one of the "benefits" of where I work is that they will pay for a certain amount of education costs. So I am now getting my A+ Certification for free... well, not exactly free in that I have to actually work at my  job and go there everyday. And that it does take time... so every morning I take a little time to watch videos and do labs and take quizzes... This will be huge in that it will instantly open up doors for me to think about other opportunities within the company, or even elsewhere if I thought I could improve on salary. But a short term benefit will be an increase in pay due to that certification being on my resume. Its funny in that so much of this stuff I already know. I will also be going on to get the Networking Certification, as well. Now THAT will be stuff I am not as totally familiar with.

while I am definitely undecided (and still Independent) I have been piqued and amused by Herman Cain. I am not sure he is what we need as President. but what I find pisses me off is that the supposed "Progressives" are all out attcking him now that they see he has a little traction? And the nastiness of the supposed enlightened Liberals is funny. What? oh.. I forgot, all Black people are supposed to be Democrats right? If you dare think outside of that mold.. dare think for yourself and think against what we are told to think, then we are Uncle Tom's and "smoking from a crack pipe". And the attacks on Cain will get worse. And where will they come from? Think about it... I am reminded of the fact that Jackie Robinson was called an Uncle Tom when he was involved in the Nixon campaign and Administration. He, like me, had a lot of opinions that could be "labeled" as Left or Right... which, by the way, I think most people are.. But it pisses me off when I see the obvious cheerleaders for Obama at MSNBC, or NBC or CBS or ABC or NPR... openly diss Hermain Cain and look to tear him down. What? he's not Black enough? (and we all know Cain is waaayyy more "black" than Obama can ever claim to be.. or ever was) or is it that if he does succeed, it blows the "Blacks MUST be Democrats" notion out of the water? It seems you can be diverse as long as you are diverse in the way WE tell you to be....

so... I think I am a tad bit tired of Halloween. First of all, we start talking about this so called "holiday"? in late August and when it falls on a Monday (or even Sunday) it is a 3 or 4 day gorge fest on candy. now... i like candy. I dont eat too much of it for many reasons. But it really is all the kids are thinking about. It really is selfish and we all feed into it.. How much did you get? what did you get? I think the Charlie Brown Special pretty much sums it up... "I got a rock"

and as I have said before, I am not sure I like how the "Holidays" are heading. We will now essentially bypass Thanksgiving and start getting pounded on Christmas "stuff". And I am not talking about the actual meaning /history/symbolism of Christmas. But the Santa/Skatell her/Its he most wonderful time of the year over and over will start to be pushed down our throats. Once again, i tread carefully cause I dont want that part of Christmas going away.. But I also want to make sure the twins understand where these "Holidays" actually came from this year. And the symbolism of Santa and gift giving, etc. will have to be stressed this year... I think I might have to find that "The Little Drummer Boy" on DVD to go a long with the Charlie Brown Specials, Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer, Santa Claus is Coming to Town and... yes... The Polar Express.

in the ongoing saga that is my car update, I have one last thing to do that requires immediate attention.. it is sitting at a shop in town and they ordered a part but, alas.. it was the WRONG part... now why they sat around and didnt tell me this for two days is beyond me... so I assume  that they will order the correct part, right?. WRONG... so when I call to inquire dude is like "we found one (the part)".. ... I'm like sitting here thinking..."and?"... but he hasnt ordered it yet. Like he thinks I am having to debate between dealer ($1600.00) and him ($600.00)... but I tell him to hold tight and I get back on the Internet and find a place that is even better priced. I am getting ready to order this part when I take another look on my TDIclub website I frequent and stumble across warning after dire warning after sad sad story of destroyed engines due to parts ordered from this company... seems like dude is using some sorta Chinese rebuilt parts and uses several "fronts" on the internet to sell parts at an extremely reduced rate, beating price and sucking in value conscious (read: too cheap to pay the exorbitant dealer cost... like me) people.. lots of blown engines and eventual $5000 costs to rebuild/replace engines after parts from this parts dealer... so.. back to my local TDI guy. I walk in and tell him face to face to order this part and get it done. NOW, please?

some of John Wooden's Maxims...

• Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.
• Flexibility is the key to stability.
• Be quick, but don't hurry.

by the way, I am assuming the Tigers wont take UNC lightly tomorrow... that being said, I wount be caught off guard like i was last week. I went into watching the Maryland game with my "B" Clemson hat, a trucker hat that is somewhat retro... i wanted to see Clemson win without my wearing the same hat I had worn for all the other victories... i stuck with it thru halftime and gave in, running upstairs and getting the "lucky" A cap, a fitted khaki cap that simply says TIGERS with an embroidered small tiger paw on the back. Put it on and sat down to watch the second half with renewed confidence and karma back on my/our/their side. And Voila!!!.. Clemson storms back and wins... I know I am not alone in knowing that type of stuff matters... like the Dallas Cowboys unlucky blue jerseys, or the Braves crappy batting practice blue jerseys they always seems to start losing streaks in... karma matters and I will have my hat on just to make sure tomorrow...

Going into the Columbia tourney, I-Man's soccer team had won only one match.. way back in August. And it is interesting to start to hear the grumbling on the sidelines from the other parents about the coach, club, etc... its kinda like what I bet will happen if/when the inevitable losses happen with Clemson (although the current talent amassed at Clemson makes me think 2 or maybe 3 good seasons in the queue right now...) and the whispering  is really hard on this first time coach. at any rate, I-Man's team is coming off a a good showing at the tourney and a win last Saturday against another Academy team 2-1... They seem to have gotten a little confidence with this success. But Sunday sees a return to league play... we shall see. His team is really designed to be training for next year. The Club seems bent on getting this group in physical shape more so than winning...

so.. i bit the bullet. I changed up the look. Its been over 5 years since I settled on the old look. What do you think? I think this will allow viewing of the photos better...

speaking of Lou Holtz, I am rereading his book I have during breaks at work. And I came across this that I have posted before, but I always feel is good food for thought...

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.

I met President Obama the other day at work...  I asked him about my 40 acres and a mule. he looked around for his teleprompter and said "No comment" He was more interested in whether or not Clemson would be able to get past UNC and GaTech to get to 9-0. I told him that Lou Holtz once told me "You're never as good as everyone tells you when you win, and you're never as bad as they say when you lose"... I think I will take that and run with it until January....

So... not too long ago, we totally overhauled the HVAC system in the house... must admit that our first two power bills have absolutely stunned me. over 200% lower have the power bills been... now I am pondering just where I want to set the temp for the house for winter. It seems to want to stay @ around 68 downstairs naturally but I think 70 is more where I want to sit and perhaps leave the heat off upstairs during the day and maybe heat it to 75 in the morning and bedtime hours. this dual zone stuff might be the best thing invented since the TDI engine... speaking of which, i have decided to get the fuel injection pump replaced totally. that should bring the jetta totally back up to speed.

by the way, they are completely replacing the bridge below our house and the road is closed. They actually redirected the creek while they are working down in the ground rebuilding the bridge. Looking at the wood poles that were basically holding up the old bridge, I can see why they suddenly said that heavy trucks and vehicles could not cross over it (the garbage/recycling trucks have to back down the street a 1/4 mile to our house right now). they were rotting and it was a matter of time before it would have collapsed.... but it looks like they are opening up the area below the bridge, which will alleviate the concern over a backup during heavy rains from a dead deer or cow blocking the water flow and flooding our downstairs...

So I got a RFID blocking wallet a couple of weeks ago... it is actually made out of steel... as in the entire thing is made out of metal,but it is not hard like you would imagine it would be.... So when the vending machines start zapping you out of a $1.25 just because you walk by them here in the near future I hope i will be prepared

So I watched the Dabo Swinney show a little while ago... it was funny to see the tell tale smirk on his face. It was filmed not too long after the victory Saturday night. It immediately reminded me of the feeling and smirk I have when I play I-Man in Fifa 11 soccer on Xbox. let me explain... for some reason my son has this ability to play outstandingly well for a 9 year old on Xbox, seemingly picking up games within minutes that it has taken me years to become slightly competitive at. So, after getting clocked by his Chelsea team and having to hear his 9 year old smack talk one match, I made my own Pinewood Drive Raiders Soccer Club team to play against him. This team consist of players that I have painstakingly made one by one, position by position, rating by rating... and of course all the ratings are maxed out at 100 percent. So.. whenever I want to score, it is relatively easy. Whenever I want to take the ball away, it is relatively easy. So after I clocked him 15 -3 (he still amazingly scores against a stacked team) I-Man is wondering out loud "how are you so good, Daddy" and I have that smirk... the same smirk Dabo has as he realizes he has more talent than the other guy. And that he can call that "Boyd fake pumps and throws the ball up deep for Watkins and he makes a spectacular catch for a touchdown everytime" play whenever he wants too and whenever he needs to and the other team cant stop it ...(yet)...

So..I have several things wrong with my Jetta.. it seems I can accrue some of this to the fact that it has over 260,000 miles on it. But... it is in the process of having the oil changed, fuel injection timing set, rear brakes replaced, coolant changed out, glow plugs and plow plug harness replaced and power steering checked... all that should get me on the road to well over 300,000 miles... but I saw something the other day that solidified the fact I will have another diesel when/if i replace this car in the future... Uncle Wes replaced the fuel filter in the Jetta for me in the midst of helping me to troubleshoot some issue with the Jetta slow starting. I saw him put straight up OIL in the fuel filter to prime it.. and I was able to, after some coughing and sputtering,  have the car crank up and run like a champ (like it usually has).. IT WAS OIL.... not Diesel...and the car fired up. I was stunned. I'm like "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?.. doubt I could pour oil in Jessica's fuel and have it crank up.. would probably be spending time and money at a dealer if we did that..." Of course the fact that people modify Jetta's to run on old deep fryer oil from McDonalds should have clued me in.. but I was skeptical. Wes poured virtually an entire quart of oil and my car cranked and ran. I assume the oil assisted with sucking the fuel thru the oil filter (which has some oil residing in it anyway) but that type of reliability/toughness/versatility has me sold that I will NEVER have anything other than a diesel for the rest of my life. No gas... certainly no electric... just environment screwing, torque supplying, gas mileage champion diesel engines for me... thank you very much.

and did I mention I can get 800 miles on a $45.00 tank of gas?


now watch the Jetta engine blow up next week or something....

 So I only 3/4 noticed this box that has been sitting in the den for the past couple of months on top of one of my speakers... I vaguely remember Ryles saying something about me giving her money for vacuuming the floor, etc. I DO remember thinking that "I give you money everyday... as a matter of fact the only reason I work is to give you money, if not directly... certainly indirectly...you just dont realize it..." but I digress. After realizing that she has been working hard to do chores, etc. I took another look at the box and laughed when I was actually able to read what was said on this box. You have to click on the pictures and read what it says... I also thought it clever that there exist two slots... obviously one for coins and one for dollar bills(envelopes?). Kinda reminds me of that tithe box they used have sitting up in front of the church that they kinda seemed to guilt you into putting stuff in.... you know the one I'm talking about that looks like a replica of the church and has a slot in the steeple....

so I think I am going to change things up and change the template on this blog....

I got home last night and when I went into our upstairs bath I noticed it was clean and thought "Jessica must have cleaned up in here" which is nothing unusual... so when Ryles tells me that she cleaned up the bathroom upstairs by herself. I must admit I was impressed. This was more than her usual shove.all.her.clothes.in.the.closet.and.close.her.french.doors type of "cleaning" she does in her own room... this was legit. Perhaps this is a new page I am looking at...

I wonder if this Herman Cain deal will continue to rise. The media continues to try to ignore or discount him. But the word on the street has his stock quickly rising. Is it that he isnt what THEY want? i hear he hasnt ever held elected office or doesnt have experience. Can you show me what experience Obama had? and dont give me the "he was a Senator" crap because it has been shown that everytime Obama has been elected, he has immediately started running for his next office and done little actual work in office. And I find if funny that Liberals (and so called Progressives) call him an Uncle Tom and say he has a self image problem because he is conservative. Of course the same has been said about me.

anyways, I am not sold on him (or any candidate on either side) yet and it is still a ways out. And I am not looking forward to the bombardment of this stuff starting pretty much next month until November 2012... but the Florida GOP has forced all of this to start to come to bear by the end of November... it will be whittled down to 4 or 5 Republican candidates by Turkey Day probably and it still remains to be seen if anyone will seriously mount a primary bid against Obama . I doubt that happens

I often sometimes feel that I have to constantly defend I-Man as he is seemingly the only boy amongst all our family and friends children, and at times receives what I feel is an inordinate amount of blame for any incident that ever happens with all the women (girlz) cousins who he is with. Of course, the fact that he is not yet 10 years old, but wears size 12-14 clothes perhaps influences people to think that he should act older than he actually is.  But when I see him, I see a young kid who is intelligent and perceptive and at times carries is emotions on his sleeve, so to speak. And you can see him get confused and despondent when things happen that he really feels wasn't his fault yet gets blamed for because the perception always seems to be that he was doing something to hard, or too loud, or too whatever... when actually it is the girls who instigated, and did something to themselves. His sister has become very adept and trying to manipulate everyone to get her brother in trouble and I am going to have to start clamping down on her constantly trying to tattle on him, and doing things that they would both get in trouble for, but blames I-Man for instigating, when he typically follows her actions...anyway, yesterday we did get to spend time with cousins Madison and Meredith at the park. And I am always happy to have them get together as I-Man is very fond of his cousin Madison...

So the past weekend saw us travel to Columbia for I-Mans's first Academy team soccer tourney. I think that it was a great educational experience for I-Man and his teammates in that even though they have lost all their matches except one this season, the understanding that there are a whole lot of other people playing from places far far away that are as good, or better .. or worst than them. The first match was a classic eye opening experience as the other team was on another level and crushed the team 1 to 7. Of course, within 37 seconds the loss was forgotten and they were all running around playing for the next 3 hours until the next match where the team played their second match and "seemed" to respond to the increased level of play , this time tieing 3 to 3 and had several opportunities to score the game winner. After watching Clemson seemingly turn a page (for the better) against VaTech, the team returned to the pitch the next day and won match 3 (3-1) but failed to advance out of the quarterfinals on point differential. Not that any of the kids on the team even were aware of that or that goals for and against were even more important than they normally are. It didn't really matter because the experience was very beneficial and I foresee them playing far better back in their home league from now on... While I-Man is my son and I am always proud of him, I must brag a tad and say that he is Captain of his team (and has been Captain of every team he has been on) and it does make me proud to watch him leading his team in the warm-ups and then going out to meet the refs and do the coin toss. It means he is doing SOMETHING well, at least. Well, actually, he is doing a lot well... School, Sports, Baritone... "knock on wood"

Today... Work... then off to Columbia for I-Mans soccer tourney. First match @ 9:10am followed by the second @ Noon. The we will know if he has one or two matches on Sunday... I am guessing that this will be a true wakeup call for the team, which has only won a single match and suffers from a lack of goal scoring ability (which is highly needed if you want to win). But the leap in level of play might have the team shell shocked by Saturday afternoon. Or.. we might see that they are better than their scores have indicated... then we will watch the VaTech game and see how Clemson fares in the hostile road environment....

On a day that I am a tad bit miffed (but over it) I go back to one of the things that always soothes my heart... on go the bluetooth headphones and I start downloading music. Music... "Thriller".."Seniorita".. "Taking Care of Business".. "Rappers Delight".. "All Blues"... "He Got Game"... makes folding clothes go by so much easier..

Now off to work I go...

a few minutes ago the War Chant played on my Thunderbolt... it has played 162 times this year telling me of the final score of the Braves game.  it was for the last time this year... as the Braves went down in a huge crash and burn tonight ending their season on the last day of the year. Oh, I already knew the score, as I often did this year as I watched or listened to parts of or all of almost every game this year. This was a bitter end to a season and I almost would rather they have been 20 games back and out of the race by August. But it was not meant to be. This team was flawed despite the great pitching (that, ironically let them down in the last two weeks of the season) and was doomed by inexplicable lack of hitting at the most inopportune times. Of course, in baseball lack of hitting is NEVER at a good time, so I guess I digress... at least now I can wear whatever hat I want and not be worried about jinxes or karma affecting the Braves...

I think I am somewhat melancholy about it is that i seemingly am the only person pulling for them that I know on a daily basis. I was looking forward to going to a playoff game, even if it meant what seems to be increasingly solo endeavors to things that I like. So as I watched the last out on the Braves season, a little part of me died. I hope it is reborn in April and I will begin that daily routine again... until then I take off the Braves app and remove the Braves alert and War Chant. I look forward to hearing that again with promise and potential that the young Braves players will have learned their bitter lessons...

at least I am not a Cubs fan.. or Pirates... wow.. that must TRULY suck.

so another fun weekend was to be had... went with the twins to the local college football game (heh, heh) and it wasn't too hot, or crowded or all the usual stuff that would make me hesitate to bother with taking them, since they generally don't give a flip about football, etc...

I fear that all I have done is awakened a sleeping giant
and filled him with a terrible resolve. --Admiral Yamamoto after the Pearl Harbor attack, December 7, 1941

I remember as I was watching the Today Show and commenting to someone just how difficult it would be to crash a plane into the World Trade Center.. then I saw live the second plane hit. I remember thinking "THAT... was on purpose"

"Mail your packages early so the post office can lose them in time for Christmas.” - Johnny Carson

With the impending demise of the Post Office, I am pondering if I should take out pen and pad and write a couple of letters. I remember a time when a facebook message or a text didn't exist, and it was so cool to get a letter from a friend in the mail. I can remember often that some summers that was the highlight of my week. It is a lost art... letter writing. I think it takes some commitment to write a letter now. it takes time and with it, a lot of thought about what you are saying, and more importantly, who you are saying it to... I like that. I think I am going to write a letter....

"Friendship... is not something you learn in school. But if you haven't learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven't learned anything". -Muhammad Ali

""A good friend of mine used to say, "This is a very simple game. You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains." Think about that for a while." - Ebby Calvin Laloosh

The Braves lost tonight... got swept by the Phillies. I used to absolutely live and die by the Braves. But somewhere along the line I stopped over reacting to the wins and the losses. The same for Clemson. And a handful of other teams I truly root for. I think it was the NCState game a loooooong time ago where when Clemson was ranked 6th in the country they got two punts blocked and lost in Raleigh. I will never forget kicking my shako across the stands and sitting there for 30 minutes after the game while the buses loaded and someone had to come get me out of the stands. I rode the bus to the hotel in uniform and I can remember feeling so upset/angry/sad /ill that i went straight to bed despite it being 6pm in the evening.... Or it might have been the '96 World Series when the Braves had the by far better team and lost to the Yankees. I will never forget Charlie Hayes squeezing the fly ball for the final out and feeling the absolute rage inside... from that time on I still root for my teams and even get a tad annoyed when they lose. but that annoyance usually last about 45 seconds now. Somewhere along the line I realized it is just a game. And while I love rooting and following and getting a little miffed at coaching and the lack of killer instinct of teams i root for, i always feel happy when I realize that I have been blessed with so much. And that matters so much more....

IN PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS :    We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough and we'll be more content when they are. After that, we're frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage. We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, are able to go on a nice vacation,or when we retire. The truth is, there's no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, when? Your life will always be filled with challenges.

It's best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway.
Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have
and treasure it more because you shared it with someone special,
special enough to spend your time with...and remember that time
waits for no one.

So, stop waiting

--until your car or home is paid off
--until you get a new car or home
--until your kids leave the house
--until you go back to school
--until you lose ten pounds
--until you gain ten pounds
--until you finish school
--until you get a divorce
--until you get married
--until you have kids
--until you retire
--until summer
--until spring
--until winter
--until fall
--until you die

There is no better time than RIGHT NOW to be happy.
Happiness is a JOURNEY, not a destination.

So -- work like you don't need money,
Love like you've never been hurt,
And dance like no one's watching.

~author unknown~

and we're off....

First Day of school.... Ryles was asked to be on SafetyPatrol which means she has to be first at school in mornings...she also joins I-Man in Gifted/Talented classes this year... Baritone and Clarinet classes start again tomorrow...soccer practice every other day... matches on Sundays in Greenville. Oh.. and I forgot about homework... Snapped a quick photo before hopping in the car and the twins seemed a little jaded with having to do this again. alays kinda sobering dropping them off as I barely get a goodbye and they are off hugging friends and showing off the newest Pokemon cards....

so we turn the corner and leave leave putrid August behind... and now head into Fall. FINALLY the kids start school tomorrow, Football has started, soccer is in full swing and the weather is slowly... ever so slowly... turning better. The Braves are contending and just need to figure out how to hold on for 3 more weeks (fingers crossed)....

... the weekend saw us hangout at Twin Lakes with Uncle Wes, Aunt Ashley, Cousin Madison and new cousin Meridith(i hope i spelled her name right). We went out on the boat and tooled around Lake Harwell near campus for a couple of ours, revisiting the levees, the trestle of pain and the old Issaqueena Dam. Weird that they have access to the actual dam blocked off now, with an iron gate keeping you from actually walking out on it now.... tis sad. Spent a lot of time picnicing out there...

Hard to believe this was 1954....

WHAT IT WAS, WAS FOOTBALL Andy Griffith - 1954

It was back last October, I believe it was.We was going to hold a tent service off at this college town,and we got there about dinner time on Saturday.Different ones of us thought that we ought to get us a mouthful to eat before we set up the tent.So we got off the truck and followed this little bunch of peoplethrough this small little bitty patch of woods there,and we came up on a big sign that says, "Get something to Eat Here." I went up and got me two hot dogs and a big orange drink,and before I could take a mouthful of that food,this whole raft of people come up around me and got me to where I couldn't eat nothing, up like,and I dropped my big orange drink.Well, friends, they commenced to move, and there wasn't so much that I could do but move with them. Well, we commenced to go through all kinds of doors and gates and I don't know what- all,and I looked up over one of 'em and it says, "North Gate."We kept on a-going through there, and pretty soon we come up on a young boy and he says,"Ticket, please."And I says, "Friend, I don't have a ticket;I don't even know where it is that I'm a-going!"Well, he says, "Come on out as quick as you can."And I says, "I'll do 'er; I'll turn right around the first chance I get." Well, we kept on a-moving through there,and pretty soon everybody got where it was that they was a-going,because they parted and I could see pretty good.And what I seen was this whole raft of people a-sittin' on these two banks and a-lookin at one another across this pretty little green cow pasture. Somebody had took and drawed white lines all over it and drove posts in it,and I don't know what all,and I looked down there and I seen five or six convicts a running up and down and a-blowing whistles .And then I looked down there and I seen these pretty girls wearin' these little bitty short dresses and a-dancing around, and so I thought I'd sit down and see what it was that was a-going to happen. About the time I got set down good I looked down there and I seen thirty or forty men come a-runnin' out of one end of a great big outhouse down there and everybody where I was a-settin' got up and hollered!And I asked this fella that was a sittin' beside of me,"Friend, what is it that they're a-hollerin' for?Well, he whopped me on the back and he says,"Buddy, have a drink!" I says,"Well, I believe I will have another big orange.I got it and set back down. When I got there again I seen that the men had got in two little bitty bunches down therereal close together, and they voted.They elected one man apiece,and them two men come out in the middle of that cow pasture and shook hands like they hadn't seen one another in a long time.Then a convict came over to where they was a-standin',and he took out a quarter and they commenced to odd man right there!After a while I seen what it was they was odd-manning for.It was that both bunches full of them wanted this funny lookin little pumpkin to play with.And I know, friends, that they couldn't eat it because they kicked it the whole evenin' and it never busted. Both bunchesful wanted that thing.One bunch got it and it made the other bunch just as mad as they could be!Friends, I seen that evenin' the awfulest fight that I ever have seen in all my life !!They would run at one -another and kick one- another and throw one another down and stomp on one another and grind their feet in one another and I don't know what-all and just as fast as one of 'em would get hurt,they'd take him off and run another one on !! Well, they done that as long as I set there, but pretty soon this boy that had said "Ticket, please." He come up to me and said,"Friend, you're gonna have to leave because it is that you don't have a ticket."And I says, "Well, all right." And I got up and left. I don't know friends, to this day, what it was that they was a doin' down there,but I have studied about it.I think it was that it's some kindly of a contest where they see which bunchful of them men can take that pumpkin and run from one end of that cow pasture to the other without gettin' knocked down or steppin' in somethin'.

I am not sure if this is the entire thing or not... but reading this brings back memories of listening to this on the Tiget Tailgate show virtually every Saturday in the Fall growing up...

Meet the teachers..

we all want our kids to be successful and to be happy. And we all know how important friendships are in our lives. So I am always curious to see how these things play out with the kids. Tonight finds Ryles already at a sleep-over party with several classmates despite school not even started yet... I think it was telling when Ryles walked into the building and was met by a steady procession of girls running up to hug Ryles screaming "who did you get? ME TOO!!!!...EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!" followed by big hugs. She has also seemed to become a favorite of the teachers, having been chosen for Safety Patrol in the mornings and also asked to assist the K-5 and 1st graders specifically because they have a hard time on the first few days... And I-Man had a lot of people specifically coming up to him too, especially teachers seeking him out and saying hey.... and to think people tried to tell us that our kids would have problems adjusted and be at a disadvantage... (yeah.. I know... I bring it up often.. but I just laugh at how wrong and short sighted and archaic that thinking was and is)

this time of the year every year I often find myself thinking back to 1995... this was back when checking your "voice mail" didnt mean picking up your cell phone and pressing a button. It meant that I called back to my apartment, and did a press of a button to get the digital answering machine... well, I called back from Poole where I was down in the basement playing a MUD on the mainframe and heard a message from Dr. Hosler saying that he had heard some disturbing news and for me to call him ASAP... To be honest, a lot of things were set in motion that day.

Dr. Hosler told me that he had just gotten a call about Scott and he wanted me to confirm. Well, obviously it was true that he had been in an accident. And i will never forget calling all the brothers and telling them (and the reactions...) In many ways that time made a bunch of people who were already close closer.... and i have mentioned before that I would have probably not been as involved in Kappa Kappa Psi had Scott lived. That involvement also fostered my relationship with Dr. Hosler and my extended time in Clemson. that extended time also saw a couple of friendships happen with people that I consider to be close friends.... My son's middle name is Scott. I am not sure where I am heading with this other than I often think of him, especially during this time of the year. Certainly i was not as close to him as others... but he was a good friend. And his absence as the years move on is still large as far as I'm concerned...

And I was thinking about him when I met with the chapter after a rehearsal last week. About those great times and moents of that timee.. this time... of the year. I could see in their faces the excitement in the air. Seeing your friends again.."where are we going after practice... where is the party tonight?".. I miss a call from someone asking "if we could go play?"... the excitement of making new friends.... and renewing the old ones. I looked at their faces and as I was talking to them I was seeing Josh and TJ... Erik and Jamie... and Scott. And I realized odds are that we will probably never all be at the same place/room/town again. And a tinge of sadness was with me as I dismissed them and heard the laughter and joking and excitement...

... oh as I have said before, I would not want to go back... my wife and kids are so important to me now. And all of the people I think about are almost all in similar situations with their own spouses and children. But man I would love to spend a couple of hours ( or 4 ) sitting at Huddle House talking about... now what exactly was it we talked about?

did i mention that the NFL Networkin HD suddenly showed up on cable?.. oh a MTV too.. I dont care much about MTV,especially since I have yet to see music, video or a music video on it.. but wow, NFL network? are you serious? In HD?... i have seen parts of all the Preseason games so far... i think the Bills new uni's are starting to grow on me.... and this is kinda like have Hard Knocks on 24/7

So Santa sent me a telegram last night telling me that he is essentially FINISHED for Christmas... he told me that he had kept a copy of the letters that Ryles and I-Man had sent to him last year, and with a couple of carefully positioned questions relayed by me, he is all set except sending a furniture purchase to me for Ryles. This includes Birthdays too... Gotta hit Ikea at somepoint this Fall... Its all over except for the Christmas tree, Thanksgiving turkey and Advent calender. Done. Over. Kaput. That was soooo 2011... No Christmas bills in January for me... Already planning 2012 events

so nobody wants to take a bite... guess I will have to do the NASCAR race or Braves game by myself.. again. Perhaps people just dont want to hang out with me anymore...

so yesterday...

yesterday I actually felt my first earthquake. I was at my desk at work when I felt the floor start to bounce up and down. At first I thought it was a "heavy" person walking down the hall as occasionally we have people who walk laps around the building and one of the routes takes them past my desk. But I quickly realized that this was lasting way too long. And suddenly I looked out and others were looking out too.. and honestly, my first thought was "Earthquake!. .no way". I immediately posted on facebook and started hitting refresh cause I thought if it was true i wasnt the only one... sure enough seconds later people started posting and about two minutes later CNN posted on its website BREAKING NEWS.... it was similar to like when you are at the malland you feel the floor shake, or you are in marching band and start marching across a bridge and it starts to bounce up and dowwn... this lasted for about 25 seconds... weird...

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sound’s the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.
-ROBERT FROST

I just happened across this and remember having to memorize this for some reason back in school... I am not sure why, but it certainly makes me visualize this scene time and time again.. and I often find myseld mumbling to myself at time "miles to go before I sleep"

.. had to run off not one, not two but THREE racoons off the back deck the other night. They were on top of the table eating Mocha's food and had made quite a commotion getting up and knocking off bowls, cups.. whatever they could knock off... I opened the back door and two of them took off in a flash but the third just stood there continuing to eat.. i threw a stick at it and it them bolted off... there was no Mocha the BattleCat in sight, which is probably wise on his part as unless the cat is on the size/strength/gene makeup of SIMBA, three racoons on one BattleCat, no matter how experienced and no matter how many vanquished squirrels and birds he can lay attest too, is a match a BattleCat wants to take on... he did come gingerly walking down the driveway after I had shooed them off however, almost in a "wha???... did I miss something?... something going on here?..." kinda sauntering/meowing dealio...

did I mention that we got our AC (HVAC) overhauled two weeks ago??? so now we have this huge unit the size of my car on its side sitting beside the house that controls the temp both upstairs and downstairs for heating and cooling. a pretty chunk o change that costs but the savings in utility costs, as well as the supposed value of the house (at least once the market upturns again) should benefit. We also had the entire exchange unit replaced as well as ducting and a couple of new vents placed in as well. It also controls the humidity in all the "zones" and does all this automatically. Thus if we set it for 72 degrees downstairs and 68 upstairs, it will keep the temp in those areas... so now we just have a few more "projects" that are major to the house... a new back deck is probably the last major thing.

I think one thing that I have been a little perturbed about is that I-Mans soccer stuff has forced me to miss friends I dont get a chance to see too often. The other week I missed seeing Kristen and her family due to his 3 days a week practice schedule and it seems a schedule change to his Fall tournament schedule is going to make me miss a planned get together with friends this later in the Fall. I dont know. I want I-Man to have fun and he wants to be at this level of soccer. So I willingly take the time and do what it takes to get him to practice and the tourneys. I guess its all a part of that circle... I wonder how many things my parents missed out on doing while sitting in the car watching me do football practice, or while sitting in the car waiting on me to finish Marching Band practice.... or how much time did they miss that could have been spent chillin on a Friday or Saturday evening, but instead they were waiting on a band bus that was 45 minutes late at 11:00pm at night... I guess I'll never know... but I also know that i suspect one day way down the line Ryles and I-Man will suddenly understand just how much time this takes for them to be having all their fun and development. All I say is that there better be scholarships down the road for all this....

AH... I used to wonder why the mere mention of a visit to Nanna/Papa/Grandma is met with joyous glee... but as the pic shows me why, as I-Man seems to need a "Vacation" bike for Grandma's house... it all good though.. just humorous...

starting to suck

the fact that the twins dont start school until after Labor Day sucks. Due to me working and Jessica starting work again last week in her school district, we have had to utilize Nanna/Papa/Grandma in various forms as we would rather not dish out the money it cost for someone to watch them and we arent fortunate enough to have people who can keep them all day. They are just about to the age where we can probably let them stay home alone, but are trying to avoid that scenario at all costs. So this means that the kids are off to Florence since last week, with I-Man having to shuttle back up here for his Soccer practices. Two weeks ago, I-Man was able to stay at Grandma's during the day and I would get him and bring him back to town for his practices. This past week saw him basically stay in Florence and this week will see him there too for the first half of the week. One good thing is that they will get to go "camping" with Nana and Papa in the new camper down on the coast the next couple of days. All the time spent with the Grandparents is good, and we are blessed that they are willing to inconvenience themselves and keep them... but I miss having them and it is annoying when I dont know what they are doing minute by minute. While I certainly trust and know that they are in good and loving hands, I just am annoyed that I see them for a soccer practice here or there...

Summer's over!!! time for school...

but wait... the twins dont start school until seemingly October again. Actually they start the day after Labor Day and we are having to figure out what we are doing with them for about three weeks while Jessica and I have to work... is it me or did we always start school the middle of August back in the day?

... yesterday, what was it that I saw? Leaves floating down from the trees. It certainly had the look of fall out back on the deck despite the 100 degree temps. Is it me or are the leaves starting to fall earlier and earlier?

i guess the prevailing question about alot of things is... Is it me?

"In these downbeat times, we need as much hope and courage as we do vision and analysis; we must accent the best of each other even as we point out the vicious effects of our racial divide and pernicious consequences of our maldistribution of wealth and power. We simply cannot enter the twenty-first century at each other's throats, even as we acknowledge the weighty forces of racism, patriarchy, economic inequality, homophobia, and ecological abuse on our necks. We are at a crucial crossroad in the history of this nation--and we either hang together by combating these forces that divide and degrade us or we hang separately. Do we have the intelligence, humor, imagination, courage, tolerance, love, respect, and will to meet the challenge? Time will tell. None of us alone can save the nation or world. But each of us can make a positive difference if we commit ourselves to do so." - Cornel West(Race Matters)

The Emperor has....

I often tell my stealthy Romanian friends that despite what you often hear, not all Black Americans are lock step in line with blindly rooting for President Obama despite all the glaring signs that he could care less about Black Americans... and slowly but surely, I am hearing the people calling in ( to the radio talk shows like The Power, and America Left... what? I thought I only listened and watched and read Foxnews) who are speaking out against him, who.. gasp... are black. I suppose they have issues with their skincolor too, as I have been told I do... This guy, a highly respected man in the Black Community, is starting to have serious doubts and is voicing them... an interesting take.

And the next time ANYONE tries to offer up one of the typical excuses for our President, I will simply refer them to this article, which... by the way... aint Foxnews either.

Anybody In with me?

Ok... surveying the schedule, I think I am going to try to go to either the Atlanta race or the Charlotte race this fall... Anybody want to go with me? I am thinking about the Atlanta Race as I have Labor Day off which falls the day after that race. I am thinkin' Ikea, The Varsity then on to the race, then back home for an Itenarary. The Charlotte race (a Saturday night event) will see a Nascar Hall Of Fame visit, then on to the track for the race then back home.

Summer-O-Rama-Fun...

While I have previously mentioned a while back that no major trips of the century/summer/year wereplanned for this Summer 2011, i did anticipate that the twins would be able to spend extended time with Nana, Papa and Grandma. I am pleased that so far this has been true. Extended time at both Grandparents House has allowed Ryles and I-Man to hang out with them and spend simple quality time. While I have tried to hope that they wouldnt try to spoil them, I have come to expect that a little of that comes with the territory. At any rate, I-Man has had the opportunity to begin to learn to water ski (above) using the same waterskis Aunt Ellen, Uncle Wes and Jessica learned on... and while his first experience saw him fall repeatedly without really getting too far out of the water, I suspect the next time will see him go farther. As he matures, I sense his strength is growing.. especially as he rides his bike more and gets a little more physical endurance/strength.

The twins have been able to spend a bunch of time with cousin Madison as well, and with the impending arrival of another cousin I hope that the adventures for them will continue to flourish.

One Month

.. so I decided to not post for a month and whittle away some people who I know will stop coming here daily/weekly/etc. I will now start updating again.. I know. A little pretentious of me, but I never said i wasnt somewhat arrogant at times...it is what makes me who I am.

meanwhile... i will spool up the posts again... starting today... and I will back track on events of the summer over the next few days...

We hung out today at home then went over to see Brandy and AJ and their family for dinner. The twins got to go swimming (always a fave with them) and we then hung out for a while before heading home. Tomorrow starts the drudgery again for me and work...

cable (and Internet) is out due to the storm last night... I am betting a WEEK before they fix it... we are at 24 hours right now... Charter is so crappy they are beyond crappy...

but we are watching The Muppets show right now... In this whacky world of virtually the same show over and over (see The Voice, American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, America's Got Talent... I havent even gotten to all the Race to somewhere supposed reality shows) I wonder if the Muppet Show would even last two episodes now....i guess it isnt as risque enough now... or it doesnt tell a story (shoved down out throat) about some random person from some random town who might...Might...MIGHT "make it" and make our hearts warm...

or it isnt about vampires or people who want to be vampires or people who got attacked by vampires or sucked blood from vampires or kissed a vampire or played basketball with a vampire...

so another weekend came and went... more on this later (with pix)

but... enough of this wearing the pants around the ankles stuff kids seem to think is cool these days. Do they not know where this came from or what it symbolizes??? or is it too cool for them to even know? Everytime I see some kid doing this (especially a black kid) I smirk and ponder "Do you KNOW exactly what you are signaling to other people"?

"Dumbass...."

... just sayin...

so thats where that sock went... The twins are off to Nanna and Pappa's this week. So, while they are away, I am trying to actually take stock and clean some stuff out of their rooms. Looks like I will only get to I-Man's room this week as I am astounded by how much CRAP is behind I-Mans newly created bunk bed...

those of you reading this with kids... do you ever find yourself wondering what happened to that one tshirt you remember buying for your child? or getting ticked off that the 5 pairs of socks you bought last week are now only two matched pairs? or just where did all those capri suns dissappear to? well.. I found them tonight. behind I-Mans retooled bunkbed. I swear I a stunned...STUNNED at all the crap, toys and trash...I think a severe talkin to is in order once they return...

Speaking of the Bunkbed... Papa was here last weekend and he and I put back together the bunkbed. And it is extremely sturdy now...so sturdy that I have serious doubts how/if we will ever be able to get it apart. But Id rather have that worry than have it collapse. And seriously. I dont really know if we will be able to get it apart without an axe....

and the livin is easy....

So... Summer has arrived. Vacation is here. Except for me... As of now, no HUGE vacation plans are on the docket... as previously mentioned, the Georgia Guide-stones are penciled in for a day-trip, a couple of lake outings if we can work out borrowing the boat from Papa and the rest of the time will see constant visits from various classmates or the twins off to visit their classmates. Meanwhile, I will be off to work everyday, as usual...

... I-Man has footskills trainings every week on Thursday, and pickup soccer matches on Mondays. I find it amusing that these are supposed to be optional, but I swear almost every kid on the Academy teams is there. And the coaches are there too. While they are not running the drills, it is interesting that they are there. And they occasionally yell instructions to players while the drills or games are going on... so much for "optional". I swear these are looking just like normal practices to me... Did I mention that the Easley and Pendleton High School coaches are Academy team coaches too??...

Ryles, meanwhile, has purchased a couple of fish and put a tank in her room. Still kinda wondering where she got this money from, but whatever... she has two fishies named Nemo and Clementine. Lets see how long before they join their friends in the creek out back...

Did I mention that at the All Star Race, I saw Darius Rucker do the National Anthem and Lee Greenwood sang God Bless the U.S.A.... that was cool, but the most impressive thing was the B2 Bomber that flew over. It was almost sorta scary in that you only saw a slier in the distance and there was virtually NO SOUND when it flew over... then after it passed it seems to swerve off and throttle up and you heard it for the first time... but it was eerie how you could really barely see it. Just a sliver. Yeah, I think that tech is working.....

I will be hard pressed to keep my mouth shut if I hear ANYBODY complain about it raining at ANY point in time in the foreseeable future. The creek running behind our house is at midsummer drough level NOW. The only thing keeping the water flowing down the way is the fact that it has created a tunnel under the big rock and is flowing under it. I am sure this will lead to the inevitable breaking of that massive rock eventually... but that is probably decades away...

Three Down, Several more to go....

another year closes out tomorrow for the kids and they will be out of school until...SEPTEMBER FRAKKIN 6th..... what is up with this?

..anyways, Ryles was kinda upset that it would be the last day because she said she would miss her teacher. I tried to explain to her that this is the way it goes, and this wont be the last teacher she will miss. And I told her to make sure to go give her teacher a long big hug tomorrow. I am sure she will appreciate that way more than any card (which is getting from our family)...

...Ryles and I-Man both got awards for school with Ryles getting an award for ALL A's for the year, and I-Man A's and B's for the year...

So.. going into 4th Grade sees the twins in the Gifted/Talented Programs, I-Man on the Academy soccer team, and both probably the equivalent of halfway thru year one on Clarinet and Euphonium. I think they are progressing well...

... and to think people said our children would be at a disadvantage...

The weekend o Rama

Well. A Whirlwind of a weekend has ended with me back at work while everyone else is grilling hotdawgs today. But a quick synopsis....

Found out that Ryles was placed into Gifted and Talented class, joining I-Man and addressing an obvious point of contention with her....

We then went to a Braves game with Bozz and Khris, couple of current Frat. It was a great game that went into extra innings. Braves win too....

Yesterday i went to Coca Cola 600 and the 29 wins when everyone else runs out of fuel... A late night back and today sees me workin... The twins are off swimming and grilling, it seems...

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so the past weekend saw a somewhat busy time... Saturday we went to I-Man's first meeting for the Academy team. No real surprises in the info we got but we did also get a tentative schedule for some matches/practices/tournaments... We then headed to Charlotte to the All Star NASCAR race.. it was a lot of fun for I-Man in that his guy ran up front for a long time (#48) and he surprised me with actually keeping up with his driver on the track, etc. It was all good until a pit stop mired the 48 (actually the % on this night) back in traffic. Suddenly I-Man wanted to go to the car...

Top things I noticed and heard from I-Man...
1) "Why are all these people walking around with no shirts?"

2) a definite look of confusion when walking into the Men's bathroom and seeing
nothing but troughs

3) "Why are all these people smoking?"

4) "Can we get a ride on a bicycle?"

A late return home and Sunday saw me attend the CUTBA board of directors meeting where I feel I was able to represent some concerns of Kappa Kappa Psi, and in return I am able to address some concerns of theirs to the chapter...

... then to I-Mans year end soccer party for his current team (a pool party) and then we chilled out before starting another week....

I also started a flickr acct where I am going to be doing one of those POTD type of dealios... I will put a link here in a few days once I get my upload mechanism and pattern going...

So.. tomorrow is I-Man's first team meeting with his new team.. then he will go with me to the All Star race in Charlotte. I am interested to see how he handles what will be a longer race day than he has ever experienced. But it will be seven shorts races so he will be spared the monotony of 247 laps in a row without caution that can occasionally happen at a race... I am sure I will have to pony up some cash for a #48 diecast car but I hit Ebay for a 5 dollar Jimmie Johnson t-shirt that I will present to him to wear and avoid that transaction at the track....

... speaking of which, I found out I definitely have Labor Day off(Monday) and am ponderin getting a group of people to go to the Atlanta race (Sunday) on a day trip sorta gig for that race...

... by the way, referring to a previous post... I realize that not everyone is on facebook, etc and I wasnt trying to single anyone out or anything...

And this is supposed to be a step in the right direction? I bet there is going to a a HUGE market (black, I bet) for the old light bulbs when this starts.. and let me guess, they will all be made in China... As I sit here in my downstairs den/livingroom/kitchen area.. I see 10 (ten) TEN light bulbs that would need to be replaced... 50 dollars a piece? Are you serious? I guess people want us to simply not use light at night, I am guessing... are the poor going to be able to afford these. Oh wait, let me guess, they will get them for free...

Funny.

Go here...

Yesterday was my birthday... I got tix to a Drive game in June,which is ALWAYS fun... got some materials to make a Manhattan and Ryles got me so Calvin Klein cologne I also got a lot of "Happy Birthdays!!!" on Facebook, which was really nice. I know that the reminder thingy makes it easy to remember birthdays and all that, but you still have to make the effort to send a message so it it was awesome to hear from so many friends. Birthdays are somewhat anti-climatic now in that you kinda personally look forward to it, but you know that the reality is that it isnt as "special" to others as it is to you, for obvious reasons...

..but it did make me happy to hear from friends from all over... texts, Facebook messages, AIM and calls were all nice... now onto the next thing...

Last year about this time, I-Mans soccer season ended and he found out that a couple of his teammates from his Rec League Championship team had tried out for the Academy team and made it. He was friends with them and was upset that he didnt get the chance to try out. I had not had him try out because, even though he was an integral part of that team, I felt he wasnt ready for the increased demands and expectations playing at the Academy level would place on him. Looking back on it, and seeing his overall level of play transcend Rec League at his position, it may have been a mistake. But not much we can do about that now. so...

...Five tryouts and a couple of evaluations during actual games later, I-Man is selected to U9/10 Academy team. And I am somewhat taken aback by his reaction as he is genuinely overjoyed to be chosen. He has said several times that he wants to play "at the highest level..." and obviously we are a loooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnng ways away from anything of that sort.But this is definitely a step in that direction. Now he will get a true taste of how competitive it is. This will now be a lesson of "there is always a bigger fish..." for him as he will no longer be able to be lazy and turn on burst of speed to catch up and take the ball away from less talented players. Now if someone gets by him, it will be a clear shot on the goalie that is likely to be a score(and a lot of screaming from the coach... and suddenly it will no longer be "everyone gets a trophy, thanks for coming" but "too bad, you lost.. no trophy for you... maybe...MAYBE.. we might be able to stop at McDonalds... maybe... we'll see" it will be good for him on many levels as the level of expectations and responsibility get amped up. I see many lessons, some hard, on the horizon... but I am willing to bet he will make some long time friendships too...

So the past weekend saw a trip down to Florence for everyone... I went to the Darlington races while Jessica went to a Sorority gig in Myrtle Beach. The twins hung out with Nanna and Papa.

I went down early on Friday and took the opportunity to meet Aunt Ashley for lunch in Lexington... and then did some quick shoppin for Mothers day. I then dodged the rain and watched Sprint Cup qualifying before meeting up with Papa and Uncle Wes for the Nationwide race. The race was uneventful, I must admit...


Saturday saw the twins heading to the lake with Nanna and Papa where I hear that both Ryles and I-Man caught fish, and rode the jetski's. I went to the track and met up with a guy from work. We then walked around the souvy trucks and got a chance to see some drivers... I was particularly excited to get to see David Pearson from relatively close range although he was kinda being mobbed. Pearson was my favorite driver growing up and if you look at the stats, Pearson won 105 races in less than half the amount of starts Richard Petty had... 105/400(Pearson) to 200/1000+(Petty) is pretty impressive. Notice the dude with no shirt... classy..(reference a previous post)... i thought about photoshoppin him out but figured you would miss out on the ambiance if I did... by the way, Pearson is the gentleman (right in middle of pic) looking obviously bothered by Mr no tshirt...

We then got a chance to see Mark Martin up close. I was stunned at how small he is. I honestly mistook him for a kid when I first saw him backstage because I was going to try to squeeze of a picture of him. I saw him but thought "that CAN'T be him... that's some kid that looks similar to Mark Martin"




We then reveled in more Americana at the NASCAR RACEDAY on SPEEDCHANNEL... I started to ponder at times if there were any black people at this event... (actually, I'm kidding. There were lot's o black people... still dont see many Hispanics or Asians though...) but not many rebel flags anymore... used to be I'd see a bunch of them but, as I have often said, that crowd and ilk is slowly phasing out. Its till exists, but eventually it will be somewhat a footnote... or at least I hope so... Anyways, I hope I can get some people to go to a race later this year. Maybe the Charlotte race or Atlanta race in the fall...

The race saw us in the usual seats Papa has every year that I am fortunate that he lets me have. These seats are virtually perfect... at the top of the bottom section where you can see most of the track, but close enough to feel the ground shake when they go by... and at the end of the row... with the concessions stands right behind us... and the bathrooms right beside them...

Anyways... Sunday was Mothers's Day and Ryles and I-Man got Jessica a card (I-Man made his) and a couple of Cd's she had been wanting... We hung out in Florence for a while before heading to Lexington where we met up with Uncle Wes/Aunt Ashley/Aunt Ellen and cousin Madison for Ice Cream with Nanna for Mother's Day. She got a Kindle from her kids, which is about as cool a gift you can get if you think about the advance in technology that will be seen as in 300 years or so...

We then went and watched Cousin Madison get some more experience riding her bicycle without training wheels... a few crash and burns, but that is to be expected...

Finally, we headed back up the highway, stopping off at Grandma's house to see her for Mother's Day. We hung out there for about 45 minutes before heading back to TRY to miss the budding T-Storms I could see off in the distance. we ended up getting caught in one super heavy storm, which serves to clean my car nicely...

And now we are into this week... work/school/soccer/lessons/homework/PASS testing/Soccer Tourney...

yesterday was Easter. First of all, I dont really like when Easter is this late. Seems like there are two or three Sundays of pseudo Easter Egg Hunts before Easter even gets here...but I also dont like when its early either. Easter should be the first or second weekend in April, right about the time of the first real warm open-your-windows-in-the-house-weekend. But i realize some monks somewhere came up with some algorithm based on the full moon and stuff so the date of Easter gets all jacked up occasionally...

.. Second, I grew up when Easter seemed to be a bigger deal than it is now... seems like there was this long buildup to it in Sunday School with the stories, lessons, etc. and that there was also Charlton Heston on TV at some time... not sure if this happens anymore. And while I certainly like the plastic eggs full of jelly beans, I am kinda limited in how much of that I can have. And it really isnt what I mentally think 0f Easter being about. And similar to Christmas, I know my kids are aware of the religious background of the day, but it is so pushed into the background, it hardly seems to register. Perhaps I need to make sure to project a stronger emphasis on the actual meaning of this, and ANY holidays and make sure that the secular side of the religious holidays, while fun, are not the sole reason of these days...

...because I kinda miss seeing all the Easter dresses and men in their new suits.. oh wait, that isnt the reason for Easter either... but I do kinda miss that too...

..maybe I should get up on Sundays and go to church? I know my son is quietly a religious person on some sorta level. The one book he has ALWAYS read in bed at night has been his "kids" bible, with illustrations. I have mentioned this before, I know. But I see a start contrast in him and his Sister in this regard. He is reading his Bible in bed... she is on her iPod Touch surfin the web... maybe I will get him down to Grandma's this summer for Sunday stuff... we shall see how it works out..



oh... and when we put out the pseudo Easter eggs, I put one on a paper plate and pushed it across some water. I though I-Man might jumpin after it...

weekend o rama

the weekend started off pretty sporty with some yard work... cutting grass, trimming back the "hedges" from the driveway that hang over the cars and blowing off the resulting brush/shrubs/leaves started us off... then we then went over to Greenville and hung out with some friends at a park and the kids played and did the usual kid-at-a-park stuff.... I dont remember these type of parks back in the day, but they are all the rage in this era... and some of the contraptions that are being built are not the old slide and swing set anymore...we then went to some sorta Thunder Yogurt type place that was actually pretty cool, in that you totally built your dessert, including how much of everything (at a price)

I think we have learned the hard way that racoons like cabbage... three cabbage plants sitting out beyond the back deck in front of the creek the other night went from being all leafy and huge to a pitiful short resemblence of a stalk. At first we thought perhaps I-Man had used the swingblade on them, but I didnt see the leaves or any other remnants around. And I-Man isnt that underhanded (yet) to have gotten rid of evidence. So since there has been a racoon sighting here recently, I googled "what likes cabbage?" and all sorts of references to racoons eating all of a gardens worth of cabbage came up... there are also references to a particular type of cabbage that is poisonous to racoons... hmmmm...

in the "well its obvious" class... i think it is oh so interesting to see on facebook, especially within the Frat groups, how entertwined the whole damn shoooting match is in a Six Degrees of Separation kinda feel. I have been fortunate to know several different "groupings" of people come thru the Frat and it surprises me to see people i dont expect to know each other (from different "eras") talk to each other and seemingly know each other from these "groupings"...

On a slightly related note, I have decided to attend National Convention this summer in Colorado Springs.. I am also pondering getting back into the game on a National Level at some point... probably not this year, but in two years...

...and the built this huge ramp to nowhere on I-385 that I drive by every day. It looks like they are getting ready to build a 4th Pyramid of Giza. Except they explained that it is supposed to allow heavy machines easy access to the project... since the ramp leads up to a bridge, I hope that bridge holds up...

OK.. I think I am pretty much aligned with his guy... I have spent to months tring to find a suitable swimsuit for my daughter because... while I certainly understand her sense of independence and individuality, I also want her to understand that if she wants to be treated with respect, she must respect herself as well.... it kinda goes along with this gig with my son, who seems to think it is ok to walk around the house without his shirt on. While certainly within your home in private, things are different, I also subscribe that it is a show of disrespect to the women in the house to be walking around with no shirt on... I never have liked that with guys who do that, be them fat and hairy or greek god built.... I just think it is a show of narcissism to do this.

Oh.. wait, but back to the original link/post... I just think that my daughter should not dress like she is going "to the club" when she is 10 years old and is not about to go to the club anytime soon...

I have been avoiding mentioning the Braves. The have gotten off to a slower than expected start, but not disastrous... several young players are sprinkled thruout the lineup... they will probably be fine... I think the will be going on the tentative docket for short day trip "staycations" this summer... although i think staycations mean you are actually at your home...

I spent last weekend in Athens at the Southeast District Convention. I came away rejuvenated and looking forward to implementing some long range strategic planning.... some of which ties into a project the new chapter Alumni chair is doing... Frat Alumni should go here if they wanna join the new Facebook Group Dedicated to the Kappa Beta Alumni...

lifted this from one of the sites i visit occasionally...

so... i had have of my bonus from work taken from me earlier this year.. 4 figures is what the government took out of my bonus... they take 20 percent every other week... i just had to pay another 4 figures to the government. For what? for them to give to people to who dont pay a dime??? .. can someone tell me how this is even REMOTELY fair? and I will have to get up in the morning and go work to keep paying more taxes... and dont give me that Obama crap about "the fortunate" either...

I am always a little sad after returning from big Frat conventions like SED or National Convention. I spend time there wishing that any of my "peers" were there with me. While I enjoy hanging with the "kids", I kinda start to feel like some sorta old hard up guy who has no life following around 20 year olds. But it is kinda boring just sitting in a hotel room for the entire weekend.... but I am also resigned to the fact that no friends from my "era" want to come with me... perhaps a recurring theme, it seems... I keep wondering as I am driving home from events whether or not I am totally out in left field at times. I am blessed from my Father in Law with tickets for the Darlington Race but I will be hard pressed to find anyone who wants to go with me... I think what confuses me is that I love going to this sorta stuff, but seemingly I am the only person. At the root of my issue at times is that I can always get one of the kids from Clemson to go if I say "FREE!!!" but I dont wanna always do that... plus, I really enjoy being able to have a similar frame of reference. I like being able to talk about my family with someone who kinda knows similar experiences. But it just seems like I spend a lot of time talking to myself at times these days... I guess people just think that the can just know what is up with me by just reading this... I suppose there is some truth in that... Addendum: now, I am not asking for some sorta pit part.. I just wonder why it seems so difficult now...

its kinda like an gut check when you have to go into your twins amazon list and remove stuff that they are now "too old" for... I look at stuff and remember when that was so cool for them... and now they would think that it is for a child. It is the way things keep churning forward, I suppose. One day it is suddenly them singing the words to Dora.."Backpack, Backpack!!!"... now it is being fascinated with The Amazing World of Gumball (yech) or Star Wars, The Clone Wars (actually kinda cool)