Moving right along...

...didnt post a "today" pic of Ryles...I forgot her recital is next weekend, so i will wait to throw up a pic of her after her dress rehearsal on Saturday. She is actually doing Ballet, Tap and Baton now..so she is in three different things on Sunday for her recital....

...the new FRAT Alumni Sec has created a Blog @ kkykb.blogspot.com for the alumni to access. Its a great idea and I beleive it a further indication of the direction the chapter is heading with its leadership. While it is open to the public, I dont think any "secrets" will be divulged there or anything, not that I have ever been too worried about non brothers knowing the 4 or 5 "secrets" we actually have. Just because you know that stuff doesnt make you a brother.

Actually, the "year" is about to end for the Frat...seems like it always comes so suddenly. I am currently pondering talking to Dr. Spede about flipping the MEP class to the Fall and limiting it to 8 weeks. That way the chapter gets that stuff out of the way sooner.I am still not sure if that is fair to the potential candidates to have to make such a big decision after only about 6 weeks in college, so I am still leaning toward not doing it.... if we did, it would clear up so much time in the Spring for more Service and community involvement for the chapter... the MEP process consumes everything in the Spring right now. Of course, maybe we should look at taking the tightened down MEP and hold to it in the Spring....

Battlestar Galactica is certainly starting to get very interesting....

I think I am 95 percent committed to doing the Pocono race in early June... that will knock off another track that I want to see and leave basically Martinsville and Talledega left..Harwood and I are in tentative negotiations regarding the Fall Talledega race, and it might make it on the docket...

Latest I-Man pix

...I was fooling around with my base lens and got I-Man to hold still for a second.... Who does he resemble more?...me or Jessica?..or none of us? kinda curious what you think and it wont hurt my feelings whatever you answer... I will put up a pic of Ryles in her dance recital outfit Saturday, maybe....

Back home for a little while...

I returned yesterday from the SED convention in Tallahassee. I am happy to report that the chapter received the Raymond D. Shannon Leadership award for the SouthEast District. This is an award given to the chapter that exemplifies and displays leadership both on and off campus. I am proud of the chapter and that brothers within the chapter continue to hold a large percentage of leadership positions within the bands and we have several brothers who are leaders within other organizations on campus too. I take my position as Sponsor very seriously, as I feel that i have a lot of friends who put a lot of time into this chapter when they were here. And to let all their hard work go to waste would be letting them down. So I continue to work to make sure that the Alumni of Kappa Beta have something they can be proud of. Hopefully, another great year in 2009 will see Kappa Beta listed again as a top ten chapter...we shall see....

It was great to see Pam and John again.... the time spent visiting was way too short.

finally... why is it that when I was driving back, I was looking for an Exxon/Mobil gas station that had diesel...and of course, there were none to be found??...eventually i got into my "i better get gas..um..like...NOW" window and stopped at the next exit that showed a BP with diesel. Used up my last 20 in cash and put in 5 gallons at 4.00 DOLLARS A FRAKKIN GALLON!!!!!!!!!!....so...now, a bit annoyed with the price, but not walking down I-75, i continue on back home.... and the VERY NEXT EXIT HAS A EXXON WITH DIESEL.... WITH EXXONS with DIESEL FOR THE NEXT 300 EXITS!!!!! ( or so it seemed )

might have to get a Dunder Mifflin polo soon...

Down in Tallahassee...

..down here in Florida staying with John and Pam. Will also get to the SED convention for the FRAT... nice little cabin they got down here.... starting to think I may NEVER get rid of my Jetta. While I had to pay 50 dollars to fill my tank, I got 375 miles on half a tank to get here. I dont know how much a new engine would cost (im sure my car guru Harwood will tell me), it might be worth it to research that option for the inevitable day that this engine finally starts to break down. No signs of it yet, though

...doesnt this airline thing smell suspicious... all of a sudden ALL the airlines are pulling their planes, instead of 10 planes here or there...

This entire thing of Easter being in February this year has kinda thrown off my mental view of things...used to Easter being in April, which flows all tidy like into May...

tsk..tsk..

Watching the National Championship last night.... free throws. I was having a conversation with friends the other day, and I remembered how i stated that everything stems from free throws. Memphis goes 1-10 of free throws down the stretch last night, leading by 9 with 2 minutes to play. Guess what?...they lost... hit your free throws, you're the champion. Miss your free throws???... you get close up of you crying into your towel... Wonder if any of those guys know how many free throws the greats shoot EVERY day? Jordan, Bird, Kobe, Lebron.... these guys shoot thousands of free throws EVERY day. Why? because it will always come down to them in the end.

ok...so maybe i will comment...

tonight I go to pick up my kids at a Mcdonalds near where I work. Grandma had picked up the twins after school and taken them for a McDonalds treat. (Of course she bought them more little toys to litter our den with..but...well..I dont think I can stem that anytime soon, no matter how much i tell her they dont need anymore toys...but i digress....) So i walk in and I-Man and Ryles are sitting there eating ice cream along with some random little Hispanic girl who seemed to be the same age as them. I'm like "who is this?" and my mother is like this is a girl they met on the playground (her mother was sitting a couple of chairs away) But I was struck with watching them interact as well as when they were playing with other random kids...why is it that there seems to be no problem whatsoever with White, Hispanic, Asian, and Black kids all playing together with no reservation...never met each other before, but had no reservation to go have fun. yeah..i know this has been observed in nurseries and daycares forever now...but i guess I was struck thinking that i bet that there are people reading this right now that if their son or daughter came home talking about playing with my son and daugther, they would get all bent out of shape about it. That if their kids came home and said that they were dating my son or daughter, there would be issues. And i shake my head and kinda wonder why you are reading this blog, and really kinda wish you would stop reading this blog, because even though that scenario isnt likely, I dont wish the inevitable time to happen that will happen, when someone will treat my children unfairly or with contempt simply because they are not white... or hispanic...or heck...black, for that matter. (i guess some will consider them white...some will consider them black, but that is a slightly different discussion). Some of you reading this will teach your children not to play with someone like I-Man or Ryles... and I simply wish you would go away.... because this is no place for you and your backass type of thinking....

...on another note...watching GLORIOUS HIGH DEFINITION TV tonight and it was ESPN and I noticed that they are broadcasting the NBA in some kind of different style..it looks like it is already aged and from 15 years ago... I also took a look at the same broadcast on normal TV and it looks like it normally does so this must be an HD thing....

Oh..and Battlestar was pretty slick....

So Say We All!

...tonight Battlestar Galactica is back on...I now have reason to live.... well...maybe another reason...also, New Kids on the Block are getting back together...another reason, heh..heh... I have decided to ignore the Braves till after the NBA playoffs and I see how far my Celts go... watched David Beckham last night and I think my MLS team is going to be the LA Galaxy because i simply cant pull for any DC team...

40 years ago MLK was killed. It gives me pause to think about things...I dont think I am going to launch into any tirade about anything, but it does make me think...

what the kids are doing these days...

One of the brothers from the Frat posted a couple of videos of the chapter dancing after their little Initiation Ceremony thingy the other night...thought some of you might be interested...

Clip 1

Clip 2

just throwin it out there...

i finally broke down...

...and got a pair of Crocs the other day. Not the genero ones EVERYONE has but these are the off- road-hiking types with boot type treads. Today is the first day warm enough for me to feel like i can try them out without socks...i have been leery because I dont like for my feet to feel sweaty and these crocs look like they will feel that way without socks...but everyone says "they are SOOOOO comfortable..." so I'm testing today...might have to continue the time honored tradition of wearing socks during the summer still if this does what i think they are going to do...

time keeps on tickin....

Tonight KayBee will initiate 17 candidates, by far the largest class in a while. And also there is the usual underlying turmoil within the chapter, most rooted in the extremely close relationships that inevitably grow between the brothers. At any rate...I have spent time this week listening to upset brothers (actives) complaining about this or that wrongdoing by another brother, which in the end are personal situations that should be dealt with between brothers, but spill out into the circle because it is virtually impossible to keep "business" separate from the "personal" stuff.... I have also spent a lot of time remembering the same stuff happening when I was "active", and shaking my head to myself and wondering "how much time did we waste over silly stuff?" It always makes me miss my friends from that time, as well as all of my friends. As I have said before, it seems that my time spent with any friend really seems to be getting more and more less frequent. Jobs....family...KIDS...well, these things certainly become a priority, and idlin time away at Huddle House until 3 in the morning aint going to happen...probably ever again. And it makes me really sad....

...at any rate, the other night i caught the end of Celebrity Apprentice and Trace Adkins sand a song that found somewhat profound, and am going to read these lyrics to the chapter tonight right after Rit... and while it doesnt talk about this type of situation im talking about specifically, I think you can see the analogy.....

She was starin' out the window of their SUV
Complainin', sayin', “I can't wait to turn eighteen”
She said, “I'll make my own money and I'll make my own rules
Momma, put the car in park out there in front of the school”
And she kissed her head, and said, “I was just like you”

You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days
Hadn't gone by so fast

These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this

Before she knows it she's a brand new bride
In her one bedroom apartment and her daddy stops by
He tells her it's a nice place, she says, “It'll do for now”
Starts talkin' about babies and buyin' a house
Daddy shakes his head and says, “Baby, just slow down”

Cuz' you're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days
Hadn't gone by so fast

These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this

Five years later there's a plumber
Workin' on the water heater
Dog's barkin', phone's ringin'
One kid's cryin' and one kid's screamin'
And she keeps apologizin'

He says, “They don't bother me
I've got two babies of my own
One's thirty-six, one's twenty-three”
Huh, it's hard to believe

But you're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days
Hadn't gone by so fast

These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this

You're gonna miss this
Yeah, you're gonna miss this

--Trace Adkins

G.I. Joe!!!!

i just found out...oh my..this is better than Transformers... to me at least...They are making a G.I. Joe movie....I dont know how its going to turn out. it might suck...but...what next? A Sgt Rock movie...maybe bring out the Shogun Warriors???

two thoughts....

The tourney starts today... cant wait to see the game where the "favorite" doesnt put away the directional school and all of sudden some random guy you've never heard of starts raining 3's and you start to see the "favorite" get this "deer in the headlights" look...then its upset city and you get the previously mentioned shots of the cheerleaders and the pep band...or now...the sorority girl in pink school sweatshirt and facepaint, or the frat boy who blew his entire spring break budget to get to the site with this stunned " i cant believe this is happening" look...

..Obama is now officially polling BEHIND Clinton now in the Gallup poll. While I am still leery of polls, i do have a little trust in the Gallup poll. Yeah i know he still has the lead blah, blah, blah..but he has work to do or it will get really nasty come convention...

was that a bullet i just sidestepped?

So Obama made his speech today... no doubt this "episode" has hurt him..polls show it (although i am leery of polls)...lets see how long the press hounds him about it, or if it goes away in a couple of days... my only thing is no matter how much a father figure, friend, whatever this minister is...Obamas prescence in that church gives a tacit approval of that minister's rhetoric. Now...does Obama believe that stuff?..i dont think so. Does Obama not want to blow up his friend?...yep... but... a sitting Senator who repeatedly sits in audience with someone who eschews that type of hatespeak presents a problem to me. But... i know that the church...Church..in the black community is an entirely different animal than most non blacks realize. There is a lot more to it than simply dropping in on Sunday. Its family. And everybody realizes that while you dont always like your family or what they say, if someone attacks them, you will probably defend them fiercely. Its easy for me to sit here and say that i would blow that minister away a long time ago. but...i'm not walkin in Obama's shoes. I say that this is an issue that I am satisfied with his answers...for now. I know a lot of people are not. And i can definitely see that side of things... and I am dissapointed that Obama did not distance himself a long time ago because he has obviously had aspirations for some time now and surely knows that this would come to light eventually...sigh... either the press/media is going to be satisfied, or they are not going to let go, and this might very well be Obama's jumping the shark


by the way, Jessica hadnt ever heard of The Dropkick Murphys either....

Band names...

Names for bands these days amuse me... I downloaded some more songs last night for Guitar Hero and some of the songs are by some band called The Dropkick Murphys. I found that highly amusing... Tigers getting some luv nationally in regards to the tourney...lets see what happens if they dont hit their free throws down the stretch on Friday night.... I remember the last time the Tigers were in the Ncaa's..Chicago... watchin some punk from Western Michigan get his "one shining moment" bowing to the TV, while watching Brown stare at the Stanford tree jumping around as we were ushered out quickly... i will say it again...those pictures of the cheerleaders crying and the pep band members in shock are because they know that in about 45 minutes they will be on a plane back home...it ends very, very quickly... Trust me..I remember all too well a trip to New Mexico where i left on Wednesday night and was back in Clemson in time for 8am classes on Friday...heh, heh..too bad Josh couldnt get his sagebrush on the plane...

is this what I can expect????

WHY THE FRAK CAN'T THE OBAMA CAMPAIGN GET ENOUGH FRAKKIN T-SHIRTS OF THE ONE I WANT THAT IT DOESNT HAVE TO FRAKKIN BE BACK ORDERED!!!!! JESUS FRAKKIN H-CHRIST!!! YOU WOULD THINK WITH THE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS PEOPLE ARE THROWIN AT THE CAMPAIGN THAT THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO SEND ONE OF THEIR DULE FLUNKIES DOWN TO THE LOCAL T-SHIRT SHACK IN CHICAGO AND GET A COUPLE THOUSAND T SHIRTS PRINTED AT 2 OR 3 DOLLARS A SHIRT AND RAPE ME FOR THE 20 SPOT I AM WILLING TO THROW AT OBAMA, EVEN THOUGH I MIGHT NOT EVEN VOTE FOR HIM.... ENOUGH ALREADY!!!???? IS THIS WHAT I CAN EXPECT FROM HIM AND HIS WHACK JOB MINISTER AND THEIR PRESIDENCY??? WANT MY VOTE OBAMA???!!! GET MY DAMN T-SHIRT ON YOUR WEBSITE...LIKE...OH...(and i'm not going to say "sorta"... see the next post...)...SAY.. YESTERDAY!!!!....FRAK!!!...YOU'RE KILLIN ME, PETEE!!!!

the #29 and #20, brackets and the tourney

went to Bristol on Saturday. It rained, but we did see the race that was run. We had even better seats and it was pretty cool... took a look at my man in the #29 and well...he got a little loose in the corner and, as they say... 8 wheels turns better than 4 wheels in the corner...heh, heh... too bad for the #20....

...I am NOT doing a bracket this year because it makes me root against teams i want to root for and changes how i watch the games..kinda like fantasy leagues... and I want to be able to watch and not be pissed when an upset happens that it blew up my bracket. For example...logic tells me that I should pick Villanova over Clemson. I kinda would prefer Clemson win the game. This way I dont have to have that type of conflict... Clemson got kinda screwed in their bracket. they kinda have a gauntlet to run if they want to make a deep run. Plus they have have to be 10 points better than anybody they play because..well... here's that free throw thing again....

...by the way...I'm workin on a post where I use kinda and sorta as much as possible. I will come when you least expect it...sorta....

Bristol, baby!!!!

...well...at least we hope so...rain is forecast in Bristol, and we will be sittin in Harwood's ambulance waitin it out, perhaps. Headin to Bristol for the Busch, er, Nationwide race tomorrow. first in a line of tracks I hope to get to this year...Bristol, Charlotte, Darlington, Pocono, and Talledega. Charlotte and darlington are definite...still in wait and see mode for the other 2....

This is why I get annoyed sometimes...

...Brown sent me this link...click here to see why it is i sometimes seem to take on a "angry, mean black man always talking about race" stance that some of you think I do all the time, which , if you know me well, isn't something i am into. But it's this type of stuff that makes me always know that if you are not black and you are always wondering why black people are always pissed off about stuff...well, its that type of stuff that happened in South Africa that tees us off...

WTF?

in what may go down as one of the alltime dumbass moves...EVER...a 15 year old kid fatally shot his father because his father had cut him off from using MYSPACE online. Hmmm...wonder how much time he is going to get on Myspace now?

frat stuff

The new pledge class is doing some sorta thing where they are making a quilt of some sort out of the family colors of the colony members, if they had any. They have some of them as some lines still exists. But some lines dont and some colonist family letter info has not been passed down. If anyone knows what if/any family letters/colors the following colonists have, let me know.....
Corey Amaker
Kristin Avolio
Alyson Craft
Clair Compton
Elizabeth Fogel
Angela Giles
Danny Goldrick
Scott Hendrickson
Aaron Hobbs
Katie McDowell

I was talking to the candidate who is heading up the project and to hear her mis pronounce the last names was highly amusing. Also telling them that some are married and dont have those last names anymore...you can almost see a glint of confusion... they live in such a different world...marraige,work, kids...they have a hard time grasping the reality of it. But I also remember that i didnt have a grasp of it either...

Its time for a change

well...anyway, I stayed up last night because i was curious as to what was going to happen with the primary stuff. It was interesting, and annoying, to watch MSNBC (which I never watch) and see how they covered the evening. I was watching the realtime vote tallies online, and could see that Clinton was leading in Ohio and Texas, and the vote total was consistently growing in her favor while MSNBC kept saying it "was too close to call". Tim Russert does a very good job at trying to not be as obvious as to where his allegiances are, but Keith Olberman and Chris Mathews have huge Obama pom poms and are openly rooting for Obama. I really have a problem with that and I was wanting to see how Olberman particularly would react once the inevitable "Projected to win" statements would come. Olberman must have said "too close to call" a 100 times, even a minute before NBC called Ohio, then right before they called Texas too. And the look on his face was priceless... I just dont understand why these people keep saying that Clinton should simply get out of the race when the race is still this close. Arent these the same people yelling about disenfranchisement and all that stuff? yet when it could benefit who THEY want to win, suddenly "we are tired of this and its dragging on too long" blah, blah, blah...wait...didnt THEY start reporting on this way before it was necessary? perhaps if they hadnt starting peeing in their pants for Obama way before it was necessary, they wouldnt be openly having to figure out a way to continue to cheer without being blatant. Dont get me wrong here...I'm eyeing this cool Obama T on his website but I just dont feel right with getting forcefed who i should vote for.

On a side note...kinda funny how when you hit your freethrows, you start winning....

22 inches of glorius screen

OK...so I finally got around to hooking up my 22 inch Westinghouse widescreen flatpanel computer monitor. Oh mercy... nothing like 1680 x 1050 of full glorious internet..yeah, I know...I'm gloating, but...frak, this changes how i view the internet, and it definitely changes how i use Photoshop.Many thanks to Aj for letting me use a 17 incher for a good long while when my 15 inch monitor wasnt footing it anymore.

And some thought she would never walk

Seems like this kid thing makes time go by so much faster... I am always reminded to myself whenever it take Ryles extra time to walk down stairs that she didnt start walking until she was 15 months on a regular basis. An today she joined I-Man on his soccer team for the mid season restart, and seeing her un around just emphasized that he started walking at 7/8 months and she was a full half year later. At any rate... I-Man was goalie for half the game -not the gloves- and ryles doesnt have her Uni yet, so she is wearing an I-Man throwback...

"it is what it is"

I listen to podcast from slate on the way to work, and I listened to one recently that was all about the origin of this catch all phrase, etc. All their podcast are in print online, so check this one out HERE

wow

Mucinex...dude...like..if you get congested and are coughin but just cant seem to hack out that crap sittin in your lungs...go get you some Mucinex. Give yourself 30 minutes, get some alone time and you will start to cough like no tomorrow...like NFL lineman coughs, full of that crap. goes on for about an hour...then you are all good for a while. just make sure you have a bottle or cup....

in addition

..oh man...is there anything better than a nice long warm shower after you have been sweating virtually 3 days straight...man, does that feel good or what?....

mercy

I have always tried to keep what some may call "an even keel" and that has become even more crucial once i was diagnosed as a level 2 diabetic. I have noticed that stress affects me profoundly and have made every attempt to keep it at a minimum. But this past weekend has been a test for me and i still havent recovered fully. Jessica had a procedure for her gall bladder, which was a follow up for the proceding week. just so happens that i came down with the flu the same day she was going to her tests, then she found out she would need to spend the night in the hospital. Now normally, if i get the flu, i take some nyquil, hit the bed and the next morning, I'm all good. But it seems that the combination of events dropped my blood sugar so low that i was getting these headaches and fever that wouldnt let me sleep. And this has been ongoing since Thursday. I beleive that i will be totally fine by the end of the day but it has alarmed me that i became sick and couldnt figure out how to stop the wild swings in my blood sugar. It then dawned on me that the swings were being caused by the medicine i take everyday for my diabetes. I didnt take it yesterday and I feel drastically better today. I think I will wait another day before going back on my meds.

But all this accentuated why i have been ridiculed in the past for sweating details so far in advance. the less I have to feel stressed about, the better. I used to print out itenarays for stuff like our little Nascar trips and stuff, but now I just keep it in my head and when things bog down, I offer the "this is what we need to do and when" suggestion. It all comes back to how I feel. If I start to feel stressed it affects my blood sugar, and it can spiral from there.

at any rate, I hope to be able to be back at 100 percent by the end of the day today. by the way, Jessica has come thru her procedures very well.

oh..ok...so let me explain...

got a text yesterday telling me that I am obviously pulling for Clinton. Well, that is certainly not true, but my statements yesterday are a little out of frustration. I simply want to hear something of substance. I want to know how they are going to change the fact that it cost me $3.59/gallon last night to fill up the Jetta (while i certainly have 2 times to 3 times the range in my care and only put gas in my car about once a month)... i am sure that while it kills me to fill my car with gas, I cant imagine how it must feel for everyone else who goes to the pump more often. I want to know how they are going to change the fact that I get a bonus from work in a couple of days and 25% of it is going to the federal government...for what? so people can freeload healh care and a bunch of other services I never use. I understand that taxes are a necessary evil, but i sense in the Democrat camp a feeling that here is their chance to socialize America. meaning i will be paying the freight for other people, who use their money for their own gain.

Gotta hit some free throws, or else dont cry when you are in the NIT again....

I likened Obama's victories yesterday to basketball, in that he has the a 6 point lead with two minutes to go, and all he has to do is run his offense, make his free throws and dont make any silly, foolish errors. That being said, it will come down to if Clinton can muster a rally in Ohio and Texas. if not then see ya Clinton... i still am waiting on Obama to say some other words other than "Hope" and "Change" in his speeches. I still want to know what he is going to do, as in I would like to hear HIM say it, not what his fanboys regurgitate to me. (no, not you Brown). He has benefited from an obvious bias in the overall press, and the priviledged Hollywooders making videos and waxing poetic about him all over the place. "He's going to Change America!"...really...well, exactly HOW is he going to do that? Funny, when the Democrats swept into power a couple of years ago, THEY were going to change things...nothing has changed...still in the Middle East, Gas prices higher, economy weakening...oh wait...its all Bush's fault. OK...well, Bush aint exactly led us into the land of milk and honey so I'm curious to see what is going to be said if Obama is elected and 4 years from now we are STILL in the Middle East, Gas is @ 4.00 a gallon and my taxes are even higher. And while I understand having your wife making speeches for you, and dont have a problem with it, I do have a problem with Michelle Obama talking about how she is only now proud of America...i would think that having had the intelligence, fortitude and strength to graduate from Princeton and Harvard, make well for herself, and get to the point where she is, she would have plenty of things in America to be proud of. For it wasnt too long ago that a Black person, yet alone a Black Woman would have been working only as the maid of the First Lady, not a chance to be the First Lady. I think part of what i dont like about Obama (and there are a lot of things i DO like about him) and his campaign is a sense that "America sucks, and I am your champion to fix it" and that is part of what disturbs me about things...is America That bad? Goodness...

I-Man has started soccer practice again, so let the games begin.... and Nascar and baseball are back on the daily docket till November. Got tix for darlington and the All Star race already in hand and will be headin up to Bristol with Harwood in a month. If anyone wants to go with us, let us know... we go to the Saturday busch race (cheaper, and we can actually get seats) and we can see the Busch (Nationwide series) race as well as the nextel (Sprint) cup cars practice. Its really a short drive (yes, i know..i have mentioned it before) and we usually get there in a bout 1 1/2 hours...

...kinda wonderin how it is that Roger Clemons obviously lies and alot of people are so forgiving...how Pettite can admit he has used HGH and its all good...yet Marion Jones is demonized and forced to give back her medals and money, Barry Bonds is villified and charged. Why is it that these guys are getting the "poor them" treatment yet the others are getting the "kill them" treatment???...hmmmmm???

wasnt it just a couple of hours ago...

... Backyardigans was THE show thet twins had to watch everyday? Now it is Hanna Montana, That's so Raven and the The Stupid life of Zach and Cody...those 37 episodes of Backyardigans are sitting dormant now...so sad... I think I-Man is particualrly enamoured with Hanna Montana, but it is really weird how similar she looks to Miley Cyrus. They sound the same, act the same and you could almost think that they are the same person....its eerie.

why I have serious reservations about ole Huck

I stated that Huckabee is no friend to me or my children, and this is why...he has a known relationship with Americas's largest white supremacy group which is called the Council of Conservative Citizens, a relationship that he has only recently distanced himself from. i guess you cant get elected president if you are sending taped speeches to an organization that promotes covertly and overtly racists acts. The CoCC states in its "principles"(ha!!!) that "We also oppose all efforts to mix the races of mankind, to promote non-white races over the European-American people through so-called "affirmative action" and similar measures, to destroy or denigrate the European-American heritage, including the heritage of the Southern people, and to force the integration of the races." I dont think I can vote for a ticket that has a person who has had dalliances with a group that feels this way. It amuses me that the CoCC has rebuked Huckabee because he has moved away from them publicly as his bid for president has become more viable. But his message the other week about the Confederate Flag and its blatant appeal to the white evangelicals and racists killed him for me, once and for all. I would definitely not vote for McCain if he is apart of the ticket.

While Obama and Clinton, as well as McCain have their positions I disagree with, I also dont agree with everything Bill Clinton or George Bush spout either. But I wont deal with blatant racism and those types can just go somewhere and die away..please...just go away. the world will be much better when they all die off...

GIMP

...no...not THAT Gimp...but talking about the Tiger Basketball team. I listened to the UNC broadcast of the game on XM and it was startling to listen to the Tar Heel broadcasters chuckling about "same ole Clemson" as they inched back into game watching Clemson miss free throws and seize up in the closing minutes of the ball game...shaking head....

...a quick jaunt into Atlanta last Friday looking for a hotel for the FRAT formal and i took the time to go to IKEA, as I had never gone before. Impressive. But I fear the chapter will have to do some serious fundraising as everywhere in the ATL is expensive for banquets... and I was reminded why I would love to live there yet couldnt stand to live there because while IKEA was cool as hell (well, hmmm...not sure that is correct), the traffic I dealt with on 85 just getting back to the Mall of Georgia was annoying..

...equally as annoying are the events leading to I-man picking his new NASCAR driver... watching practice, I-Man asks where his "Grween car J.J. Yeley" is and I explain to him that the Interstate Batteries #18 is no longer racing, and that it is now a cool M&M's Yellow #18 driven by Kyle Busch. and that he might have to select a new driver. I-MAn ponders for a sec and says " What number is the LOWES car?" ...silence...crickets chirping... (me)"ummm... that is #48 and it is driven by Jimmie Johnson. You sure you wouldnt like the Home Depot car better?" (fingers crossed)... I-Man says "noooo...Jimmie Johnson..yeah, yeah... in the blue Lowes car. THATS my new car!!!!!!"...me..thinking to myself..."DAMMIT!!!!!!!"...silence...crickets chirping... so now as i watch every NASCAR race and have to stomach the Four Eight all the time as my guy toils back in 8th place every week, I will have to suffer with I-Man standing there in his Jimmie Johnson t-shirt jumping up and down in glee...

...and I am STILL glad I live where i do....67 degrees in February suits me just fine, thank you...

Looks like...

...its Clinton by a neck coming around turn 3. No one has gone to the whip...yet. Clinton take the big states and is still leading nationally. Obama is getting the smaller states and the caucuses(which i find suspect for various reason). Had a long talk last night with my politico adviser Brown. I admitted that I am a slight McCain lean at the moment, but am really waiting to see who is going to push me over the edge in regards to the Democrat side. i will definitely NOT be a part of any ticket that has Huckabee, so his rise and possible bartering with McCain alarms me. Huckabee is no friend to me, or my children, based upon his public statements from the past.

...at any rate, I am starting to tire of all this, and I really only started taking notice a month ago. Maybe i will take a break from it until texas and Ohio finish this gig off.

Show me what you got..

..Ok, lets see if Obama is truly going to draw the votes when the curtains are closed on a national scale. If he comes out even or ahead, I think he can ride the wave to the nomination. if he is behind in majority vote and delegates, the cracks and whispers might begin. As far as the republican side goes, i expect McCain to start stretchin his lead today...

..NASCAR THIS SATURDAY!!! then PITCHERS and CATCHERS!!!!!

tsk,tsk....

Brown sent me a text about last nights Super Bowl...mentioned something about VeVickers..tsk, tsk... this reminds me of my sophmore year in highschool...the womenz basketball team was 23-0 and had destroyed every opponent along the way. wasnt even close. I remember driving down with my friend in his old yellow Ford Pinto (actually one of the first times i can remember going anywhere without parent or school supervision, as I think back on it) to the old Carolina Colesium. And, yep....the team got waxed in the Championship game, a pattern I have seen happen several times since then.

..at any rate, I can feel good about the NFL again. And it was interesting to see Tom Brady interviewed after the game. As much as i cheer against him, I was impressed that he stood there and took questions and actually gave considerate, thoughful answers to every question. Same could NOT be said for the best coach/leader/genius (sic) of all time, Bill Belicheat, who simply gave a couple of one word grunts then slinked away. I guess when you dont have film of the defensive teams practices and signals, makes it a little more difficult to predict when the blitzes are coming, doesnt it?

OK...football over, Nascar up...Baseball lurking.. my 2 favorite seasons are about to restart and will last until october/november...

oh...and another thing....

...i think I like Hanna Montana more than I like Miley Cyrus. They are really similar people, almost like alter egos, but i give the edge to Hanna Montana. i know I-Man prefers her... he recently told jessica that one day, when he grows up, he was going to live with a "golden haired" woman. hmmmm????

hmmm

...why is it if i go to bed at 1am, I feel ready for sleep but it just feels...blah... or...if I go to bed at 9pm getting an extra 3 or 4 hours of sleep in, i find it actually hard to go to sleep and end up watching Law and Order and Sportscenter before finally falling asleep at..oh...say...1am??? but yet I can lie down in all my clothes on my bed at 1030am for a quick 30 minute nap and it feels.....SOOOOOOOOOOOO good?

...looks like the choice of President will...after we get past the eventual, inevitable race crap that will spew out from both sides... boil down to if we want a woman in the White House in charge. Now... I dont have a problem being a woman president, just as I dont have a problem with a Black man being president. I just dont know if this woman is one i would vote for. Of course, there are those who wont vote for her simply because... and that is very unfortunate. But equally unfortunate are those who will vote for her simply because she is white. and aint no way i am feeling Nuke Romney...something fishy about him. I am taking a second look at McCain. I listen to talk radio all day at work and I switch back and forth from Orielly to Air America to Hannity to Sharpton to Combs to the lesser knowns on both sides all day long. and it so nagging to never seem to get anyone who isnt screaming about how the other side is SOOOO bad. Either you aint Conservative ENOUGH or you are too much like BUSH (HATE BUSH HAT BUSH HATE BUSH HATE BUSH...enough already., please...that dog dont hunt anymore). Or we need CHANGE and HOPE...well its time to start telling me some substance in your speeches...the flowery stuff makes me sick. its fine when you are announcing you are running. Now...tell me something...I can read the stuff your aides have on your websites...i want to hear it from you. And if you have been telling me, maybe I'm too stupid too understand... well...i guess we'll really start weeding this out on Tuesday, wont we?

...

sunday, Sunday, SUNDAYYYYY!!!!

so ...like...MOnster JAm was in town and we went to see it. I was curious as to how they would do this in a normal hockey arena and it was really entertaining. I-Man's favorite truck GRAVEDIGGER won the show and as you can see, we had virtually front row seats for the event. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a fun family event for the youngsters, and since everyone seems to have had a girl recently, I'll say that Ryles enjoyed the show too. They also had smaller normal size jeeps and trucks racing the course too. There were motorcycles doing huge jumps and stunts thru the air and some guy jumped from the ceiling while on fire. So, there were a lot of things happening besides the huge trucks.

looking ahead...

...since I am no longer in the eternal summer camp situation that is college, I always try to have something that I am looking forward to..planning...some sort of event to give hope in what is the monotony of the everyday work crap we have to do.... First up for 2008....watchin the local muddawgin event at the Sell-Hi Center. The Monster Trucks are in town and I'm takin the twins to see Batman and the Gravedigger go at it. I am looking forward to seeing how they do all that in this arena.... After that is the Spring Bristol Race, then I get to drive on the track at Darlington. Not sure if I will be taking the Jetta out there, but it will probably be the Jetta since Uncle Wes will be out playin Cowboys and Injuns in the woods somewhere. AFter that will be a visit to John in Florida, Frat Convention, Frat Formal in the ATL after which we will be into May... I like having something to look forward to, and something to be planning...

breakin form...

...Ok...I'll break my moratorium for a moment....

Its amazing what can happen when you just hit a few free throws. Dont have to hit them all (like all the good teams do), but if you make most of them, its makes things a whole lot easier, doesnt it Tiger Basketball?

Overheard last night from I-Man as my son was playing Guitar Hero.... "Mississippi Queen - you know what I mean....Mississippi Queen - she taught me everything" Interesting....

Feeling kicked around by XBOX

...I've been playin Guitar Hero 3 some...a sone here or there when I get a chance and have kinda worked my way to the medium level. Now...I am no great player or anything but i did complete Easy finally and worked thru the first section on Medium, which I have benn haveing some problems with...I seem to have a mental/physical thing in regards to how the guitar is played and since this uses 4 fingers on the left hand, I am having problems getting used to it on Medium. I played an instrument so long that primarily used 3 fingers on the left hand, and I only used the "pinky" finger for another set of notes, not in tandem (well..kinda, but..not really...). So my number 2 finger simply keeps not responding. Its weird, but i really think it has to do with patterns and physical memory that is very ingrained in me... so I have reached this battle against this "Tom" fellow and I keep getting my rear handed to me... I am thinkin I might just leave this game to Jessica and the twins and stick with Forza 2. If I do manage to EVER get past this battle, I know i will never get to the next HARD level. That aint happening....

snow?

so...it snowed and as is typical here, it was gone by 5 pm, but the kids did get out of school and all that... then the second part of the latest storm o the century arrived, and it snowed again, but since the first snow was followed by a day of 60 degree weather, the gound was too warm and all the "5 inches of snow!!!" pandalerium did not come to pass...

...And only one more week of thses candidates pounding the tv and radio with ads. of course, we are now hearing that all the candidates are running out of money for ad space...hmmmm...

...went to the Frat rit the other night. 20 people are in the Pi class... and while i can usually eye these kids and get a good feel for those who wont make it thru the process, this class as a whole impresses me.

...Brown wants me to comment on BILLARY and Osama, but i am waiting to see how this Saturday shakes down.

.... hate the NFL right now..it just saddens me...just so damn sad....

Geetar Heeroe

its kinda interesting within the Guitar Hero game, in that you are trying to mimic a song, when in reality, no 2 songs are ever really alike. Even if you play the notes in band exactly the way the music is written, you wont be as soft as intended, or as loud as intended...or are you really playing at exactly the same speed the composer intended. Thats why i get a little annoyed in the game with the fact that I must play it EXACTLY the way it is. Now..understanding that it is a game, I still get a little annoyed when I get dinged for cutting off to quickly or whatever...anyway...

way too much to say

With these candidates here in South Carolina, and the constant barrage of media crap, I'm a little jaded right now about the political stuff. i think I'm more tired of the media (see NBC, MSNBC,FOXNEWS) trying to tell me who the favorite is, who MUST win or quit, who is baiting who and who is being racial or what.... I am starting to see this as the media trying to influence who THEY want to be running...I mean NBC people have admitted that they are pulling for Obama, and i cant watch any coverage now without seeing a blatant bias on their part against Clinton. What?, Clinton didnt give you guys cookies on the plane the other day? While I dont think that anyone, be it Olberman, Orielly, Russert or whoever doesnt or shouldnt have their favorite (everybody has only one vote) person, i do object to their using their pulpit to try to influence the election. After all, is it fair that the networks seem to obviously favor the candidates who have the most money, who can pay the most money to them for Ad space? While I might think Obama is the best choice, (and i have NOT made that decision yet)I certainly dont think it is in the best interest for NBC to be openly pulling for one candidate and everyday talk about the MUST WIN scenarios for all the other candidates...especially since the actual delegates are so close that they all have. February 5th will be a day that will start to weed out some people for real...THEN you can say that some candidates are in trouble. But watch, whoever loses in South Carolina will be declared dead by the media...

I think I am going to just give up pulling for teams until February, when NASCAR fires back up and my Braves start Spring Training...last sunday was a disaster in hopes of seeing any sort of happy ending to the NFL season, and suddenly the celtics are losing, and the Heat...well...they got old real fast. I'm almost afraid to pull out my Tar Heel Blue UNC tshirt for fear that they will lose 3 of 4 right afterward...

Santa upgraded the PC he got for the twins...it now is about 3 times more powerful than the PC i have. This means that Ryles and I-Man should have no problem playing on Barbie.com or Hotwheels.com now...or making sure Webkinz runs fluidly... meanwhile i have to start thinking about bandwidth...potentially their PC, my laptop, Jessica's laptop and the Xbox could all be connected at the same time, along with the desktop in the bedroom. while this would be rare, i am wonderin how this wil go over when Ryles suddenly can't get her Bratz girl shockwave movie to play right...

this is getting silly

...soo...my only real hope for the NFL season went down in flames today. The Colts imploded and the only team with no fear of the Patriots took the gaspipe. Now, Dallas is currently heading down the same street and my hopes for a fun Superbowl Sunday are wasting away...

...It is somewhat stunning to listen to my twins as they talk to each other. I keep wanting to think of them as 2 year olds, not 6 year olds who can now read and spell and carry on intelligent conversations (occasionally). But they really communicate to each other on an entirely different level than they do with me and Jessica, which is to be expected with someone who you have been beside since your creation...

..Guitar Hero 3 has dominated the Xbox since Christmas, and I-Man has started to get the hang of it and can get through an entire song now, putting him along the same level as me, I guess. But suddenly yesterday Lego Star Wars, THE COMPLETE SAGA came back into favor and I-Man is now Indiana Jones in the game. yeah, I know Indiana Jones wasnt in Star Wars, but..well.. anyway....

...the FRAT has 21 candidates this Spring, which is interesting since there are only like 14 active brothers right now. This happened once before and it created a dynamic that I will have to watch carefully in regards to one subsection of the chapter developing a cliche and issues arising from it. yeah, i know...you cant tell people who to be/not be friends with...but class conflicts, be they real or not, have caused issues in the past...The chapter has swung waaayyyy young and tis shall be interesting...

whoa...what was that?.....

siitin here tryin to get the Rylee/Ian computer up and running when i hear this huge crash and thud and felt a slight rumble...I'm like..."what the hey?"...So, I kinda cautiously go out the front door and look around ..nothing... but I hear an engine running, so i walk around the side of the house and what do i see?... there is a truck sticking out from the side of the deck we have on the side of our house. Well..actually...UNDER the deck...I'm like...again..."what the hey???" and so cautiously take a closer look....door slightly ajar but no one there. i'm thinkin "this fool is tryin to run away?"... at this point i look around tryin to see how this truck is now situated under the sidedeck of the house... i see tracks running from the road through the little fence separating our yard from our neighbors yard.."drunk driver?" i'm thinkin... then my neighbor comes out of his house and is like..."Oh my God!!!" and comes running over. Seems he had left the truck idling and went inside to get something, came back out and didnt see the truck, thought it was stolen and ran back inside to get his phone to call the police and came back out and saw me in the yard and then noticed his truck parked in my side deck. needless to say that we will be either getting the deck repaired or doing away with it completely, since we never use that deck anyway. Insurance-his) will be cutting us a check soon, it appears....

clemson basketball

sigh....(shakin head)...sigh....

shreddin...

So after visiting AJ and Brandy and playing Guitar Hero on their Wii, Jessica decided to get the game for our Xbox360. pretty slick game. And I went onto Xbox live online and downloaded a bunch of extra songs... last night I got another gutar controller and now I can play bass and she can play guitar. Its probably more fun than i thought it would be... I can see now why there is always a crowd around the demo in the store...

look...lets just calm down now...

...i mean...I know theres a big primary coming up here in a couple of weeks and all but....goodness..every other commercial on TV today is a candidate commercial. This is already WAAAAYYYY too old. And the first big test of the season for the Tiger basketball team comes Sunday against UNC. I expect this to be a Clemson win as Clemson always plays well at home against UNC, even when they have had terrible teams. So, a team with talent should (key word here..should) fare well against UNC, especially at home.

And...We're off!!!

Ok...lets start cutting the chaff away from these politicians and get down to the serious contenders.... please...these has been going on on since...well...i think it started the day after the last election. Clarification...again: I am not a gays-must-die... abortion-is-sin-guns-are-cool-shoot-to-kill-at-the-border... tax-all-the-poor Republican anymore than I am a pot smokin, tree huggin, lets give everyone everything for free, gay marriage is cool I hate anything associated with Bush Democrat. I am pretty much middle of the road and my vote is there for the taking. Yes, I admit that i lean to the Right in my thinking. But I am not an automatic vote for either side and I think the majority of the country is obviously the same way as me, which is why we keep seeing 51-49 votes in these elections. Bill Clinton has stepped out of the Arkansas woods and sparked the majority's fancy and until someone from either side does that, we'll get another election basically pitting the major cities against the rest of the country, which is how the last 2 elections have fallen (despite what all the "we got robbed in Florida/Ohio/Wherever people wanna whine about).

Anyway...Clemson crashes and burns in the bowl game and that cloud i have spoken of still exist. There is always.... SOMETHING, and this past season fell to missed field goals. Dont have to make em all, but you cant keep missing them, because they will cause you to lose the close games, which is where Clemson football is now. Hit a field goal in the first quarter, and you aint having to deal with overtime 3 hours later. pretty simple, but... lets see where Clemson basketball takes us...team is supposed to be good, but you know...you KNOW... something whacked will happen this season...

2007 we hardly knew ya!!!....

...Ok...this year, I only am going to offer up one public resolution, and it will cover preety much everything i do for the year....it is the KISS principle, or Keep It Simple Stupid or other variations on the name.... from Wikipedia...

The KISS principle (acronym for "Keep It Simple, Stupid") states that design simplicity should be a key goal and unnecessary complexity avoided. It serves as a useful principle in a wide array of disciplines, such as software development, animation, engineering, and strategic planning. Common variants of the acronym include: "Keep It Simple & Stupid", "Keep It Sweet & Simple", and "Keep It Short & Simple". The form "Keep It Simple, Silly" is sometimes used in situations (for example, explaining the phrase to children) where "stupid" is too harsh.

Complexity should, very simply, be avoided: simplicity becomes a goal in itself. Extra features are not needed; an approach that seems "too easy to be true" is in fact the best way; a very straightforward approach may seem less glamorous and less dramatic but that trivial approach should indeed be taken; surprisingly the very obvious approach is often best


I am going to work at simplifying everything in my life, from my daily routine to the kids to my job to everything. Too much clutter...too much extra stuff...all that matters is my wife, kids, family and friends and that is complex enough to keep me busy. At the end of the day, all the other stuff is just clutter and doesnt matter. now woven into my wife, kids, family and friends are things like the frat, hobbies, etc.... so I aint just going to sit at home all the time. But...ya just gotta keep the important things important and get rid of the clutter...

Christmas comes and goes....

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

time marches on...

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

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

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

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

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

another year down...

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

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

Why music can be so cool....

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

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

what goes around....

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

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

How 'Bout Them Cowboys!!!

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

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

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

musings...

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

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

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

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

random...again

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

little snappies....

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









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

observations....

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

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

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

4am?

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

Turkey day looming...

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

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

murky

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

sigh..

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

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

random

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

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

headin into the weekend

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

by the way...

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

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

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

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

week events and friends come to town

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

a samplin of pix follows....

"Music Charms the Soul"