in the ongoing saga that is my car update, I have one last thing to do that requires immediate attention.. it is sitting at a shop in town and they ordered a part but, alas.. it was the WRONG part... now why they sat around and didnt tell me this for two days is beyond me... so I assume  that they will order the correct part, right?. WRONG... so when I call to inquire dude is like "we found one (the part)".. ... I'm like sitting here thinking..."and?"... but he hasnt ordered it yet. Like he thinks I am having to debate between dealer ($1600.00) and him ($600.00)... but I tell him to hold tight and I get back on the Internet and find a place that is even better priced. I am getting ready to order this part when I take another look on my TDIclub website I frequent and stumble across warning after dire warning after sad sad story of destroyed engines due to parts ordered from this company... seems like dude is using some sorta Chinese rebuilt parts and uses several "fronts" on the internet to sell parts at an extremely reduced rate, beating price and sucking in value conscious (read: too cheap to pay the exorbitant dealer cost... like me) people.. lots of blown engines and eventual $5000 costs to rebuild/replace engines after parts from this parts dealer... so.. back to my local TDI guy. I walk in and tell him face to face to order this part and get it done. NOW, please?

some of John Wooden's Maxims...

• Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.
• Flexibility is the key to stability.
• Be quick, but don't hurry.

by the way, I am assuming the Tigers wont take UNC lightly tomorrow... that being said, I wount be caught off guard like i was last week. I went into watching the Maryland game with my "B" Clemson hat, a trucker hat that is somewhat retro... i wanted to see Clemson win without my wearing the same hat I had worn for all the other victories... i stuck with it thru halftime and gave in, running upstairs and getting the "lucky" A cap, a fitted khaki cap that simply says TIGERS with an embroidered small tiger paw on the back. Put it on and sat down to watch the second half with renewed confidence and karma back on my/our/their side. And Voila!!!.. Clemson storms back and wins... I know I am not alone in knowing that type of stuff matters... like the Dallas Cowboys unlucky blue jerseys, or the Braves crappy batting practice blue jerseys they always seems to start losing streaks in... karma matters and I will have my hat on just to make sure tomorrow...

Going into the Columbia tourney, I-Man's soccer team had won only one match.. way back in August. And it is interesting to start to hear the grumbling on the sidelines from the other parents about the coach, club, etc... its kinda like what I bet will happen if/when the inevitable losses happen with Clemson (although the current talent amassed at Clemson makes me think 2 or maybe 3 good seasons in the queue right now...) and the whispering  is really hard on this first time coach. at any rate, I-Man's team is coming off a a good showing at the tourney and a win last Saturday against another Academy team 2-1... They seem to have gotten a little confidence with this success. But Sunday sees a return to league play... we shall see. His team is really designed to be training for next year. The Club seems bent on getting this group in physical shape more so than winning...

so.. i bit the bullet. I changed up the look. Its been over 5 years since I settled on the old look. What do you think? I think this will allow viewing of the photos better...

speaking of Lou Holtz, I am rereading his book I have during breaks at work. And I came across this that I have posted before, but I always feel is good food for thought...

Per Lou Holtz, everyone needs 4 things in life:

* First, you have to have something to do. Stories of healthy individuals who die within a few years of retiring are too numerous to list. It’s also true that prisoners serving life sentences sleep for 12-14 hours a day because they have nothing in their lives that compels them to get out of bed.

* The second thing you have to have is someone to love. We are put on earth to love other people. Those who don’t have anyone exist without happiness.

* Third, you have to have something to believe in. I’ve always said that not believing in a god is not an option for humans. You might not believe in the Heavenly Father, as I do, but everyone has a god. It might be the quest for power or material gains; it might be a cause–environmentalism, conservationism, global socialism, or one of countless other isms, or it might be the search for peace–but everyone has a god.

* Finally, you have to have something to look forward to. In his famous book Man’s Search for Meaning, Dr. Viktor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor, made some interesting clinical observations in the midst of the horrors of Auschwitz. Dr. Frankl noticed that prisoners who had nothing to live for and nothing to look forward to died quickly of starvation, fatigue, or abuse at the hands of their captors. But those who survived shared one thing in common: They all had something to look forward to. Often the survivors lived for the thought of rejoining a relative, or escaping to another country. Sometimes they hung on in the hopes of exacting revenge on the Nazis. But whatever the reason, those who survived the greatest atrocity in history were those who had something to look forward to.

I met President Obama the other day at work...  I asked him about my 40 acres and a mule. he looked around for his teleprompter and said "No comment" He was more interested in whether or not Clemson would be able to get past UNC and GaTech to get to 9-0. I told him that Lou Holtz once told me "You're never as good as everyone tells you when you win, and you're never as bad as they say when you lose"... I think I will take that and run with it until January....

So... not too long ago, we totally overhauled the HVAC system in the house... must admit that our first two power bills have absolutely stunned me. over 200% lower have the power bills been... now I am pondering just where I want to set the temp for the house for winter. It seems to want to stay @ around 68 downstairs naturally but I think 70 is more where I want to sit and perhaps leave the heat off upstairs during the day and maybe heat it to 75 in the morning and bedtime hours. this dual zone stuff might be the best thing invented since the TDI engine... speaking of which, i have decided to get the fuel injection pump replaced totally. that should bring the jetta totally back up to speed.

by the way, they are completely replacing the bridge below our house and the road is closed. They actually redirected the creek while they are working down in the ground rebuilding the bridge. Looking at the wood poles that were basically holding up the old bridge, I can see why they suddenly said that heavy trucks and vehicles could not cross over it (the garbage/recycling trucks have to back down the street a 1/4 mile to our house right now). they were rotting and it was a matter of time before it would have collapsed.... but it looks like they are opening up the area below the bridge, which will alleviate the concern over a backup during heavy rains from a dead deer or cow blocking the water flow and flooding our downstairs...

So I got a RFID blocking wallet a couple of weeks ago... it is actually made out of steel... as in the entire thing is made out of metal,but it is not hard like you would imagine it would be.... So when the vending machines start zapping you out of a $1.25 just because you walk by them here in the near future I hope i will be prepared

So I watched the Dabo Swinney show a little while ago... it was funny to see the tell tale smirk on his face. It was filmed not too long after the victory Saturday night. It immediately reminded me of the feeling and smirk I have when I play I-Man in Fifa 11 soccer on Xbox. let me explain... for some reason my son has this ability to play outstandingly well for a 9 year old on Xbox, seemingly picking up games within minutes that it has taken me years to become slightly competitive at. So, after getting clocked by his Chelsea team and having to hear his 9 year old smack talk one match, I made my own Pinewood Drive Raiders Soccer Club team to play against him. This team consist of players that I have painstakingly made one by one, position by position, rating by rating... and of course all the ratings are maxed out at 100 percent. So.. whenever I want to score, it is relatively easy. Whenever I want to take the ball away, it is relatively easy. So after I clocked him 15 -3 (he still amazingly scores against a stacked team) I-Man is wondering out loud "how are you so good, Daddy" and I have that smirk... the same smirk Dabo has as he realizes he has more talent than the other guy. And that he can call that "Boyd fake pumps and throws the ball up deep for Watkins and he makes a spectacular catch for a touchdown everytime" play whenever he wants too and whenever he needs to and the other team cant stop it ...(yet)...

So..I have several things wrong with my Jetta.. it seems I can accrue some of this to the fact that it has over 260,000 miles on it. But... it is in the process of having the oil changed, fuel injection timing set, rear brakes replaced, coolant changed out, glow plugs and plow plug harness replaced and power steering checked... all that should get me on the road to well over 300,000 miles... but I saw something the other day that solidified the fact I will have another diesel when/if i replace this car in the future... Uncle Wes replaced the fuel filter in the Jetta for me in the midst of helping me to troubleshoot some issue with the Jetta slow starting. I saw him put straight up OIL in the fuel filter to prime it.. and I was able to, after some coughing and sputtering,  have the car crank up and run like a champ (like it usually has).. IT WAS OIL.... not Diesel...and the car fired up. I was stunned. I'm like "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?.. doubt I could pour oil in Jessica's fuel and have it crank up.. would probably be spending time and money at a dealer if we did that..." Of course the fact that people modify Jetta's to run on old deep fryer oil from McDonalds should have clued me in.. but I was skeptical. Wes poured virtually an entire quart of oil and my car cranked and ran. I assume the oil assisted with sucking the fuel thru the oil filter (which has some oil residing in it anyway) but that type of reliability/toughness/versatility has me sold that I will NEVER have anything other than a diesel for the rest of my life. No gas... certainly no electric... just environment screwing, torque supplying, gas mileage champion diesel engines for me... thank you very much.

and did I mention I can get 800 miles on a $45.00 tank of gas?


now watch the Jetta engine blow up next week or something....

 So I only 3/4 noticed this box that has been sitting in the den for the past couple of months on top of one of my speakers... I vaguely remember Ryles saying something about me giving her money for vacuuming the floor, etc. I DO remember thinking that "I give you money everyday... as a matter of fact the only reason I work is to give you money, if not directly... certainly indirectly...you just dont realize it..." but I digress. After realizing that she has been working hard to do chores, etc. I took another look at the box and laughed when I was actually able to read what was said on this box. You have to click on the pictures and read what it says... I also thought it clever that there exist two slots... obviously one for coins and one for dollar bills(envelopes?). Kinda reminds me of that tithe box they used have sitting up in front of the church that they kinda seemed to guilt you into putting stuff in.... you know the one I'm talking about that looks like a replica of the church and has a slot in the steeple....

so I think I am going to change things up and change the template on this blog....

I got home last night and when I went into our upstairs bath I noticed it was clean and thought "Jessica must have cleaned up in here" which is nothing unusual... so when Ryles tells me that she cleaned up the bathroom upstairs by herself. I must admit I was impressed. This was more than her usual shove.all.her.clothes.in.the.closet.and.close.her.french.doors type of "cleaning" she does in her own room... this was legit. Perhaps this is a new page I am looking at...

I wonder if this Herman Cain deal will continue to rise. The media continues to try to ignore or discount him. But the word on the street has his stock quickly rising. Is it that he isnt what THEY want? i hear he hasnt ever held elected office or doesnt have experience. Can you show me what experience Obama had? and dont give me the "he was a Senator" crap because it has been shown that everytime Obama has been elected, he has immediately started running for his next office and done little actual work in office. And I find if funny that Liberals (and so called Progressives) call him an Uncle Tom and say he has a self image problem because he is conservative. Of course the same has been said about me.

anyways, I am not sold on him (or any candidate on either side) yet and it is still a ways out. And I am not looking forward to the bombardment of this stuff starting pretty much next month until November 2012... but the Florida GOP has forced all of this to start to come to bear by the end of November... it will be whittled down to 4 or 5 Republican candidates by Turkey Day probably and it still remains to be seen if anyone will seriously mount a primary bid against Obama . I doubt that happens

I often sometimes feel that I have to constantly defend I-Man as he is seemingly the only boy amongst all our family and friends children, and at times receives what I feel is an inordinate amount of blame for any incident that ever happens with all the women (girlz) cousins who he is with. Of course, the fact that he is not yet 10 years old, but wears size 12-14 clothes perhaps influences people to think that he should act older than he actually is.  But when I see him, I see a young kid who is intelligent and perceptive and at times carries is emotions on his sleeve, so to speak. And you can see him get confused and despondent when things happen that he really feels wasn't his fault yet gets blamed for because the perception always seems to be that he was doing something to hard, or too loud, or too whatever... when actually it is the girls who instigated, and did something to themselves. His sister has become very adept and trying to manipulate everyone to get her brother in trouble and I am going to have to start clamping down on her constantly trying to tattle on him, and doing things that they would both get in trouble for, but blames I-Man for instigating, when he typically follows her actions...anyway, yesterday we did get to spend time with cousins Madison and Meredith at the park. And I am always happy to have them get together as I-Man is very fond of his cousin Madison...

So the past weekend saw us travel to Columbia for I-Mans's first Academy team soccer tourney. I think that it was a great educational experience for I-Man and his teammates in that even though they have lost all their matches except one this season, the understanding that there are a whole lot of other people playing from places far far away that are as good, or better .. or worst than them. The first match was a classic eye opening experience as the other team was on another level and crushed the team 1 to 7. Of course, within 37 seconds the loss was forgotten and they were all running around playing for the next 3 hours until the next match where the team played their second match and "seemed" to respond to the increased level of play , this time tieing 3 to 3 and had several opportunities to score the game winner. After watching Clemson seemingly turn a page (for the better) against VaTech, the team returned to the pitch the next day and won match 3 (3-1) but failed to advance out of the quarterfinals on point differential. Not that any of the kids on the team even were aware of that or that goals for and against were even more important than they normally are. It didn't really matter because the experience was very beneficial and I foresee them playing far better back in their home league from now on... While I-Man is my son and I am always proud of him, I must brag a tad and say that he is Captain of his team (and has been Captain of every team he has been on) and it does make me proud to watch him leading his team in the warm-ups and then going out to meet the refs and do the coin toss. It means he is doing SOMETHING well, at least. Well, actually, he is doing a lot well... School, Sports, Baritone... "knock on wood"