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.