shows are talking about their shows as Michigan suicide watch shows today. Wow....

tonight is the Bowden Bowl (ha!) and it will all hinge on whether or not the new Clemson QB can complete a pass. if not, we'll see more of the same stuff that occured on the tail end of last season...stack the line and dare Clemson to complete a short pass.

had the Fords and Harwoods over on Friday night, then Nanna, Papa and Aunt Ellen came into town on Saturday and they spent the night. So it was a weekend of the twins all fired up and showing out for the visitors. And now we get to try to tone them back down again...

whew...almost over

this crappy month is virtually over...heat, boredom...over... baseball pennant races, college football, pro football, cooler weather (a little bit, at least) and the transition to Fall, the best time of the year if you ask me. I look forward to opening the windows upstairs and breathing fresh air in the morn.

FSU and Clemson on Monday...sigh...not sure how this is going to go. Tigers are unproven at QB but are far more talented than FSU, but FSU is still...FSU. Miami and FSU are going to be on an upswing, as well as UNC and with Vatech, BC and GaTech always good, time is NOW to win this conference without having to run a SEC type gauntlet.

last one out turn off the lights...

O.K....um...is anyone going to be left in the Presidents Cabinet in a couple of months beside Bush and Cheney? I mean...tomorrow is will be Rice, then next week will be...well....NO ONE ELSE IS LEFT, IS THERE?

goodness...

ok... so...like... Ryles day and a half in the hospital cost... $14,000....insurance is payin...but dude...thats like...out of control..... and she is still got to go back this friday.

Gameweek is here. As time accrues and the whole Clemson experience is farther in the past, the excitement of the first football game is getting less and less. Yep...its FSU and its huge, but...I got other stuff goin on now. Oh..I will watch and not bother to go, even though its only 20 minutes away and i can get a free ticket anytime. it just isnt that important anymore. That being said..i will be watchin and keepin track of it all...

Back from Bristol...and other notes

dude...Bristol way way fun. We had AWESOME seats. I beginning to think we should make the Bristol trip an annual "Men Only"trip...

... I used to never read any other blogs on a regular basis. but in the past couple of months, i have started reading some people's blogs on a regular basis. Kinda cool... and I got "tagged". I normally hate "forwards" and those types of emails but occasionally I'll bite on one and participate. I decided to play along (well kinda) and posted below. I hope Andrea doesnt think I am slamming on her or anything.I just kinda took her post and put my own take on it....

The Rules: 1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts. 2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves. These are not all the rules but since I am not totally playing by the rules here…so be it. I am going to loosely follow the model Andrea offered… And while this may at times seem to poke fun, it really isn’t meant to do that on a deep level, just on a “wink, wink” level…

1 - When I was growing up, there was never any real desire to become any particular one thing. I was decent in football, way above average in school, and became decent in music. At one point in time, I wanted to be a Major league baseball umpire, but never pursued it.

2 – I am somewhat service oriented. I have always seemed to thrive in situations where I could provide support to others in their endeavors

3 - I LOVE my children. I have 2 great kids who are developing so fast that I am stunned on a daily basis at what they know. I-Man was just sitting here on my laptop and started pointing and saying “games..games…” …there were no icons, just the programs list and a folder labeled “games”. He was reading the word games and I am thinking “um…how long have you been able to read that”. I know they are already reading at the “See Jane run” stage, but I guess I hadn’t realized advancement

4 - I have had sex in a car.

5 - I don’t suffer from depression. I have rarely ever been in a depressed mood. I am pretty much a worry free person. Sure… there are “concerns” and “annoyances” but…I don’t lose sleep over anything. When I go to bed at night, I pretty much go right to sleep. I always refer back to a gospel song that I like…”Can’t sleep at night?...and you wonder why???...well, maybe God is… tryin to tell you something’”…. I mean… well… maybe I am a little depressed over the Braves 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th starters. But that’s the extent of it.

6 - I was never Drum Major. Never wanted to be. Had too much fun playing. But I think I would have been an awesome Drum Major if I had pursued it. And I think I definitely knew when to play Tiger Rag, and when not to play Tiger Rag
.
7 - I read all the time growing up and up until Internet access became readily available. Now my reading is limited to the internet. I occasionally read a couple of magazines, specifically the Digital Photog mag Wes and Ash got for me and…Playboy. And I really do read Playboy. Now my actual reading of books is limited to books friends and family give me.

8 - I love writing this blog. I do it for myself. A nice side benefit is that you seem to like to read it too. I find it to be very therapeutic to put my thoughts down. And when I go back and look at the pictures or read what I have written before, it reminds me of what my twins were like then. So I would like to have this when they are 18 and 18, and remember a simpler time. You know, back when I didn't know I had it so good.

There ya go....

Bristol baby!!!!

here at Bristol for the race tonight!!!...then back home...

well, well, well...

...so...Mr. Vick is going to plead guilty. ... OK...Hmmm.... I will say this. i think he had no choice. i dont think he actually was involved with the killing of dogs. I may be wrong. But he dont think he actuallydid. Call me foolish. But...he obviously was funding the operation, which does make him the leader. And...therefore..........guilty of the overall thing. And his "boys"...the fools he brought with him from the hood... his "homies" all turned on him as soon as they had a chance. A tough lesson that many had told him in the past..."Mike, leave those guys behind....you got to move forward". He chose to stand with those guys, and they let him down. But ultimately, he let himself down. All that money, and you got to go dogfight???? The Lottery is up to 231 million. If I won that money....I can think of about 20 things i could do to blow money foolishly, none of which would be illegal, gambling or considered, well, something i wouldnt want my mother to know about. People make mistakes, and I will never be one to cast a stone, for I have certainly made my share of mistakes. But ......he sure could have done other things with his cash than dogfight.... And..for the record...the article i posted still applies...

p.s. I can think of a couple of things I might do if I won the lottery. A night out with the boys at the local "menz" establishment might be on tap, although I still wouldnt be packin a gun or pickin fights with local gang members or anything whacked like that. But at any rate.........

First day o' school, part 2

Otay...now we get to 5k. FINALLY!!!! and off we go...no more day care bills.... Thank God!!!

kinda blah days, i guess

As I said before...AUGUST BLOWS. kinda like the lull before fall when football kicks in and the nip in the air returns. Must admit that the trees at our house have already started losing leaves and putting them in the driveway.

Ryles went to doctor for checkup today. She is doing fine and will have to go back in a couple of weeks. This should be interesting as she is slated to start baton with Cheryl Hosler in a couple of weeks. Hmmmm...????

And I-man is spooling up for soccer. I think I am going to start turning the wick up a small notch on the performance expectations. I am not expecting him to do wonders, but I think he needs to start defining his role in soccer. Is he a defender, goalie or striker?

God forbid you ever had to wake up to hear the news
'Cause then you really might know what it's like to have to lose
Then you really might know what it's like [X4]
To have to lose...
-Everlast

not really much to say....

No one like to see someone you love get hurt or sick. Especially your children. And we have been faced with a minor setback. Ryles fell yesterday while playing and broke her arm. She has a cast and she is still hurting, but she is going to be fine. Thousands of people have similar issues every year and its all good. Its just kinda sobering to get a call while at work that your daughter is in the hospital in surgery to reset her arm, and the helpless feeling that you have. Like I said, its all good and she will have her cast off in three weeks, but it still is sobering to me. And in the entire realm of things, when it all boils down, our twins are our most valuable possesion and despite the fact that I can control what they eat, watch, do...whatever... in an effort to protect them and see them grow up, they are still a blink of an eye away from harm all the time. Yes, i realize we all are, even as adults "day to day", to quote Sportscenter, but I want to think that I will be able to protect my children, and it is sobering to me to realize that despite my best efforts, something screwed could still happen.

...and its kinda strange ...

RED...NECK!!!

..but..it was pretty fun. I-Man, me and Uncle Wes went to a tractor pull in Saluda last night. Think Nascar, except more country, for the most part. It was americana at its best, with the local FFA kids being honored before it started and little Miss Saluda, teen Saluda and Miss Saluda driving tractors past the grandstands. Note: Little Miss Saluda seemed to be about 8 or 9 years old.

random musings...

Whoa.... football on TV. HDTV BABY!!!!!!...this is the first game I have gotten a chance to see since the HD purchase back in the spring. Dude...I'm tellin ya. HDTV is perfect for football. You see so much more. Kinda like sitting at the top of the lower deck at Death Valley.

also got to see the annual reality check with the Little League world series stuff...watched a kid meltdown after he started getting shelled. I am always reminded of the famous Star Wars quote"There's always a bigger fish"...these kids have dominated their respective hometown leagues all year...then suddenly they are faced with kids with the same talent level who have dominated their own hometown all year. The bewilderment on these kids faces as they suddenly cant get people out as easy anymore...the sudden realization that there are people as good as them out there...and that they might not be as good as they thought they would be... its a gut wrenching reality that they get faced with, and its all a part of life when you think about it. Kinda like when people get to Tiger Band and you hear them say "I was Drum Major in High School"...and I'm like thinkin..."yeah, you and every other person out here". But its just really interesting to see the total meltdowns by these kids. It happens every year... some kid is pitchin lights out, striking out people...looking all smug and cocky (always a white kid...but then again, they are usually all white, which is another post altogether). You hear the announcer talk about how this kid is "undefeated, unscored upon", etc. There's always the anecdote about the kid haveing a "perfect game" during the summer where he "stuck out all 18 batters he faced"... so usually, about the 4th inning or so, the other team starts taking pitches and suddenly, the bases are full. The coach goes out and says something like (or more likely yells) "son<it's always son>... you need to bear down and focus!" the kid, smugness gone replaced with a tad bit of concern, kinda has a glassy "deer in the head lights" look but gets himself together when his teammates slap him on the head and yell "you da man!". Of course...the other teams hometown bully/best player/coach's son comes to the plate.... and crushes the first pitch he sees waaaayyyyy out of the park. the tragic thing is the camera focusing on the dejected/crushed/bewildered losing pitcher as he starts bawling before the hitter even gets to second base. Pitchers' coach goes out (and you know he's going to yank him for his son, standing at shortstop, waiting his chance because coach didnt want the parents cryin nepotism) and trys to console the bawling kid...and you hear the announcers talk in a hushed tone something like "it's these lessons that are played out in front of us on this big stage. This kid will one day think back to this and realize that it wasnt so bad...that these were truly the best of times" or something similar and supposedly profound. Anyway...you get the pitcher, err... picture.

A good friend of mine used to say, "This is a very simple game. You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains." Think about that for a while. - Nuke Laloosh

when in doubt, talk about the weather...

OK..here are the 3 or 4 days of heat that i dont like about where i live...the high for today is forecast 102 degrees...same for tomorrow. now i know those of you living in Arizona are thinkin "that's a pleasant spring day for us" and all that but...well...this aint Arizona, is it? at any rate, thank goodness the AC is workin fine (fingers crossed) and soon August will be over with. I hate August. nothing good about the month except for some peoples' birthdays

Character is destiny - Heraclitus

watched the Bonds stuff last night...sigh...

an interesting read....

Now...if Vick is guilty of actually treating animals like they said he did, he needs to be punished. And if he was the money behind the operation, then he needs to accept some sort of punishment, as well... but.... there is the spector of race in this story, very similar to the OJ thing and other cases. For a very interesting article, i seriously recommend the following article on ESPN.com. This article is spot on...please give it a read.. click here

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=vicksatlanta&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab4pos1

now...I guessin that approximately one (1) person reading this blog is black, so everyone else is probably not black (heh)...s0 i dare you to read the entire article top to bottom...and...think...seriously think...while reading it... and then watch the coverage of this entire Vick issue with open eyes from now on. Not saying the man is innocent... but...he certainly has been already convicted, hasnt he? And when theu lay out the proof, I will be first to say "tsk, tsk" and say "should have spent that money a little more wisely"...

Suddenly...I'm not half the man I used to be....

took a day off to make a last ditch effort to clean the kids rooms before the Fall/school run starts...they are still with Nanna and Pappa for the day... its amazing the things you find squirreled away in their rooms... like the sqashed bottle of lotion in the top bunk, or the snickers wrappers i obviously missed the other day, or the half eaten, 20 day old apple.... or make-up stuff behind Ryles bed...

Suddenly
I'm not half the man I used to be
There's a shadow hanging over me
Oh, yesterday
Came suddenly - McCartney

History doesn't repeat itself, but it rhymes. - Mark Twain

...heres what is weird about watchin this Giants game in San Francisco...if I walk outside right now, its like still 88 degrees but feels like 92 (at 10:46pm)...I'm watchin these people in sweatshirts, sweaters and jackets. What the hey?

Sixteen in the clip and one in the hole
Nate Dogg is about to make some bodies turn cold
now they droppin and yellin
it's a tad bit late
Nate Dogg and Warren G had to regulate

"Well, they say time can play tricks on a memory"....

As long as old men sit and talk about the weather
As long as old women sit and talk about old men
- Randy Travis.

I-man and Ryles went to the beach with Nanna and Pappa (and me and Jessica). It was difficult to get I-Man out of the water. He pretty much spent 3 straight hours in the water...Ryles was in and out, spending time doing the sand castle thing...

no so innocent anymore....

...got home last night and Jessica showed me where the twins had not eaten ANY of their dinner, and had been sent upstairs. So...I knda meander upstairs and, as usual, the two of them were in I-Man's room. And what do I stumble upon ( with the 2 of them withthe deer in headlights - cows in Far Side - look???).... well...2 years ago, Pappa put a stash of candy from Halloween in the freezer located in the garage...2 years ago now. Well, somehow, they stumbled across it and I had taken it away and put it in our bedroom. well, seems as though they found that stash...now, this wasnt a couple of candy bars, suckers, etc....this was HALLOWEEN booty. and judging from the amount of wrappers and half eaten suckers and candy of all types, they had been eatin this stuff all day long. hmmmm...no wonder they didnt want dinner, but judgin from the choocolate smudged acroos their faces, Halloween candy booty was just fine for eatin... well, a quick spankin and banishment to their respective rooms followed... just is really weird to have walked in on them and to realize that they immediately realized (you could see on their face) "uh oh..." "this aint good"...

WHY DID IT COLLAPSE???!!!!!

sigh...while it definitely sucks that bridge collapsed, i think it sucks more how the media is all 24/7 "OUR BRIDGES IN CRISIS!!!!". I feel for those who died and got hurt, and I hope those in charge take an extra look at any span.

meanwhile... the Summer O' Fun is winding down...the twins are heading to the beach this weekend. They left this morning with sandbuckets in tow, planning to stop by to see their new cousin again, then go on to Florence, with a trip to the beach on Saturday. I am headin down tonight and will join them for the beach.


A friendship that can be ended didn't ever start.

• Mellin de Saint-Gelais, Oeuvres poétiques

explanation of sorts

a couple of days ago I sad I was sad about the current chapter of kappa kappa psi of which i sponsor. I just want to clarify...I am sad in that I am not sure they are getting the same experience that I feel those of you who read this familiar with the FRAT got while at Clemson. I do feel that they are doing a good job, and I am not sad about that aspect. But I wonder if they go to Huddle House together, or out to TigerTown, or out to the lake, or shopping, or any of those things together. Sure, I know some of them do..but is this experience limited for them? are they simply relying on Instant Messenger to communicate instead of spending time face to face. WHen I see groups of people who were in the chapter when I was active, and in the following years immediately afterward, at games, and I see pix of them gathering together online, i wonder will these current brothers do the same... For the experiences of being together and growing together and learning together made a bond that I too often feel is lacking right now with the actives. I spent an hour and a half talking to our former Governor Haughee at Nat Convention talking about how chapters ebb and flow in regards to these issues and he gave me some steps to use to make sure that the current actives are making themselves available to all that is offered to them in the "band" experience at the college level. I hope we can make some progress in certain areas this upcoming year. I am going to try hard to make sure those groups of people sittin out in the parking lot on gamedays arnt talkin about how the chapter just isnt the way it used to be and all that. Well... thats probably going to happen anyway, and it will be true and not true in many ways. But i at least want them to always be proud of the organization that exist today and their role/involvement in the past.

Plans for Fall

Fall plans are startin to shape up a bit.... We are already talkin Homecoming. If we can just get past this usual August heat blast, things will be great. Well...and September too, I guess. Brown may be coming to town for a game. Kristen might coming to town too... And I am planning an Frat Alumni party at my place Homecoming night...more on this later.... Hopefully, the Braves will make the playoffs and if they do, I will definitely be there.

I-Mans car

Had a request to see I-Man's car he buit at FAO Swartz...well here it is, with a few dings...notice the lack of mirrors...casualties of imagination, i do believe, as well as the scratches. It is a Ferrari Enzo.

new addition, part 2

The twins and I ran down to Cola to take a quick peek at their new cousin....

new addition...

Oh..i forgot to mention...I'm sure they will officially announce sometime..but we have a new addition to the family...Uncle Wes and Aunt Ashley are proud parents of Madison Elizabeth Moore, 8lbs, 6oz's...I'm going down tomorrow (Monday) with the twins to see her. I'll drop a pic on here soon...

National Convention....It's FANTASTIK!!!

Well, I really dont know what to think of this past convention. There was a lot of dissapointment with the actives at Kappa Beta, in that NO-ONE showed up from the chapter...well, I did...and Melanie Muldrow, but she is at Tuskegee now...so she kinda doesnt count. I was kinda expectin several people there......So...I got there a couple of days late and am immediately bombarded with "Where's KB?" questions...I'm like.."Uh...Hmmm.... they should be here. No one has mentioned to me that they wouldnt". But..yep...no one showed so I ended up sitting as Kappa Beta Delegate. Kinda sad and pathetic....

But..while I was angry, I think I have graduated to being more sad than angry. And while I will address the issues that are underlying, I think that its sad that they miss out on these opportunities.... Next Convention(National) is in Phoenix, in 2009

Frat stuff

... @ National Convention for Kappa Kappa Psi. I was asked to update the master roster of Kappa Beta, so i have the list of all brothers who have been at Clemson...175 brothers have been initiated, and looking at some of these names brings brings back memories, i tell ya...

Well and generously spoken...

listening to the Boston Brass last night here at National Convention, and I was struck by one thing. Music is an awesome thing. And I wish i could still play everyday. I think upon all my friends, and they are all connected to me by music...sigh...

"Ahh...music, a magic far beyond all we do here."

• character Albus Dumbledore in JK Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the U.S.)

The Fog of War

I sat and watched about 80% of a documentary on HDNet called "The Fog of War", a movie/documentary about Robert McNamara, who was Secretary of Defense for Kennedy, then Johnson during part of the Vietnam War. It was pretty good and its always interesting to listen to someone who was so intrumental in history, especially when hearing in his voice, the regret he has over what happened and the choices that were made. He, of course, has a book...and I think I might put that on my Xmas list on Amazon

there were 11 lessons that McNamara discusses in his book and the movie, and the book was written in 1996. These lessons are frakkin eerie, especially given our current quandry in Iraq. I have taken liberty to post them below... read them and transpose those thoughts to current day events....

The eleven lessons in McNamara's 1996 book In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam:

1. We misjudged then — and we have since — the geopolitical intentions of our adversaries … and we exaggerated the dangers to the United States of their actions.
2. We viewed the people and leaders of South Vietnam in terms of our own experience … We totally misjudged the political forces within the country.
3. We underestimated the power of nationalism to motivate a people to fight and die for their beliefs and values.
4. Our judgments of friend and foe alike reflected our profound ignorance of the history, culture, and politics of the people in the area, and the personalities and habits of their leaders.
5. We failed then — and have since — to recognize the limitations of modern, high-technology military equipment, forces and doctrine…
6. We failed as well to adapt our military tactics to the task of winning the hearts and minds of people from a totally different culture.
7. We failed to draw Congress and the American people into a full and frank discussion and debate of the pros and cons of a large-scale military involvement … before we initiated the action.
8. After the action got under way and unanticipated events forced us off our planned course … we did not fully explain what was happening and why we were doing what we did.
9. We did not recognize that neither our people nor our leaders are omniscient. Our judgment of what is in another people's or country's best interest should be put to the test of open discussion in international forums. We do not have the God-given right to shape every nation in our image or as we choose.
10. We did not hold to the principle that U.S. military action … should be carried out only in conjunction with multinational forces supported fully (and not merely cosmetically) by the international community.
11. We failed to recognize that in international affairs, as in other aspects of life, there may be problems for which there are no immediate solutions … At times, we may have to live with an imperfect, untidy world.

Underlying many of these errors lay our failure to organize the top echelons of the executive branch to deal effectively with the extraordinarily complex range of political and military issues.

Now...given that I am somewhat on both sides of the fence gieven the entire Iraq fiasco, I did find this somewhat thought provoking. sigh....