All Quiet on the Western Front

The twins are off in Florence/Camden/wherever this week with Nanna and Papa while Jessica in attending a convention in Greensboro. So all is pretty quiet here at home. tryin to clean up their bedrooms of random crap like broken toys, crushed crackers, soured, mildewed Capri Suns and half eaten apples smushed under their pillows. As I have said before, the first night the twins are away is nice.... a respite but the next day I start to miss the constant noise and banter. it actually becomes boring and its funny when people without kids think that it is some sorta all out vacation when the kids are gone...maybe I'll try to see a movie tomorrow night, but I also have to try to do some stuff in the downstairs bath.

OK..so... am i the only person who thinks this "murder - suicide" is a little off? so this girl was supposed to shoot Steve Mcnair 4 TIMES then snuggle up to his dead body, hold the gun in her LEFT hand and shoot herself in her RIGHT temple? then fall into his lap...YET SOMEHOW END UP ON THE FLOOR WITH THE GUN UNDER HER?!?!?! and the guy who found them waited 44 minutes before calling SOMEONE ELSE, who then called 911? hmmmm....

right now, at 5 minutes and 6 seconds after 4 o"clock, the time & date is 04:05:06 07/08/09

Don't tread on me

I wore this T-shirt on Independence Day. I got asked a couple of times what it stood for. I was kinda surprised but realized that this was covered a long time ago for most people in school... Wikipedia has a good explanation, including a blurb on what people who wear this shirt or fly the flag are considered at times. Amusing.

At any rate, a fun time at the lake house with family, and even saw some ole Frat (Kristen Antley and Leslie Watkins, as well as Kenneth Russell) ...did a great cookout.. took the jetskis out several times and I even fooled around with making a short clip while on one that I put on facebook. Kinda silly. Also went out on the pontoon a couple of times, the last up the lake a bit to see the big fireworks show. That, and the hundreds of other people doing fireworks makes for an interesting show while out on the lake. And as I said last year, some of the people have drop BIG MONEY on their fireworks... I will try to post some pix tomorrow during lunch...

what? aren't we all supposed to simply go along???

I found this hilarious, and also telling. As demonstrated in recent polls and reporting, the press outside of NBC, ABC, CBS and NPR are starting to question things now..Click here

The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep...

”I'm starting with the man in the mirror
I'm asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself, and then make a change” -Michael Jackson

After putting it off for a couple of years, we finally hit DisneyWorld last week. We didn't tell the twins that we were actually going there until about a minute before we saw the sign up above. Needless to say, they were ecstatic once they found out why they had ridden 31/2 hours. It took 17 "How many more minutes/hours/miles till we get there" on the ride to Pam and John's house, then 6 more the next morning until we arrived at the park. Once inside, we immediately headed to Splash Mountain, which is still about all I-Man can talk about wuth DisneyWorld. And I got totally soaked on the FIRST FRAKKIN RIDE... while I-Man got just a little sprinkle on him... It really took me a little while to get my bearings because my usual preference back in the band days was EPCOT, but once we got going, we hit every major and minor ride, except Space Mountain which is under renovation. I am not sure I-Man and Ryles would have been to thrilled about that anyway based upon their reaction to Thunder Mountain ( or whatever its called). That scared them and they left the ride a little shell shocked... at any rate, the twins actually lasted longer than I thought they would, going strong at the park from about 11:30am till 9pm and it was worth it to see their faces once they learned of where we were actually going.... Next time we plan to stay longer, tenative plans being to take on both Disney and Epcot, then revisit with John and Pam and take in a local water park and more fishing. Speaking of fishing, we stayed with old friends John and Pam and their new daughter Lauren Grace in Tallahasee. We visited a car museum that has to be seen to be believed. The kids also would have spent 24/7 in their pool if had let them. We also were fortunate to have John be gracious with his time, money and boat to take us out on the ocean for some fishin'. I caught a 5 foot baby hammerheard shark that took me 27 minutes to fight to reel in. Unfortunately, the reel broke just as I was lifting him into the boat... so... I didnt get a picture of it.... go figure ;)

It is really sobering, these vacation times... but it was so fun. now...back to the grind...till the next "vacation"

"Have you ever noticed... anybody going slower than you is an idiot. And anyone going faster is a maniac."
- George Carlin

trainwreck

after all the hoopla about Jon and Kate, I decided to watch the episodes last night. I have only seen brief clips previously and know some of the background but dont watch every episode. I think that despite what everyone likes to pile on about Jon in this case, or even talk about Kates personality, it was still somewhat sad to watch. Especially as someone who is married and has been for a long time. I cant imagine what they are going thru and certainly dont want to ever have to. I imagine the looks on their faces and the stumbling to come up with words are only the tip of their feelings. Clearly...CLEARLY... the birth of the children and the show totally destroyed this marraige. They both have personal responsibility and utlimately the decisions they made, right and wrong, were theirs. But I cant imagine having your life with a camera in your face ALL THE TIME. And then have poparazzi following you and your kids 24/7 too. Despite all the things we have seen, we still dont really know what is going on between those two. And Kate hit it on the head when she talked about being tagged as a "failure". All of you reading this...think about how it would be if ALL your decisions were fodder for public scrutiny. Would you hold up to that? Yeah.. I know. They signed off on it and they agreed to it. They knew and benefitted from the publicity. But...even Barack Obama doesnt have a camera (yet) following him and showing his private moments with his wife and kids. And I bet things are said and decisions made within his family that the public would discuss and not agree with. As happens with all families.

The birth of the children was a blessing to them. The decisions by TV and Jon and Kate to show 24/7 coverage of their life was a curse.

"Failure to Prepare is Preparing for Failure"

it amazes me that how, for a trip I have been mentally planning for about two years, I somehow feel NOT prepared... although thinking about it, I am pretty sure I am...

Today is Fathers Day. Jessica and the twins gave me a book /manual/guide that really has a lot of good information on image editing and I tested it out on the photos below... I-Man has all of a sudden taken a liking to wanting to toss a baseball.... and family was in town as well on Saturday... our cousin had been running around in the creek and eating watermelon, so please excse the slightly frazzled look of about an almost two year old and I-Man... well he's 7 and a half now...goodness...where has the time gone?in 10 years they will be 18 (obviously, huh?) andit just seems like it was just yesterday they were lying on the floor on their backs making strange sounds... sigh...

Vacation Bible school ended last night for the twins... They both seem to really enjoy it... we then went and hung out at Brandy and AJ's for a while... today will see family in town. Hopefully it wont be as hot as they are predicting...100 degrees supposedly....

on deck

This weekend will see Uncle Wes, Aunt Ashley and cousin Madison coming into town for some sorta night walk/midnight run thingy or another over in Greenville way. oh..by the way, we finally sold the Explorer. And mucho thanks to Lynn letting us borrow her truck where I was able to bring a load of wood from home... bunch of wood for firebowls that should last for a few months

Weird Al

the kids have taken a liking to Weird Al Yankovic... I think they like the music more that the humor/satire he brings to his songs

typical summertime stuff

Kids have been doing Vacation Bible School this week... watched them at the end of their session yesterday.. they do this song with choreography and its kinda cool to see how in to it they all are. I am reminded of the fact that I went to church virtually every Sunday for the first 18 years of my life... I am not overly religious nor anti religion now... but I just dont really get into it at all. I understand it, the foundation it provides and I know I am about as versed in biblical history and teachings as anybody. But I just cant see myself doing the every Sunday thing at any point

Prep is pretty much done for our trip to Florida. All we gotta do now is get there.... the twins do not know we are going to Disney World. They just know we are going to Florida to visit some friends, although Ryles did mention somewhat offhand (yeah right...) that she thought Disney World was in Florida too... As of now, i dont plan on telling them until we arrive to park the car at Wally World. I can already imagine Ryles looking at signs and pondering out loud about the proximity of Disney World, while I-Man plays his Nintendo DS in blissful ignorance... suddenly looking up when Ryles mentions something about a sign for Disney World. We'll see how that plays out... already have Mickey/Minnie T's, etc. so we dont have to buy them on site...

kinda have to wonder what Obama supporters think of ABC doing their news broadcast from the White House, refusing to offer an oposing point of view to Obama and the health plan they will be promoting on the broadcast. How can any same person think that this isnt further evdence that the public isnt getting the full story? Can you now trust ABC to offer anything but what they feel will show Obama and his policies in a positive light? That answer is no. And they havent in the past, nor has NBC or CBS. And you have Obama whining about FOXNEWS and how they are always criticizing him. Hmmmm... if he doesnt like Foxnews, he certainly has far more options to watch that openly CHEERLEAD for him. And for everyone who complains about Foxnews and the conservative talkshows.... ever wonder why it is that they are on? because no one watches the other stuff... Foxnews as 4 times as many people watching it as the other 3 main channels combined. why is that? I just cant see how anyone can think that his being on tv EVERYDAY and his announcing EVERYDAY that the government is taking over something else, and creating ANOTHER government agency.... that this is what our President and government should be doing....

at any rate, typical summer routines for now... occasional pool at Y, gym stuff... previous mentioned VBS, visits to Nanna and Papa, as well as Grandma... old school summer routine of pleasant mornings, hot temps midday with T-Storms in evening followed by humidity at sunset. THAT is what i remember summers here to be.. not the droughts of the past 3 years or so...

a different set of rules

as i sit here researching all this stuff about Disney World and making all these plans, I am amazed at how much more I have to consider when taking the twins than before. Used to be I showed up on a bus with a bunch of band people, marched a parade, played a few songs, then roamed around aimlessly for 3/4 a day. Now I gotta consider parking, food, water, heat, lines, patience and costs into the entire thing. And the kids in the frat wonder what I mean when I tell then to enjoy what they have now because it ALL changes once you leave college. used to be the biggest question was Epcot or Disney? now its vacation day or personal day?..

So Ryles comes downstairs supposedly dressed for gymnastics wearing a lightweight jacket... not that unusual except that its somewhat hot outside and it's all zipped up. Jessica asks her to unzip it and Ryles doesnt want to. Well, Jessica makes her unzip it and what do we have but this clothing that is about 2 sizes too small on someone who wears a size 7 girls. This outfit was something Jessica had told her she could not wear earlier to go swimming and it was obvious Ryles thought she could simply hide it until she was at class and their would be nothing we could do. ..it is funny to the twins try to be sneaky or make attempts at deception. They obviously dont (and hopefully wont for a while) understand that they arent trying to do anything we havent already tried years ago....

God?...I mean..are you serious?

"I mean in a way Obama’s standing above the country, above – above the world, he’s sort of God." Newsweek editor-at-Large Evan Thomas on Hardball last Friday.

This is why I say that the media (outside of Foxnews, who has its own problems) has done nothing but treat Obama as a deity. How many times has Obama been on the cover of Newsweek and Time? When you have this type of crush on a man, can you trust that they are giving any sort of objective reporting of what ACTUALLY is going on? Can you even take the time to perhaps give criticism an objective, unbiased to look to see if there is any merit? Honestly...can you actually say with a straight face this is OK? God?.... really?.... where is this heading if you have people who report what is supposed to be fact saying this sorta stuff?... How is it that Obama can go on Date night on the taxpayer dime to New York City and Paris, France and ask CEO's to not take private jets to Vegas or you and me to sacrifice? oh.. thats right...he's God.

The end of innocence?

OK... so some people might be wondering why I would be meticulously scouring the FiFa 2009 manual at work, trying to figure out how to defend better... well... since I had to resort to basically tripping up I-Man in the penalty box to keep him from scoring on me (and thus forcing him to a penalty kick and his kicking the ball too hard and over the goal everytime), i figured I better make myself legitimately competitive so that WHEN he figures that out, I will be ready. It wont be long...

yeah... When I-Man started trash talking me while racing on Burnout Revenge, all the while taking random shortcuts that he just seemed to figure out were there via some sorta osmosis, and beating me by a half a mile, I figured I needed to practice. I sent I-MAn to bed (the conversation when something like "me...Time for Bed, I-Man!... I-Man...But...daddy..its only 5:30 on a Saturday.... me... GO...TO...BED...NOW!!!!!").... so i practiced after noticing that I-MAn drives withthe wild abandon of someone who has never crashed before... i.e, he never uses his brakes. Therefore he is able to go faster, but potentially crashes more. So... after practicing braking in the turns, I waited till he inevitably asked to race again. First race I win and I-Man says "wow..you are really good, Daddy"...but he wants to race again. I bet he was figuring that I got lucky after he crashed several times and watched me drive by him while he was in a smoking heap... we race again... as we are racing along, all of a sudden the game stops. I look over at I-Man ( i was smoking him after he had crashed several times) and he states "I dont want to play anymore. I dont like this game anymore"... heh...go figure.. I made him finish the race after which he stormed backup stairs to watch the same episode of Phineas and Ferb or Suite Life of Zack and Cody for the 46th straight time

So I digress... somehow, after only showing him the basics, he demonstrated that it will be a short learning curve in FIFA. SInce I would like to get some enjoyment out of the game, I need to be ready...

So... I splurge a tad and get Fifa 2009 for xbox and play a few games before I-Man becomes aware that I have it. Instantly, he wants to play me.... Having mastered the basics and figuring out that you actually have to pass to do anything, I expected to make easy work of I-Man. Well, the first match I won handily 5-2 with a tad bit of annoyace that he actually scored on me in about 5 minutes... the second match today found me scrtching out an 1-nil last second scorig match against someone who seems to have mastered the game without me telling him anything more than "press A to shoot, B to pass...." my only saving grace is the fact that he blew two penalty kicks because he hasnt figured out that holding down the shoot button kicks the ball too hard... I'm not telling him... sorry... This is the real world, son, and I have to use every advantage I can get.

"This remedy has been passed down in my family for generations and it always works. My grandfather was told that Diamond Dancer would never race again. They were wrong. He came in ninth in the Apple Creek Derby. And his jerky came in third the following year. A majestic beast. So fast...so tender." - Dwight Schute

If a political party does not have its foundation in the determination to advance a cause that is right and that is moral, then it is not a political party; it is merely a conspiracy to seize power - Dwight D. Eisenhower

Summer is here. And the livin is easy... or something like that i once heard someone mention... I relented and powered up the AC for the first time last Friday night. Every time I do this I am always reminded how different the experience of childhood is going for my children than it did for me. Of course, I wouldnt want it any other way as I am sure my path has been easier than my parents as was theirs in comparison to my grandparents. But as I see how my children wilt under the heat, i remember that I grew up with no AC whatsoever at home. We didnt have AC in our cars either. Our AC was open windows and boxfans...and rolling down the window in the car. And even now, the heat doesnt bother me to go to sleep. But my daughter has issues if the temp is above 75 degrees in her room... Anyway, a project of mine this summer is to get the kids out into outdoors more this summer (and not just the pool) by sending them off to Grandma's a few times (well, maybe like 3 or 4 times)....

..watching Law and Order -Criminal Intent and I am thinking I like the Jeff Goldblum, Juliann Nicholson pairing just as well as the D'Onofrio side of things

...aquired a Netbook thru work...pretty slick. Now I can retire the old lapper to I-Man so he and Ryles can not have to fight over PC's now. Here is the plan..Ryles and I-man will have their own setups and I can use an old PC Aunt Lynn gave to us as a server of files/music that I can access from work. The only problem is that the 20mb pipe is going to be tested if/when Rylee is streaming Disney Radio, I-Man is playing Monster Jam/Hotwheels/Lego whatever DirectX games, Jessica is looking at Utube videos and I am trying to steam Trackpass at the same time... as well as play a game online with XBOX 360. Let's see how this all shakes out with the router. Curiously enough, i am now seeing a new wireless signal coming from my Internet leeching neighbor. And its wide open...I am thinking about testing his attentiveness by seeing if I can connect ALL our devices to his network. heh, heh... but that would take a larger effort than I am wiling to waste time on right now....

And does everyone really think that Pam is pregnant on The Office?

oh..and if I ever get to see a Lakers game live, I certainly hope I am there when they have what absolutely, positively must be the greatest basketball pep band I have EVER heard.... They must have the Johnny Carson era Tonight Show band playing at their games

200,000 and still going strong

Just went over 200 thousand miles on my Jetta. After a timing belt change last weekend by Uncle Wes, the Jetta is set to continue on (barring a total wreck) for another 100 thousand. I'll keep my 45 mpg in the city and 60mpg on the highway while belching (well, not really...my jetta doesnt do that unless I really get on the throttle) fumes into the air. Toyota, Honda, Obama and whoever can kiss my butt with their 40,000 dollar cars. At least until i decide to upgrade... and it WILL NOT be a Prius or some other similarly ugly supposed "Green" car.

by the way, this from my Facebook post...

"So I am to beleive that Pelosi, a seasoned politician and 3rd IN LINE TO BE PRESIDENT!!! gets up and stutters and stammers and looks at her note cards and tries to make us believe that the CIA are the ones lying here? No one with half a brain thinks she is not lying, including any rational Democrat"

So... after watching Harwood"s shenanigans with other people's wifi routers this past weekend, I went back and made sure our house wifi was at least password protected, and it was. But... since i have always left it open and assumed no one would try to sit in their neighboring house and leech our internet, I figured that it would never happen, right? Well... logged into router, saw 3 devices connected. Main desktop Mac address...check. Lapper Mac address... check. Hmmmmm... there is another Mac address. Ryles computer? not on. Secondary router for print server? not on. jessica lapper? not on. Xbox 360? not on. Nintendo DS's? not on. Hmmmmm.... lets ping this IP address... no response... hmmm... lets check the logs for this MAC Address... AOL!!!???!!!!, I havent logged into aol since like...oh.... 1992 or something.... Time to encrypt with password for "mr neighbor leeching my 20mb pipe" and now maybe Obama will bail him out for his Internet. Encrypted, powered off/on router, logged back in and no body else leeching my internet... now... if he wants to give me a stimulus check to help with my Charter Bill, maybe I will open it back up...

another weekend down

Race at Darlington went OK...the 29 was between 15 - 5th place the entire night... enough to keep my hopes up, but he never really contended seriously.

Today we have the Clemson baseball game makeup. showers early but I am hoping it dries up for this afternoon, at least. While we still need days of rain, I'd like to get this game in. The greenville Drive field is a replica of Fenway park and its actually a great venue...

after that is a typical dreary week of work and school for everyone until this weekend when I will be going to the All Star race in Charlotte and jessica is headin to the beach for her teacher Sorority stuff. No big deal this year for the All Star race... just me in attendance so I will drive up on Saturday morn, do the concert, races and return back to town in early morning... need to figure out something to do with twins in meanwhile....

looks like I have it planned out pretty good this summer with spacing as to events to look forward to... end of June will see trek to Florida... end of July will see trek to New York/New Jersey... not sure about Bristol this August... might have to go by myself this year.... then September will see the usual Fall stuff of soccer/football....

OK... off to Darlington I go today... Nationwide race tonight, with Sprint Cup Qualifying, Practice and Nationwide Qualifying during the day....

some days you win, some days you lose, some days it rains

Supposed to go to the baseball game in Greenville last night, but got rained out. gotta go on Monday, it seems...lets hope the Thunderstorms hold off for one afternoon then...

Well... this weekend saw another soccer match.The Harwoods came over to the match and we got to meet their new son, then went to lunch together. Following that, Jessica introduced Ryles to softball as far as catching. Jessica was a pretty good player back in the day so she was giving Ryles somestarter pointers in softball. Then I-man got to toss some baseball with her as well as me, before I tore my rotator cuff and went on the D/L retroactive to April 28th.... we then went over to Brandy and AJ's house for dinner. Pretty busy day overall...

"Talkin' bout yo mud flap
Six pack, beer crack
Over-taxed, flag-wavin', fun-lovin' crowd
They're heart is in the music
And they love to play it loud
There's no forms or applications
There's no red tape administrations
It's the American Honky-Tonk Bar Association"

As I mentioned before, I was working on getting this Baritone up to speed for I-Man and Ryles to putz around on... i got valves 1 and 2 oiled fine but simply could not unscrew valve 3 to oil it. I could not remember having this sorta issue with the tuba. A quick Email to Brown enlightened me to simply put oil in that little hole on the bottom. That worked like a charm, which is amusing cause I kept looking at that hole, but never put 16 and 16 together.... Now i gotta aquire a tuner and get going getting my chops back (like I ever had any)

Bolt has this song with John Travolta singin' on it. Kinda cool to here him give a solid shot at singing with Miley Cyrus. Of course, I am so up to speed on all the Disney flicks it is insane, as well as all the tween stuff that Ryles likes. At least I-Man is still all about The Clone Wars right now...

As I-Man's soccer season is slowly winding down with a few matches left, I am evaluating if this is something I wanna start pushing with him beyond the "Its just a game ...let's have fun... everybody wins, not keep score" phase. I think I wanna go into the Fall and see how he plays as a veteran at his U-8 level... I think he is not destined for Goalie now. I think my original prediction of defender/fullback is more on point

Today I had a person in a convenience store ask me where Dunder Mifflin ( I had my work shirt on) is located..."I never heard of that paper company before" she said... I told her it was located in a warehouse downtown. She seemed to actually believe me...

Time is moving quickly...

The past weekend saw Ryles have her dance and baton recital... It is somewhat strange to now see her performing on a stage I had the opportunity to perform on countless times... then to watch I-Man play the same piano his mother used to play in Jazz ensemble... weird... Tonight as I watch the Celtics, I am oiling the valves for a Baritone that we have aquired. I-Man was able to produce a solid tone right off the bat. More on this as it develops....

Hiatus over...

Ok... I have been researching some options as to whether or not I wanted to change hosts for my blog. I decided to stay put and keep diggin. I had thought I might wanna start posting vids or something, but have decided against.... So I'll resume a somewhat random, almost daily posting here...

"I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do you?
It goes like this
The fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah"

As always, it seems that so much good for me revolves around music, as I was taken to so many places by all the songs at Ryles dance recital the other day. I always seem to lose my way a little when I forget about music and how it changes my mood... for the better.

Family stuff

Bunch of people from Jessica's father side O' the family got together today. The major occasion was Jessica's grandmothers 90th birthday celebration. A secondary reason seemed to be ato get the various brothers and familiam cousins together for a meet and greet.... The kids also did a couple of Easter Egg hunts... I took a photo of the group gathered. It was fine except for one person moved their head and covered one of the group, and their seemed to be a smudge on my lens, which blurred a very small part of the photo... It is always interesting with family get togethers becasue their are so many person, hidden and old agendas that seem to creep up, even for gatherings that are only 4 or 5 hours old. Its like the Frat. Politics are always in play and alliances are alwasy being struck. You have the core family...then the people who have married in...then...you have the kids, who immediately find their age buddies and strike up their own friendships. And then you have the old arguments and grudges from misunderstandings, slights, mistakes and hurt feelings of the past. Interesting, though... And plans are already in place to do this again next year. And I think I will be prepared to make this type of photo more "interesting" next year.... outside of the one person half blocked, which one person looks not like the others, which one of these things is not quite the same?.... just kidding...but amused.... notice the kid with the Easter Bunny ears?

over on facebook... amusing...

"Which Transformer are you?" with the result Ultra Magnus.

"You are one of the strongest and most noble Autobots that Optimus Prime has the privilege to command! Although you have the talent, courage, and power to become a great leader, you have devoted your life to being a soldier for the greater good. Insecure in your own judgement and leadership skills (even though you are the only one with that opinion), you are loyal to your commander to the end. In the battlefield, your fellow Autobots know that you can turn the tide in any fight and so do the Decepticons."

wow..a week just up and flew by... went to SED convention, Crached with Aunt Ellen... sat thru Frat elections and started another work week, caught a quick plane to London for a few hours, then voila, here we are a whole week later.

I have taken the time to ponder if it was just me feeling "sour" grapes or if other friends of mine thought the same way in regards to the Divine Prophet of Hope and Change who can do no wrong and certainly deserves the benefit of the doubt with any experience or track record for us to go on, according to those who say I should just "get over it" Well, today surfaces the video that Obama goes and bows before the Saudi King. Um... our supposed leader BOWS BEFORE ANOTHER LEADER OF A COUNTRY? Well...I have heard from TJ, Patrick, John and Mark who all piped up that they felt the same way. That it is simply getting ridiculous...so I know it isnt just me. I am not just going to sit and just say nothing. If others want to be naive and keep their head in the sand and Hope that Obama will Change, so be it. I am going to speak up. At least I will have spoken my mind and stood for something, even if I am proven wrong in the end. I am not going to stand in the shadows with my fingers crossed that the policies that have failed over and over in the past are suddenly going to magically work...this time. If they do... well...miracles do happen. And it would be a good thing.

I have often said that Brown and I are basically standing on the opposite edges of the same coin. He took a position and has backed up his position with reasoned thought and discussion. I can respect that and am willing to allow that at least he has researched why he believes what he believes. I have done the same thing as I dont want to go out on a limb and not be able to speak coherently on all these topics. (i guess Brown is my Obama... dude, when you going to run for Alderman or something?....)

At any rate..in short...Obama?...really, dude?... you are going to represent me and bow to the Saudi King? You dont see the Saudi king bowing to Obama, do you? Does Obama really want to show us as being that weak?

On deck... Aunt Ellen, Uncle Wes, Aunt Ashley and cousin Madison coming into town Friday for a birthday gig, reunion sorta thing on Saturday. people crashin on the floor and stuff at the house. Cable people supposed to coming on Saturday morn at 7am (yeah...right...) for the THIRD HD cable box... Direct TV telling me I got to cut down this huge tree by the creek in order for them to put a dish right by the road on a pole in our front yard, looking back over the house... RESET the Direct TV idea for the moment and more reseach is coming on that for the moment. I will sluff by on the 2 and a half HD channels soon to be bankrupt Charter is driveling to my flatscreen.

Braves start off good, then bullpen implodes in 3rd game....sigh...

headin' to the road again...

Whirlwind weekend coming up... headin' tomorrow to Cola for the Southeast District Convention. Will stay with Aunt Ellen and get a chance to visit with her. Saturday will see meetings in Cola for the Frat (I'm advising a committee) before getting back home last Saturday night, then back to work on Sunday with KB electing officers on Sunday night.

It"s been a trying year for the Kappa Beta chapter. Some internal issues have hung a dark cloud over the chapter for most of the year. I think that the cloud is slowly lifting and I am looking forward to pressing forward with the new brothers and a fresh, POSITIVE attitude toward service to bands.

Finally...baseball is back. My favorite sport and favorite team of my childhood (notice a theme here), the Braves, starts anew on Sunday. Let's cross the fingers and hope the pitching holds up this year and lets get to September in contention and see where the chips fall. The Mets, Phillies and Fightin' Fish will all be good so the Braves might improve again (as they did do last year) and still finish 4th.

amusing... wonder if MSNBC,NBC,ABC,CBS will mention this...

WASHINGTON (AP) - One of President Barack Obama's campaign pledges on taxes went up in puffs of smoke Wednesday.

The largest increase in tobacco taxes took effect despite Obama's promise not to raise taxes of any kind on families earning under $250,000 or individuals under $200,000. This is one tax that disproportionately affects the poor, who are more likely to smoke than the rich.

To be sure, Obama's tax promises in last year's campaign were most often made in the context of income taxes. Not always.

"I can make a firm pledge," he said in Dover, N.H., on Sept. 12. "Under my plan, no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase. Not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes." He repeatedly vowed "you will not see any of your taxes increase one single dime."

Now in office, Obama, who stopped smoking but has admitted he slips now and then, signed a law raising the tobacco tax nearly 62 cents on a pack of cigarettes, to $1.01. Other tobacco products saw similarly steep increases.

Since no one could tell me where all the bailout/stimulus money was coming from, I found my answer... huh?

By the way... we give GM all this bailout money months ago because we couldn't let GM go to bankruptcy. now...It's OK to let them go to a "soft" bankruptcy once the Government has taken over. So we basically wasted that previous money?

And since we have fired a CEO, why havent the CEO's of banks gotten pink slips? or the heads of the Labor Unions? I'm guessing that the campaign money they donated put them into a TOO BIG TO FAIL status, huh?

Well..it was Tuesday...so...wait for it...wait for it....wait...here it comes..... ANOTHER OBAMA NOMINEE WHO HASNT PAID TAXES!!!!! wow... I wonder what will happen to me if I havent paid $7,000 in taxes. Even if I claim it was an "innocent mistake". Yet this is cool with Obama and the Dems, right? Yep...all that tough vetting. Hmmm....

If its Monday... well...nah...it can't possibly be true, can it?

the past weekend was a tad busy..but was made less frantic when the weather took I-man out of soccer duties....however, he would find solace in a visit to Grandma and the usual jackpot of some sorta Speedracer/Hotwheel/Transformer/whatever action figure... the Frat had their new class join the circle. After what i can only describe as a year of dramatic license within the chapter, they have finally reached the end of the year with SED coming up this weekend in Columbia then Formal in Greenville....Ryles had her Baton and Dance photos taken...I'll post those later... we then had some people over on Saturday night and dodged the rain around the firebowl. Jessica was celebratin a birthday and I went to bed around 12:30. The Harwoods stayed way into the night and...well...whadya know...looks like they will be announcing a new arrival soon... it was indeed interesting to spark up some interesting conversation with Shannon Faulkner, who was in attendence to celebrate with Jessica. Yes...this is THAT Shannon Faulkner, if you are old enough to remember.... It was interesting to talk to her a little about that experience, but I must admit that talking to her left me impressed that there is far more to her than that experience. I hope she becomes a regular visitor....

if its Monday, it must mean another stimulus!!!!

Let me see if I understand this correctly.... you mean to tell me Obama is announcing ANOTHER stimulus package for 1 Trillion dollars today? can anyone tell me that this is even remotely sane? wow...I cannot beleive that people are simply going along with all of this like sheep...

for Brown....

hera ya go...is this blue or purple... I am actually things about staging this for a high key photo of sorts... not like this, but in some similar form.... click on the photo for a larger print... note the aged letters... definitely not something the youngsters would throw on for a early fall tailgate, would they?

"plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose."

Last Episode of BSG tonight. ER winding down... wont be long till all that's left is The Office, Law And Order and various sportin events

As of this moment, I am officially pondering a moratorium on wearing any of my Clemson gear (except for hats) until a time as which I see ANY Clemson Athletic team actually show up for a game that matters... this goes for my cool heavyweight sideline grey football sweat, purple sweat with sewn on letters, grey hoodie with sewn on letters, Athletic Dept t-shirts, various sideline gear T's and and one of 43 band t-shirts i might still have floating around. It also includes the cool Clemson A & M t-shirt I have been holding in reserve... I am swaying heaviliy to the moratorium...maybe even giving some stuff away....

I have been struck by the tragic event locally of a young boy (2 years old) whos mother went inside for a couple of minutes and left him outside in the yard, she came back out and he was gone. After a frantic search, she called the authorities and after about 24 hours of searching, they found the body a mile away in the river. I cant begin to even think what that must feel like for that family. Those of you with children who read this already know just thinking about losing your kids puts a knot in your stomach. And I am confident those of you without kids have no clue. I just hope that no one ever has to go through that and it is my kids that makes me get so angry with the current direction of things with our government. As I have alluded to before, I am not overtly religious... but when i heard that news yesterday I said a brief prayer for that family and for all my friends families.

I have often mentioned that I wonder what will happen when the twins get older and their relationship changes. Obviously, they are "best friends" right now. I think I see a sliver of the future when I see Ryles reading a book to I-Man in the backseat on the way home from dance. Then they get to a point, and Ryles starts reading a line, then I-Man reads another line with her correcting him when necessary. While I-Man isnt dumb and seems to be doing well in schoool, she is obviously ahead of him and it is amusing to see her go out of her way to help him learn, even at this age.

Headlines today...

Watchin' the Dog and Pony show today on MSNBC with the hearings with the AIG CEO... My feelings about the bonuses are listed below. I find it amusing that this little Headline below comes out today, conveniently snowed under by the coverage of the crap today...

Fannie Mae plans bonuses of up to $611,000 for 4 executives; Freddie Mac has similar plans

Oh...and the Treasury also slipped in that they are going to be printing a trillion more dollars. Look at the 20 in your wallet. It isnt worth 20 anymore.

Oh...and wait...Chris Dodd is actually kinda sorta almost meekly stating that it is someone elses fault that he maneuvered the clauses in the stimulus/bailout/whatever plans that would allow these very bonuses.

Wonder how much tax money is it going to cost to fly Obama and his hangers on, the Press, Secret Service, etc to LA for this Campaign..oh ... sorry... Presidential trip that just so happens to include a stop over with Jay Leno? Noticed that so far, whenever there has been a bruhaha with hearings, etc, Obama conveniently gets on his plane and is out on the campaign trail...oh sorry ... holding town meetings ... with teleprompters...

I think the reason I like Battlestar Galactica so much isnt because of the Sci Fi stuff (it isnt that groundbreaking)or the pretty women (lots of) but because of the way music has been woven into the story sometimes suble, sometimes overt. Since most of the people reading this have some sorta tie to band, you understand the profound effect it can have on your life and the direction your life takes. It is an everyday occurence in mine and I listen constantly at work to about 1000 songs over and over and over. BSG also has struck a chord with me because the characters have never been totally typecast into certain "roles" and that all of the characters had flaws. You gotta take the good with the bad, I have heard people say....

If its Tuesday, it must mean another bailout...no...wait...Nevermind.... Now we see this Administration telling Military Veterans that they will have to get insurance to pay for their medical bills for injuries incurred during service to the USA. Ummmmm....am I reading this right. You mean to tell me that Obama expects a soldier, if he is wounded in combat, comes back to the States, and has to have further treatment... that he expects them to pony up a deductible and cross their fingers that good ole Blue Cross will foot the bill? Wow..I knew his inner circle was arrogant, but...WOW!!!! If this becomes true, there goes that segment of vote for good. Does Obama think that he can just go running way off into Liberal Kool Aid land wacky left , Commie Land and think he will be able to keep that swing vote that got him elected?

Now I must agree that the indignation over the AIG bonuses is justified for the most part. But what of Chris Dodd? He and Geitner KNEW that this would happen and manouvered so it would remain so. For them to be standing up jumping up and down is hypocritical, isnt it?

And of course the "Politics of Change" sees the DNC attacking South Carolina's Governor for trying to use the bailout money to pay off debt... which is what virtually anybody who gets a windfall of money would do, right. Pay off the bills, then look at what"s left to spend. But...Obama doesnt want the stimuls to go anywhere they don't control. This is starting to seem more and more about...Control. Control this stimulus and bailout crap and be able to control power and...votes. Far be it to let the money go to pay off debt. doing that would mean that Obama and the administration would not have...wait...here it...comes... Control over you.

...and Pelosi is clamoring for the Newspapers to be bailed out. Whatever happened to the market deciding that Newspapers are no longer needed? Oh...I get it...The newspapers would then be beholden to her, wouldnt they?

Starbuck: There's this one song that he taught me, it made me feel happy and sad all at the same time

The Piano Player: The best ones do.

I am starting to beleive that a LOT of people were adversely affected by the time change. This seems to be more than the usual "grab-a-quick-nap-on-Sunday" and it clears it up thing. It seems to have lingered way into the week...very much like jetlag...

Here is what I have to say about Clemson Basketball.... ?....

? ..... ? .. .. ?

? ... ? ?

.. ? ? ...

Last episodes of Battlestar Galactica starting tonight.... ER last night was somewhat dissapointing, although I did get how it was all tied together....

another day...

another day...must mean another stimulus bill. While some of you must find this boring to be kept mentioned, but today ANOTHER 410 Billion in spending was passed with almost 9000 earmarks. Earmarks Obama promised in his campaign to not allow. But now...its a "We'll do that the NEXT TIME".... very convenient...how much you wanna put down that the next bill he wont cut out anything. Seriously. How much? I dare anyone to take me up on it. And Pelosi is today stating that another Stimulus Bill is being written right now.

This is more like it...

Temps in the high seventies...THIS IS WHAT WINTER IS SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE IN THE UPSTATE!!!!

.. I-Man had his first Soccer Match over the weekend...he was in Goal for about a half, then played some defender and a short time at forward.... On Saturday, we did some cleaning up, then went to a local park for a while before heading over to Brandy and AJ's for dinner with his parents...

First match for I-Man in the spring season tonight. I plan to do some serious picture taking of his match so I'll post a couple of action photos later...

The Emperor has no.... well.. um.. Nevermind...

I want to find it funny, but sadly...it's not... Another day, another large drop in the Stock Market and another Obama Cabinet nominee deciding to drop out... wait... sorry... make the TWO people dropping out... oh, and more bailout proposals to the tune of 400 Billion. Sitting here reading that and suddenly a thought popped into my mind... Where is all this money going to come from?

..and I said a long time ago that I thought all this fawning over how well Obama "speaks" was smoke and mirrors... a myth perpetuated by the people in media who have too much invested see Obama fail now...the ones talking of a "feeling running up their legs" Hell... I can read a speech and slowly but surely the Obama myth of his oratory skills is starting to fall apart... read this article and know that virtually everytime you have seen or heard him speaking, be it a real speech, or an actual answer in a town hall meeting, has been read... not answered off the top of his head. Admittedly the article comes from The Politico, a right leaning website so those of you drinking the now watered down kool aid can take it for what its worth. But I think it telling that Bush was constantly chided for how he spoke, and Obama is constantly lauded. If everytime i spoke in front of people, i could simply read the same bullet points and sound bites, i guarantee I would be impressive. Guarantee.... click here http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20090305/pl_politico/19663

"Ahh...music, a magic far beyond all we do here." - Albus Dumbledore

Watching Battlestar Galactica DVR'd today reminded me of why I like the show...in that Music is a somewhat subtle, yet HUGE part of this story. There are a couple of songs from the first season that I listen to on an almost daily basis...

...as a matter of fact, whenever I take my IPOD into work and simply plug into it all day, it changes my mood for the better, and makes the day go by so much faster. As a matter of fact, I think I will take time tonight to clean up my playlist (i have a lot of duplicates...same songs, different names) and add all the current stuff I have downloaded recently....

"The friendship that can cease has never been real." - Saint Jerome

I had the opportunity to see my friend Kristen last night. And was reminded as I drove home thru the night that I have few friends. Perhaps because of my post below, or perhaps because I have been extremely cautious as to whom I have become close to over the years... As I have mentioned in posts before, the closest circle of friends for me are in Brooklyn...New Jersey...Raleigh...Atlanta...Charlotte.... Tallahasee.... I am fortunate to have one in Anderson whom I never seem to speak to anymore and one in Greenville who I am blessed to be able to see occasionally. I say these things not to call anyone out or rail on anyone. We all have our families and our own lives and time is precious... I just sometimes feel that the times of seeing people for any appreciable time is over. Its a stop over here... couple of hours there... a tailgate then....a stop by now... it saddens me. I love my family and I definitely love my wife. My son and daughter are the reason I do virtually everything and most of you reading this experience this for yourselves everyday. But...it saddens me... life goes on. You hear news of unexpected sickness with friends and it gives you pause. You say a little prayer even though you are not prone to sayin prayers... you hear of additions to friends families and you smile inwardly, knowing they have been blessed again. But it saddens me... with those blessings go away the weekends at a Nascar race, or a cabin in the Georgia Mountains... it saddens me that to even make plans with family is even difficult.

But... I guess I will continue to see these people. And try to make the most of the time together. i think it is why I have put so much mental energy into planning something like a weekend at the All Star race, or thinking about getting family together for a July 4th weekend. Some think it silly, but I really look forward to the exchanges, and the ability to create memories... its why I can understand why my wife's father purchased a ATV and jetski, and why I extend an offer for people to join me when I go to a race. No.. I never am the life of the party... but I certainly like watching the life of the party. At the end of the day, when the end is near or when whe are standing around drinking some punch at a memorial service in 30 years, i will be glad I took the time to ride down to see Kristen for 3 hours. And I need to figure out how to do the same with some other people too...

So... for those of you who read this ( and you KNOW who you are)... I aint just sending you a text because I'm bored...

Social Justice and Shared Sacrifice

Social Justice and Shared Sacrifice... is this what everyone wants? Is this what I am supposed to go along with. No longer am I really giving any thought to the numbers anymore. Every other day is more bailout, stimulus and another program that costs money. Mixed in between the handouts of MY money is another cabinet nominee who has somehow forgotton, overlooked or made an "innocent" mistake in paying their taxes. If i hadnt paid 10,000 in taxes, do you think I would be getting to be a cabinet post? Yet somehow, this is OK that Obama ( or his people) trots out person after person who has has some sorta issue. Dont misunderstand me... nobody"s perfect. But how is it that time after time the same sorta issues are propping up with these people?

I am beyond the numbers now. I have seen enough. I can add the math...and no matter how you spin it, those numbers never add up to the utopia. You can want it to add up. You can HOPE that it adds up. You can think it will CHANGE everything. At this rate, it will... and the CHANGE I'm seeing with will adversely affect my children. Obama's children, his grand children and their children are set. My heirs will be paying for his Vision. His wont be. Period. That you cannot throw some number at and say won't be the case.

I dont like what I see. Obama has been reckless in making a dash to get his Vision done before people realize what hit them. And he is right. Pelosi is right. "We Won!!!!" But the agenda is barreling toward socialized banking, health care.. EVERYTHING. Can't let the banks fail...TOO BIG To FAIL!! Can't let the mortgages fail...TOO BIG To FAIL!! Can't let the Car companies fail...TOO BIG To FAIL!! Can't let the Obama fail...TOO BIG To FAIL!! Let me ask this question... Is it no longer a possibility to let anyone or anything fail? History has proven that the way Obama is approaching this DOES NOT WORK. Can anyone show me a historical precedent where it did work? Will it work this time? is the 4th time a charm?

Social Justice and Shared Sacrifice... Is this about evening the playing field? Since when does the American Dream mean that we are ALL owed a house? What about earning the house. Oh, I'm sure Will will pipe up about predatory lending, etc.? Its not all the banks fault. definite fault there. Its not all Wall Streets Fault. Definite fault there. and guess what...its not all Bush's (Republicans, Conservatives, whoever you want to try to place blame on and not critcise Obama ) fault. Definite fault there. But guess what... beside Brown, I havent seen anyone else who shows any sorta testicles to post here to do any thing that criticises Obama or his coat-tail riders. Or the Democrats. Who has been running the Congress for the past 2 years? Oh...wait...wait...wait for it... it's George Bush's fault, right? plenty of blame with the masses too. (yeah...I know John... i can hear you pitching a fit right now... you have mentioned that fact.)

I am beyond the numbers now. I see Obama wanting everyone who "is of means" to feel the pain of those who are not. That is what I see and I dont agree that two wrongs make a right. I do not have a small business like Kristen and John, but I do know that they give as much as ANYBODY, yet it seems Obama feels that taking half of what THEY work hard for and earn everday by themselves isnt enough. We need to take more from them becasue they are bringing in more than 200 grand a year. We need to "spread it around". Why is it that he knows best how to spread it around? virtually everything he has positioned himself to do since coming into office has been to play Robin Hood. If I make money legitimately, why do I HAVE to give it to someone else. That is at the crux of what I see with Obama.... And I have yet to see him say..."OK. this should be enough". Every Bailout, Stimulus and handout is followed with "we may need even more".... I'll throw this question out there since I dont think I have asked it before.... where is all this money supposed to come from?

Social Justice and Shared Sacrifice... Since when are we supposed to be handing over our financial system and those major decisions to people in other countries? this global thing is going too far. Wasn’t America founded by people wanting to get away from Obama, er…, King’s rule? I think it is somewhat interesting that over 2000 people met in Greenville on Friday on the Reedy River in the cold for a "tea party" to protest Obama and this wild orgy of spending. Bet you didn't hear about that did you? And there are plans for a bigger rally once the temps rise...

"WHAT DID YOU THINK A STIMULUS BILL IS?".... Fits and starts for wall street are not important? Day to day gyration not worthy of attention? Well, Obama may not pay attention, but everyone else does. Does he think that his solution is the only solution? There for the fact that he tells people to buy stocks sends people into another panic? There is a reason that whenever he speaks, the market taildives...

...and Health Care community centers…who will be using these? Let me guess...people who havent paid for them with their taxes and illegals...sigh...

despite Obama's claim ( and even louder shouts by others) that he has some huge mandate(67 million voted for him), over 58.5 million people did NOT vote for him. A lot of people seem to be forgetting that. And a lot of people seem to be forgetting that it will come time to vote again soon. Obviously Obama knows this as he seems to spend most of his time giving that same campaign speech from his teleprompter over and over. However, I can't say that he isnt making an effort. And for that, you have to applaud the man. He said he was going to go to Washington and make changes. And he hit the ground running... so at least he has attempted to do what I wanted to see...leadership

but... I dont want Socialism. I want everyone to stand on their OWN merits. I dont want a handout. And I dont want MORE of my money being taken out of my paycheck to go to all this crap... Bumblebees and Swine odor?

And Erik, people have told me to "move on". You haven't. And you won't because you believe that everyone should have the same voice you have. You and I are two sides of the same coin... mother a school teacher, father hard workin middle class... workin for that house and the BMW.... Our life experiences are a a little different since Clemson but I cant wait for you to look into the eyes of your son and/or daughter, then look up and suddenly see the world completely different... not sayin you'll be calling up Michael Steele for tips or anything..but... just sayin...And while I wont pull a Limbaugh and say that I hope Obama fails...I am very worried that his Vision is not one I currently teach my children, or one that will help them in the future. Plain and Simple.

I still kinda am tryin to figure out where all this money is coming from? I think I am starting to figure it out but was hoping someone else might actually own up to where it is coming from. Oh well...tomorrow is another day...around noon we should see either some new "package" for some random Billion dollar number or...some report of a caninet nominee that somehow forgot to pay 30,000 in taxes...

Finally, I rant about this because I dont want to live in Europe. These policies havent made people want to get in boats, fly in airplane tirewells or make boats out of plywood to get to France, have they?

in other news....

I-Man has started soccer practices and his first game is next week. Looks like he will be doing goalie duty and defender duty mostly this half season. I think this suits him for now. He is still not aggressive enough for striker and he seems to prefer that defensive mindset.

The Frat has its Candidate Retreat this weekend and Alumni are officially invited for the first time. Even though I only expect about 15 Alumni, I think it is a positive step in the direction that will give Alumni an avenue for involvement as well as a planning step for the future.

And Battlestar is winding down... i am wondering if their is a huge ending to this or if it will pull a Seinfeld and simply whimper off into the night...

...speaking of which, don't get me started on Clemson Basketball....

one last time

"This spending-leads-to-growth concept is a perennial failure that can actually harm an economy. Its advocates suffer from a crucial error in their understanding of economics: for in fact, consumption is an effect, and not a cause, of economic growth. Stated simply, more spending without the greater output of goods and services that results from increased saving and investment -- and concomitant higher real incomes -- can only lead to higher prices and inflation. Alternatively, if government spending programs engender uncertainty and loss of confidence, while at the same time excluding incentives to invest (such as through tax cuts on profits or capital gains), the demand for money holding can increase dramatically, choking off recovery. The former scenario played out in the U.S. stagflation of the 1970s, while the latter occurred in the U.S. in the 1930s and Japan in the 1990s." — John L. Chapman, research economist for the conservative American Enterprise Institute, arguing why President Obama's economic plan will fail


Ok.. I am going to dare to be not just go along with Obama and just take it.... I want someone...ANYONE.... to tell me where the money is going to come from for the spending bills, stimulus, programs... whatever that comes out every other day. I have asked... no-one can tell me. There are not enough taxpayers in this country to pay for this crap that I am supposed to sit and just go along with. I will ask again...where is the money coming from? And no..."Its Bush's fault" wont work...

OK...I'll go back to being a coward now.. I'll just go back to doing what I was told to do...just shut up and go along with it all.... after all, I am the ONLY person (well, John in Florida too, I guess... oh, and a bunch of people at Foxnews) who thinks this way. Right?

Who is going to pay for all this?

Its Thursday, must be time for another stimulus package....

Sigh... so as I mentioned, we have another plan to avert the crisis of foreclosure. This is supposed to keep people in danger of foreclosure from losing their home. Hmmmm.... looked in my mailbox, no check to help my situation out. doubt one will be coming, either. I am a "person of means".

Brown sent me forward the other week, and I have actually given it some thought as I think it does ring a theme that I think is true in many ways....

A holy man was having a conversation with God one day and said, ' God , I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like..'

God led the holy man to two doors.
He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in.
In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the holy man's mouth water.
The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished.
They were holding spoons with very long handles, that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful.
But because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths
The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering.
God said 'You have seen Hell.'
They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one.
There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man's mouth water.
The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking. The holy man said, 'I don't understand.'
It is simple,' said God . 'It requires but one skill.
You see they have learned to feed each other, while the greedy think only of themselves.'

Remember that I will always share my spoon with you.

So we can all be plump together)

Ok... gotcha.

But....

Here is what bothers me... Is it fair that those who were given a house when they obviously couldnt afford a house, and now are losing that house, are STILL given that house while those who worked for a house, bought the house they could afford, make the payments on their house, and are getting no aid are getting the shaft? Isnt this simply redistribution of wealth? Is it fair that I am getting taxed to give other people something they have not earned? Is it fair that if I call Citibank and ask to have my mortgage cut in half, they are going to look at me, see that i make my payments on time, have plenty o cash on hand and tell me that I am a person of means and havent had that "personal misfortune"?

All of this smacks of Obama and "the left" feeling that they can/will redistribute the wealth around. I just don't see how that is fair when a lot of people receiving this simply haven't earned it. Its one thing to have lost your job because if this mess and need assistance. Its another thing to have NEVER made an effort and feel you DESERVE a home and will be given one. If you have never worked for it, how do you deserve it? Can someone explain this to me?

wow...check this out...

Remember when I mentioned a kid named Tanner Smith playing at Clemson??.... check out this link

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=oneil_dana&id=3914889

dude is on the front page of ESPN.com

Superior leaders get things done with very little motion. They impart instruction not through many words, but through a few deeds. They keep informed about everything but interfere hardly at all. They are catalysts, and though things would not get done as well if they were not there, when they succeed they take no credit. And, because they take no credit, credit never leaves them. ~ Lao Tzu

Why is it seems evertime I get on the internet or watch TV news, there is some sorta of bumbling announcement coming from this Obama admnistration? If it isnt someone having not paid their taxes, then its someone else backing out of a Nomination for any number of reasons. Commerce Sec #2 dropped today. I find it amusing that all we could hear (and still hear as excuses for any problem Obama has) is Bush this and Bush that. I am tired of hearing this crap everyday. I will say this again... Bush caused some problems. Bush is to be blamed for several issues. Obama (and those riding his coattails now) seem to want to still turn your gaze to the past. Wasnt this about Hope for the future? A different kind of Washington? Change we can believe in?

Today I see where Obama is contemplating using taxpayer money (isnt it all, but I digress) to directly pay some of, or all of Mortgage payments for people who are either in foreclosure or "nearing" it. Well... somehow I am betting that I wont be seeing a check helping me out of my mortgage anytime soon... and I am perpetually 3 months away from foreclosure all the time. If this happens, he will lose me for good. Especially since a lot of these people were given mortgages without credit checks, proof of employent or even paying 200 dollars down payment , much less 20,000.00 Oh wait, I already know the answer some will give me...Bush was President then. its all his fault.

And what of the transparency. Wasn't this stimulus bill going to be "posted" for the public to see for 48 hours before they would vote. Yet Pelosi and company seem to think that "the American people dont care" and surprise, are not letting hardly ANYBODY see whats in it, even Democrats. I guess I shouldnt care about little porky parts of all of this and should stop listening to the chatty people or something like that...

...why is it that all I see out of all this is manipulations to make more and more people reliant upon them, so they will feel compelled to vote for them in the future? I have a great parable/story that Brown sent to me. Its one thing to want to help others in need. I am willing to do that. I am not willing to simply give to people and do nothing but enable them into a reliance on the government for handouts. And that is where we are going...the governement will pay for my mortgage, electricity, food, car, gas...whatever. I dont want the government giving me anything except the money that I earn. Well...that and maybe the powerball payment, but..again... I digress...

Oh and all this money and "stimulus" gets me $7.70 a week more in my paycheck....

on a different note, did anybody see Joaquin Phoenix on Letterman last night? Wow...

True friendship is like sound health; the value of it is seldom known until it be lost. - Charles Caleb Colton

The Facebook thing is interesting. I have resisted the temptation to do the 25 things thingy but I might as I have thought about it often over the past few days

... And now A-Rod admits he used performance enhancing drugs a few years ago. Look, I aint perfect and I have made mistakes. And I certainly am not a public figure like Alex Rodriguez. But this dude was going to be anointed as the saint of baseball as he approached Aaron then blasted by Bonds. Now... this all reminds me of... VeVickers... I can see what i will be thinking if/when he passes Bonds..."There arose a mild applause, amply merited..." as I was tellling Brown via text tonight...what next? Micheal Phelps will get caught taking a puff at a frat party? Oh...wait...that already happened....

Oh...and the #29 takes the Bud Shootout. Off to a good start for the year. Lets see if we can actually contend this year instead of finishing 6th every race.

Updates of the twins

Ok..for those of you clamoring for recent pix of the twins...here ya go... Age 7... taken today out back on the hammock swing near the creek on a glorious 68 degree day in February!!!

What's interesting is that their photos make you think of their personality as one way, while in reality they are trending to be about as polar opposite as you can be. Guess which one is the emotional one.. privy to outburst of laughter or instant meltdowns? And guess which one is the cool, even keel, calculating one?

a repression of "dissent" under the guise of "fairness."

I am glad that Obama seems to be against this Fairness Doctrine bull. I think its funny that almost every liberal, progressive whatever radio show fails. No one listens. Or watches. Almost 3 times as many people watch Foxnews as Msnbc. Is it because the people on the "right" are more entertaining? Hardly not.... and one of the reasons NPR still exists is because it is subsidized by tax money. But politicians and media wanna get all upset that Rush Limbaugh spouts his mouth off and millions of people listen and nod their heads while a a few thousand people tune in to Rachel Maddow whine about how its all Bushs' fault. I sense that Obama sees that he isnt beyond criticism. However, the media is so far invested in Obama that to criticise or have him fail would be an indictment of themselves...

And why is this DTV thing being extended? estimates are about 5 million TV/homes who dont already have cable or sat havent got the boxes they would need. My question is..Why not?.... I havent been able to turn on the TV or watch NBC for more thata 5 minutes over the PAST YEAR without a commercial or crawl across the screen YELLING AT US THAT THE ANALOG SIGNAL WOULD BE GOING AWAY ON FEBRUARY 17TH!!!! if you havent seen this constant announcements and infomercials on NBC and PBS and taken steps by now when you have had almost TWO YEARS to get a box, then I am willing to drop a large amount of money and say that 95 percent of these people wont be ready this summer. You would think that if you were sittin there without cable, and they are telling you that your TV signal is going to stop, that might... just might...make you take notice. And what will happen this summer? ... extend it again?

Micheal Phelps has been suspended from USA swimming for 3 months and has lost a couple of sponsors in reaction to the photos of him taking a puff of the bong down in Columbia. Look... arguments can be made that its stupid for that to be illegal while Alchohol and cigarettes are perfectly fine... but my only question for Mr Phelps is this... "Was she worth it?"

Change We Can Believe In!!!

Clemson basketball is definitely not playing with the malaise that hangs over everything else... Clemson.... The basketball team took Duke out back... and they might have to call DSS becasue of this beating.

...And.... Does Obama know anybody to appoint to a cabinet spot who has paid their taxes, isnt a former Clinton guy ( or gal ) , isnt a recent lobbyist? or have several conflicts on interest with their position and its dealings with others? Wasnt this supposed to be an Administration based on ethics? No...I dont want to hear the "Well, Bush blah, blah, blah..." nope. Aint hearing it. 37percent approval for this "stimulus" package... why is it that Obama has basically let Pelosi take this and add all this crap to the supposed stimulus package. Is Obama President? or Pelosi? This is at the root of why I was always turned off by this guy. Obama seems..."weak"...not masculine..."passive"...it seems to me that he said... "i want a stimulus package." and basically handed the wheel over to Pelosi who has proceeded to hijack and add all this crap and stipulations...

Dude...Obama... Man up, dude. And it is NOT a coincidence that you are starting to hear the bluster (albeit typical grandstanding) and rhetoric about Obama and the US being "weak"

This stuff abou the government taking over EVERYTHING isnt going to sit well...

"Every month we do not have an economic recovery package 500 million Americans lose their jobs". - Nancy Pelosi

meh

Snow in the Mountains, Snow in Northeast Georgia, Snow in North Carolina... snow in Myrtle Beach!!! but...no snow here...no clouds, and all sun.

put up or shut up

...tomorrow is time to get off the porch and run wth the big dogs time for Clemson Basketball. I almost hate to say anything for fear I furthur jinx the team. They showed some moxie on the road at VaTech last week and this is definitely the best "program" at Clemson. They certainly seem to be the best coached, best organized and least affected by the permanent cloud of "getting punked" that floats over Clemson. on another note, the football team seems poised to get a small, but impressive recruiting class...

...someone actually commented at work today that we didnt really need to have Black History Month now that Obama is President... um...anybody who is reading this who beleives that, please speak up.

...looks like the frat Alumni retreat is a go. 15 dollars a person for Alumni. I am now looking forward to saee how many alumni actually show up. The last time the actives made efforts to accomodate Alumni, only 1 person showed up.... now that the Actives seem to have nailed down a place/time/etc, I think I will take a more active role in setting up an Agenda and Activities that would make it worthwhile for the Alumni to show up

... First Nascar race is this Saturday...

...but Jessica's parents ( and Aunt Ellen I think) are coming into town to assist with the re-do on the downstairs half bath. Jessica has ripped up the tiles, and has taken out the old sink....

the phenomena that is facebook continues. It is so interesting to see people from WAAAYYYY back back and see their families and kids, and think back to those many years ago...

Super Bowl!!!

Ok...I think that even if I were Pavorotti/Justin Timberlake/Ray Charles and James Cleveland all rolled into one, I would NOT sing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl... even if they were offering me a whole huge wad o cash. Well, if I were that person, as wad of cash wouldnt be that significant, I hope. I mean, no one will ever top the Whiney Houston National Anthem from 1991 ( even though she lip synced it) and even Jennifer Hudson's seudo throwback anthem wasnt even close.... The Boss should have just sang "Glory Days" for 12 minutes...

...and the first 5 minutes of The Office was simply hilarious....