last week I had a brief one day bout of some sorta stomach thingy, which had me actually throw on the way to work... while in the car. Luckily, I had a big ole Bojangles cup, and well, you can guess the rest.... So that day saw me simply turn around and go back home and sleep for about 17 hours straight... all better then.

But that prompted me to think about what triggers that reaction... i think its different with everyone, but by the time you are an adult, you KNOW the symptons.. whatever they might be with you. With me its this weird sensation in my mouth, an almost tingling feeling that tells me "ALERT, ALERT... YOU HAVE EXACTLY 4... REPEAT NOW 3 SECONDS TILL THIS HAS GOT TO GO FROM YOUR STOMACH!!!!.. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!!"

time is going WAY too fast....

the other day, I went to the Awful Waffle with Lynn for a brunch. The food was awesome, except for the bacon, that they used a press on and made it just too flat and unjuicy... I was amused to see that it seems to be run the same as it was back when we frequented the place regularly withthe womenz workin' in the morning and the menzfolk working @ night. I was was also struck by how absolutely run down the place is, yet I bet it was exactly the same way almost (gulp) 20 FRAKKIN YEARS AGO!!!.. has it really been that long?

more on Carlos Estevez

here's an opinion on Charlie Harper

I've said this before, and I'll say it again... listen to virtually ANY Michael Jackson song and it makes me both sad, and happy at the same time. Sad because we all saw just how jacked up he was. But happy when I see my kids and how positively they are affected by his music. They know little, if anything, of the extremely eccentric actions and things he did, or the allegations of his "relationships" with kids. But the reation they have to his music... all positive. I wonder if 200 years from now all the negative stuff will be anything more than a footnote in Wikipedia

looks like an actual ticket to the Bristol Sprint Cup race has fallen into my lap... this will check off one of my must see races... anyone want to go with me? ( i believe I have two)

.. i setup Skype with a video Cam on the I-Man's newly souped up (doubled his memory) computer. I am going to put a webcam on Grandma's computer sometime and also setup Skype on Nanna's laptop and see if video chatting is something they might like... the webcam was 10 dollars and it is amazing how good the video is now on these things...

..oh, I have my netbook back up and running again with anywhere access. Kinda funny how out of sorts I felt without being able to get online at anypoint... weird when I remember a time when there was no internet...

... which brings me back to that Alan Jackson song "Remember When", which I sometimes think they play in the mornings just so I will be singing it in my mind all day long...

If I were President, I would send in 2 or 3 small yachts manned by innocent looking "families" who in actuality are S.E.A.L. teams with orders to eliminate anyone who attacked them (off the record, of course). I wonder how long these "pirates" would remain in existence in that area if suddenly they all started disappearing. None of this arresting them and bringing them to "justice" in some court in New York.. just a little bit of frontier justice.... just sayin'

'Where's Waldo?'

Why is their no outrage about Charlie Sheen? If this was Bill Cosby, or Rosanne Barr would we stiill be getting the virtual pass on the behaviour? I mean, its is being shown but it is almost like "heh, heh, look at Hollywood playboy Charlie...isn't he cute" but there would be a public outrage and NOW and the other Social Injustice groups would be screaming if it were other types of people. This guy has beaten women, publicly demeaned women and its ALL GOOD it seems...

By the way... Finally cut I-Man's hair on Sunday... or i should say Jessica did...

On Saturday, we went to Table Rock, put on the Tevas and went hiking... we didnt go to the very top but I-Man seems ready to do it. Or at least he thinks he is. i dont think he realizes how far or long that will be for him. But we will be returning one day soon to attempt to reach the summit. I did find it interesting that a lot of the same dynamics exist within our small family.. I-Man running off ahead with little concern and never looking back while Ryles hovered back with us, never straying more than 20 feet ahead. We had to constantly keep asking I-Man to come back, or get down off those rocks, or get out of the creek, or get back on the trail....

... we then went to Pizza Inn that night (celebrating good grades and the free coupons the kids got because of it) where I actually ate 15 slices of pizza. Thin slice pepperoni/sausage will let you pound a ton of it. But what I found amusing was how easy it seems for kids to randomly talk/play with other kids who they do not even know at all. I go and look in the "arcade" and the twins are gathered around with some other kids and they are all playing these games... instant friends...

First Spring Training game today and a run at another shot at the playoffs.. people will go on and on about the Phillies... I prefer chasing rather than being chased for this season, especially with the younger players sprinkled thruout the roster...

so... I did give someone at work a sixpack o beer to swap out my Broadband Card. But.. it seems there are more problems than originally thought. It aint going to work without sending it off to HP, and that aint happenin'... it will still work fine with wifi and it seems to be destined to become a device to replace Jessica's school computer here at home. I can get another one free thru work, but I kinda wanted a LTE (4G) tablet of some sort but that seems to not be in the cards right now unless I can wrangle some sorta deal thru work to get that instead... problem is that an IPad could easily be acquired, but since someone asked Santa for an IPad for Xmas, I dont think my suddenly showing up with one of those would go down well at the house.

as a follow-up... why does I-Man virtually REFUSE to wear a polo shirt? I occasionally put out a polo shirt for him to wear, and he always comes down stairs in some random t-shirt. Then I remember how old he is. And that I pretty much MUST wear a polo shirt everyday.. and that maybe I need to find a job wear I can wear a tshirt like this to work everyday....

But then again, I could live in Libya right now....

for some reason, my broadband card embedded in my netbook seems to not want to power on. And i never knew how much i relied on being able to connect ANYWHERE until this has happened as i cant seem to make myself use my Droid to update like I actually can. I keep thinking I need to get to wifi and with my jacked up work sched, I keep putting off posts... I could repair the card with other card, but it will take me virtually taking my netbook apart. Perhaps a Xoom is looming in my future? or perhaps I will give someone a sixpack of beer at work to do it for me...

i am always intrigued by the differences in our two children... I-Man comes downstairs every morning with his jeans and plain t-shirt while Ryles has a definite sense of style that reminds me of Harper on Wizards of Waverly Place. But... occasionally, she has blips... like this morning when she seemed to be wearing a jacket under a dress under this sweater/trenchcoat thingy that Aunt Ellen gave her. Of course, a meltdown occurred when she was advised that perhaps the jacket under-layer wasnt needed. After storming off upstairs she returned teary eyed without the jacket with just the dress and sweater thingy... she then proceeded to sigh heavily every 45 seconds from the back seat on our short drive to school.

in other news... i think I have their birthday/Christmas lined up. Should have it wrapped up in a couple of days. Early?.. a tad bit... but I wont have to be worried about it then. All that will be left will be to relay requests to Santa for perhaps one more year...

so the weekend found me at a few cabins on the lake in Georgia with the Frat for their retreat. I did do a few interviews and am pleasantly happy with the Candidates overall. I think that while a transition year is looming, brothers are starting to step forward into leadership positions, and/or position themselves for serious consideration. These events always bring back so many memories, of times and people that I miss...

..today I am watchin' the Daytona 500 and it seems my guy (the twonine) is going to at least run upfront and be a contender... at least until he seemingly blew an engine.. oh boy, he is going to have to scramble now to make the playoffs now. wow.

today we are also chilling with Grandma and Uncle Jerry...

"Troubles, they may come and go, but good times, they're the gold". - Dave Mathews Band

"To be upset over what you don't have is to waste what you do have". - Ken S. Keyes, Jr

routine and new stuff...

part of the routine now is sunday afternoon practice.... I-Man is producing tones amazingly well for what I thought he would be able to do for a while. he doesnt know the range he is showing because he still kinda just views them as random notes. As an aside, I find it startling when I see I-Man's reaction to Music and see a LOT of similarities between him and me and how Music makes me feel at times... its just that he is far more apt to jump up and start dancing. What is so obvious is how it affects him. And to see the happiness makes me cringe when sometimes we have to tell him to settle down, cause I really.. really.. REALLY dont want to curb that enthusiasm for something so imortant to me...

..Meanwhile Ryles is having a slightly harder time producing tones and notes on the Clarinet. She is doing about to be expected for the instrument, which I found tricky even after years of playing the saxophone. I worry that she will become discouraged while I-Man seemingly has an easier time of playing the Euphonium. I try to emphasis to her that even the most experienced players squeak occasionally, and that mastery of that embouchure takes a while longer than a brass instrument. That being said, she is doing fine and producing notes just fine... I still wonder if this is ultimately the instrument for her.

my computer..it havin issues

my netbook has been having issues recently and my broadband card is seemingly dead, leaving me with only wifi... it kinda has changed my pattern of updating here.. but it is fixed now...

I-Man played a bit yesterday on his Euphonium (not Baritone) yesterday and I am somewhat pleased at how easily he is producing a sound, and has now latched on to the tuning note... I know.. a long way from Drum Corps but, it doesn't look like he will struggle with producing a tone or controlling the instrument. Ryles is having a bit more of a struggle, although it is clarinet and it is a harder instrument to produce a tone initially on... we have have to be careful not to let her get discouraged.

This morning I went with I-Man and Ryles to school for their Men who Matter Most breakfast. So Fathers, Grandfathers.. guys who are important to the kids... we were all sitting in the cafeteria @ 7:30am eating sausage biscuits and coffee. kinda amusing seeing the kids introduce gentlemen to their classroom bussies, showing us their cubbyholes where they put their stuff during class, etc. "This is my desk, daddy!" and "this is where I get on the computer" was amusing... But I do realize it was very important for them. And it gives you perspective of what is important when you see all these guys doing this for someone else....

another day, another class... last night the Tau class started theur journey officially. It really looks like a strong group of kids.... diverse cross section of the band program, which will serve the Fraternity well.

Currently, the chapter has a lot on its agenda. the usual service stuff is there but they seem to have gone on a philanthropic tangent recently, which i hope doesnt lead to burnout within the leadership of the chapter by April. It seems that I always have to fight that burnout toward the end of the Spring Semester, when the class load, warm weather and expectations of the Fraternity all come to a clash. But the current leadership is strong so I feel confident it will manage itself nicely... I had thought I would not go to SED convention this year, but I have changed my mind as it will be a great time to work with the future leadership and start setting up for the Fall....

so we got back from the SnoCation and I promptly got some sorta sickness... just getting over it.

Yesterday, however the kids officially started lessons on Baritone/Euphonium for I-Man and Clarinet for Ryles. I dont know if they will eventually follow in band as far as we did, but we shall see...

So... I am currently sitting in a cabin in Gatlingburg, as the Family Vacation is winding down... tomorrow, I will head home, eventually. It has been a fun adventure with Nanna, Papa, Uncle Wes, Aunt Ashley, Cousin Madison and Aunt Ellen... It started with a cabin switch due to roads being supposedly impassable to our original cabin, but they upgraded us for no additional charge to more bedrooms, etc. and it actually ended up working out well, upon reflection. We then hit the sloped at Ober Gatlinburg, along with seemingly half the East Coast ( at least Tennessee and half of Clemson) as well... lines were extremely long but eventually we were able to get on the snow. In the meantime, I-Man and Ryles went ice skating for a bit and learned about the phrase "hurry up and wait", which didnt seem to sit well with them... Ryles did a short period of skiing before heading back home with Nanna and Papa ( did I mention the tram ride 2 miles up the mountain?) but I-Man pretty much put on the ski's and fell a couple of times before flying down the intermediate slopes. I had to stay with him constantly else he would have tried to go up to the advanced slopes and try to replay Winter Olympics Super G or something... That was yesterday... we eventually ended up doing night skiing... today we went back with Uncle Wes and attempted snowboarding with I-Man. It was a little bit more challenging to him than I think he thought it would be... eventually, we went back to ski's and he started barreling down the intermediate slopes at breakneck speed again... upon return to the cabin, we went out and did a little shopping and got Ryles some new boots and sneakers at the outlets. Tomorrow, we leave the cabin and will probably hit more shoppin before coming home for the real world again...

I think the gathering went well, and I learned some things to note for the "next time". it is always good to spend time together without theimmediate responsibilities that always seem to pull us away from each other... I ponder this type of stuff... we are not guaranteed tomorrow...

SNOWSTORM 2011... SNOWMAGEDDON!!!!

well, It dumped some serious snow here today... looks like about 8 or 9 inches for us here at our house. I havent seen that much here since the 80's... I must agree with my friend Kim that my thoughts on snow are pretty much that its cool to go see it and maybe ski in it or watch the winter Olympics, but it aint cool when it falls in your town. Yeah, its pretty and all for about 20 minutes, then try to go somewhere and the roads are all jacked up, everything is closed, and you STILL have to go to work. Maybe back in the day when you got out of school, it was another level of cool on top of the pretty.. but now I have to worry about if the kids will have school or not, and how that affects daycare for us... or if they will get out early, and who will watch them for us if Jessica has to work as well... oh, and then they ever so slight worry of a power outage, and all that goes with it. So.. I dont give a crap if it NEVER snows here again. it can snow up the road all it wants, but the fact that the roads with be treacherous for the next 2 days annoys me. But the kids enjoyed it immensely, playing with the neighbors kids and sliding down the hill toward the creek and all that kids usually do in SNOWSTORMS of the CENTURY....

I think one thing that I found interesting was that after we were able to get my car down, then back up the hill away from my house and parked a quarter mile away so I can go to work tomorrow after all this crap freezes, I walked back in the snow drifts back home and actually had 4 people stop and ask me if I needed a ride. I thought that sorta nice stuff from strangers had completely died away for many reasons... while I turned every offer down ( i was not going to ask any of them to actually drive down the hill then back up it to get to my house), i was pleased that people actually still did that sorta thing.

so... anyways... moving along...

So thanks to Harwood for letting me use his lift again to facilitate an oil change on my Jetta yesterday. Also got my coolant level back up, and saw that my right rear tire was about to shred apart. This led to a last minute trip to walmart to get two new rear tires... happened to run into the frat president and a couple of other brothers. always interesting to hear of their exploits... eventually retrieved my car after observing the full scale panic that is on due to the Snow Storm of the Century that is about to happen here. wait.. didn't that happen a couple weeks ago?

We then had Cubed steak, rice and gravy and biscuits for dinner.... about as complete a dinner as you can get. we then went out with Ryles telescope and looked at stars... actually saw jupiter with uranus in front of it as it was VERY bright in the western sky right now. the telescope Santa brought her for Christmas is more powerful than i imagined it would be... i am looking forward to taking it with us on our upcoming trip...

Today has seen us take down the Christmas tree, and all other decorations. Always kinda sad when that happens as it means a special time is pretty much past and back to the day to day drudgery is upon us... I am now grilling hamburgers for lunch and am pondering if this snow will really be as bad as they say. I am pretty much OVER this snow stuff... it was nice when I was twelve... now all it means is inconvenience, and potential power outages ( and inherent cold )... my workplace doesnt stop for snow. they WILL be open, no matter what and if you dont show up, you get to use up a vacation or personal day, or simply not get paid for the day... oh well..

for some odd reason or another, my son wants me to put back together his bunk bed.. not sure what the allure of a bunk bed is. SO I will have to get that out of the shed this weekend. But the reason I remember this is that every night I go into his room, I find all these books he is reading on the bed.. "Star Wars The New Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels" is always there these days, but the one that has ALWAYS been there is "My First Bedtime Bible", which I am positive he looks at EVERY night. I am intrigued by this because we are not in any way an overtly religious family and rarely, if ever, see the inside of a church. But I sense that I-Man, way moreso than Ryles, has a spiritual side to him.... which is hard to see when he is calling one of his classmate an "eFF'er" on the playground...

Also gotta try to winterize my car, change the oil, etc. in prep for a Ski Trip next weekend with the family...

2011... lets try again...

Resolutions for 2011...

1) take comprehensive pix of all immediate family members... that would be my wife, I-Man, Ryles, Aunt Ellen, Uncle Wes, Aunt Ashley, Cousin Madison, Uncle Jerry, Grandma, Nana, and Papa. I want to have a solid record of pictures that stand up to scrutiny 10,20 years from now... so that means that if you have some issue with me taking pictures, get over it... in the future, others will be happy that we have a record.

Measurement: A portfolio of photos for everyone for The Holidays

2) Lucha Libre... by November 1st

Measurement: Halloween

3) solidify our family financial plan for the next 10 years... when/where/what are we spending money on, and how....

Measurement: December 31st, take stock of progress

2011?

Resolutions for 2011...

1) Terminate my Dr. Pibb obsession

2) Nacho Libre ... or Ignacio

3) Take the plastic off my Droid ( seriously, I still have the plastic on it after over a year)

ok... so the new year is started. what to do... any resolutions? well, not really, but kinda. any big plans? not really, but kinda.

no huge summer plans for the kids this year, at least right now. I think I am going to try to have the twins spend at least a half week with the grandparents during the summer... and will look to plan a big birthday surprise for them in December...

maybe look to spend less this year and utilize the resources we have accumulated (games, books, skateboards, telescopes, etc.) for fun ideas and activities...

"Should auld aquaintance be forgot, And never brought to min'?"
- Robert Burns (1759 - 1796) Scottish poet

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields near by, keeping watch over their flocks by night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." - Luke 2:8-12; 13-14

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

Santa whispered this to me...

... Santa told me the other day that Ryles had asked for a Ipad for Christmas from him... he told me that he also knew that making an Ipad for Ryles would mean that he would have to make one for I-Man too.... and that this (TWO IPADS!!!) was, errr, perhaps not financially prudent for him at this point in time. But... he thinks he has a acceptable solution for Ryles and that Santa figures the Ipad2 and Ipad3 will probably make parts more available for the Ipad by next Birthday for the twins... we shall see...

"Whatever else be lost among the years, Let us keep Christmas still a shining thing: Whatever doubts assail us, or what fears, Let us hold close one day, remembering its poignant meaning for the hearts of men. Let us get back our childlike faith again". - Grace Noll Crowell

"At one time most of my friends could hear the bell, but as years passed it fell silent for all of them. Even Sarah found one Christmas that she could no longer hear its sweet sound. Though I've grown old the bell still rings for me, as it does for all who truly believe". -from The Polar Express

i find this part of Star Wars so profound on many levels...

Officer: We've analyzed their attack, sir, and there is a danger. Should I have your ship standing by?
Governor Tarkin: Evacuate? In our moment of triumph? I think you overestimate their chances.

Today we celebrated 9 years with the twins... I truly am amazed that we are this far into this... and that they will be 18 in under a decade.... it is hard to imagine a life now without them and look forward to continuing the adventures and stuff in the following years to come.... they certainly keep us busy!!!

Today they celebrated by not having school due to ice, playing with their new Tony Hawk Shred Board and Metal Detector and finished dinner at Ruby Tuesdays. Tomorrow night will see 5 of I-Man's friends coming over for a Mexican, Xbox, Wii sleepover... followed by Nanna, Papa and family coming to town midday on Saturday... followed by Ryles having 5 of her friends come over for an American Girl gathering and sleepover Saturday night.

Whew....

amusing...

This was posted on Facebook by someone I know... I found it.. um... amusing....

Jessica and The Twins got this for me on Thanksgiving weekend and i have had it on my desk this Holiday Season....

Linus Van Pelt: after Linus and Charlie Brown discover the little tree "Gee, do they still make wooden Christmas trees?"

Charlie Brown: "This little green one here seems to need a home".

Linus Van Pelt: "I don't know, Charlie Brown. Remember what Lucy said? This doesn't seem to fit the modern spirit".

Charlie Brown: "I don't care. We'll decorate it and it'll be just right for our play. Besides, I think it needs me".

picks up tree; a lot of needles fall off

first of all, it is getting dark at 3:30pm these days.. has the planet toppled over on its axis or something? Everyday i look ut of the office window and its like, oh.. DARK at 5:00 now... did I miss something? I dont remember it being quite this extreme growing up... or even a couple years ago.

then, I think there is one less weekend before Christmas this year.... just seems like we have less time between Turkey Day and Christmas Day to visit with friends.. that, and my crappy work schedule...

a sign of the times?

... we usually have wrapped all our gifts for people and placed them under the tree on Thanksgiving in the past, but this year for some reason i have been paranoid about some loser breaking into the house and stealing the gifts. You hear about this happening every year, but I am worried that the more dire economy will drive more people to desperation. So I have kept the gifts for kids in another secure spot. But, this kinda sux... I think I am going to bring it all out today and tomorrow (it isnt that much, really)... and wrap it up... Santa doesn't have these issues, does he?

it was pandaleerium, i tell ya...

ah... Americana... since we have the Christmas gift/shopping/mall thingy long done weeks ago, we are not stressing the Mall/Shopping/crazy traffic stuff during the holidays. SO this means a carefree family evening of...

First.. a stop at Pizza Inn. (a side note, Ian told me that one of his invites to a Birthday Party had his name spelled INN... i took me a second to see how it might be thought to be spelled that way) This was a madhouse... but I think I had 12 slices of thin crust pepperoni, 1 slice of cheeseburger (still dont like it), 1 slice of Chicken alfredo and 5 glasses of Diet Coke, all while dodging flying pizza slices, breadsticks and chocolate chip pizza and listening to screaming kids chase after each other and redneck women fight over who would sit beside the window.... but it was fun. Far better than sitting at home. Seriously....




Second... we went to some random place on the outskirts of town called.. Tiny Town. It was the place/house/group who had all this.. stuff, in little houses. Museum quality exhibits of... stuff. And a billion lights that Clark Griswald would be envious of. Seriously....

Third... we meandered back toward town and to the Greenville/Pickens Speedway where another slice of Americana was being shown... some sorta Festival of Lights where you would drive thru in your car listening to Christmas music and supposedly oohhhing and aweing... but not quite. There was also a petting zoo, which actually was interesting for the numerous goats, cows, a couple of Alpaca pa's and some sorta genetic Circus interpretation of a Bison. They even has an ice skating rink. People were skating. On plastic. Seriously...

So... I was a great family evening. One which I am sure will be remembered 10 years from now in one of those "Remember Daddy when we rode around looking at Christmas lights, and Momma was getting all annoyed because we paid 10 dollars to drive thru those light?" moments... I am glad we did it even as I look at my wife and kids asleep in my suddenly small King Size bed and resign myself to sleep on a small sliver of mattress...

this cyber thing has me pondering perhaps siphoning off a little cash every month and putting it under my mattress. Serious. All it takes is some crazed fool (or group) to attack the banking system full bore, or attack the power grid and things will get whacky for a while... we might need to have some paper money on hand.. i mean, i virtually NEVER have any actual money in my wallet anymore. Perhaps this is not a good thing...

... just watched Cam Newton's interview on ESPN. He was pretty convincing. But, the telling thing is what he supposedly said off camera after the interview, when he admitted that he has never directly asked his father what he did in regard to his recruitment to either Mississippi State or Auburn. Plausible Deni-ability. seems like a plan to me... kinda how I would play it too... but until it is proven that he was a part of or absolutely knew (and is PROVEN), i say he deserves the Heisman... but if/when they find out he was/is guilty, the fall will be looooonnnng and hard, cause his mugging for the camera last week was borderline pathetic. Oh well, he is the best guy in college, no doubt.

Yesterday, all over the lace on TV and radio... it was John Lennon this, John Lennon that.... John Lennon this, John Lennon that.... John Lennon this, John Lennon that.... John Lennon this, John Lennon that.... John Lennon this, John Lennon that.... John Lennon this, Monday Night FootBall.... John Lennon that.... John Lennon this, John Lennon that.... John Lennon this, John Lennon that.... John Lennon this, John Lennon that.... John Lennon this, John Lennon that.... Monday Night Football... John Lennon this, John Lennon that.... John Lennon this, John Lennon that.... John Lennon this, John Lennon that.... but... the day before, on December 7th you heard a few mentions in the press/media of what happenedon that day and the significance on WORLD HISTORY that event had. Why was this? you mean to tell me that Lennon's unfortunate murder is far more important than the events of December 7th, 1941? 2,402 personnel were killed and 1,282 were wounded. The US was launched into the world conflicts overtly and the financial impact on the country was profound... yet John Lennon gets more play? dont get me wrong, any of you that know me know the importance of the ARTS and most important, MUSIC in my life. But I cant see the curious things of the past two days as being right...

last weekend, I-Man had a birthday party of a classmate that he was invited to... he went to it and it actually turned into a sleepover. Ryles had a conniption fit and had to be consoled the entire time he was gone because she perceived that she had not been invited to a couple of birthday parties that girls had in her classroom. Of course, she doesn't know what type of restrictions those girls might have had for their invites (how many, how long, family, etc.) and hat it may have simply been a numbers game because our experience is that they want to invite 20 people... but I could only think to myself that this isnt the last time she wont get invited to a party, for whatever reason. Some lessons in life really suck. And it makes me sad when I see these play out with my kids because I really would like for everything to be perfect for my kids. Unfortunately, I know that this is unrealistic and not in the best interests for them. Sometimes, someone will call them a name. Somewhere along the line, they will fall and get a big knot on their head. Eventually, a boyfriend or girlfriend will breakup with one of them... one day one of them will make a "c" in school or fail an audition... it's going to happen. No matter how much we try to shield them, at some point the "negative" parts of life will happen to them. I guess my part in this is to guide them thru it, or prepare them for it....

Lebron James sent this out via twitter today. I have read this before but was glad he sent it out. A good statement...


"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat". - Theodore Roosevelt

AWESOME!!!

last night, I waited in line and went and saw Harrison Flowerpot, Quest for the Dandelion at 3AM in IMAX... it was everything I thought a movie could, would and should be.... the ending where Flowerpot, a 42nd level Mage, cast a burning bush spell upon himself was surprising, but I hear that there is yet ANOTHER book in the works by some random writer from Belgium...

do they know it's.....

98.9 has wound up the Xmas songs fulltime, a full week ahead of Turkey Day... and the 24/7 list of songs doesnt apply until you hear "Do They Know It's Christmas Time at All"? at least three times, which I have 3 times within a 4 hour period.....

But I have been reflecting on Christmas this year and the Holidays in general... seems that the "adults" in my family and friends have opted to only do gifts for the children in our circle, which is cool. But I do want to make a concerted effort to at least get together with people for dinner, or gatherings, during the holidays.

...that being said, Santa has been done with "toy making" for almost a month now... I do hope to stress the meaning of Thanksgiving and Cristmas more with the twins this year as I think they are a bit more able to understand the true underlying meaning of the actual holidays, and see past the Gift -O- Rama that this time seems to be for them, especially with their birthday being wrapped into the season too...

Unless UNC or (gulp) Clemson has an awesome season in basketball, I might have to just skip the season and wait for NASCAR and Baseball come March, because it is looking like all ESPN is going to do is hype Duke 24/7 all season... its already in full swing... and unfortunately, they will actually be good (for college level) and therefore the hype will be in full effect....

Per Lou Holtz, everyone needs 4 things in life:

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

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

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

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

dude... its bad when your staunchest supporters bail...

..but they are making a case that theoretically makes sense. I am not sure that it would play out exactly as these guys would hope....

Had quick jaunt down to Monticello and got to go to the FSU/Clemson game with John... great seats and a great view... it was unseasonably cold... but a great time... also got to grab lunch with Billy McGee during the week and we are going to have to get together with our families... still no Julie though....

What it takes to be number one

Winning is not a sometimes thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.

There is no room for second place. There is only one place in my game, and that's first place. I have finished second twice in my time at Green Bay, and I don't ever want to finish second again. There is a second place bowl game, but it is a game for losers played by losers. It is and always has been an American zeal to be first in anything we do, and to win, and to win, and to win.

Every time a football player goes to ply his trade he's got to play from the ground up - from the soles of his feet right up to his head. Every inch of him has to play. Some guys play with their heads. That's O.K. you've got to be smart to be number one in any business. But more importantly, you've got to play with your heart, with every fiber of your body. If you're lucky enough to find a guy with a lot of head and a lot of heart, he's never going to come off the field second.

Running a football team is no different than running any other kind of organization - an army, a political party or a business. The principles are the same. The object is to win - to beat the other guy. Maybe that sounds hard or cruel. I don't think it is.

It is a reality of life that men are competitive and the most competitive games draw the most competitive men. That's why they are there - to compete. To know the rules and objectives when they get in the game. The object is to win fairly, squarely, by the rules - but to win.

And in truth, I've never known a man worth his salt who in the long run, deep down in his heart didn't appreciate the grind, the discipline. There is something in good men that really yearns for discipline and the harsh reality of head to head combat.

I don't say these things because I believe in the "brute" nature of man or that men must be brutalized to be combative. I believe in God, and I believe in human decency. But I firmly believe that any man's finest hour - his greatest fulfillment to all he holds dear - is that moment when he has to work his heart out in a good cause and he's exhausted on the field of battle - victorious.

Vince Lombardi

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes". - Charles Swindoll

last weekend saw Halloween and all the candy that comes with it.. finally had to hide the candy buckets after a couple days of piles of candy wrappers all over the place... also spent time with Brandy and Aj and the kids all did the trick or treat thingy together... hit up Skytop orchard too...

"Long ago, it must be, I have a photograph
Preserve your memories, they're all that's left you"

Looking at some photos this morning of the twins that must have been when they were not evena year old... i look at these and I do not have a clue as to where, what, when they were taken. I do not remember... I have no clue where they clothes they are wearing came from. I dont even remember the clothes. It is scary in that i see these pics, i see that they are my children but I have no memory of this event. weird...

flat soda

so... it seems my daughter has some sorta issue with putting the top back on ANY drink bottle and while I actually like flat Diet Coke, it seems her mother doesnt. Of course, we never actually see her drinking anything... but since I-Man only thinks he can sneak Capri Suns into his bedroom, we know it aint him leaving the bottle top barely screwed on....

so who was the Nerd the Miami Heat had coaching them last night? Did they seemingly pull a Kevin Arnold wannabe out of his fantasy league at the local bar to coach that team? Who is this guy?

“Basketball can serve as a metaphor for ultimate cooperation. It is a sport where success ... requires that the dictates of community prevail over selfish impulses.”
-- Bill Bradley

So this video starts the NBA conversation today.... i am going to cast my lot with the team of my childhood (notice a theme here) and stick with the Celtics... one last hurrah!... and they will get to play without the bullseye this season. That sits squarely on the Heat and Lebron. It will be an interesting storyline until May, when the NBA season starts....

"A lot of fans were drawn to me because they knew that whatever the score was, I was going to run as hard as I could on every play. You don't have that now, you have guys waiting for next week or even next year." - Walter Payton

this applies on so many levels it isnt even funny....

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime". - Chinese Proverb

As the song goes..."Today was a good day..." I-Man had two soccer matches. The team has improved considerably and while they probably will complete this first half of the year winless, they no longer are a seemingly lost cause. Today they lost 0-2 and tied 0-0, which is a HUGE improvement. Defensively, this team is somewhat stout with I-Man as sweeper and a strong goalie, with all the girls really providing capable play in midfield. Only one true forward is on this team, and he has to run himself silly the whole game and it wears him down... but I anticipate that the league will assign the best newcomer in the spring to this team, which might take a team that is basically a solid defensive team and make them dangerous to the other teams in the league...

.... Nanna and Papa came into town to see I-Man play (and see Ryles too) and they then spent the day carvin pumpkins, getting new shoes, eating pizza, watching How to Train a Dragon, grilling hotdawgs, hambugers and bratwursts and then celebrating a pair of Birthdays.

So.. all in all... a good day as I always the twins to spend meaningful time with their Grandparents... I hope to have them go spend a night with Grandma sometime in the next two or three weeks. I think that time is valuable to the twins in many ways....

Really? has it come to this?

Seriously... Juan Williams was essentially fired from N Frakkin PR after making some comments (his opinions, mind you) on Fox News... he basically said that if you get on an airplane and see someone who is looking like a Muslim (dressed like it, looks like, it, whatever), you kinda get a little bit apprehensive. Well, I know I have done it... taken a second closer look. And anyone reading this who says they havent done the same... is lying. But somehow, the PC world some people wanna think is actual reality is getting out of control... I will bet this to my friends: the next time there is a terrorist event ( and you KNOW there will be a next time, right?) and the people who perpetrate the event are NOT Muslim, I owe you a chicken dinner from Popeyes. I feel pretty safe that I wont have to be opening my wallet. because you all know that the next car bomb, foiled airplane into tall building, SUV in Time Square, gunman in a crowded building, foilled WHATEVER plot will have a person responsible who is... wait... Wait... WAIT... WAIT FOR IT!!!!... a MUSLIM. Extremist? probably.... but we keep hearing that most Muslims dont condone this sorta stuff... but yet you dont hear anyone standing up and denouncing it... (oh, I am sure you can read of some small blurb on the back page of some newspaper somewhere by some random cleric)... and here is the dirty secret... no "moderate" Muslim is going to say ANYTHING, else he takes the risk of ending up on YouTube getting beheaded by his fellow supposed peaceful Muslim Buddies. but back to my point... if he walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, looks like a duck and keeps blowing up things in the name of Allah, well... it must be a Muslim. Until i have to pony up my Popeyes chicken strip dinner with honey glazed biscuits, i will keep thinking that the OVERWHEMING majority of people are thinking EXACTLY the same thing when they get on a plane and see someone who is a Muslim... " are they going to try something? Am I getting ready to die?"

Sorry PC people... that is the way most people see it...

now... Of course 98 percent of practicing Muslims aint thinking about doing any harm to anybody. But until you start seeing cleric after mullah after Imam standing up and denouncing this from the top of ALL the mosques, it will stay the same...

"Rooting for the Yankees is like rooting for the house in blackjack". ~Adam Morrow, quoted in Bill Simmons, "Letters from the Nation," 20 October 2003

THIS is what I am talking about....

my guy will have the best looking car on the track in 2011... all the Junior fans must be having a cow as this is what so many of them clamoured for for years.... yes... watch this be the souvy truck to be at... by the way, tentative plans to camp out at ALL STar Race in May so reserve that weekend for a party... Ha!!! well... maybe it will just be me sitting by a tent and small firebowl by myself... but that's ok. Gives me something to look forward to and shoot for....

OK... I have about had it with Charter. I am going to give them thru Spring, and if they cant get their act together, I am back to satelitte....

Ryles is going to be some sorta witch/sorcerress/thingy and I-Man is going to be.. wait...Wait...WAIT FOR IT... a soccer player... but I think I am going to do this for Halloween....

SO my Braves go down in flames... at least they did do all that I asked for this year.. simply contend and at least make the playoffs... losing Chipper and Prado basically put their offense in neutral and they could just not score any runs... there will be huge expectations next year. HUGE.

so we know have people throwing books at the President during his speeches and people throwing shoes at videos of Obama... this is becoming a joke. Well, perhaps it already was, but I digress. What DOES disturb me and comes up in my mind is this... depite differences of opinion of policy and decisions, i dont see that people would have treated a white President the same way. Seriously... can anyone who is against Obama justify that sorta thing? Not to mention the streaker?... how far is this guy going to fall?... and despite the Secret Service walking back the book thrower, the symbolic nature of the act is profound. But... again... would this have happened to Hillary Clinton? or George Bush... open, blatant disrespect?

Today... I start a different schedule at work, changing from a 10 hour work schedule to a 8 hour schedule... and I will actually get home at a relatively normal hour for a change....

lost weekend?

not really... but as far as rooting for sports teams, it was crash and burn city. Tiger football goes and lays an egg... Cowboys crash and burn... Panthers lose again(not uncommon), Laurens High is defeated, Southern Cal gets smacked around.... and finally... the Braves come back in rousing fashion only to have their Second Baseman blow a routine ground ball and give the game away. This was his THIRD error of the game, and that doesnt count the fly ball he dropped (admittedly a hard play, but one players make everyday), and was a crushing blow.. I went to the game in Atlanta and it was electric. But a HUGE letdown the way the game ended....

Today is... 10/10/10....

OK... so The Office seemed to bounce back last night... did I mention that we now have Disney Channel in HD? oh.. yeah.. I did....

GOALLLLLLL!!!

Thought I might mention that I-Man scored a goal in his last match (another loss... did I mention that his team has 6 girls whereas other teams only have one or two max on theirs).. he has remained in his customary position of sweeper/fullback on defense and, but has started to push forward a little more to help the one kid who is a viable scoring threat up front... this time, he intercepted the ball in front of his goal, and basically pushed forward thru, around and over the other team by himself and sent a screaming drive past the goalie for a goal in their 5-2 loss last Saturday... kinda funny as i heard a parent from the other team say "..wonder why that kid doesnt do that more?...."

on deck...

this weekend will see me attempt to replace my glowplug harness and glowplugs on my car.... also pondering going to the braves playoff game as you never know if/when/ever they might make it to the playoffs again. some people wait their entire lives to see their baseball team even get to the playoffs... i am not taking this for granted...

wow....

... has it really come to this for the people who supposedly support Hope and Change? where is the undying, unrelenting "he can do no wrong" support? Interesting....

watching Law and Order, Los Angeles... lets see if this is worth it... same premie but a bit more glitzier, it seems...

so... Fall is off to a great start... I-Man is doing great in soccer on a team that is 6 girls and 3 boys. In a league full of boys, you can guess what their record is, but it isnt all about that..yet. And the girls are playing hard and I-Man is having fun, so its all good... Homecoming is this weekend and people will be in town. I always have mixed feelings about homecoming...

more later....

Top Ten Moments of my Life (so far)

#9 Top Moment of My Life

...in no particular order

Way back in the seventh grade i decided to play the saxophone... I cannot remember the exact time or day, but a lot of things in my life from that point on stem from that decision. Perhaps a larger decision would be to play in band INSTEAD of playing football (or sports, in general) going into highschool.

I was a pretty good football player for junior high. A lot of people thought I would be a great player in highschool and move on to college. Looking back. I probably would have been good, but a major college type player? Probably not. My size would have had me playing at Furman or Newberry or some place like that. Those schools and programs are great and it would have been a great opportunity. But I didnt go that direction... Instead...

Friendships with Billy, Julie, Jobert and John in highschool developed mainly because of band. Looking at it now, my entire family is a direct result of that decision to do band. Wife, kids... closest friends... lifelong friends.... because of band. Family vacations revolve around seeing friends that resulted from long bus rides, hot practices, hundreds of rehearsals and countless hours at Huddle House. And a long the way, we played a few songs....

Band. Music, Fraternity.... friends and family. All because I decided to play a silver saxophone...

the internet, and 24/7 media is really great. But at times, I wonder... this so called pastor in Gainesville and the Quran burning gig this Saturday would be on page 17 of the Gainesville Newspaper (if that) 20 years ago and most people would not even know about it. But now it is world news... sigh...

technology...

My Jetta has developed a shudder-shake during slowdowns over the past few months. As the engine rpms dropped to idle while braking, it would start to shake violently until it got to 900 rpms (idle)... well, after much reading, I found out I could use my VAG COM tool and connect a computer to my car and access the settings in the engine that control that shudder. Seems that over time, it had adjusted itself too low on air-fuel mix at certain ranges... So, hooked uo the PC to the port on the car under the steering wheel, ran this program and started tinkering with control modules. and Voila!!... changed a number from 32768 to 32668 and heard the engine hiccup for a second and start running smoother. i am thinking to myself "Are you Frakkin' serious?" and get in the car and drive around the block a couple of times. Its like the car feels brand new. Go figure... This program allows me to see all sorts of stuff in real time on the car.

Now I gotta go check in on a cat before work....

WHile everyones situation and circumstance is different, this could be solved relatively easy. I wonder if that same McDonalds is hiring?

I am still wondering why it is that when I lay down in my bed @ 830am that it feels so much better than if I lay down @ 830pm...

go figure...

Well, who would have thunk it?

Top Ten Moments of my Life (so far)

in no particular order....

#10 Top Moments in my Life

May 17, 1967....“It was never easy for me. I was born a poor black child. I remember the days, sittin’ on the porch with my family, singin’ and dancin’ down in New Bern, North Carolina".

Well... maybe not... might have heard someone else say that a while back... but I guess that date is fairly important in my life. I was born while my father was stationed there in the Marines and off in Vietnam. I have no memory of it and have never been to Cherry Point AFB or Havelock County. My twin brother Jeremy was born 4 minutes before me.

So... It all doesnt come into play unless I am born... has to rank fairly high on the list, if not highest, dont you think?

Jessica plays the radio in the shower every morning, and this morning as I was struggling to get up, i heard these lyrics wafting out of the bath... and I have been singing them in my head all morning since then....

Remember when I was young and so were you
and time stood still and love was all we knew
You were the first, so was I
We made love and then you cried
Remember when

Remember when we vowed the vows
and walked the walk
Gave our hearts, made the start, it was hard
We lived and learned, life threw curves
There was joy, there was hurt
Remember when

Remember when old ones died and new were born
And life was changed, disassembled, rearranged
We came together, fell apart
And broke each other's hearts
Remember when

Remember when the sound of little feet
was the music
We danced to week to week
Brought back the love, we found trust
Vowed we'd never give it up
Remember when

Remember when thirty seemed so old
Now lookn' back it's just a steppin' stone
To where we are,
Where we've been
Said we'd do it all again

Remember when
Remember when we said when we turned gray
When the children grow up and move away
We won't be sad, we'll be glad
For all the life we've had
And we'll remember when
-Alan Jackson

I think the part that struck me was when he sang
"Remember when thirty seemed so old"

here's what i think... that so called woman who killed her two sons and then placed them in a car and rolled it into a lake/river should get the EXACT same treatment. She should be placed in that SAME car, be strapped in and have it rolled into that same EXACT place and die. plain and simple.... i dont care how difficult it was for her or how much her mother was on her case... no excuse for it. NONE.

And i have heard calls for the death penalty.

But....

Susan Smith did the same thing (basically) and she has spent her days in jail having sex with corrections officers, 3 meals a day, chillin' on my tax dollars and will be up for parole in about 10 years or so. I will be curious to see if this woman gets the same type of penaly as Susan Smith did... or if she receives a higher level of justice.

And... WE'RE OFF!!!!!

First day off school today... 3rd Grade!!!... man o man, is time flying by.... This Fall seems to be setting up rather nicely... the only downside so far is that we have had to NOT do dance/tap/gymnastics this year because schedule conflicts cant allow us to get to Clemson this year in the afternoons in time. But we hope to resume next year... but in the meanwhile, Soccer returns, and we will add private lessons for some sorta instruments for the kids... they say clarinet and saxophone... not so sure I want them to go that route but if thats what they want, then so be it.. they seem to be extremely fickle about it. i really think they have no clue.... I-Man starts the year off in some Gifted and Talented classes. We shall see if he likes them or wants to be back in the "normal" classes... Ryles starts the year off with a chip on her shoulder... they are NOT in the same class this year and I hope this allows I-Man some freedom to branch off in regards to making friends and not have the constant specter of Ryles interfering...

OK.. so i said before i had some sorta back issue... FINALLY seems to be just about over... now I can get about my normal daily life, i guess... at any rate, the CITY showed up this morning and went into the little pumphouse/well/den of horrosa thingy that resides at the side of our house and seemed to address what I had told them several times over the past month about our toilets/etc. not seeming to flush the way they had in the past. It seems they dont really like addressing this issue for some reason, but they have too cause .. well.. its THEIR device on our property. It is some sorta pump/sewage thingy that i assume pumps stuff UPHILL to the main line running under the street. And it seems like three houses are affected by it... All I know is that occasionally (especially after big rain events) an alarm will go off, and I have to call them. And they reluctantly show up and look all pissed off that they have to go down into this box in the ground on the side of our house... i didnt put it there. it was there when we got the house. Our house was built in the 60's ( in case you have never seen it) and there are several quirky things about it, this being one of them...

Is there ANYTHING worse than having some sorta back strain/pain/soreness/whatever? well... death ranks up there, but not sure if it is worse. I have had some sorta back issue for approaching a week now. Its finally getting better, but .... you cant walk, you cant sit, you cant lie down... nothing works to make you comfortable. And then you HAVE to go to work... i have barely touched my PC during this time... still working on my Top Ten....

for the guys who have been to a "gentlemens" establishment a time or two, THIS will REALLY make you laugh....

Top 10 project...

I am going to post this project which will consist of the top ten events in my lifetime (so far).. obviously, i could say that being born is the obvious number 1 as no other events are possoble, without it... so I will start there soon and that will be my number ten. After that, i will chronicle the next nine, IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER...

go figure

i used to NEVER watch anything Jonas Brothers... NEVER!!!!... but why am i suddenly watching it now... Inthralled, captivated.... as well as iCarly and Phineas and Ferb?

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." - Dr. Seuss

weird... over the weekend, i had talked to Wes about having weird dreams whenever you are not feeling well... last night, I wasnt feeling good. seemed to have a slight fever and went to bed early. proceeded to have dreams about having dreams when not feeling well...

Are "Daisy Duke" shorts coming back into style?.... saw a lot of those in Greenville on Main Street the other day... not sure I like that trend... honest.