well.. I passed 4 gas stations that were closed...out of gas entirely...came across a Pumpers that had regular unleaded and...DIESEL. Mercy, mercy, mercy.... pull in, and get the gas so I am good for a couple of weeks at least.

This so called bailout got shot down yesterday. Maybe if they wouldnt have tried to have all this crap added to it... money for all types of radical groups... no oversight initially...what are these people in washington thinkin? And dont think people cant see that this is BOTH sides that are trying to screw us over. Republican president and Democrat led House and Senate. Seems like the people in Congress and Senate got bombarded by calls and emails and with elections coming up in a month, they cant afford to not listen now, can they? But i wonder what wouyld happen if all this had happened in February. Would they listen then?

By the way... as long as president Barker and the Trustees are happy with Bowden, no amount of whining by the Clemson fans will force a move to remove the coach. And all indications are that as long as Season tickets are where they are, the teams wins 9 games every year, there is no public embarrasment to the institution... and most important...Bowden offers no threat to their power.... Bowden will not be removed. The major reason they removed West wasnt because he went 3-8, it was because only 40,000 people were coming to games. They will remove Bowden only if their is an obvious lack of ability on his part, and the Financial bottom line starts to change. So...if Clemson fans continue to come to games, they can bitch all they want as far as Barker cares because he would rather have a Bowden who is in line with the "Family" than a Ford type coach who maybe usurps their power at Clemson. I still contend that Clemson will only succeed at the highest level when everyone gets on the same page and moves in one direction, not trying to protect their own little places of power.

ya know...I was going to respond to stuff about the football game, but I just am starting to not care right now...it aint that important right now... I have to go get in my car and take a gamble that I can find a station within a 50 mile radius of my house that actually has diesel available to purchase. I have been putting it off because every gas station around here has a 1 to 2 hour wait. THIS is they type of stuff i feel Obama and McCain have NO CLUE about. Non...not at all...I'll say it again...when was the last time THEY had to pay for gas. instead, I am paying for their gas, and their campaigns while I am fixin to go get in my car and pray i get back to my house... of course you here very little mention of that on the networks...

tsk, tsk...

Lots to say about the Tigers, but since I am guessing that there will be a gut check internally on the team, I'll wait and pass judgement after their next game. I think it isnt the coaches. I think its the players. You KNOW the coaches had a sense of urgency against Maryland. You could see it. The players didnt. And dealing with that same age bracket in another venue, i can tell you from experience that they dont EVER get it until its too late. They never learn until they experience the exact thing you talk about over and over and over trying to prevent it from happening. Bowden jumped up and down and yelled at his team to not let up and close the deal during halftime. But it was obvious the team kinda started out going thru the motions in the second half, and I have seen it happen time after time with these college kids... they think that the other team is simply going to give up and they let them hang around and Suddenly...you are in a dogfight and 1 or 2 plays go against you and you are sacked with a loss... Happened with Southern Cal, happened with Florida.... At any rate, the season is far from over and the Conference championship is still attainable.

oh and another thing....

I am looking forward to see how UGA handles Alabama tomorrow. UGA has the advantage of knowing that Alabama is not as bad as everyone thought entering the season. But I believe Alabama is going to try to do the same thing to UGA that they did to Clemson, because UGA is essentially Clemson, except better. if you think about it, there are a lot of similarities.... great skill players, offensive minded coach, way out of whack expectations of fanbase, a general obsession on what color uniform the team will be wearing every week,a single national Championship eons ago... and... a very fragile psyche in many phases of its program. I expect Alabama to try to come out and punch UGA in the mouth like they did Clemson. UGA will be expecting this. The key is if UGA will be able to then sustain the body blows that will follow. If Alabama wins this game, then it will be even more proof that the Alabama game with Clemson is more of a situation where Alabama was simply better then and better now than Clemson.

P.S. in a slightly band geeky note, I look forward to hearing two BIGTIME band programs go after each other. Guarantee that you will hear BOTH of those bands bringing the heat all night long, play after play....

just goes to say....

"Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement." - Will Rogers

last night was a perfect of example of why I just dont get that worked up over a Clemson loss...Southern Cal is a FAR, FAR...FAR superior team to Oregon State. And yet they showed up, seemed to think they would just automatically win, and by the time they realized they needed to step it up and play at a high level, it was too late. This is what happens when you have 18-22 year olds playing a game... the better talent, no matter how well coached or prepared, just doesnt believe what you are telling them. And they think they are invincible. And Oregon State was a perfect example of what happens when everyone is "All In" from the team to the cheerleaders to the band to the fans. I am wondering what will happen in Clemson if Maryland scores first? Will the fans sit down and start mumbling and cursing with their arms crossed? Or will EVERYONE pull together and try harder? I'm hoping that the Clemson Family figures it out...

And of course the Bail Out crap is all messed up, because the same stuff that caused the issue is popping up with the Politicians who are supposed to be fixing it...GREED. From both sides... I dont want to hear anything from OBAMA...does this guy ever do ANYTHING other than stand apart and yell about how he is going to Change things? As for MCCain, well...he seems to be pandering to some groups and i am not feeling the supposed rhetoric he is spewing either... But... I am still not understanding why i have to pay for the bad loans of others. We work hard every month to make sure Citimortgage gets their money and we certainly did not apply for a loan that we knew we would not be able to pay for. Same goes for Jessica's car. Yet there are people out their who feel i should pay for other peoples mortgages and car loans. How about the people who gave them the loans in the first place giving up ther money that they made off these bad loans? Whoa...wait...cant do that...lets get the GOVERNMENT to bail us out.... Well... obviously we are at a point where the governement needs to say/do/govern something in this mess...but why do i get the feeling that they will ultimatly run this in the ground like so many other things? As I have said before, I can be compassionate to people who areless fortunate than me, but I feel I should get to decide what to do with the money i earn, not other people. If I want to spread it around, I will decide who and where to spread it to. Why do people want to tell me what to do with what i have worked hard to earn? Can someone tell me?

Shaking head...

So... I am going to give this Knight Rider show a shot. So far, it kinda is corny, although the car is about as awesome a Mustang Cobra Transformer Knight Rider wannabe thingy can be on NBC. Its kinda weird that a character named Billy is the EXACT same guy that plays a character named Billy on Battlestar Galactica, that was killed off on that show a while back... the show also seems to be a commericial for Ford Motors....

Meanwhile, I saw perhaps one of the coolest shows ever the other night of Family Guy. It was a show that was basically telling the store of Star Wars, but cleverly done.

Tomorrow has the season premeir of The Office. Obviously, I have pretty much zoned out of the political stuff for the moment, although I really am kinda annoyed about having to bailout the financial crap...I really dont feel I should have to pay for others peoples greed, but I guess it happens all the time and we've been paying for it already... I just done feel the Socialist vibe I am seeing from all of this... but obviously we cant let the system go to pot, so...

How quickly you are dismissed...

Watching the football game tonight when they mentioned the Wake Vs Florida State game this weekend, and talked about the winner would win the ACC. No mention of Clemson, despite the fact Clemson has to play them both. Wow...this is what happens when EVERYTIME you get on TV in a big game, you take the gaspipe. No respect for Clemson until they kick Wake in the mouth and then take out Florida State. Lets see what happens...A couple of more tune up/fine tune games over the next 2 weeks... I'm thinkin that Clemson will come out fighting. I'm hoping they will come out fighting. And I am ALL IN, as they might say. I just wonder if most bandwagon Clemson fans are too...

I had the opportunity to do the photos at a wedding this past weekend. I've been to a few weddings and they have all bee great events that celebrate 2 people commiting to each other. But I found this wedding a little different and very unique. It was out in a field behind a barn. They got some tables and strung up some lights and got a boombox and had a party afterward.... iliked the atmosphere at this wedding... it was really cool....

Dealing with the twins and how simple they see things is always eye opening... like watching my son eating pizza and watching the same episode of Phineas and Ferb for the 37th time. Pizza is greasy, and he has to take off each peperoni and eat it separately. And when a commericial comes he has to get the remote so to fast forward. of course, he simply licks his hands several times then picks up the remote....

head games....

... If there is one thing i can see about this election, it's this... Sara Palin is clearly...CLEARLY... inside Obama's head, and the Democrats as a whole. Listening to Obama, even his public speaking has changed, from a position of confident front runner to a position of defense. To me, he is concentrating t0o much on deflecting instead of getting his message out. From my point of view, it is panic and even more PANIC coming from the Left. And the attacks are flinging from both sides. 50 more days of this, I figure. This is what I can see happening... it is starting to look to me that even if Obama manages to right his ship and hangs on and wins, he is in a weakened state and Palin will return in 2012 as a very..VERY formidable opponent. I still say that if he chooses Clinton, this would have not even been close. The Republicans would have folded tent and gone home till 2016. And I am beginning to think the Dems should have had their ticket as Clinton/Obama. Do that, and they have the White House for 16 years. Instead they may barely get in, and will be under fierce attack from day one. and set themselves to lose in 2012. Ultimately, i see a Clinton vs Palin campaign in the future...and THAT will be one hell of a catfight, heh, heh, heh....

by the way, Olberman and Mathews have been "reassigned" on MSNBC. yeah... "reassigned"...sure... whatever you say.

Looks like I-Man will be Goalie for the majority of matches this season. He has moved up in age group and there is an obvious difference in coaching and expectations in regards to level of play. And did I mention that Ryles is doing dance and baton, as well as Gymnastics? It makes for a busy week...with Monday being gymnastics, Tuesday being the first soccer practice, Wednesday being Dance and Baton, Friday brings the second soccer practice and Saturday brings a soccer match. Whew...and then it starts all over....!!! A busy weekly schedule for the Fall, it seems...

Watching USA vs Trinidad and Tobago... pretty slick home jersey for the USA side.

I talked with Santa today and he is starting to finalize his list for I-Man and Ryles. I am fortunate to have a pretty good relationship with the man, and he's starting to spool up the toy making machine. I told Santa today about how good Ryles seems to read now, and how good she is about getting on the internet. Santa told me that it wont be long before she starts trying to branch out from the Hanna Montana/Waverly Place/Barbie/Hotwheels websites on her pc. I guess she might be able to read this one day...probably not anytime soon... but eventually.

you would think...

Kids are supposed to be in bed, right...but I hear my computer chair rolling back and forth upstairs. Obviously they are in our bedroom catching some more Suite Life of Zach and Cody, even though they have seen every episode 23 times, AFTER they have been put to bed. So... I walk over to the steps... Cough loudly a couple of times...listen...no movement out of our bedroom... i start walking up the stairs...SLLLLOOOOOWWWWLYYYYY....step by step. Now, each of of those wooden steps makes an agonizing creaking noise when stepped on. Surely they will hear me and make a bolt back to their bedrooms.... i hear no tell tale pattering back to their bedrooms....OK... I get to the top of the stairs and make a big production of opening the front door and going out to my car (right outside our bedroom too), then coming back inside and locking the door. Surely they would have retreated to their beds and be "sleeping", right? Nope... so i walk to the door expecting to have to dodge a mad dash past me. Nope... walk in and here they come..PANIC on their faces. The look is that "BUSTED!!!" look. But i cant help but think that while they are certainly advancing and growing up, simple things like how to avoid getting caught, etc. havent dawned on them yet. And I realize that maybe that isnt a simple thing....

taking care of business

You get up every morning
From your alarm clock's warning
Take the 8:15 into the city -BTO

The press conference to announce my pick for President has been called off....

Tigers take care of business against the Citadel. Should continue to do so until the next real road test... Panthers take care of business too...

watchin the speech tonight....

and mcCain seems a little uneven, but a eloquent speaker he is not. It seems to be typical of all these speeches.... lots of flourish and generalities, and nothing of substance. i look forward to seeing them all speak specifics. I am not sure the person who wrote this for him was thinking of how Mccain speaks when he wrote it. And it is coming off as a little...um... stiff. But, well... i understand that about McCain. And it looks as though he ended on the stuff he was more familiar with, and felt more comfortable...

But I really was pissed off by the protestors who chose to interrupt his speech. It's one thing to disagree. its one thing to protest. But this is why I look at Democrats (the fring loons of the party) and it makes me not want to have ANYTHING to do with them. Surely the same thing could have been orchestrated at Obama's speech. But notice that he was allowed to speak. Why wasnt McCain given the same courtesy?

"The more we take the less we become, the fortune of one man means less for some." - Sarah McLachlan

Watched Governor Palin's last night over at Harwoods' place... It was an amusing speech and she delivered it well... looks like she was trying to make sure everyone understood she wouldnt pull a Clemson and fold under pressure when punched in the mouth. She made some references to a couple of things she has done and it was basically an introduction. It was a good speech. It didnt get into much specifics, but did lay out what her experience was... Some people immediately started saying that she didnt write it. Well, i dont think ANY of these guys, including Obama, writes ANY of their speeches so that is a non issue. It is how they react to the non scripted moments that will be telling. It seems this Veep choice for the Republicans matters more than the Democrats and it will probably be 2 on 1 for the rest of this race, as far as the public goes.... Brown asked me if I was swayed to vote McCain. No. I am not. I have not been swayed to either side.

I have noticed a subtle change starting yesterday with NBC and CNN with what seems to be an attempt to be a tad bit more even in their reporting. An obvious slant (just as with Foxnews to the right) but less of the overt cheerleading that you see with Olberman and Mathews on MSNBC. Polls are showing that the public is starting to be turned off by the love affair some are outwardly showing toward Obama, and a somewhat overt sexism toward Palin (and Clinton) and I think the smart people will pull back the overt cheerleading. I also think that Olberman will continue to be out of control until someone reigns him in... I wonder if Olberman would have gone off the deep end if Tim Russert were still alive.

Anyway... on to more important things. Plans for Talledega are pushing forward. I'll be at that Oct 5th race and it will leave only Richmond left as the track I need to get to in Nascar.

"Well, I think if you say you're going to do something and don't do it, that's trustworthiness." - George W. Bush

Govenor Palin as a choice for Veep has proven to do exactly what I believe a lot of Republican strategists may have hoped for..."Obama who?" Hardly any conversation of him except to point out the inexperience question, which is probably Obama's biggest weakness. The issues with her family and daughter will eventually fade away, i feel. just as most scandals do and i think that this is just the beginning of these two months... You will probably see more stuff come out in regards to Obama and more stuff come out in regards to McCain. this is ALL going to get real nasty, and I might just go back to listening to Sports talk again until November. But then again, with the Braves in freefall and Clemson nation getting punched in the face and crying to mommy, I might just have to stick to the 80's channel on XM. But.. I was thinking...if...and its a big IF.... Palin makes it thru and this all becomes a positive, it might be Sara Palin who becomes the face of the Republican party, not John McCain. And it might be Palin who is able to win the center like Bill Clinton did. I think ultimately the Republican party is slowly reinventing itself and if Palin emerges out of all this stuff intact it might be this CHANGE that is what actually makes a difference, not the supposed change Obama keeps spewing.... by the way, Obama did sorta denounce the media frenzy regarding the daughters pregnancy, but of course, NBC, MSNBC and others keep pounding the issue over and over. How many times have i have this exact phrase on the today show over the past 2 days???... "Governor Sara Palin's unmarried 17 year old daughter is 5 months pregnant."...over and over and over... As my friend in Florida mentioned in his comments below, I wonder why Obama doesn't forcefully stand up and say..."everyone...Stop It!!!" but he isnt that type of leader, or at least hasnt shown that to me yet. If he is going to go ballistic over comments about his children, then why is it OK to tacitly let the Kool Aid drinkers continue to do this...yeah, i know..he made a statement. But it was...well... surprise, surprise... "weak"... by the way, I wonder if Obama has forgottn how close the margins were in the last 2 elections...close enough that 80, ooo in Ohio that might vote for him (including me) could be swayed if he showed some leadership... that same 80,000 that gave Bush the election...

by the way, ESPN can stop running that commercial where they knock Howards Rock off the pedestal...I am beginning to think that that might be the bad karma moment for this season. And EA Sports can quit running the NCAA '09 game commercial that shows Clemson n the game...alright..enough now... please?

... looks like Hanna will not be as forceful as once thought, which is good. However, it looks like the twins are going to have to hit the Fair with Grandma on Thursday night instead of Saturday as rain is going to be prevalent this weekend...

I still think (right now) Obama wins in a squeaker....

"You rock a sobbing child without wondering if today's world is passing you by, because you know you hold tomorrow tightly in your arms." - Neal A. Maxwell

My old friend from high school has been blessed to adopt. It is good to see him progress to this next step in that "circle" people keep mentioning.... Congrats to John and Pam.... and Lauren Grace. As a lot of people who read this have found out, a lot of things change and only begin to make sense when you are blessed with another life to be truly responsible for.

Speaking of children... I think the choice of VP for McCain is a cagey and risky pick, but i certainly dont understand how the Democrats even remotely think they can talk about her experience when they have the candidate they do. It is extremely hypocritical and I dismiss anyone who thinks that somehow being a communtity organizer makes you more qualified to be President than her stints as a small town mayor and Governor for a year and a half. Heck, Obama has been running for President the entire time he's been Senator. So.... any argument against Palin in that regards is disregarded and seen as plain stupid by me. If you wanna disagree with her politics and policy, fine. and the people who are piling on her because of her daughter have no clue. No matter what you teach your kids and no matter how hard you try to guide them, they are going to make mistakes...and then make mistakes again. Even Obama himself has tried to remind his FANATICS (and thats what i will call these airheads who are blogging and saying this crap about her daughter) that his mother gave birth to him when she was 18. Now Barack Obama's birthday is August 4th. You do the math on that one and guess what age his mother was when she became pregnant with THE CHOSEN ONE. Dont hear people talking about that, do we? And we shouldnt. I agree that the children of these candidates really should be left out of this. While it is to be noted, it is a family matter that they will address. But this wont stop the Kool Aid drinkers from being shrill with their crap about Palin's daughter. What are they so afraid of?...worried that Obama's supposed easy walk aint going to be so easy anymore? While I am still sitting on the fence... crass and ignorant behavior from the far left whack jobs will keep pushing me to the right.

Now... Hurricane Hanna is looking like its going to give us a little rain toward the weekend. heh...and we need every bit we can get. i just wish we could get rain in a steady normal downpour instead of flash flooding.... but we gotta get what we can while the gettin's good, so they say.

tsk...tsk...

Clemson and its weak mentality reared its head again last night. The entire Clemson community as a whole suffers from this, as i see it. And the football team exemplifys it over and over. Hit Clemson in the mouth and instead of hunkering down and fighting, Clemson folds and starts fighting with itself. Once again, toughness was an issue at the line of scrimmage and it doesnt matter who runs the ball or passes the ball, when the offensive and defensive lines are as weak as they showed last night, no coach or player can consistently win against superior competition. Last night, Clemson gets down early and the band fell silent...the cheerleaders started standing around the as usual, the Clemson fans in attendence started pouting and the players looked around at each other. instead of pulling together, Clemson pulls apart. EVERYTIME..... as I have said before, there is a "play not to lose" mentality at Clemson. And you see it in every major sport. In football, if the team gets down by 10, the fans start bitching. In basketball, a missed free throw brings an audible groan from Clemson fans, and the pressure mounts on the players. In baseball, it has always been the releif pitching and the World Series... Ever notice that the big time college programs hunker down in adversity situations and fight? ever notice that when its all falling apart for Duke basketball on the road, they band together and fight thru it. they may lose, but they dont just give it to you. But Clemson will just roll over and start crying if in a fight... and its sad. The band stops playing and gets quieter even if exhorted to play by the directors. The fans start moaning about Danny Ford and visibly turn on the players. the players stand around with that look in their eyes. And thats the reputation Clemson has nationally. And Clemson will continue to see what happened last night happen again and again until it changes. Oh...they will roll for the next three games or so..but..on the road at Fla State and at Wake, they will attempt to simply run straight at Clemson and say "are you man enough?" and unitil EVERYONE in Clemson Nation stands their ground and answers the question "Yes, I am " and punches back, all the talent and coaching in the world will be negated.

...oh, and I wonder what fools are sticking around in New Orleans this time. Oh, i am sure there will be some fools who stay despite being told a week ago that this storm is coming, and that there will be NO SHELTER or HELP. and you will see them blame Bush when they are sitting on top of their house in a couple of days. And I will say now as i said then. You.. are.. a.. DumbAss...

more random musings....

I heard this morning where they banned a 9 year old from participating in a Little League baseball league because he threw too hard????? WTF??? they disbanded his team and wont let him play. Because he is better than everyone else. This is about as lame as lame can get. If my son goes out and he strikes out 4 times in one game against this kid, I would say "tough going son, go try again. Guess what???...wont be the last time you strike out. Gotta keep tryin...." Tis is very much a part of this EVERYONE WINS crap that even I-Mans soccer league kinda prescribes to. Whats funny is that even though they didnt keep score last year, the kids knew EXACTLY what the score was. But I found it profound and refreshing that while they knew what the score was, about 5 seconds after the final whistle they didnt care. And it was on to the playground, snacks or McDonalds. Didnt matter if they beat the crap out of the other team or lost by 10 goals...they were having fun. Its the PARENTS who ruin the whole thing. And this kid who is smoking it by his peers has learned that to excel at something is not good. I can guarantee that this kid will be caught up to in a few years and the fact that he is throwin 85 miles an hour wont mean a thing. Just ask that kid Almonte from the Bronx who is toiling away in the minors with little hope of ever making it big to the majors...

and by the way, to all you racists who might be thinking that to kill Obama will keep a black man from being president.... you are only making sure he DOES get elected. Or that the next black man who gets to this point becomes a landslide winner...dumbasses...

...I am proud that Obama is at this level and if he is elected, i willbe proud of that fact. But I will repeat again that I beleive that voting for Barack Obama should be about his issues, not that he is black or that he reads speeches well. And that is what I will base my vote on. The fact that he is black has nothing to do with the fact that he is essentially a Socialist in his thinkings (or at least what has been spouted by his Kool Aid drinkers). If he wins my vote, the fact that he is black will be a bonus on a somewhat personal side, but only after the fact. But... as i said above, and is part of an ongoing conversation between Brown, Andrea and me... is that we are slowly starting to see the racial overtones become more and more apparent, and this latest threat of assasination is probably only the tip of what is to come. tsk tsk tsk...they better make sure they do the job because their rhetoric is only going to make sure he gets elected. Somewhat ironic, I think...

by the way...

...with all the stars on the Olympic basketball team, I still say that Dwayne Wade is THE MAN in the NBA. HE was far and away the most valuable player on that team....

been thinkin.....

...Great to see John and Pam this weekend with their new daughter. I am sure they are aware of the change they are going to experience in their lives. But...this is a good change.

...and i FINALLY got my text int the middle of the night. Biden really does nothing for me. Its who Mccain is going to pick I am more interested in. For that will be a factor in whether nor not I give him any consideration. But.... if Obama and his campaign are so much about change, why did they select a Veep who is about as "inside" an insider can be in Washington? If he is so much about change, Biden surely is OPPOSITE that rhetoric he constantly puts out there. And I assume Biden will be the guy attacking for Obama, which is what I would do too. But it just seems that we have been fed a pack of lies by Obama...and the more i think about it, it probably is his Kool Aid drinkers who have been feeding it more than him. Biden is a definite political move designed to get him elected NOW. But...here is what i dont understand.... Biden has been summarily rejected on a national stage by Democrats a couple of times as a Presidential Candidate. (and now that i think about it...so has McCain, but...i digress...) thinking long term would assume that 2016 would see Biden running as the Dem Nominee. Do people really think he will have a prayer then? No way, I say...and I see this move as a purely WIN NOW and WORRY ABOUT TOMORROW THEN move. pick Clinton and the might have very well had the office till 2024 at least. who knows... but I sense a tad bit of desperation that perhaps wasnt needed by Obama. I think he has definitely shown a thin skin that again makes me see him as "weak" but... man... this just reminds of sports in so many ways...Obama now in a prevent defense playing not to lose... McCain throwing the ball with abandon because he has nothiing to lose...

Ok...this drought thing is gettting a tad bit out of hand.

WTF?

WE LOST IN SOFTBALL????? HOW IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE????!!!!!!

anyway, I was getting ready to head to bed early last night when...whoa...wait...what's this???? USA vs. Guatamala in World Cup Qualifier. Awesome...gotta watch this... but...its like the game was played at the Tiger Band practice field, except with worse lighting and 20,000 people. Honestly...it looked like they rolled in some of those portable lights you see in the parking lots for the night games at Clemson. I had to keep standing 2 feet from my TV to see what was happening. But...USA wins and gets out of the country with a win....

Yesterday was the First day of school for the twins. First day of First Grade. FINALLY!!!!!! Places them into the graduating class of 2020. its always weird as I dropped them off at school...they hop out of the car and they're gone about their way... its strange that they essentially have their own little world that i am not really privy too on a hourly, daily basis.... no cell phones though....