This is the New West End Zone seting...didnt really add too many seats..but i would love to have some of those wih the cover over them....

this is a little bit clearer look at how it is constructed...

One of Ryles new past times (and they change from day to day) is tosit and blow on this toy trumpet they got at the fair the other day....

..until I-Man takes it away and starts blowing...

dude, where did the time go?

looked up and a week had passed.... found my old Canon Rebel SLR and while looking at it noticed that it has my old lense still on. it is a 70-300mm lens. Now...NOW...I'm cookin with gas.... that is the lens that allows me to zoom in from way back that i used primarily back in the 90's. And it fits my current digi SLR.

Ryles has started back dance lessons and I-Man starts soccer again on Saturday...

ah yes.....

the morning routine of 6:20am wakeup isnt sitting too well with Ryles and I-Man. this pretty much sums it up for the two of them right now...

dude...you gotta go see this place...

...well, went to Bristol. Only took 3 hours to get there. Straight up I-26, past asheville and thru the mountains. I-26 has been extended past Johnson City and runs past bristol. It was actually everything people have always said. very loud, but you can see the entire track because it is so small ( the track). Maybe some other might can go up on a Friday next year. i definitely plan to take jessica with me next time.

jessica told me abt this...

Jessica showed me this on the Lego website yesterday. go to the screening room and watch the Revenge of the Brick.

Ok now...

Scanner...Check. Headphones...check. Extra scanner for somebody who can afford a 60,000 Dodge SRT, but cant drop 50.00 for a scanner...check. Extra batteries...check. Tix...check. HEADIN TO BRISTOL, BABY!!!!!!!

Maynard Ferguson passed away. tsk, tsk...all the great are slowly leaving us. and who do we have left? Ludacris? Pdiddy?... sigh...

Went to Target during lunch the other day...they have band instruments there. a trumpet can be had for 199.99. same for a clarinet. and they look to be of decent quality for beginner instruments... also a flute and a violin

Watchin USA basketball

Been watching the USA mens team at the World Championships (basketball)... still amazes me how some random Euro's can stay in the game with Lebron, Carmelo and Wade.

Spooling up to head to Bristol on Friday. weather is supposed to be hot.

Have you seen that video of Britney Spears? click here

Its kinda strange...

...to be driving along, with XM on and the kids in the back and this song comes on, and suddenly, I-Man starts singing along to the song...and its not the silent sorta whisper he does at times...he's like...singing. And all into it. I'm like..."what they hey?" this is what he started singing and thats why i was caught a little off guard. You dont normally think you will hear your 4 1/2 year old singing this....

We’re soarin’, flyin’
There’s not a star in heaven
That we can’t reach

Anyone know what this is from?

twice now Ryles has mentioned that she wants to play the drums...this is akin to Tommy Bowden's son suddenly saying that he wants to play Tuba in the band.... kinda goes against the grain a tad..but if she ultimately wants to do that I'll suck in my pride and...point her toward the pit. I could bear seeing her in the pit for the Cadets or Blue Devils one day. Oh well..gotta get her on those piano lessons first....

more on the docket

...looks like I will only do 2 football games @Clemson this fall. Possibly another one. def are the Homecoming and USC games. might slip over to another game at Clemson in November, depending on if people are in town or not. Also am considering the Tempe game that is a Thursday night in Charlotte. Need to know what my work sched will be like then before deciding on that...
...wish I could figure out why i am getting double, sometimes triple, emails to my treo. I am determined to figure that out today.

also seems like the frakkin hotwater heater pilot light keeps going out. thats twice in the past 3 days. However,i think i solved the problem by following the procedure correctly...I hope.

FINALLY!!!!!!!

Today is the first day of the next section of....EVERYTHING!. while its not officially the first "real" day of school, to the twins its the first day of "big boy/girl school". They are off to a little catholic school in Greenville for 4k, at least. And this marks the end of preschool daycare. They are excited and I am curious to see how they are going to find dealing with the sure to be stricter rules, etc. than they have enjoyed from the lolitas at daycare. Especially Ian, who I suspect has had his run of daycare over the past year or so... Lets see if he starts coming home with a shell shocked look. Although I suspect both of them wil do fine. It will be good for both of them. Here is an informal pic with their typical catholic "uni". They are fixin to hop in the car and head off to school for the first day.

Been Quiet

...nothin much goin on except work and sleep over the past few days...

The twins start going to the little catholic school in Greenville tomorrow. Its 4k, but to the twins, its big school, so I think they are excited. I'm excited too, because while we are still paying for school, its FAR less than the 185.00 a week for daycare we have been shelling out for over 3 years...

Wonder Bread

Is Will Ferrell Ricky Bobby or George Bush in his nascar movie?

And who sang this?

I found out long ago
It's a long way down the Holiday Road

And as a bonus, what movie is this famous in?

Gotta plan early

Started lookin tonight at....DISNEY WORLD, 2007!!!! prices are not even close to being as bad as I thought they would be. Should be quite doable given expected budgeting and planning. Of course, National Convention is in Orlando that same week, so that would be convenient too... But I really only forsee Nat Conv being time consuming for a couple of days, and perhaps even then, a couple of times on those days.

...so it is penciled in. Disney World Resorts will be the first of the Grand Summer Vacations to be taken. On the tentative list are.... Grand Canyon (2008), New York, Boston, Vermont, Maine (2009), Yellowstone/Devils Tower (2010), Disneyworld (2011), Ireland/England/Olympics(2012) Plan is to RV the stuff out west and north, and swim across to England.... that should take us out to the kids @10 and a half years. Of course, i hope to still do other stuff, but this is what i have plans for. lets hope we can do it.

all this time i didnt think i had a macro lens. Come to figure out that..well..I do.... what kind of plant is this?

Why name your child this?

Talked to a woman today at work. her first name was Detail. ???????

My car is starting to annoy me. The door lock/alarm mechanism is acting strange and the key isnt unlocking the door remotely (well, the battery is dead, so that is part of the problem). But I can get in the car and drive down the road and the driver door will randomly lock. probably a fuse issue

Ok, I am not sure about the brokeback guy as the Joker in "The Dark Knight" He isnt what I would picture to be in that role. i guess Jack Nicholson kinda ruined that for me...

Shaq..Kobe...Christmas day...AGAIN

and why do I keep getting football gear catalogs with the Patriots on the front. I suspect that someone familiar with my hatred of the New England patriots is making sure I get catalogs with pictures of a tom brady jersey on it, knowing full well that ever since he stole that Super Bowl ( and they would have won) from the Raiders, it just hasnt been the same. Although I did see a interesting Brady throwback somewhere else the other day....

The drums... they are abeatin....

late during the week, I could hear off in the distance (actually about a half mile away) the Easley High School drumline warming up. Another bandcamp is beginning...always brings back memories...

August will be here way too soon. And i just as well skip August and go straight to September. I hate the month for it is just too hot, and the forcast for Aug 1 thru 3 is high 90's with heat index of over a 100. yep...lets just skip this month...except for the birthdays that come in the month. Thats about all that is good about it.

Watchin CNN or MSNBC...ISRAEL IS WRONG! THEY SHOULD BE CONDEMNED!!!! ...turn to FoxNews... HEZBOLLA ARE TERRORISTS! THEY SHOULD BE CONDEMNED!!!! ... This getting old, especially the bias so blatant from every news source. but...I am adding Air America and America right to my XM presets (well, at least the 10 I listen to on a constant basis). This adds to THE POWER and Fonews that I will be rotating thru as Politics are going to slowly start pickin up....

Oh, and DCI is going to be in the movie theater. i think they are going to show the Quarterfinals or something. I might actually have to go see that and see how that plays out in a theater. Its amazin how far that has come. i remembe they used to always show an edited gig in November or so, then it evolved to showing the last 6 live, but now they are have interviews withthe drum majors and directors right after the shows and streaming contest online.

Guess i will have to do the fantasy football gig. crowell sent me an invite. i hadnt intended on doing it, but since the gauntlet has been put down, well...gotta answer the bell...

...went to the park today. Recently we decided that Ryles would not join I-man in soccer this Fall, because the 2 of them together is a recipe for disaster right now.This is an example of what happens when they are together, which, of course, is...always.

I-man has a new fav activity, which is jumpinf off anything, be it couches, beds, or picnic tables

Of course Ryles had to show her mettle....

justice served?

I am going to go on a picture taking spree over the next couple of weeks. Of course, i will get all of about 5 pictures taken because no one will let me take a picture of them. It's kinda dissapointing at times, but I understand why people generally dont like having their picture taken. So i end up with a billion pictures of my kids, not that i dont like taking pictures of the twins... but I'll ry to post the best ones here sporadically...

so...hmmm...black man goes in and kills his five kids, I bet he hardly gets 2 days in court before he's sittin on Death Row. White woman kills her 5 kids, by drowning them brutally in a bathtub, while the others watched and waited their turn, and she gets to go to a comfy hotel for what, maybe 10 years before she will be "sane" again? Oh, I'm sorry...its a mental hospital. Hmmm... and shes declared NOT GUILTY???!!!! of killing her own 5 kids. Wonder what her kids have to say about that. oh wait...they're dead.... wonder what would have happened to my mother if she would have killed me and my brother? here's betting that she would have gotten the needle or shock treatment a LOOOOONNNNNNGGGGG time ago. and sadly, there's people reading this who still dont get it.

Who sang this?

Life is a highway 
I wanna ride it all night long 
If you're going my way 
I wanna drive it all night long 

or as sung by I-Man...
Life is a highway 
I wonna wide it all wide wong 
If you going my way 
I wanna drive it all wide wong 

more random crap

I think I'm going to just keep a wary eye on the Braves till they reach .500, then I'll start thinkin wildcard...

...saw the trailer for Rocky Balboa. it actually looks like it is a throwback to the original... might have to pony up some cash and see that one too...something about these movies from the seventies this summer. First Superman, now.... ROCKY!!!

I occasionally jump over and see what Old Man Brown is talking about in his alter Bohemian world. He talks of a book he is reading and ponders some questions...

Is everything on Earth made for our consumption? (me, well i am a survival of the fittest sort a guy..so..right now, YES!)
Is humanity the only thing on the planet that matter? (me, well...no...the other stuff matters because we need it for the previous question)
Is everything on our home subject to our whim? (me, well...thinking... no. )
Is it OK for us to live outside the balance of every other part of our planet? (well, the prophecies say one will bring balance to the force...so if we are outside the balance, nature will bring it back eventually. if that means out downfall...so be it. I guess that speaks to what you say below)

So far these are the questions that The Bottomless Well ( the book he is reading ) does not address. It doesn't have to, because from page one, word one, the answer is an implicit and bellowing YES! The sad fact is that they'll never have to really address any of those questions, because we're so concerned with media exposure and market placement that we won't, can't, or don't want to make them.

Here is what i was listening to while writing above... anyone remember who crooned this stuff?
With a little love, and some tenderness
We'll walk upon the water
We'll rise above the mess
With a little peace, and some harmony
We'll take the world together
We'll take 'em by the hand

'Cause I got a hand for you
Oh, I want to run with you

Yesterday, I saw you standing there
Your head was down, your eyes were red
No comb had touched your hair
I said, get up, and let me see your smile
We'll take a walk together
Walk the road, awhile

Starting to rev up Fall plans....

OK...once July ends, i officially go into Fall mode, even if it really doesnt feel like it till October. While still forning plans for the Fall, i already have an event on the docket. ...headin to Bristol Speeday on friday, aug 24th the see nextel cup practice, qualifyin, busch practice, qualifyin then the Busch race. all for $65.00. that is a steal.

my schedule doesnt change till Oct 1st, so i am not sure if i will get to a game at Clemson before then, unless I take a vacation day, which I might. So nothing else big will be planned till then, but i plan to try to have a Halloween party here, and see about a short Fall break trip somewhere this Fall. Always want to have something to look forward to....

And how about this...who spoke this profound quip?

Well, the years start comin'
and they don't stop comin'.
Back to the rules
and I hit the ground runnin'
it didn't make sense not to live for fun,
your brain gets smart, but your head gets done,
so much to do,
so much to see,
so whats wrong with takin' the backstreets.
You'lll never know if you don't go(GO!),
you'll never shine if you don't glow....

just wondering

...is there a special company over in the middle east that makes flags especially for them to be burned? I mean, it looks like they are special flags ( the ones of the US and Israel) and its not like flags are a common commodity just sitting around everyones home. And even if they were, i doubt people have US flags just sittin in their houses. Doesnt there have to be someone making a profit (and isnt that a western idea?) and selling the "Easy light, super-long-so-you dont-burn-yourself-yet-you-can-show-it-to-CNN" flag?

guessing game

Can anyone guess you said this?

Out on the ocean sailing away,
I can hardly wait,
To see you to come of age,
But I guess we'll both,
Just have to be patient,
Yes it's a long way to go,
But in the meantime,

Before you cross the street,
Take my hand,
Life is just what happens to you,
While your busy making other plans ,

There is a prize to the person who guess this correctly.

kids...sigh....

why do my twins now sleep in a tent on the floor in one of their bedrooms? how ironic. perfectly good beds right next to thm, yet they are sleeping on the floor

from one loin

Brown sent me an email today, and it was strange, because i had been thinking about pretty much the same thing earlier in the day watchin foxnews/cnn/msnbc before headin to work.... his simple statement was 3 words...Isaac and Ishmael. Now I have copied below a very simplified explanation of this, which basically explains that the Jews (and Christians/Protestants/Catholics) and Muslims (Islam and its offshots) come from the same damn place. This is copied from the Bergen Record, i believe.

Who was Abraham?

Abraham (or "Ibrahim" as pronounced in Arabic) is considered the patriarch (or father) of the Jews and the Arabs. He had two sons: Isaac and Ishmael. Jews trace their ancestry through Isaac. Arabs trace their ancestry through Ishmael.

The story of Abraham is well known to Jews and Christians as well as to Muslims. In Islam he is remembered as one of the great Prophets, and the father of the Prophet Ishmael who was the ancestor of Prophet Muhammad himself.

Long, long ago, a child was born to the Prophet Abraham and his second wife, Hagar. The baby's name was Ishmael and, when he was born, he was Abraham's only son. In those days, it was not unusual for a man to have two wives. Abraham's first wife was named Sarah. She had no children, and this made her sad. But God told Abraham that one day, Sarah too would have a son. He would be named Isaac. Ishmael and Isaac were to be the ancestors of two great nations and three great religions. The nations were the Arabs and the Jews.

The prophet Abraham, revered by Jews and Christians, is a model of faith for all believers in God. He was born in Babylonia (present-day Iraq), during the rule of King Nimrod. He was persecuted for preaching against idol worship and astrology. He invited everyone toward the worship of the one true God.

God tested Abraham's faith by asking the great prophet to sacrifice his son Ishmael.(NOTE: The version in Genesis of the Bible is different in that it is Abraham's son Isaac who would have been sacrificed, not Ishmael.) This test was even more severe because Abraham did not have any children until he fathered Ishmael by his second wife, Hagar, at a very old age. Ishmael exhibited the qualities of prophethood from a young age, urging his father to obey God's command to sacrifice the young man.

Because Abraham and Ishmael were willing to carry out this difficult command, God was pleased; therefore, Allah provided a sheep for Abraham to sacrifice in place of his son.

After passing the great test, Abraham and Ishmael rebuilt the Holy Kaaba, a house dedicated to the worship of the one true God. The Holy Kaaba, which stands at the center of Mecca's Great Mosque, is the most sacred place for Muslims.

Condensed from The Record at http://www.bergen.com/home/mirza25199903259.htm

So...if you beleive what the ancient scriptures have to say, on both sides mind you...we are all chasin the same god, and descendent from the same man. 2 brothers, from 2 different women, who, according to which side you are on, were the good guys. And probably, as most sane adults know, the truth is probably a mixture of boths sides of the argument. But...what we have now is a family spat, that has grown from heated words, to throwin rocks...to... firing uranium tipped rockets at each other. And probably everyone reading this knows that the worse spats can be family spats. sigh.... and this is a difference of opinion (taking sides) that will quite possibly take over the world.... and it is amazing to read on the web about this story. even the excerpt above is biased. depends on what side of the family you are on as to how the story is portrayed.

hmmm...lets see here....

cnn has a picture of a family stranded in beirut on its homepage. they went there for a month long vacation, so they could baptise their son in lebandon (husband is from there). lets see....places to take wife and kids... Disney World? check. The beach? check. Grand Canyon? check.... Beirut?????...uh....well...uh.... no. dont think so. I dont care that stuff was relatively quiet....quiet in beirut is just people reloading their guns.... I just dont think I would be taking my kids to beirut, even if i was from there. Once i left, I think i would pull up Google Earth if i wanted my kids to see the ole homeland.

and what makes you , while going up stairs, suddenly try to take 2 steps at once, not on purpose, but yet, your leg goes up and you kinda hiccup. or, when you are going down steps, and you think you have another step before the bottom and you kinda slam your foot down....

more random

Not sure totally about this Israel/Lebandon tiff.... i'd like to say that I'm all on the side of Israel. But something in the back of my head keeps whispering ..reminding me of that twilight zone episode where humans land on this alien world and find human like people , who are supposedly being attacked by these bad "monsters", only to eventually find out that the "monsters" are actually the good guys, and the humans not as innocent as they made themselves out to be. Now, i understand I'd be a little prickly too if I was surrounded by countries full of people who simply want you ...GONE...and I dont mean that they want you to move to Liberia either. They want you dead. period. And I have to admire the Israeli spunk...they are what the US and British wish they could be at times. Actually, Israel is like the Raiders, always throwin the ball deep, throwin care to the wind, sayin, you mess with us, we're going straight to the root of the problem, and takin you out. The US is kinda like the Colts...calculated offense, superior firepower, moving the ball all up and down the field, but a tad cautious at the time to go for the kill....

The twins have a larger pool. this one is one of those with a filter and all that. have to put chemicals in it and everything. its kinda cool, but we really dont have a flat spot for it, but we found the flattest spot we have and its workin out pretty good. it also keeps I-Man from wantin to go find sammie and sid down at the creek, although it seems that "the truth" made a difference a few days back. havnt seen them out since then.

My mother went on another cruise, this time to Canada, out of New York. Seems like she goes on a ruise about 23 times a years now.

I'm startin to warm up to baseball again. The Braves are showing a little life, and I have come to the realization that we wont win the division this year, and that the world wont end. But it still amazes me that there are people 15 years old who have never known the Braves to lose the division. But if we can get to the wildcard, I'll be satisfied. And I feel confident that they will contend next year, the foundation had been laid for another run of titles. they just need to find some relief pitching. Of course, they hav eonly had it when Smoltz was there in the pen

Seems like the summer heat has arrived. I have moved the thermostat up to 76 and it still feels really cool, compared to outside in the sun. its still sad to hear the stories of people dieing in cars, etc. while people go into Wal-mart

I'm startin to think about what to do about the frat this Fall. I think I am going to go totally positive this year. And I am going to get some more alumni involved, perhaps having local alumni come to every meeting and speak for 5 minutes, then field questions for 5 minutes. kinda add something to the meetings.... if anybody reading this wants to participate, let me know. I also am going to see about getting t shirts printed this year that say NO DRAMA on the front. yeah, i know what youre saying....."no way in hell with Kappa Beta" last year had a very negative pall over it with several incidents with brothers casting a negative light on everything. I hope they have learned from these things and are ready to move forward.

Had a great time in New York.

...been back at work for since Sunday. I had a great time during the whirlwind tour of New Jersey/New York/Brooklyna few days ago. And the conversations I had with kristen and erik were somewhat interesting. Kristen and i had a interesting conversation about friends and who do you keep and who do you let go.. I have recently had a somewhat closed group of people i consider to be my Tier 1 friends. jessica, erik, lisa, josh, brandy, kim, lynn, kristen ( in no particular order, except for jessica, so dont anyone start reading into this sorta listing) occupy that group right now. And different people fall into different types...some people i dont ever talk to, but I know that when I see them all is good. (the no news is good news approach) some i talk to more regularly than others... then there are other people like John/Pam that I long to see/talk to...or Cayce and Beth (what are they up to? hows life these days?) and budding friendships, like with the Harwoods. What i think is even wierder is what people you meet in college, then somehow become good friends with after college.

Need to start plans for the Fall activities..."things to look forward to" as Kristen might say

"Trust in Allah, but tie your camel..."

Kristen first born playin with bubbles

Ok...this should make you gals happy....

This is Brown, with his girlfriend Pam. This picture makes me think of a narration in th ebackground of City Confidential on A& E..."Brown graduated from the prestigious design school and eventually found romance with Pam. But soon we would all find out the dark secret of the raspy TV..."

Today in The City... Saw

Today in The City... Saw Kristen yesterday... Grabbin lunch with Brown here shortly...

Fireworks and baseball

Ok...went to the Greenville Drive game...OK, not sure when we will be going to another sportin event anytime soon. Well...it will probably be soon, but i need to have the area scouted first. I didnt notice the BIG playground located directly behind where we would be sitting when i got the tix...but...I-man spotted the playground from OUTSIDE the ballpark...across the entire field, outside the outfield wall as we were walkin to the park. So.... we enter, and the previously starving and hungry twins make a bee line to the playground, where they proceeded to play for the HOUR we were there before the game even started, then into the second inning, another 45 minutes. The only reason they stopped was that I pulled them away and went from the 3rd base side, to the OUTFIELD of the first base side. They then watched the railroad tracks for the next 7 innings while I kinda kept an eye on the game. But they were impressed by the fireworks, although I-man thought that they were loud, probably a good omen if I want to keep him away from the drumline or anything. but then again, I sat right in front of the drumline, so...well...whatever.... Watched fireworks then picked up some ice cream, then headin home.

Upcoming for the week... 4th fireworks, i guess, then the tail end of the week will find me in NY/NJ for a quick look/see with Kristen and Ole Man Brown, while Jessica and the twins are headin back to Florence and, this time, the twins will be seeing beachtime....

Not sure I'm happy with the pic below...a tad under exposed, i think...

gettin ready to head to the ole ballgame...

Upcoming...4th stuff...

headin to the Greenville Drive game tonight withthe twins. not sure how long we will be staying, but if we make it to the end, we'll get to see fireworks!!!! And where we're sitting, we might get a chance at a foul ball....

Seems like The Dealmaker was not enough for Sammy Snake and his little bruh, Sid. Hit them both off the rocks at the creek with The Dealmaker, and I hadnt seen them since. Last weekend, jessica's father brought us a pellet gun. Now...I had a BB gun when i was little, and The Dealmaker seemed to be as powerful a BB gun as I has ever shot. But this Pellet Gun is the real deal. I shall call it... THE TRUTH. well, anyway, as i headed out to pick up some "bac-o biskits" for the twins this morn, i noticed big Ole Sammy Snake sunnin himself. I'm like.."heh, heh, heh... we'll see just what THE TRUTH is made of. So, took aim (did I mention that THE TRUTH has a sight?) and fired a couple of times. Missed the first 3 times, but i think Ols Sam noticed somethin was up, because he started to move. I quickly loaded, cocked and fired a pellet that hit him... that got his attention but i think it only stung him because i put the pellet in backwards. keep in mind I'm about 30 yards away...that sight is coming in quite handy. Quickly reloaded, and took a breath. Fired... "THWACK!!!!!!!"... hit him in the body, knocked the fire out old Sam, back up the rock a bit. He was squirlin like all get out then fell into the water. I think that really hurt him. made my way down...but I've seem bits and pieces of too many movies...I aint no fool. I kept my distance. He aint coming up the pathway, And I got..THE TRUTH.

58.3 percent of statistics are

58.3 percent of statistics are made up

but..then again....

...my phone is randomly calling people on my contacts list. Called lisa the other day. i didnt realize it till I got a voice mail back from her. I went and looked at my call log and...yep...called her. except I didnt even know it. maybe my pone is tryin to tell me something

where are we now

...ok...looks like Jessica is heading to the beach this week. I have managed to get my mother to see after the twins while i work until thursday. I might try to take the twins to the Drive game this Friday, since that is fireworks night at the Ole Ball park. but I am not sure if they will sit thru a nine inning game, or if it would really be a good idea by myself. I kinda am not sure what to think of things at times. its kinda weird that i am somewhat connected, yet i know that i could literally have a phone plan of 10 minutes a month, and not even be remotely worried of going over my minutes. Over the past 3 weeks, i have sent random txt messages to people, asking a question here or there, and.... its like everyone seems to feel that .10 is going to break them. i know, i bet someone will reply and flame me about something or another, but, oh well... i just sometimes feel like the way I try to communicate, no one seems to like. yeah, i know...bitchin about something that aint going to change. i guess i gotta try another tack. times a wastin for me and no use sittin around cryin to myself about it.


"One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other." - Jane Austen

this is an awesome website!!!!!

go here for a great website.... click here!

the litany of sadness...

my high school football team- seemingly heading back to the sad sack form of the mid 70's... The Braves - 14 straight titles, but seemingly woeful (at least the relief pitching is) this year... the Panthers - fallen 1 game short after being exposed in the NFC title game...The Clemson Baseball team - crash and burn... USA Soccer - not too promising... Clemson Football - the usual 8-3 record, winning a couple they shouldnt and losing one they shouldnt.... Tar heel basketball - rebuilding... Clemson basketball - sucks... the #29 car- hanging on to the top ten for dear life, usually finishes 13th every race... I could go on...the Celtics - SUCK!... but..BUT... finally... Finally...FINALLY!!!!...FINALLY!!!!... the team of my boyhoo- well, at least the team i pull for in the NBA right now, since they have Superman, The Diesel, The Big Aristotle...SHAQ FU!!!! with Flash pulling a Michael Jordan......well...my team won. I can be happy watching Sportscenter for a morning of repeated shows.

p.s. this is for Old Man Brown... WHERE"S YOUR BOY NOW?????

Ho hum... Jessica and the

Ho hum... Jessica and the kids are in florence... I'm workin... Sigh...

runnin around time

Packed up the Explorer today, went to Dicks sportin goods, picked up a shirt for jessica's father... the went to Whole Foods here in town. that was pretty slick, got lunch there. Although i guess the whole foods concept isnt feelin Diet Stuff.... No Arizona Diet Green tea..but plenty o other flavors... hit Frankies Fun Park I-Man and Ryles hit the Skee ball, with mixed results, but I-man was smitten with the go carts. Went on a ride in a 2 seater, thought there was going to be an issue when I-man couldnt get into the blue car (single seater)a dn started to throw a fit ( seemingly regular occurance these days with the twins ) , but i buckled him in and took off. I-man grinned the entire time as I let a mother and her daughter catch up, pass, and then i rooted her out for the pass on lap 3. I-Man then proceeded to show his rear at the Bible School end O week thingy he was supposed to be singing, signin, and dancin in with Ryles. He seemed to think that it was time for him to attack Ryles..but as usual, ryles was an instigater anyway... then hit the ice cream social, had a couple of nice people proposition me to have us become regular members, etc. then hit Mauldin's Fine foods for a dinner...pretty full day....

Summertime...

Today, we are going out and perhaps I might see if the twins want to ride in a go-cart at Frankies. I want to go to a Greenville Drive game in a couple of weeks with everyone. Ryles gotsome pink Crocs yesterday, and that may have been a mistake, as jessica was unable to get her to realize that they did not match the outfit she had on today. So she is going to wear pink crocs everywhere now....

Sometimes when I post to

Sometimes when I post to my blog, I post from my Treo. Thats why my post can be short sometimes. Im limited to 160 characters a post.

jerome

In the words of the

In the words of the great jdwyatt..."Put a log on!".. It is a bit chilly outside. Actually, I am liking this cool thing today.

jerome

Well... At least the USA

Well... At least the USA team looked good in their jerseys... Maybe the ugly white ones were needed.

jerome

FINALLY!!!!

Finally the US plays a match!!! Very happy to see the USA in what I beleive to be the best jersey they have ever worn...the all blue, with a red and white strip across their chest, with the number dead center, and the crest over the heart. One of the best jerseys in the Cup, i think. not too fond of the white jersey the USA has, though.

Now, goota see if the team can even win one match is this thing....

Heat suddenly frigid... Sigh... At

Heat suddenly frigid... Sigh... At least the Tigers have made the college world series

jerome

Snake! Seems to be a

Snake!
Seems to be a couple of snakes down by the creek. I shot one with the Dealmaker.. Not sure if it killed it, but they exist.

World cup starts now! At

World cup starts now! At least this will keep my mind off of the rebuilding Braves. Get to look for bonfires in the stadiums...

Ryles wanted a picture of her in her new skirt.

Have to have a pic of I-Man to balance things out.... He couldn't pose. Power rangers as on TV.

Just foolin around with a different point of view

...the pix above and below are just some different stuff I am experimenting with. You dont actually have to answer the questions. Mostwill probably know who these people are.

Can you guess who this is?

Can you guss who this is?

Can you guess who this is?

Can you guess who this is?

Can you guess who this is?

summer clean-up?

Im tryin to work on cleaning up around the house and getting rid of extraneous stuff, which is hard to do. I've developed a house schedule, that i think we can loosely follow. I hope to be able to have reached this goal bymidweek next week of having a bunch of crap done aaway with.

well...still a dumbass...

...supposedly they found Buck, who s supposedly the guy who killed the coed in Central. His Dna matches, so its pretty damning to him. he still doesnt seem like the gy I would have thought to be the killer, but the evidence is pretty strong. ...still, what a dumbass.

Tigah town makes bigtime....

...for all the wrong reasons. That girl who was strangled has brought a lot of attention. I feel for her family and I hope justice comes to her and her family soon. All I have to say to the guy who did this...and I doubt he's worrying about reading some blog right now....is...DUMBASS!!!!!! . this fool takes the girls ATM card, and immediately tries to use her card at a local bank...AT 3:35AM.... TRIED TO ACCESS THE CARD 4 TIMES AT ONE BANK, AND TWICE AT ANOTHER....WITH A FRAKKIN BAnDANNA OVER YOUR FACE!!!!.... with your SUV in the background... they got your FRAKKIN DNA!!!!!...DUMBASSS!!!!... and guess what...the fact you kept trying to access the card probably means that you thought you knew her well enough to possibly guess the PIN number. and they will have a record of what numbers you tried to use. and I bet you used numbers that only you would only know. I bet...just bet.... they already have an idea. they just are waiting for one of your "buddies" to go ahead and turn your DUMBASS in.

DUMBASSS!!!!!

oh, and they found her ID on the side of the road heading out 76 past Tri County Tech. That further narrows down the direction.

... sigh.....

DUMBASS!!!

No forced entry...tsk, tsk, tsk....

and of course, you know...you KNOW that there wouldn't be all this attention if it would have been some random black girl killed... instead, we got another blond haired, blue eyed, young, pretty coed plastered all over the place. sigh.... not that it shouldnt merit justice for the woman.

sigh...DUMBASS!!!!

oh...and I must say that I happen to like blond haired, blue eyed, young, pretty coeds....

ah...coolness...

Ok...we livin in a 2 story house. Downstairs is always cool, partly because its underground. Upstairs is a problem when it gets warm. as in...when it gets above 90 outside, its inclined to get toasty upstairs. So, the AC man is here right now. And its already coolin down upstairs. Now it will be bearable going to sleep for the twins. Now dont get me wrong. I grew up with NO ac in my house. all we had was windows open, and portable fans. Once you get used to it, you really dont notice it. But i think that when you have a heat pump, and it isnt coolin like it should, its a bit more on your mind....

...ok...went out and paid AC man. His son is in high school band...chit chatted about that for a while. Dude...it is a huge diffence inside now. like...its coolin upstairs...wow. amazing what some refrigerant will do for ya. i think this will make a difference with i-man...he seems to be a tad bit more bothered by heat, keeping him from going to sleep...although that is probably an excuse he has congured up to stay awake.

Movin on up

...looks like we are about to be rich beyond our wildest dreams. look at the email I got today!!!!! I have already responded with all our financial info. Anybody need a loan????.... NOT!!!!

Dear Sir

RE: CONFIDENTIAL
TRANSACTION


I am Dr George Johnson, the immediate resigned senate
president of the federal republic of Nigeria, I know you must be
surprised at this development, but I chose to tell you the truth
because of my sincere wish to treat every man, as I would expect to be
treated.

While in office, I witnessed a lot of unpatriotic acts by
men of high position in Nigeria concerning the payment of foreign
contractors. Several times allocations are mapped for foreign contract
payment and a lot of contractors’ payments will be approved but their
fund will never be released to them because some group of men on high
share the money among themselves and leave the concerned contractors
with nothing but continues spending in pursuit of their payment.
Payments like this will never reach the hand of the beneficiaries why
because they continuously use them as a means to loot funds out of the
fault of Central Bank of Nigeria. These same people because of my
indiscriminate campaign against their acts accused me of taking bribes
of over US$8 Million from contractors. In any case I was forced to
resign.

My purpose of writing this letter to you is not to tell you
these stories but provide a recovery opportunity to your financial
stand. While all these was going on, I sensed it will end like this so
I was able to move out the sum of US$14.7million in cash through a
friend working with a London cargo company with a branch here. This
consignment was registered with the courier company as a diplomatic
luggage belonging to you and they are shipping it to your country via
London.

Furthermore, the weight of the consignment is 78kg but I
managed to pay 40kg, which cost US$8,600.00. On no account should you
disclose the content of the crate with the diplomatic courier services
for fear of betrayal. So do not allow them to know that the content is
money.

In the meantime, contact Mr. James Wan the director
(DIPLOMATIC COURIER & CARGO SERVICES U.K) on Tel/fax: 447092868481 or
email: in London now or tomorrow to know the actual situation with the
consignment and also give them your address where the consignment will
be delivered and then get back to me as soon as possible so that I can
give you the shipment document and the keys to the consignment.

Meanwhile, I will be coming over to your country immediately the
consignment arrives in your country for my 50% of the US$14.7milliom.
Awaiting a positive reply from you. Contact them and get back to me or
call me 234-8062873152.

Thank you for your anticipated co-operation


Regards,

Dr GeorgeJohnson

oh, and...

..it seems that a tornado or something came through here while we were gone. limbs all over the place...obvious signs of flooding. we hear reports that a tornado came through town. tennis ball size hail too....

weekend it was

Ok...Did the Coca Cola 600. the race takes a while, but i enjoyed it a great deal. I also like having the ability to tailgate afterward and eat and not have to sit in traffic. I think I am going to organize next years trek to Nascar a little earlier, so we can get seat about 10 rows higher, and, as brandy suggested, more to the center of a row, so we dont have people constantly climbing over us to get out.

Ok...next up for me.... flying to jersey to see kristen at the end of the month, plus i will swing in NYC and see brown for a couple of days.

in between...i wanna go see Carz with the family, perhaps hit the g-ville zoo one day.... go see a Greenville Drive game, and hit the go carts with I-man and Ryles at the funpark. That should take us through June.

What about Nascar

on XM the other day, there was a discussion about what people like about Nascar and what part is your favorite part. There are several things i like. There are always several moments about a race that, while very short and quick, i always look forward to...

1) I always find it interesting that the cars look so different in person than on TV. Of course, all sports are like that. And each car sounds different when they go by. The Penske cars...obviously turning higher rpms and sounding more like Formula 1...or the DEI/RCR cars with different gear ratios that make their cars sound at a lower pitch.

2) i always love when the cars all start up at "gentlemen, Start your engines".... that rumble at first..then you feel the subtle ground shaking

3) the first time the cars go by on the parade lap. Again the rumble, and feeling the ground shakin as they go by. Then that distinctive smell of racing fuel.

4) the green flag and the sheer sound generated by the cars as they work through the gears as they pass you

5) the first time the cars come by at nearly full speed. There is almost a palpable sense of "we're the big boys...we mean business" with the cars that are up front when they blow by at about 185mph. its really hard to describe...bu tif you have ever been to a busch race, then to a Cup race, you can definitely tell a difference in the air, even though there is only about 10 mph difference in speeds.

ok..another weekend down....

alright...went and saw Aunt Ellen's portfolio showing at an Art gallery in Charlotte. I was impressed by her porfolio. Obviously she has been paying attention in school. We then went with jessica's parens, Uncle Wes and pseudo Wifey Ashley to Chili's, then jessica , the twins and i returned back to town.

It was the first All Star race that i have missed since 2000. It actually felt kinda odd to be missing it, although it did rain, I and I am kinda reeleived because I really dont know how the group of people i am going to the race next week with would react to a race delay...in the rain. i've done it several times. But i have always been by myself, and I can simply put on my headphones, listen to the scanner, and amuse myself.

next up...headin to charlotte for the 600...

Old man B

Yeah, I know...its probably already annoying you...but I thought one of browns emails was worth a reply here.
Old man b says....
we need to talk about several things...shaq's resurgance....why the braves & yanks have fallen into complancency despite two disparate gm strategies....elton brand...many many things, but i just read your blog today after a while, and i was fine until i read the 5/1 post with the addition by ms. angela winters (i was going to skip it, but something made me read it). i love it when you post stuff like that because sometimes they either make me laugh out loud, or they poke the sleeping bear (when that happens it ususally raises my blood pressure several points & takes years off my already probably short life, but i love it anyway)

Ok... Shaq...my man...The Diesel.... Superman...the Big Aristotle. Seems Shaq might be falling into the Kareem role, which i think would fit him nicely. average 18pts and 10 boards...let Flash/Green Lantern/Wade play the Magic role. That is what i would like to happen. but, we shall see what happens in this next round...that is, if the Pistons dont let Rasheed make them look like utter fools.

The Braves have closed to 31/2 back. if i were the Mets ( or Phillies), i would find some way to put the boot on the neck of the Braves, so to speak, because if the let the Braves hang around, they will suddenly look up and theyll be 10 games back and wondering how the Braves played them like bitches again. Because both the Yankees and the braves now have that "We exopect to win...someway, somehow, eventually" sorta mentality which can only be defeated by taking the hobnailed boot and crushing the will (see Boston 2 years ago) of the evil Empire.

Elton Brand...i remember sitting in Pep band and seeing him as a freshman and thinking to myself..."he is definitely not a Duke player"..."Way too "I'm takin my game to the NBA because i will be a STAR there"kinda feel to him". But i didnt expect him to be this good and this polished. I guess only him and Grant Hill ...made it. Well, maybe maggette too. oh, and i guess laettner kinda. But, you know...YOU KNOW.... this is the year for them. No way The Lakers become upstaged by these guys.... You probably wont hear from Brand again until....he becomes a Laker.

I post that sorta stuff because i expect it will make everyone think. I dont always agree with it, but it is usually something I found thought provoking.

Another day, another day....

yesterday was somewhat interesting. i went to the eye doctor, who actually happens to be a highschool classmate...as in one I was in the top classes with. Interesting talking to him, because he,still has the same mannerisms, etc. as he did...well...21 years ago. So, anyway, I got my eyes checked. They are basically OK, and I do need some glasses, although jessica says the prescription is a weak one.. No cataracts, glaucoma or detached retina either, which is something i kinda have to keep an eye on. That dilating the eyes thing screwed me up for about half the day, though. The frames and Setting up the eye exam were Jessica's gift to me. Ryles is holding what I-Man and her got for me.

Also...much thanks to lynn and brandy, and of course, my mother...who called me at 715AM.

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Life is what happens to

"Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans." Anyone know who said this?

Wow. Got an eye exam

Wow. Got an eye exam today. Sun is very bright today...very bright. But I will be getting some glasses...

jerome

by the way

...if you ever want to send me a quick text, and you are too cheap to drop .10 from your phone, you can go to... https://www.vtext.com/users/8646316376 and text me from there for free. if you want a reply, you will have to put in your number, and...well...theres that .10 issue again...

Old man B

Ok...so that is what i will call him from now on. I was very amused to read his rant while at work this afternoon. I think it good for him to let off a little steam. And yes, i can see the chair flinging across the room right now.

It is always good to have healthy debate. I am a slightly right leaning moderate conservative...Not pat robertson or billy Graham jr or Dick Cheny conservative, but still more conservative than the tree huggers, for the most part. although I keep up with the tree hugger design, etc because...well...it is cool. i think Old Man B is a tad bit polar opposite...leaning to the left, but probably not Al Franken left, or Janeane Garofalo left...or Jesse Jackson left...but i know he's been known spend time workin in a park or two huggin trees.... but thats all good. I prefer my friends to have differing opinions, and viewpoints..it would just be boring if everyone thought alike.

by the I-man made the paper for his last soccer match. I will have to take a picture of the blurb and post it sometime later....

Yep. This new schedule will

Yep. This new schedule will take bit getting used to. Its only been a couple of days and I feel a bit out if touch with everyone.

jerome

ok...another weekend in the books

...Ok...out the door of work and straight to darlington last Friday. met up with Aunt Ellen and jessica and the twins went to her parents while I went to the track. Got to my seat just in time for the Star Spangled Banner.. watched race and then went to Jessica's parents house for the night. Went back to track around 330 on saturday, and was startled at the amount of traffic. Jessica's parents are only about 10 minutes away from Darlington normally, but it took me about 45 minutes to get parked. the race was sold out and they added seats, so there are definitely more people to deal with. I have a great seat for the race...end of row, at the top of the lowest section. Race was great except for the fact that my guy had a piece of asphalt go thru his radiator on lap 30 (of 367) and he was then 10 laps down. funny listening thru the scanner at him cursing.
Mothers day saw a return to town and i had to hit work in the afternoon.... this schedule will take a bit getting used to, but it is only for 4 monhs, so i will be alright.

Next up... gotta go see Aunt Ellen's porfolio presentation at a Art gallery in Charlotte Friday night. Also..preparations for the following weekend to see race at Lowes....

whoa...Dr. Olivet!!!!!

Dr. frakkin Olivet on Law and Order tonight.....thought she was long gone....

went to a wedding yesterday...got to see a lot of people from the "good ole days"...or at least one set of good ole days. got to see Cheryl and Gresham get married, with Danny, Sara, Mark, Kerri, Tariq, Mike, Matt, Jamie, Kevin, Hollie, Andrea, Will, Landon, Katie, Brandy, STephen, Emily...hell it was like we were at some party back in 1998 or something.... good to see those people and good to catch up with everyone....

Ian had his last soccer match of the season yesterday. He got a little trophy, etc. So not I gotta make like Venus and Serana William's dad and get Ian out on the soccer pitch at 7:00am every morn, training.....

On deck this weekend...Busch and Nextel cup races in Darlington, which I will be attending.

Ok...this starting to get depressing...I

Ok...this starting to get depressing...I get a txt at the end of every Braves game... 12-16 so far, 7 games back... Sigh...

jerome

oh, and a Norman Rockwell weekend it was...

nanna and papa came into town Friday night. Spent the night, then They took Ryles to her recital rehearsal ( since they would not be able to see the actual recital) while i took I-man to his soccer match. Ian had 9 shots on goal (honest!) but either had the goalie save or missed the goal all together. He seems to have mastered the "get the ball, and go like mad toward the other teams goal..." concept. Still doesnt like to mix it up too much with the other players.

After the rehearsal and soccer match, I went with the twins to Greenville Pickens speedway ( see pix below).that was realy fun. Ryles actually watched without headphones for a while, while I-man demanded he have them on before we even got out of the Explorer.

Then Yesterday was Ryles big day. Aunt Ellen was in town, and we went to the recital My mother and bother were ther, as well as Brandy and AJ. mucho thanks to them showing up to sit through the 2 and a half hour dance tour de force. And then we went to eat at Monterays or whatever that place is called where we had the mexican version of the Mad About You waitress, or Fifi from friends.... then it was back home...

i really like my life...2 good kids...some pretty slick friends...pretty wife...Nascar tracks close by.... decent college football, above average pro baseball, above average pro football teams to root for...the good ole USA...sigh...

i found this amusing...

All joking aside, i am really all for immigration, and everyone having a right to come here and make a life...provided they play fair and by the rules... I found this little tidbit today.... perhaps a notch harsh, but on point on a couple of things....

ANGELA WINTERS COMMENTARY: A Day Without...Whatever

"Today is our day without immigrants. I haven't seen a difference left and D.C. is full of immigrants. I am in favor of legal immigration, that is what America is about. However, I hope the illegals who take off work get fired. And what's up with illegals taking a day off from school? Their parents aren't paying taxes, so what are they doing in our schools anyway? Who loses if they don't come to school? More attention for the American students who stay, so I hope they take tomorrow off too. I know this is mean, but I'm sick of the PC Police telling us that we can't hurt people's feelings by saying what we feel. Do you think these illegals give a damn about our feelings? Have you seen some of their signs? Have you heard some of the chants the TV news stations won't play? 'We demand your rights! We demand your jobs! We demand your future!' 'If you don't give us America then you are racist pigs!' They are DEMANDING our resources and REFUSING the responsibility that comes along with them. See how easy it is to try and make these people citizens. They don't want to be responsible for paying taxes for the services they use in great quantities....Things are going to escalate and they will become more violent. I've already seen on the news and internet that Minutemen have been attacked with counter-protesting. This has garnered an incredible amount of sympathy for this group and their numbers are swelling. They even got the brothers involved. As the violence increases, at least they won't be able to claim this is a civil rights movement. They'll be on their own where those in the wrong deserve to be. The more violent they get, the more people will really see the threat and decide that having cheap labor when you need help moving furniture isn't worth it. They will press their local and state government to do what Georgia is doing and we'll finally get some law and order on this issue."

Some folks are calling this National Black Get A Job Day. While illegal immigrants are boldly declaring their criminal status on America's streets, let this be an opportunity for black citizens to reclaim jobs stolen from citizens and legal residents. After all, the free labor of our ancestors - ahem, slavery - and their rich history of promotion of democracy and civil rights played a key role in building America, and I'll be damned if illegal immigrants are gonna run us out of our communities and off the continent when they should concentrate on reforming Mexico's corrupt government and ineffective policies.

Greetings from Greenville-Pickens Speedway!!!

Ryles at the Saturday night race.... she actually watched all 150 laps

I-Man eatin chips, watchin for his green car at the Saturday night race

Ryles an I-man and me

Ryles an I-man and me are spending saturday night at Greenville/Pickens speedway. They seem to actually like it fine.

jerome

formal, and the Yankees

Went to KB formal tonight. It was nicely done for what the people doing it had to deal with. Actually, it gave me pause as to whether the chapter should just try to have it on campus from now on. But the location is what makes the formal's cool (usually) and that is the mystic of it i think. this years event was submarined by Band committments, holidays and exams. But the event as it stands was nicely done. I am committed to help the chapter forge ahead with a date, location and planning for the frmal next year. i hink they would benefit from having a date/site/theme etc in the Fall. of course, they had that this year until a band rehearsal was scheduled on a Saturday...at 5:00 in the evening.....

...the braves are toast. I think i am going to have to suffer through the dissapointment of this summer, and then i can be revived by a pennant chase next summer as the complacency and lethargy will hopefully be gone from the organization...wow kinda sounds like KB right now, doesnt it?... i think i may keep a watchful eye on the yankees and that soap opera,. It really easy since ESPN only covers them and the red Sox...and barry Bonds.

ugh

had to stop by the bank today and take out a small loan in order to get gas for my car... something isnt quite right with this gas thing. smells a little fishy to me.

ah...i see 2 Dookies were arrested. Bet if that were 2 BLACK dookies, from the football team... you know...you KNOW that they would have been arrested a long time ago, pictures plastered all over TV, video of them walking into the courthouse with chains and shackles on..today you finally see fleeting images from long shots, and a quick clip of one of them in a coat and tie. Even if they are innocent (and they might very well be), I see a huge difference of how those two were treated as apposed to what would have happened had jerome jackson and erik brown been accused of raping a white, blond, blue eyed stripper from Tiger Tails who we had over at the frats party after the game. yeah...we would have been lit up....

Ryles in Easter dress...

Easter, and I-Man dons his first Tie

the good the bad and the ugly...

The Good.... Jessica and the kids come back tomorrow evening. they have been down in Florence for the past couple of days. I have tried to clean up a little, and do some clothes. It will be good to see the Riles, the I-Man and Jessica.

The Bad...got my schedule for the summer months. From Mid-May till Labor Day i will be working 1:30pm till 10:30pm Sun, Mon, Tues, Wed...off Thur and Fri then Work Saturdays. But i think it will work out fine. I figure once jessica and the twins are out for summer, we can get up late (oh, 8:30ish?... maybe the twins will start sleepin later...yeah...i wish...) and do a big Brunch everyday around 10:30-11:30am, then i can bolt for work at 12:45ish. Then Jessica wont have to fix a big meal every day in the evenings...something light during the hotter days.

The ugly... Wow..found out the SED got sanctions in response to the immature way brothers and sisters acted at convention a couple of weeks ago. tisk, tisk.... The one thing i am wondering about is the alumni thing. While i think i get a pass because i am Sponsor, i realy think they will have to really hash out that aspect this summer. Too many alumni behaved themselves and they probably shouldnt be banned from thr convention just because of a few nimrods. I am going to write a letter and ask that they reconsider, or at least figure out a comprehensive way to allow alumni to attend and participate.

much ado about nothing

True friendship is a plant of slow growth, and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity, before it is entitled to the appellation. -- George Washington

Today was a day that I wish could be copied everyday...weatherwise. It was just warm enough that the sun felt good. but not too warm where you might start a slight sheen of sweat if you were out watching a baseball game or outside kickin around. yet, it was cool enough to to be comfortable with pants and a polo shirt on...with an ever so slight....ever so slight ting of chill.... you could stand in the shade and not get cold. you could stand in the sun and not get hot.

Jessica was asking me the other night about what i thought about this and that in regards to religion, theology, etc. Our conversation did get me to thinking... I was "raised in the church" and went to church virtually every sunday growing up. I have a very thorough knowledge of the Bible, as least from the Black Southern Baptist point of view, and I have a pretty good grasp of things from other Protestant and Catholic points of view. I kinda have a working knowledge of the Isman/Muslim thing, but have never really delved into it too deeply. But I never developed into an overly religious person. Oh, i can recite the familiar scriptures...I can sing all the old spirituals and pretty much know the sermon formula down pat. But I never really got into it. I think i beleive that there is a God. I think that i view the Bible as something written by the priviledged types a long time ago as something to keep the masses in line. I also think the Bible, as a whole, is a document that sets guidlines and a moral foundation that is something to live by. Are all the stories now relevant? No.. is it open to interpretation...i think so. Whoever wrote the Ten Commandments..be it God, or some shrewed dudes in robes and sandals had a pretty good grasp of what is right and wrong...and to think the thousands of years later...they still stand. pretty slick, i think.

But i dont think i will ever be the "Go to Church Every Sunday" type. I do want the twins to have that sort of foundation, however. The trick is getting up and getting to a place that is right for them, and for jessica and me. Perhaps one day we'll find some place.

This immigration thing is...well... i dont know what the illegals immigrants are thinking. Oh wait, i know exactly what they are thinking...."If I have to become a citizen, I have to pay taxes. if i have to pay taxes, then i wont have all that extra cash to pay for a car, or a house...or to send back to Mexico." ..."so...lets march in the streets...lets wave the mexican flag...(arent you tryin to stay here? dont you might wanna think about waving the American flag?) LETS PROTEST HAVING TO ACTUALLY BE LEGAL LIKE EVERYONE ELSE. How dare they make us actually be citizens, despite the fact that THEY have to pay for our infrastructure while we are here, our entertainment, our schools for our children, our health care. we got a good thing going.We need to protest before they take all the freebies away."

All i know is this...sure would be nice if i got my full paycheck eeverytime, yet could still use everything taxes pay for.

the #29 is creeping up the standings...9th in points...of course, i just jinxed him. He will finish 34th next week.

people keep asking me where it is I work these days. Well, lets just say that I have a job. It pays me well. It is in a field that I am experienced in.

What would you think if I sang out of tune,
would you stand up and walk out on me?
Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song,
and I'll try not to sing out of key.

ah...yes...Joe Cocker

sigh...

Katie's leaving NBC. bye Katie...big mistake. Ask Connie Chung about that.... now it is going to be interesting to see who replaces her.

OK..things coming together...

...rather nicely. Got a hotel secured for the 600 race weekend. That was a slight worry when i started trying to find one only to see that every hotel in Charlotte was booked solid. But I did mange to find something...all is covered there.

With the new job, training, and the usual Soccer/Dance/Work routine, its been a tad hectic. April and May look to be a pretty solid couple of months.... My training at my new place will end Mid-May. Have the Frat formal late April, elections next week... baseball is starting again... Rylee has her first Recital at the end of April...going to a Race at Greenville/Pickens with Ian...going to a Greenville Drive baseball game with the Twins and Jessica...got a wedding to see in early May, the the truck race and Nextel race in Darlington the following week... followed by the Nextel race in Charlotte 2 weeks later.... then its catch a flight up to NYC to see Brown and Kristen.... whew!!!....

not really into pictures anymore....

Headin to soccer

Just washed hair style....