"I can't drive 55..."

yes, i know you can hear Sammy Hagar's voice in your head - screaming out the song...Well, I can relate to it...however, this is not going to be ablut me. It's Weds, so it's time to go off.

It all begins yesterday evening...
Last night, Lisa & I were on our way to a fundraiser at the racetrack and are heading toward the interstate when, from out of nowhere, this ford crown vic careens out from the side of the road across 2 lanes of traffic like a bat out of hell right in front of us. Lisa goes "Is that a cop?" I say "No, it's not."
"Well, are you sure? It looks like an unmarked cop car."
"No, it's not. I did that for about 6 years...definately not a cop, nor a cop car."
During this conversation, the car proceeds to slow down...to like 30mph, on a 45mph road. There is nowhere he would be turning off. So, knowing it's not a police car, I get on his bumper. ;) To help push him along...

Understand, we don't want to be late to this thing we are going to. We're dressed up, it's a political fundraiser for a friend of mine, we paid to go and I wanted to be there.

The guy looks up in his rearview mirror at me and sees me really close. "Aha", I say, "He sees me and will speed up." - Nope. He SLOWS DOWN EVEN MORE. Now we are at 20mph. I get a good look at him. It is an old man. Obviously senile and too old to drive. But he was playing the game. If he was in a Buick, I would have overlooked the whole incident (you know my love for Buicks), but he wasn't even smart enough to get a Buick. He was driving a Ford...anyway, after what seems to be forever (literally, 10 minutes on what should be a 2 minute drive), we pull up to the interstate, to a 2 lane on ramp. I get beside him, look at him and rev my engine...he does the same. The light turns green and I floor it. HE DOES TOO! I tell Lisa, look at this old guy.

So, I've had lots of Aggressive and Defensive driving courses, etc. because of my previous life in law, so I take full advantage...I cut him off. Properly, mind you. I win. He understands he met his match and backs off. Or more likely, his sobriety was kicking in. So we get to our fundraiser on time and all is well.

Or so we think...

After the fundraiser, we are one our way home, stop and get some gas and get back on the road. What happens? Yes, I get behind another "boat", a Caprice, with an old guy driving (not on the interstate). At least it's not the same guy. I don't think the minivan could handle drag racing twice in one night...I gotta get a vette. Anyway, this guys turns on his blinker and I say "Whew, at least he's driving properly and getting off the road." We are approaching a right turn lane and I figure he's going to get in it. He doesn't. I tell Lisa, "What is wrong with all these people driving? I mean, I feel like I'm in Florida or something." Tuna joke...Maybe I'll explain that later...This guy drives all the way beside the right lane and turns sharply right, off the road. "Did he not see the turn lane? What an idiot!" Keep in mind, I'm not mad...just concerned these people will kill someone attempting to drive.

These guys have given me a mission. When my friend is elected, I am going to ask him to sponsor a bill that requires mandatory driver's testing after the age of 65. A national law. I know some states do similar things already...but ours is not one of them. It is a national concern anyway.

OK - I'm done. Yes, I do feel a little better. I could have even posted this for tomorrow too. Oh well.

1twofer3 - lunches today are the theme (yeah it rhymes)

ok - for today's twofer...

1 - You haven't lived until you have enjoyed a happy meal with your kids at mcdonald's while wearing "Ariel the Little Mermaid" sunglasses. Even my mom joined in. Lisa was at a weekend conference so we all decided to go have a little fun for lunch. Enjoy the pics. (and yes, Lib makes the same silly face for most pics..hahaha)


2 - Speaking of lunch - I went to lunch yesterday with a couple of friends from work (Kim & Steffany). Well, this is for Steffany. Kim told her about my blog so I am making her famous. ;) hahahaha jk - But, if I ever get to intorduce any of you to Steffany (who is pretty cool, btw) you HAVE to ask her to tell some of her "dating" stories. Seriously, my stomach was hurting yesterday after laughing so hard at one in particular. But I won't share it here. I'll leave that up to her. heh

3 - Yes, a third thing for two for tuesday. No it is not related to lunch. Heh. Just thought I'd share that we won a softball tournament last night. Pretty cool. gotta give "props" to my teammates. Man, we're a good team, if I do say so myself. hahahahahaha


~l8r

keep this one in memory...

It is wise to remember that you are one of those who can be fooled some of the time.
-Laurence J. Peter

The race

Your engine revs, 5000 rpm
Waiting for the green light, some will call it a sin.
Tonight is the night, time to take it all the way
No more messing around, you’ve decided to go all the way..

The light turns green and the flag falls away
Tires screeching
Smoke billowing
Time to come out and play.

Heart beating faster and palms are getting sweaty
Hard to grip
Don’t want to slip
Thoughts racing through your head.
What were all the things you said?

Coming soon, you’re going faster, the finish line awaits
Just a little longer, your control is your fate
Crossing the line, now that you’re done
Was it worth it? Did you have your fun?

Smoke begins flowing out of your radiator
Will you still think it was worth it
When you look back nine months later?

{:-p

Teddybears inMotion

OK – so today I am helping some high schoolers in their leadership development. I’ve been doing this for several years now and really enjoy it. For the beginning of the meeting I am doing an icebreaker that seems like it might be pretty cool. This is only the second meeting for the whole year and the only other time these kids have met was during the orientation phase. So, the idea of this icebreaker is to get them out of their shell really quick. I’m taking an iPod and am going to play songs for them to dance to. Individually. Heheh - It should be pretty funny. And yes, I usually will do it first, so I know there’s going to be a big laugh there.

So, anyway, in preparing for this I needed to get some cool music for them to dance to and came across a band called the Teddybears. Wow! All I have to say. Way cool. I downloaded most of their stuff off iTunes. Really cool beats, and some different guest singers on songs. Very fun stuff! The main album they have out was only released last week, and I’m sure some songs off it will be popular.

So I get all of this ready and realize…hmmmmm now how am I going to play the iPod out loud. I need speakers. On to Best Buy. I found the coolest speakers for my nano. They are Altec Lansing inMotion IM500 speakers. Incredible! I mean, A-these speakers are as thin as a pen and otherwise about the size of a small book, and B-you should hear the sound. I had no idea. I was half expecting them to be tinny, and honestly, was planning on taking them back after using them. But, I’ll probably keep them. Very reminiscent of a Bose system. Needless to say – way cool. Although they were $130, but, they sound great & Lisa can put her nano in it to and listen during the day. They can operate off AC or batteries and they charge the nano at the same time.

OK OK – I know – sorry for this being a big commercial. And no, I don’t work for the speaker company or apple, and I’m not in the band, etc. I was just genuinely impressed. I mean, I really don’t need a home stereo system with the nano and IM500. They are my new home stereo system…hahahahahahaha

How to beat anyone at Rock Paper Scissors

OK - Yes I found this elsewhere...the original author is quoted at the bottom - enjoy...

With the 2006 World Rock Paper Scissors Championships coming up in November in Toronto and $10,000.00 on the line (not to mention bragging rights of being able to call yourself "World Champion of RPS"), trying to get some sort of edge on your competition is becoming a focal point for a lot of players.

Little bit of background. Contrary to what you might think RPS is not simply a game of luck or chance. While it is true that from a mathematical perspective the 'optimum' strategy is to play randomly, it still is not a winning strategy for two reasons.

First, 'optimum' in this case means you should win, lose and draw an equal number of times (hardly a winning strategy over the long term).

Second, Humans, try as they might, are terrible at trying to be random, in fact often humans in trying to approximate randomness become quite predictable. So knowing that there is always something motivating your opponent's actions, there are a couple of tricks and techniques that you can use to tip the balance in your favour.

The secret to winning at RPS
Basically, there are two ways to win at RPS. First is to take one throw away from your opponent options. ie - If you can get your opponent to not play rock, then you can safely go with scissors as it will win against paper and stalemate against itself. Seems impossible right? Not if you know the subtle ways you can manipulate someone. The art is to not let them know you are eliminating one of their options. The second way is to force you opponent into making a predictable move. Obviously, the key is that it has to be done without them realizing that you are manipulating them.

Most of the following techniques use variations on these basic principles. How well it works for you depends upon how well you can subtly manipulate your opponent without them figuring out what you are doing. So, now that the background is out of the way, let's get into these techniques:

1 - Rock is for Rookies
In RPS circles a common mantra is "Rock is for Rookies" because males have a tendency to lead with Rock on their opening throw. It has a lot to do with idea that Rock is perceived as "strong" and forceful", so guys tend to fall back on it. Use this knowledge to take an easy first win by playing Paper. This tactic is best done in pedestrian matches against someone who doesn't play that much and generally won't work in tournament play.

2 - Scissors on First
The second step in the 'Rock is for Rookies' line of thinking is to play scissors as your opening move against a more experienced player. Since you know they won't come out with rock (since it is too obvious), scissors is your obvious safe move to win against paper or stalemate to itself.

3 - The Double Run
When playing with someone who is not experienced at the RPS, look out for double runs or in other words, the same throw twice. When this happens you can safely eliminate that throw and guarantee yourself at worst a stalemate in the next game. So, when you see a two-Scissor run, you know their next move will be Rock or Paper, so Paper is your best move. Why does this work? People hate being predictable and the perceived hallmark of predictability is to come out with the same throw three times in row.

4 - Telegraph Your Throw
Tell your opponent what you are going to throw and then actually throw what you said. Why? As long as you are not playing someone who actually thinks you are bold enough to telegraph your throw and then actually deliver it, you can eliminate the throw that beats the throw you are telegraphing. So, if you announce rock, your opponent won't play paper which means coming out with that scissors will give you at worst a stalemate and at best the win.

5 - Step Ahead Thinking
Don't know what to do for your next throw? Try playing the throw that would have lost to your opponents last throw? Sounds weird but it works more often than not, why? Inexperienced (or flustered) players will often subconsciously deliver the throw that beat their last one. Therefore, if your opponent played paper, they will very often play Scissors, so you go Rock. This is a good tactic in a stalemate situation or when your opponent lost their last game. It is not as successful after a player has won the last game as they are generally in a more confident state of mind which causes them to be more active in choosing their next throw.

6 - Suggest A Throw
When playing against someone who asks you to remind them about the rules, take the opportunity to subtly "suggest a throw" as you explain to them by physically showing them the throw you want them to play. ie "Paper beats Rock, Rock beats scissors (show scissors), Scissors (show scissors again) beats paper." Believe it or not, when people are not paying attention their subconscious mind will often accept your "suggestion". A very similar technique is used by magicians to get someone to take a specific card from the deck.

7 - When All Else Fails Go With Paper
Haven't a clue what to throw next? Then go with Paper. Why? Statistically, in competition play, it has been observed that scissors is thrown the least often. Specifically, it gets delivered 29.6% of the time, so it slightly under-indexes against the expected average of 33.33% by 3.73%. Obviously, knowing this only gives you a slight advantage, but in a situation where you just don't know what to do, even a slight edge is better than none at all.

8 - The Rounder's Ploy
This technique falls into more of a 'cheating' category, but if you have no honour and can live with yourself the next day, you can use it to get an edge. The way it works is when you suggest a game with someone, make no mention of the number of rounds you are going to play. Play the first match and if you win, take it is as a win. If you lose, without missing a beat start playing the 'next' round on the assumption that it was a best 2 out of 3. No doubt you will hear protests from your opponent but stay firm and remind them that 'no one plays best of one for a kind of decision that you two are making'. No this devious technique won't guarantee you the win, but it will give you a chance to battle back to even and start again.

About the author: Graham Walker - As a co-author of the Official Rock Paper Scissors Strategy Guide (published by Simon and Schuster) and five-time organizer of the World Rock Paper Scissors Championships, Graham Walker is one of the few people who is actually a credible authority on the strategy and cultural significance on the game of Rock Paper Scissors.

Therapuetic Thursday with Stuart Smalley

In those infamous words that are so fitting on a day like today…

"I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!"
o Al Franken as Stuart Smalley

Another recent award. ;) Tell me when you get sick of seeing these. hahahaha

Ear Wax and Herpes (not the genital kind) - Catchy title, huh?

OK – so yesterday I had an eye doctor appointment to check on my eyes and to see about how new contacts would work. In case you didn’t know - I haven’t been able to wear any since june because my left eye was messed up a little bit. It had something to do with wearing contacts that were too old for too long without taking them out of my eye. Go figure. ;) hahahahaha

Anyway, I go to there and it was a blast as usual. My eye doctor is hilarious and her staff is just as funny – through me into the mix…needless to say they are always excited when I come in. hahahaha So, I’m in there and the first girl I see tells me to take off my glasses, then put them on, then take them off…over and over for all these tests. Then cover left/right eye, etc. After a few minutes of this I ask her…wouldn’t it be simpler if you did all the glasses off tests at the same time…all the right eye tests and the same time, left eye same time, etc.? She said ”yeah, and I do it that way most of the time, but I just like making you work and watch you take your glasses off and on – it’s funny.” It really was funny – although I had to be there 2 hours so I figured I needed to make the best use of my time. I had to have my eyes dialated etc., so it was best to have fun.

Now when Dr. Jones came in she started with the whole glasses thing and just started laughing (she knew what the other girl had done). Anyway, she’s examining my eyes and looking around (blinding me – which I complain greatly of) and notices a fever blister on my lip. She asks “Is that a fever blister?”
“Yes”, I replied.
“Well, I get those too and there’s this over the counter medicing that works great on them. It’s called abrevia (or something like that).”
“Oh yeah, I tried that once. Didn’t work too well. I am using Lovitra which is awesome – 2-3 days – done. It’s OTC too.”
“hmmmm.” She said. “Well, you know what my mom always told me.
“No what?”
“She said that you can use ear wax and place it on your fever blister and it will go away.”
Now I start thinking to myself…”OK, maybe the people here aren’t just messing with me…maybe they are actually psyco. I need to find an exit quick…Was that real eyes drops they put in my eye…or something more sinister, like a homegrown concoction?” And just as my train of hought starts heading down the track, I hear…
“Of course, I’ve never tried it…I don’t think it would work.”
Whew…ok I feel a little better now – at least the doctor hasn’t tried it…ok not so bad.
Then suddenly…
“Oh my gosh,” she seemed very startled. “It’s 4 o’clock (I got there at 3) and my son had a dentist appointment at 3:30 – I completely forgot.”
Yep – mind starts racing again…has she forgot to do anything with my eyes?
She picks up the phone in the room. And over the intercom I hear “Ummm, Julie or Jessica, can either one of you take Johnny to the dentist? Or see if Randy (her husband who works there too) can take him – I clean forgot his appointment was at 3:30.”
I laugh out loud (as I am prone to do) and look at her as she hangs up the phone. She hangs up and says, “Yeah, laugh it up. I had to get their attention because I don’t know where anyone is and he’s already late…if he’s too late they won’t see him and still charge me.”
“Oh”, I reply sarcastically, “is that what there policy book states.”
“Nooooo, I have had to pay for three visits that he didn’t get to.”
“WHAT?!?! You mean it’s taken 3 times for you to learn not to forget the appointments? Wow. One, I wouldv’e chalked up as a learning experience. Two, yeah OK, maybe things come up and you have to miss. But three? And now maybe four? You need to get a PDA or something. Hahahahaha”

This was a very funny conversation. Needless to say I love my eye doctor and staff – they really are great, if not certifiably insane. But I fit in. HAHAHAHAHA

So – as for WaxOnWaxOff – the whole ear wax thing is still with me, so I decided to look it up. If any of you suffer from cold sores, fever blisters, herpes – whatever…check this out. Not only does ear wax appear to work, but so do a lot of other things. And artificial sweetener causes outbreaks…very wild stuff. I think that’s why I got mine. I drank a few Diet Cokes a week or so ago and got a fever blister. I hadn’t drank any cokes for about 6-7 months and never had one during that time…hmmm.interesting. From now on it’s “sugar in the raw”.

one21two

today's twofer...

1 - this is kind of funny...

2 - I am pissed at a local bank - if it doesn't get any better, I am publishing a whole site dedicated to their demise and will start advertising it too. ;)

ok - that's all...

smile...you're on candid camera

well, no. Not really, but in an effort to motivate positively - I'm posting this quote:

"I have witnessed the softening of the hardest of hearts by a simple smile."
Goldie Hawn (1945 - )

Now - I'm not the biggest Goldie Hawn fan...I don't know her, never met her, etc. etc. But I agree with this statement she made. I have seen it work too. So, next time you're in line somewhere and it takes forever, or your coffee is wrong, someone is extremely rude to you, etc. Just smile at the person - not only will it break the ice, but it will make you feel better too. Trust me. ;) Plus, you never know who's watching...

beats to the rhyme

This is my blog, as you well know
But sometimes my comments stay at zero
I do not understand why this is so
Because there’s always something to say to me or tell me where to go

This isn’t the poem that lisa really loved
But I will put that one up soon enough
It’s a funny one that’s slightly metaphoric
I’ll type it, revise it, and put it up next week.

r u serious?

1st - i know today is serious saturday. That being said...I had the question posed to me on funny friday about how i can make my eyes move. It was funny yesterday...I told them, and they were like are you serious? Yes. Without going into great detail...here's a video to show just how serious I am when i say i can make my eyes move around slightly differently than normal.

After you watch the video, if you'd like to learn how to do it...just send me $19.95 +5.95 S&H and i can send you the secrects on jedi eye movement...hahahahahaha - scroll down and enjoy...

funny

New energy drink to be named "Cocaine." What could possibly go wrong?

'nuff said...

DC2

Alright – well another fun day…and yep…I was too wrapped up in it all to get lots of pictures. But, I did meet Lamar, and got to see and hear john Sununu, john thune, elaine chao, lisa Murkowski, among others. They were really good… The real surprise and treat was getting to hear carly fiorina (formerly of HP fame) speak – she was awesome! She started out as a receptionist in a real estate office…way cool. I learned so much stuff it’s not even funny. I even found a new business opportunity (oh yeah…I was even asked about a job…will have to get more detail on that one) All in all a great time – I met so many really cool people. This was the first event like this of its kind. Everyone seemed a little bewildered as to why they were there. It was definitely a prepping for running for office of some kind. Almost spooky – but hey…I’m in the club now and that is cool. Even though I know anyone/everyone can call up their senator and talk to them etc., I really feel like I can and they know who I am. Very cool. What’s better, is that now I could even call out to anyone that was there that I met and go see them. Very nice. I also met some other really cool people…I ate lunch with the atty gnl of NH – she was really cool. The Dir of Hmlnd Scrty of NH too. Awesome. I got to hang with some big dogs. I felt by far to be one of the least significant people there. All these people (most of them anyway) had some idea of running for office in some capacity and they were all talking to me and I’m like…"well, I’m a business guy…I sell things. I’ve started and sold a couple of businesses etc., but I’m no PHD or anything - no Harvard or Princeton...not sure why I'm here really"...hahahaha. Oh yeah, Bill, the guy that started F@stCompany was there too – very bright guy. Oh well…not sure what else to say – I had a blast and will most likely do it again. They asked us if it was valuable and if we’d come back. I said…uh, yeah. Totally a once in a lifetime opportunity. Now I have even more friends across the country…hahahahaha And what's really neat, out of the 9 people from TN there - I was the only one representing the state East of Nashville. Yep...that was actually pretty cool. I represented Chattanooga, knoxvegas and tri-cities and all the little places in between. Heh.


Ok – now for something a little different. I was on the plane heading home…I have just finished reading this week’s TIME magazine – a really good issue (Sept 25th). But I have just read something that absolutely disturbs me beyond belief. Have you heard of a “Safe-Surrender” Law? If so, you’re in the know more than me. 47 states have this. 47 out of 50. Wanna know what it is? Well, it allows a mother to give up her child anywhere from 3 days (in 16 states) up to 1 year old (in Missouri and North Dakota) just because she doesn’t want it, or feels “overwhelmed”. Can you believe this? Supposedly it is to prevent unnecessary killing of unwanted babies. All a mother has to do is show up at a proper “drop off” location, like a fire station and tell them she doesn’t want the baby and then leaves. I mean – seriously…This has absolutely blown my mind. So now, if you get pregnant and want to know what having a baby is like, you can do that and if you don’t like it, you can give it away. What is this supposed to prevent or make positive? Sure, I guess those mothers are not having abortions or killing their babies, but still. And the statistics are showing that it is not preventing deaths on newborns either. Roughly the same amount of babies are being killed every year after birth, even with this law. Read the article here - http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1535837,00.html (copy and paste in your browser)


Anyway – I just thought I’d share that. Totally blew me away! I had no idea things like this exist. And even in California right now, they are looking to go from 3 days to 30 days. A “test drive” period. “Hey kids, try before you buy…” I think Arnold has until Sept 30 to decide if it’s going to pass or not. We’ll see. Just thought I’d share.

DC - one

Ok – so yesterday I fly into DC for this “invitation only” summit for young professionals. I must say – very cool. Last night I got to meet and greet Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Orrin Hatch, Bill Frist and Trent Lott, just to name a few. It didn’t even dawn on me to get pictures until the end b/c it was such a great night. I did get a pic of Trent Lott toward the end, so at lest one pic is better than none. They encouraged all of us to get into some type of office and eventually look toward a bigger goal. And they were all willing to help. Very cool. It had to be one of the coolest nights I’ve had in a meet & greet in a long time. Also, I met 3 other people that I just clicked with right away. One is Robby, who is about 40 – a banker (VP) and mayor if his town in West TN, who happens to be married to a Ukrainian (so my Russian came into play), another was Anne (27), who is the PR director for a posh (very nice) resort in Florida (she helped run part of Jeb’s campaign when he first ran for gov), and Justin (30) who is an International Affairs Strategist for a Tampa firm – way cool people. We all hung out last night and got to know each other pretty well. Soooo fun. Anyway – today is all day of what last night was like…meet/greet, etc. So I must go – but I’ll try to remember to get more pics. ;)

Later

TWOFER

1 – My new longboard is sweet. Fast, Smooth, 47” – and turns on a dime :P

2 – I had 2 ball games last night – we won both – but in the second won, I hit 3 home runs. The best part – 2 were right handed and 1 was left handed…ahhhh yeah. ;)

Motivation from Starbucks...

So, I go to Starbucks this morning (as usual, unless I'm at Panera), through the drivethrough and order my standard Marble Mocha Macchiato (get one if you haven't - awesome) and drink it down during this morning's meeting. I decided to read "The Way I See It" quote on the cup. This is something I rarely do, but today was different. Here's is the quote (It's #178, btw):

"The measure of genuine civilization, it has been said, is the quality of life for a nation's poorest and least privileged people. By that measure, we are barbarians. Our current level of inequality cannot be justified or sustained." - Robert W. McChesney

After reading this I thought to myself, hmmm - interesting and very true. I mean how can we call oursleves civil and not treat those less fortunate with dignity and respect. I know I sometimes don't. I often look down on people who don't "fit my mold or idea" of who or what a "normal" person is. I mean, we sponsor children/families in other countries and try to help them succeed, we're involved with one.org, among other things. But what do I do for people here to help our nation grow? Well, I pay taxes, so the gov't can deal with them so I don't have to get "dirty". Just like I send money to other places to empower other people to get "dirty". What do I do to get "dirty" other than give money? I volunteer a lot for various things...sometimes I wonder how much of that I do for myself instead of for helping others. Probably most of it, if I were honest.

What do you do to get "dirty"?

Just a thought.

football fun....

OK - So I had a poem for today - all original...Lisa even read it and really, really liked it (heh), but after yesterday I have decided to do something different and save my original for maybe next week, or another, better time. This week is not original...but do continue on...

We went to the game last night (surely I don't have to tell you which one...) after meeting some friends downtown and going out to eat. It was so fun...and free - doesn't get much better than that. After we ate we decided to go down the to stadium and get tickets. Here's a little hint for you...the games are always "get inable". The closer you wait 'til kickoff, the cheaper the tix. If you wait until after kickoff, they are usually well below face value. Anyway, we wanted to see kickoff, so we bought them ahead of time. Everyone I talked to said they would be between $400 - $500 a pair. Which they were...but, at 10 mins. before kickoff - they were only $70 ea. Since face value is $44, I didn't think that was too much extra to pay to get in to see all the intro stuff...plus, Lisa had never been before so I wanted to make sure she got the "full" experience. Oh yeah...and we sat right above the enemy student section. Crazy. Sooooooo much fun though - I'd definately sit there again...really good seats - great view.

So, I'm posting some pics (from my phone) and putting down the rhymes...enjoi.




Rocky Top
by Boudleax and Felice Bryant

Wish that I was on ol' Rocky Top

Down in the Tennessee hills

Aint' no smoggy smoke on Rocky Top

Ain't no telephone bills

Once I had a girl on Rocky Top

Half bear, other half cat

Wild as a mink, but sweet as soda pop

I still dream about that.

Rocky Top you'll always be

Home sweet home to me

Good ol' Rocky Top

Rocky Top Tennessee, Rocky Top Tennessee

Once two strangers climbed ol' Rocky Top

Lookin' for a moonshine still

Strangers ain't come down from Rocky Top

Reckon they never will

Rocky Top you'll always be

Home sweet home to me

Good ol' Rocky Top

Rocky Top Tennessee, Rocky Top Tennessee

Corn won't grow at all on Rocky Top

Dirt's too rocky by far

That's why all the folks on Rocky Top

Get their corn from a jar
Rocky Top you'll always be

Home sweet home to me

Good ol' Rocky Top

Rocky Top Tennessee, Rocky Top Tennessee

I've had years of cramped-up city life

Trapped like a duck in a pen

All I know is it's a pity life

Can't be simple again

Rocky Top you'll always be

Home sweet home to me

Good ol' Rocky Top

Rocky Top Tennessee, Rocky Top Tennessee

not sure of a title

Things today -

1 - Birthday Party
2 - Going to Knoxville - apparently there is a "BIG GAME" there tonight that is a "MUST SEE"
3 - New Longboard - Sector9 46" (oh yeah and I got this real cheap...debating on whether to keep it or sell it)
4 - House is wrapped - Windows & Doors should be installed this week - Yep taking a bit - but the house is bigger that I thought it was going to be

not sure what else to put - just needed to post to keep the dream alive....heh

Pepsi...the mysterious origins...

So, most of you know I'm a Coke man. When I drink softdrinks, it's Coca-Cola, Diet Coke or Cherry Coke. I usually don't stray from those, unless it's Mtn Dew. Well...most of you don't know why I drink Coke products. I'll fill you in.

Pepsi Cola was originally named Brad's Drink. Now, back in 1893, it was fairly common for mom and pop alchemists to concoct certain beverages and brews in their basement and "invent" the next big thing. Well, Caleb Bradham (who was from New Bern, NC, btw) invented something that was actually drinkable. He started selling it in his fountain shop, and he dubbed it "Brad's Drink". Since his last name contained "Brad" in it. So, first I think to myself, why didn't he call it "Caleb's Drink"? What was so mysterious that he wouldn't put his first name, or full last name on the drink (think "Dr. Pepper")? Hmmmmm....

Well, Mr. Bradham, had such a good drink on his hands he decided to market it medicinally. He traveled extensively marketing his new concoction as a digestive aid (ummmm...pepto-bismally), then marketed it as an energy booster (similar to a RockStar or Red Bull). Well...I know what you're thinking, an energy booster, ok I can see that, but a digestive aid? OK, so the name changed in 1898 to Pepsi-Cola. Why? Seems the part of the name Pepsi, comes from the pepsin that is in the drink. Think, Pepcid AC. Yep, the heartburn medicine. And as for the cola...that comes form the kola nut content that flavors up the pepsin.

So, in short, I do not like to have a refreshing drink that is sometimes prescribed for heartburn. HAHAHAHAHA

Now compare that with Coca-Cola, (which was made first - and the inventor of it actually wrote the logo by hand that is still used today) which first contained the same kola nut stuff for flavor and cocaine. Of course, they stopped that in the 80's. hahahahahaha - but you can see why it's been the more popular one over the years.

~l8r

What are you lookin' at?

So, coming back from Seattle the other day, I decided to have a little fun with people and do a bit of an experiment. I got this green shirt (bright Kelly Green) that says on the front – “STOP LOOKING AT MY SHIRT”. hahahahaha – It’s an awesome shirt! Size L, not XL, btw…hehehe - Anyway, I wore this shirt on my way back home knowing I would be wearing it in Seattle, SEATAC and Atlanta. I think you can tell a lot about people when you can notice their reaction to something like that. And, man oh man…did I get lots of reaction. Most people who I watched read it (I need to show a pic of it…it really does attract attention so you can see people looking at it before they actually look at your face…it’s quite humorous), would be looking down at it and then look up to see who would wear such a shirt and notice me looking at them already (the knew I was watching them read my shirt) and they would quickly turn their head. It’s a wonder none of them got whiplash. A couple of people who saw it laughed out loud, which was really what I was going for, and oddly enough, the only ones who laughed out loud were older women – maybe 50ish – and they also talked to me telling me how much they loved the shirt! So, after this, I decided to mix it up a bit and see if I could control the responses by the way I looked at people. None of this was in any way scientific, but boy did I have fun with it! Some people I did not smile at, at all. I just stared them down when they looked at me. These people, all of them I did that to, turned and looked away really fast. Others, I smiled at when they looked at me and most of them smiled back…and all of them looked at my shirt a 2nd time (which the ones I stared at did not). Then I decided to say “hey/hi” when others looked at my shirt. I don’t remember exact numbers, but it was less than half that said hey back. I just thought this was really neat. Then I decided to say “so, you like my shirt?” to people and smiled while saying it. Keep in mind, I wore this all morning (at Starbucks, Border’s, the airport for 2 hours and getting on the plane – all of this before ATL) and had plenty of time to come up with things to do. Most of these people (easily more than half, but not all) would smile back and say, “yeah”, or “it’s cute (the women said that)”, etc. No one said “no”. I thought this was pretty funny, because I’m sure at least one person I asked didn’t like it but lied to my face. Anyway, not super therapeutic, but it was a fun social experiment that I enjoyed. I’m gonna have to wear that shirt more often.

wow

ok ok ok - I can't believe it! I have actually posted every day for over a week. hahahaha - insane. Now let's see if I can go 2 weeks...baby steps, baby steps. So, I really don't have much to slam on today. No crazy comments - I mean, even my flights went well. I even landed late in ATL and they held my next flight for me (made it 20 minutes late just so they could get my luggage)...so that was good. Went skating up in kpt yesterday at the park...that was fun (that park is nice btw). Next time I'll get some footage and post it. ;) I ate lunch with Luke today, Mr. VIP for a day - his bday. Wore my new suit to work...let's see, what else? Not much really - I even won an umbrella today and it is raining! How funny! Lots of work to catch up on, so I'm going to get off here - just needed to post. - cya

the 2fer

1 - i am reading an awesome book called "risk". It's by kenny luck and I recommend it to all guys out there who like to read. Kenny is from Saddleback and has some neat encouragements in there.

2 - the more I go to Seattle/Redmond, the more I like it. I could easily live there. It's such a neat place...it reminds me of here. If you've not been there you definately need to go visit - lots of stuff to do - with similar awesome scenery.

Seattle, part Duex w/motivations....

9/11 – ok, so I’m flying cross country today. I should be home by midnight, just in time to do my 2fer.

Now I know it’s motivational Monday. I have 2 quotes – 1 that fits me right now and another that fits me right now…hahahahaha – there’s a third one that deals with seattle and a lot to tell there.

First things first…I found these quotes:

Use your imagination not to scare yourself to death but to inspire yourself to life.
-Adele Brookman

The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts.
-Bertrand Russell (1872 - 1970)

I think these quotes are pretty motivational. It’s neat to be encouraged by other people who look at things in a different way. The first quote is a neat glass half empty/half full thing for me – which I’m trying to look at things that way even more so than usual. The 2nd just makes me feel better about some of my doubts/confusion, etc. that I’ve been having and knowing that I’ll be better for it in the long run.

Now the 3rd quote for you today is this:

When you meet your antagonist, do everything in a mild and agreeable manner. Let your courage be as keen, but at the same time as polished, as your sword.
-Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751 - 1816)


Now the trip/show up here was awesome! Other than our display stuff being lost for a day – it couldn’t have gone any better. Last night was great. Of course all week(end) I’ve hung out with my Canadian buds (and I think it’s decided that I am going to Ottowa soon, too) and last night they had a big party in the Presidential Suite of the hotel. So, of course they want me to come, etc. Well, the party was co-hosted by one of my competitors in the software arena. A bigger one – we’re like the "Dr. Pepper" drink – a Cadbury brand that’s 3rd only to "Coke" & "Pepsi". This competitor is like Coke. Easily the biggest. I know the president of the company pretty well and told him I was coming and to be ready for me. I said, “I’m not going to wear my (company) shirt b/c you’re paying for all this stuff, and I’m not going to do too much business – I coming to hang with my peeps and get free food and drink.” Of course he was way cool with that and was like “yeah, totally – you know you’re more than welcome at my stuff. I really like you and know your cool and you’re a great competitor. Not like those a$$holes at “pepsi”. I hate those guys.” So – I show up at the party around 9. And it was a great time – but this is the funniest part – (I don’t want to use real names so I’ll call the president of coke – armwood – he’s from tampa…hahahah) Armwood was telling the people there about our software – yes, mine. He was selling it for me. It was hilarious – I got just as many hot leads from that party in 7 hours as I did in 2 days at the show. Of course Armwood didn’t really realize what he was doing…he had been drinking a lot. But nonetheless, I took full advantage of the situation. It was awesome – the Canadians couldn’t believe it…one of the girls was like “so, he [armwood] is paying for the other half of this party that we’re not, which is like $10K or so, and he’s selling your stuff. That’s odd, isn’t it?” “Uh, yeah – but I’m not complaining – let’s just not remind him of it in the morning.” And everyone laughed…it was funny. What’s even funnier is that he is coming to the TN/FLA game this weekend and wants to take us (by us – I actually mean me & Lisa, maybe Allan) out to dinner – wherever we want to go. And of Course I never pass up free food. Another thing – it seems everyone here loves my accent. "Que?" or "What?", you ask? I have an accent? Well, apparently I do, and the people up here love it. They knew it was southern, but not deep southern (think SC, GA, etc), no big drawl, and they just ate it up – it was pretty funny. They were all about being annoyed with the deep accent they’re used to from the south and not always understanding what’s said – but mine and the guy that was with me – they thought was sooo cool. And yes, they all do get out a lot, but apparently they’ve never been around my part of the south and they were all wanting to come here by the end of the show and party. (so lisa, be prepared – I told them all it was ok to come - that we only needed a couple days notice...)

So, Sunday, I went to a Mariners game – got tickets in the 16th row, behind 3rd – almost got hit in the head with a ball (the 16th row is pretty close – lots of foul balls), got sunburnt (yes in seattle) on only half of my neck (yes I look funny – hold comments), got jumped on for another ball – to which I told everyone around me – “People, you can go buy these balls for less than $10 in a store – it’s not that big of a deal to maim people to try to get a ball…really.” Of course the guy that jumped on me apologized (and kept on through the rest of the game – I had to finally “politely” tell him I was tired of hearing it. hahahaha)

OK – that’s about it. Here’s some pics from this trip – for more seattle pics – see my last post when I was there.

OK – a pic of the stadium, some action, a very cool information booth (all mobile) and a horse and buggy - enjoi.












company names used in this post are NOT the said companies - only used for comparison

see my poem/

Loaded and ready – some may call it sin
The urge unrelenting – set to release from within
Control. All-consuming, waiting for the right time
Unloading before expectation
Holding back a wry sigh.
Soaked and wet you look up to see
A smile on my face, a sense of joy and glee
Who knew that people could have so much fun
Squirting other people with a plastic water gun

The Watergun

so that's my poem this week...not too much time to think about it.... ;)

UPS still sucks

ok - so my stuff comes in today at 4p - just in time for the big part of the show at 5. I go get it, get back and set everything up in time and make it look really nice. When people come back in they are amazed (we seriously got commented on the new look at least 50 times) - some of them think we changed our booth around just for the dinner thing. It was kind of funny - but worked out really well. Not quite a day late and a dollar short...just a day late. Come to find out UPS doesn't even guarantee their overnight to be overnight. I'm still not going to pay for the shipping, nor am I ever going to use UPS again. From now on it's either FedEx or DHL. I suggest you do the same. And yes, it's 1am here and I am posting - ridiculous - I fell asleep at 10ish here and just woke up...I guess I'll get used to the time change as soon as I get home...figures.

not really funny, like ha ha...

so, it's 3am here in Seattle and I am up. I have 3 hours before I can start setting up our stuff that we are to do here. I also have 3 hours to hopefully get our stuff.

You see, I was going to check everything in luggage (which was why I bought & packed everthing the way I did), but I was persuaded by a couple of people at the office to just "ship it all". Yes, it would be easier at the airport, no it wouldn't get lost, etc. Well, guess what...it's not here. I don't know why, but i can't sleep because i am wondering if it will get here on time to show to people. AAAGGGHHH!!! What I'm really worried about is that it may not be here today, which leaves monday for it to get here when everything is pretty much done - then I will have to miss my flight to make sure I get it to bring back home. THIS SUCKS! And what makes it all worse is that it was all overnighted and should have been here. I got 2 out of the 3 boxes - and the one I didn't get is the MAIN one.

Oh well, I'll just have to make due with what I have...in the meantime I just hope they find my $8000 box.

OK - enough about my crap...here's a joke that kinda relates...

There was this guy at a bar, just looking at his drink. He stays like that for half of an hour.Then, this big trouble-making truck driver steps next to him, takes the drink from the guy, and just drinks it all down. The poor man starts crying. The truck driver says, "Come on man, I was just joking. Here, I'll buy you another drink. I just can't stand to see a man cry.""No, it's not that. This day is the worst of my life. First, I fall asleep, and I go late to my office. My boss, outrageous, fires me. When I leave the building, to my car, I found out it was stolen. The police said that they can do nothing. I get a cab to return home, and when I leave it, I remember I left my wallet and credit cards there. The cab driver just drives away.""I go home, and when I get there, I find my wife in bed with the gardener. I leave home, and come to this bar. And just when I was thinking about putting an end to my life, you show up and drink my poison."

hrmmmm...

Well, as of this moment I don't have too much to go off on. I got my B12 shot, was prescribed vitamins (I am getting old - first time I've ever had to take vitamins - Kelly, shut it :P) and told another guy my life story, which left his mouth agape. I am coming to the conclusion that life is short. Yeah yeah yeah - so you all say you already know that...blah blah blah. I mean, really...what have I done in the past 33 years that is of any significance. I know I have 2 great kids that hopefully I'm helping to raise right, a great wife (but i can't take any credit there) and sure, I've been successful in the businesses I've started (who cares). I've had lots of "success" in my life, done lots of things and I guess I'm wondering what else there is. Where's the significance? I mean, now to do something bigger and better - it has to really be bigger and better - and why do I feel the need to do that? Why is my personality the way it is? Anyway, not looking for answers so much as just putting down my thoughts...I know you'd all respond with a "God" answer. That's not really where I am coming from, I don't think. I've had 4 different people tell me they think I'm clinically depressed (2 of those have the credentials to make me stop and think). But I don't agree. I just think I'm trying to do bigger and better (or at least look for it) and it's wearing me out. Even though I know this, I still don't necessarily want to stop. Oh well...

So, as for the picture...that's kind of how I feel right now...looking up through the whirlwind and trying to focus on the end game or what's ahead or whatever. At least "it" seems closer now...not sure what "it" is specifically, just a part of the future...I think that's why I am having such a hard time. I usually have a big picture in mind, a goal or an overall agenda with what I'm moving toward...I don't really have that right now and I think that may be what's bothering me...and that is making it even harder to focus...

Hopefully this wasn't too much of a ramble fest...just needed to put it down so I can look back on it later. I am going to bed - I have to go to Seattle tomorrow for a week. Happy, happy, joy, joy...I'm sure I'll get some good things to post about...

Sissy, eh?

So – I thought about responding to Kelly’s little sissy remark…but thought better of it (I figured she wouldn’t be able to take it - plus I ran about 5 miles and am feeling good before typing this). I figured the debut WaxOnWaxOff should be nice, fun and interesting. Besides, I really don’t feel like ripping on Kelly right now anyway…I think it’s enough punishment for her to be white, female & overseas in a Muslim country. Hahahahaha

So, here’s a neat little fact that you probably didn’t know…

Pfizer sells about 9 Viagra pills every second. Before the “little blue pill” became so popular, it was meant to be a treatment for hypertension and angina. It failed as a treatment for those conditions. The scientists at Pfizer were ready to call it quits on the drug when they started noticing an odd side-effect during testing…yep, they decided to remarket it as you know it today.

And that’s the truth, straight up.

PS - 3 days of blogging in a row...I'm even a little impressed myself... :P And Yes, it is 6:30am.

today's 2fer

1 - last night I grilled 40 hamburgers and ~40 hot dogs for a cookout at the girls house. It was raining and I burnt my hand, but it was a good time. There were a lot of people who showed up even though the weather was bad. It was funny because I also ruined 2 of their spatulas b/c they were plastic. Maybe for Christmas I'll get them a grilling kit. ;) I haven't been by there since - I'm hoping my yard isn't ruined...hahahaha

2 - I think I know what's wrong with me. (ok, insert your witty retort here)
No, not that.... ;) Some of you know that I've been having problems lately being moody, forgetful, a bit spastic, etc. Well, seems my doc caught on to something that makes sense. I am Vitamin B12 deficient. The normal range for B12 in you is between 200-900. My B12 is 230, which means I'm not dead and don't have any diseases, but it is super low. So, I have to schedule a time to get injected with some B12. Good Times. ;)

Oh well, just thought I'd share.

time to think...

In the name of God, stop a moment, cease your work, look around you.
- Leo Tolstoy

Today is Labor Day and it's a sad day in the world. I'm sure you heard that Steve Irwin died today while filming a new underwater documentary. Steve Irwin, in case you didn't know, was the famed "Crocodile Hunter". He was 44. He died totally doing what he loved and I don't believe he had too many regrets with what he did and made of his life. This has me thinking...

Do I take breaks and stop work and look around? Am I doing what I love? Do I enjoy life to the fullest? Will I have any regrets later on in life? Do I appreciate what I have?

Not sure...but I do know this, I am going to start enjoying life more and enjoying what I have more. Are you?

a new era...

So, the rabbit thing yesterday got me to thinking. How much stuff happens to me that is interesting in some way? How much stuff can I share to display my witt, thoughtfulness, charm and general positive attitude? How much bad attitude can I share? I don't know the answers to those questions, but I do know that like sand through the hourglass, these are the Days of Our Lives (hahahah). I decided to step up the blogging thing. If you notice, I am no longer advertising for ifrogz. I changed the look to let everyone know what they can expect when they come to my blog on any given day. I am going to attempt to keep this updated every day (starting Monday, btw) and stick to the themes above. I got up at 4:30a this morning, ran about 5 miles, went to a 7a meeting and for whatever weird reason am motivated to overachieve today, so with that in mind, I am doing this. Now, I will go into definitions for the themes, so you can know what to expect - and hopefully enjoy. ;)

motivational monday - monday's you will find either a quote, statement, etc. that should help get you through the day/week whatever. Some will be serious, some funny, some real, some fake - one day it could be winston churchill and another it could be jack handy (oh yeah, don't let the names fool you into thinking this is all going to be super serious or touchy feely - you know me better than that).

twofer tuesday - I believe you are all familiar with this since I have done it in the past. Plus, many of you have done it too. I'll just be sharing 2 things from the day, week, whatever with you.

WaxOnWaxOff Wednesday - this is your opportunity to shine. During the week, through my comments i will be looking for a good topic that i can write about. you wax on, i wax off. For example, let's say you leave a comment on motivational monday about the author of a quote. Well, Wednesday could be a short bio on that author. Or on funny friday, you make fun of what I put down. Wednesday I'll make fun of you. ;)

therapudic thursday - this is my day to rant and rave - simple as that.

funny friday - this will highlight things I've found humorous, either directly affecting me or directly effecting me. heheh

serious saturday - i know, i know...if there's one day that may get left off here and there it will be this one. But I will attempt to post things sincere and serious and thought-provoking. a strech, i know....

sonnet sunday - YES! I am looking forward to this. I will astound and amaze you with original poetry. It could be short or long - whatever I'm in the mood for. Hopefully most of it will rhyme, but if not I am going to now declare artistic creativity, so if it doesn't rhyme, it means it's ok. ;)

So - there you have it. I hope you enjoy! Any suggestions, let me know.

ever been involved in something you didn't know anything about?

That's the question...and if you haven't you sure are missing out. Apparantly, a big prize was won by us (actually it was won by one of our employees who wasn't even here when they brought the food - sorry Jamie) from an area radio station. It was 15 Value Meals from McDonald's. Well, if you know my office...there are about 60 employees in this location alone. So I have no idea why there were even 15 brought here. They were gone in like 5 seconds. Anyway, I included a pic of the event...hahahaha - never a boring day around here. And yes, Allan got the first meal out of the box....hahahahahaha ;)

I can't pass this stuff up...

OK - sometimes you just gotta share...and such is the case in something i saw in the news this morning. This 14 year old claims to be the shortest in the world...20 inches tall. Unreal!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060828/od_afp/nepalrecordoffbeat_060828201843

On a different note, I have to go to Seattle in a couple of weeks (just found out yesterday). so I go online to get airline tickets. So, flights coming in on Sept 10th & 12th were about $1000. Flights coming in on the 11th (yes, the 11th) were only $500. So guess what...I'm coming back on the 11th - the 5th anniversary. Across the country. Scary, huh? Soooooo, in light of that, please take this opportunity to tell me things you want to make sure I know, and if there is anything I have that you want, should I not make it back, let me know now so i can arrange for you to have it. ;) Of course, if i do make it back, then...you don't get my stuff...but I'll have a good idea of what to get you for Christmas. :) hehehe

Neat Gift....

Well, if you don't bank with Bank of America, you should. ;) I just won an autographed cal Ripkin Jr. Baseball - letter of authenticity and all. This will make a neat addition to my others (including Hank Aaron, Boog Powell, and other various Padres/Yankees). I decided to put up pics so you could see. Enjoi.

One more thing...

Oh - and seeing this today made me feel glad I came home last night.

Fun Times in the Hartsfield-Jackson…

Well, coming home from Chicago (see previous post about Chicago) Saturday was an adventure to say the least. The flight from Midway to Atlanta was fine, no big deal. I got in at 4:30p and my flight to the TRI was to leave at 5:30. (BTW, did anyone see the race yesterday?) When I got there I found out it was delayed to depart until 8:20p, then 9p, then 9:30…and so it goes. If you’ve never spent 4+ (it wound up being a little more than 6) hours in an airport terminal, you are missing out in life. One thing I noticed last night is that there is a gate change approximately every 10 minutes. It only happened 2x to me, but lots of other had flights delayed and it’s hilarious to watch herds of people move back and forth through the terminal. For example, a flight to Allentown, PA changed gates about 6x all in one area before boarding and every few minutes about 50 or so people would get up and move together in a group to whatever gate that was called over the speakers. What was really funny about this? The gates were side by side and they really didn’t need to move at all. It was at the end of “D”, and if you’ve been there (like A, B, C & T) the end of the terminal has about 4-5 gates in one space. This was where they were all moving around.

Now keep in mind I usually sit right at the gate (with the agent) because I like to eavesdrop on everything going on. Not only was watching all those people amusing, but listening to some of the things said were equally hilarious! There was one flight to Knoxville that boarded at 6:30p – then they had to deplane at 7:30p (yes, they could have been in Knoxville by then – especially seeing as how it is only 40 minutes to the TRI). This delay was due to the AC not working. Well, one guy started yelling at the counter girl when he got off. “We have been on that plane with no AC sweating and being miserable, and you now deplane us after an hour? If there was a baby in a car for that long outside the parents would be arrested and put in jail. I can’t believe this!!”
The agent looked up at him when she heard this. “Were there any babies on board?” she asked this in a very sincere and concerned voice.
“No,” said the man, “it’s the principal.”
“Sir, we’re doing everything we can to fix your plane. I’m sorry you’re sweating.” She said.
I heard this and laughed out loud and they both looked at me and I just shook my head and smiled. The guy looked at me and then the gate girl and walked off in a huff. The gate girl tuned and gave me a big smile. ;) Seems now, I am on the good side.
After that, not 10 minutes later, a woman comes up to the counter and asks, “Ma’am, can I get my bag? Since I gate checked it and we’re going to be out here a while, I need to get some stuff out of it to pass the time.”
Nice request, I thought to myself – much nicer than the last guy that was up here.
“Sure, not a problem”, said the gate girl. “what’s your tag number?”
This is where it gets amusing…this is the honest to goodness conversation…I wrote it down word for word when I heard where it was going.
The woman answered, “Well, when I gate checked my bag, they didn’t give me a tag. Is that a problem?”
“Really? Well, that is odd. OK. What’s it look like?”
“Ummmm, well…it’s black, has 2 zippers on it with a handle and is about this big.”, which her hand gestures played out about the size of a small microwave. I couldn’t make this stuff up...
The gate agent just looked at her and again I laughed out loud-hard. They looked at me and I think I gave the gate girl some extra courage because she realized that other people had heard this and were thinking what she was thinking.
“Are you serious?” the gate girl asked. “You’re kidding right?”
“Yes, I am serious. I know it looks like every other bag here, but I can go out there and get it. I know what it looks like.”
“No, you can’t go out there. We’re not going to go digging through all the bags to try to find yours and it doesn’t even have a ticket.”
“Yes, but that should make it easier to find. It’s probably the only one without a pink ticket on it.”
“Ma’am. Go sit down and wait for your reboarding. I don’t have time for this.”
I was laughing so hard. I know it was rude of me, but it was sooooo funny. Other people started laughing too, when I broke the ice with my laughter. I had to have a break from the clinically insane, so I walked up to BK and got some food. I returned at about 8:15 and all the Knoxville people are still standing at the gate. I mean, this is 45 minutes later! And, there are plenty of seats to sit in (one of which I take, next to the gate of course). And they finally did a last call for Allentown – those poor people would be able to sit in one place for a while…hahahaha. At this point, I’m ready to stay in Atlanta.

At 8:45, my flight was delayed to 9:52p. Whatever. But get this, gate D34 makes an announcement. “Ladies and Gentlemen in the D34 gate area. We are going to do something a little different tonight. We are going to board flight XXXX to Dayton Ohio and flight XXXX to Portland Maine at the same time. So, please pay attention to which plane you are getting on when you go through the gate.” That is what he said! Talk about mass confusion…

Then I go to Starbucks and get my trusty grande marble mocha macchiato and enjoyed it tremendously. Yummy! At this point, I’m hoping the go ahead and cancel the flight so I can get to bed. They make an announcement at 9:30 saying they have a plane on the way from Huntsville for us and we should be leaving soon. At 10:15 they tell us it’s time to board so we can go home. They make a few final adjustments and the place takes off at 10:30. When we arrive, I see what the hold up was. RACE Weekend! There were at least 50 planes on the tarmac and about 10 or so were big ones. It was the busiest I have ever seen.

My Kind of Town

ahhh yes...Chicago. How fun. I wish I had more pictures, but I'll put what I got. And to recap...I'll tell y'all about my week.

First - I get here Weds and come to the event and register say hey to some people I hadn't seen in a while (ummmm...like in a week since St Louis) and go through the rigamaroll (which included me giving a one and a half hour workshop to other members there – I knew I was going to speak but thought I was only going to speak for 20 minutes – and to my surprise it was 1.5 hours – it went really well though and I got a lot of great feedback, which was encouraging) then it comes down to the dinner and award show of the evening...and guess what? Yes...if you guessed that I won an award you would be correct. ;) A total surprise to me. I won the "most outstanding member award". Very cool. Pics and all - I think it'll even be in an upcoming magazine issue. Anyway, I can get pics of it and post it later. After that, I got invited to a VIP party in the suites and had quite a bit of fun. After hanging there for a while I decided to go to bed – around 1 or so.

Thursday was a little different. I got up for breakfast and then had to help set up for the expo (for our software). The expo went extremely well and was lots of fun. After that there was lunch and the rest of the conference. At the end of the day, we went out to Ditka’s, a restaurant by none other than Mike Ditka. And yes, he was there! He was pretty cool, but I didn’t get a pic with him. Bummer. There were a couple other players there but honestly I don’t know who they were, one named Dent and McMichael, I think. Anyway…Bears football – I don’t keep up with it much. After dinner we went to a club called “Level” – which was pretty awesome – right up the street from Syn (another good one). We hung out there until about 2 or so and then walked back to the hotel.

Friday (today) – got up, breakfast, conference, nothing big. After lunch, had free time and we went to Bubba Gump at the pier to eat. Then came back and changed and a bunch of us went to a really good pizza place in old town and then went to second city to see “War!”, which was pretty funny. I was pretty worn out after that and decided to come back and blog about it all since I have to return tomorrow and won’t get a chance to blog again until Sunday or Monday. So I hope you enjoy some of the pics – it was a good time… ;) I love Chicago.

no title

Being 3 days into my new age, I have come to a few realizations:

• It's always nice to get a new suit

• the yard should be mowed before odd shaped mushrooms appear

• the house will be built in a week or so no matter what you do

and lastly something by some guy named Dostoevsky (hehe)

• The second half of a man's life is made up of nothing but the habits he has
  acquired during the first half.

So now I'm wondering if I'm still in the first half or starting the 2nd...

Oh well...I'm off to Chicago in the morn', I'll post some more later.

And 3 days into this 33rd year of life, I have had one mediocre day, one awesome day and one suck day.

HBD2Me

yes - you can send gifts to: (me)

hahahahaha jk

alright - for my birthday: I ran 4 miles, mowed 2 acres, prepared a presentaion, put the top on my jeep AND decided to let you vote on which MX kit I race in and which one I practice in...

Please vote - SuperHero or SuperVillian ;)




















And who knows...maybe tomorrow I'll post a pic of my new CK suit too...hahahahaha

STL2

Alright, well…after last post I went out to go to the Reds v Cardinals game. I took some pics of the suite we were in so here you can enjoy them. ;) The Reds won 7-2 which was fine with everyone in the suite. The company hosting us was rooting for them (always buy Lexmark printers by the way…hehehe). After the game a bunch of us went to a riverboat and did a bit of gambling. I started with $40, played roulette and got up to $360 and then played blackjack and lost it all. Moral of the story, I should only play roulette and not blackjack…hahahahah. I got back into the room at 2a and went to bed. Up at 6a for my flight and got home around 2p, went to the office and unloaded some stuff that I didn’t want to bring home and then went home. This is what I saw when I came home. The whole first floor of the house and garage is done. Crazy. They said the 2nd floor and roof should be done Monday and Tuesday. So, theoretically, the house will be framed and good to go before I leave for Chicago. Talk about fast…I had no idea. They only started framing on Tuesday. So they will have done the house in one week. I am impressed! After seeing the house, I changed and I ran 4 miles, ate super and then I went to sleep last night at 9p and got up this morning at 11a. I guess I needed the sleep. I blame Canada (see previous post). Hehe Anyway, mom just took us out to carraba’s, which is always yummy, for my birthday. Tomorrow I am finishing up some touches on the other house and dad is coming by to finish installing doors. I also got my new motocross gear from SHIFT today – 2 new outfits to MX in. A red/white/blue one and a black/red one – birthday gifts….wohoo! I also got a new suit today – very cool – Calvin Klein, blue pin-stripe…"nice, a very nice". Since I’ve lost weight, my other suit was just really too big. Kinda like a big box. The new one looks really good (at least everyone who has seen it thinks so). Maybe I'll post pics for you. ;)

OK – enough, I’ll leave you alone…hahahaha ;)

St Louis...

Alright, this is the first chance I’ve really had to post in a few days, so I’m taking my opportunity and getting it out. This may be a little long, but I’ll try not to bore all (8) of you. Hahahahaha

I got here Sunday morning and only had an hour or so before things got started. This Ford GT was the first thing I saw when I arrived. It had just been valet parked. Yes I touched it. My fingerprints are on the car and I must say it felt good ;) I reconnected with a bunch of people I haven’t seen in a while which was fun and hung out some. Actually, let me start from the beginning and give a more detail. On the plane from Atlanta, I rode up with one of the reps I know that I haven’t seen in a year or two. Jennifer worked for another company the last time I saw her and she’s still in the industry and we caught up with each other and she invited me to their party they were throwing on Monday night. I go through the paces on Sunday, getting my Starbuck’s and saying hey to everyone and letting them know I was here. Haahaha Had a nice little reception on Sunday night, until about midnight, came up to the room and went to bed. Good Day, Good Night.

Monday – woke up at 6 ready to go. Went to some sessions and learned some things – the small group I was in was by far the best of the show (we all gelled within 20 minutes and it was over after that…hahah) – everyone commented on us and we all got on together really well. The Manf’s were eager to come to us and even the other small groups kept coming to our room to tell us to hold it down, they couldn’t hear because we were so loud. I’ll give you some insight into the members of the group and the dynamics…I mean really this group was soooooo much fun. When I describe these people to you, I am not kidding nor embellishing (I know I do that sometimes – but seriously…we became known to everyone as “the” group. We were so cool and fun we didn’t even need a name to describe us.) I need to say this, there were about 1200 people attending this conference and the 15 of us were all the “I” people in personality speak, or ENF’s whatever…. Anyway, here’s the breakdown of the group.

Auggie – An older Japanese man who was very Pat Morita-esque, except with hair. “Wax on, Wax off”
Brad – he was the token Canadian (think john candy, only the 150lb version)
Dino – I swear he looked and acted like Wayne Brady. No Lie.
Joseph – Again No Lie – he was an exact copy of Jim J Bullock. This guy was hilarious!
Alex & David – They were straight out of The Sopranos. No Joke – NYC and Jersey, the look, the accents – and they played it up too.
Preston – Warren Sapp without hair, and the wittiest consistent comebacks (with the exception of one by George) to Joseph “don’t call me joe”.
George – Think Jason Alexander as George Costanza. No joke.
Bernard – The evil corporate guy (seriously, a big dog from a seriously big company) that everyone picked on – and he ate it up and threw it around too (in a fun way).
Me – heh heh
And a couple of girls who stayed quiet most of the time – but laughed really hard.

This is really the makeup of the group – and I so wish I could type and tell the stories on here but I don’t have enough time and it’s almost a “had to be there” thing.

Monday wound up being pretty good. I ran into some other people who invited me to dinner and another party (3 things so far Monday night) and I said, sure I’ll go. Dinner was OK – the conversations were good. I can honestly say, I know all those people at dinner – I think every one of them I sat with told me their life stories and situations etc. I was like the bartender who hears it all…and oh my…I don’t want to put that stuff on here. So I go back to the hotel (I so wish I had more pictures) went to a party and hung out a while and then went to another one (Jennifer’s company) and closed it down [ the bartender at the party was a woman who looked like Tracy Lawrence with blond hair and there was another woman there who was so drunk, she started putting on her lipstick and it was all around her mouth – it was the funniest/saddest thing I had ever seen. And then we all went to the bar and hung out (and more life stories…no joke). In bed at 3a.

Tuesday was fun. Hung out with the group (see don’t even need a name). I just went walking around. I saw Colin Quinn and hung out with him for a bit, me and Syya got a picture with him. We brought back some “remote control” memories for him and he got a big kick out of that. And at the show, Leilani was there (race care driver) and I got a pic with her and got a pic with a couple of ram cheerleaders. Yesterday was also the big award party so I went to that and had a really good time, me some new people but hung out with my Canadian amigos and amigas. There was a fun after party and then we all got private invites to a party on the top floor (very swank – all big people there – good time) – closed it down and then about 6 of us went to the Canadians suite and hung out until about 3:30a. I am so tired it’s not even funny.

This morning they called and woke me up and I got to "the" group to hang and was about an hour late and got a full rousing applause when I came in. Seems I missed most of the morning session. Too funny. ;) hahahaha they missed me – they actually called to wake me up. It was neat. Then the big lunch reception and tonight I’m going to the game in the suites before I leave tomorrow.

I know this is long and not really too detailed, but it was a good time and oh yeah, I did get a lot of stuff done for work…not all play – a trip well worth it.

Fly Me Courageous

Alright, well...I know it's been a couple of days, but I'm going to update you on what's been going on with me. First, the concert. It was fun but got rained out. The fun part was actually after the concert but instead of typing a bunch of stuff here and telling you about it - a friend of mine already has posted on it and I'm just going to link to it. heheheh, clever...i know. *link removed*

Then friday came around...blah blah blah - dad installed some doors, I went to the Dr., went to NC to get ready for the race.

And Today (this morning actually) I ran in the "climb" 5K. I finished in 28 minutes (in rain - i have pictures I may post later). not bad. Roughly a 9 minute mile the whole way...which is crazy...you really should see this hill - i ran up it the whole way. I think the fastest time in the race was at 20 minutes. It's a hard run. Anyway, Lisa was upset she didn't run in it and after the race decided she wanted to try...so, I ran another 5K. Yes, I ran it again. Insane. So I actually ran a 10K today. And I feel pretty good still. What's funny is that after the race we went swimming for a couple of hours and thenwent back to grandma's house. After a bit I decided to bike for about half a mile too, just so I could get in my own little triathalon. hahahaha

Luke ran the fun run which was on a trail through the woods (a cross country track). He started off a little fast in the rain and fell and scraped his arm up pretty good, then got up and started running again and finished the race (he got 4th). i was pretty proud.

Anyway, I am back home, packing for my trip tomorrow. My flight leaves at 8AM and I will be in St Louis this week, I know one night I have suite tickets to a ballgame in the new stadium, but not sure what else I'll do. I'll keep y'all posted, as always. heheh.

Welcome to the show my friends...

duh duh duh...thanks for comin' round again...duh duh duh...take it to the top...duh duh duh...turn it up or turn it off...

That's the into to one of Drivin' & Cryin' s songs off their Smoke CD. They are in concert tonight and I am going to be there. I am pretty pumped. I'm actually going to be helping a group of people raise money - so I'm kinda going to be working. But - I still get to see the show. Ahhhh yeah. I'm pretty pumped about it. The last time I saw them was in 1991 on the "Fly Me Courageous World Tour". They've had some new stuff out since then (like CD above for one) that I've always thought would sound really cool live. Anyway, I'm going to get pics, etc. and post them on here tomorrow for ya. Only thing is, it's kinda drizzlin' right now, so I hope it doesn't rain out...I will be bummed about it if it does.

And...for those of you who have yet to donate...I am still running Sat morning rain or shine in the climb (uphill 5k) in NC. I've raised some fundage, but would love to get more. Remember it is for a good cause (sending underpriveledged kids to camp)...hello. And I will be running for Team ION. I'm a bit excited about that too...I saw the new "team" shirt yesterday and I must say it looks AWESOME! (of course I did help john a little on the design...hehehe). So - I'm hoping to get one soon.

Last but not least...i went longboarding last night at a local park that has some great longboarding hills. Who knew? There were about 5 of us there riding and having a good time...the closest thing to surfing away from the coast...so fun.

OK - so that wasn't the last thing...we watched last comic standing last night and saw Josh win. He's funny...but the self-deprecating stuff gets old. I hate to say it but I wonder if people voted for him to win because of his disability..i know, i know...but seriously...think about it. And after that was a show "america's got talent". Now the opening act was pretty amazing, this magician was awesome. Very David Copperfieldey. Impressive. For those of you who don't know, I used to do magic myself, quite a bit and I was pretty good at it too. I pretty much gave it up after college. I still have some stuff and know how to do it, and I must say, the guy last night was really good...very quick - impressive. There was one judge (piers, i think) who totally got personal on an act which was a bit mean. I understood where he was coming from but he didn't need to get nasty about it - this couple, who do a quick change act, had different outfits instead of different "tricks". The judge's arguement was about them doing the same "changes" and not something new. And he asked if they were dumb or deaf, since they didn't understand what he had asked for. He made the girl cry, but I think he would have made his point much better if he would have articulated what he meant first instead of calling them names. he did articulate what he meant, but it was too late. Anyway, the show sucks and I probably won't watch it again. I mean...how many of these types of shows can there be? And when David Hasselhoff is a judge and Regis Philbin is the host...it's just weird.

magic man...out....

Pure Hilarity!!!!

And yes...that is my word for it. Talladega Nights is one of the FUNNIEST movies I have seen in a long time. I was rolling in my seat laughing so hard, I almost soiled myself (with Mountain Dew...). The theatre was packed too. WHOOOOOoooO!!!! And to think someone like Ricky bobby is genuinely concerned about snowblindness in kittens. Amazing! The best part about this movie is that if you watch Nascar stuff (which I do) but kinda get a kick out of it and make fun of it every once in a while (which I do) this movie does and says almost everything you've ever thought. Except the gay part...but that is funny - gay nascar stuff...OMG! Soooooo funny!!!

Also went MotoXing at the track again today. Me and Chris went and rode a few hours. i was getting one big jump really good - and to quote Chris - "it was at least 20 feet in the air." Of course I think he was making me feel good about it. I really think it was only about 6 feet or so, but I got it laid out to the side some so I know it was at least 5 feet. I think the next time out there, I'll own the track...hahahahaha. Of course the more weight I lose, the higher/faster I can go. ;)

And - BIG news - I broke 200 with a pic to prove it. Yes. 199. I am pretty happy about it. And just in time too. I've got a race this coming Saturday and less weight means better results. I ran about 4 miles on Friday night and again on Saturday morning. I'm ready for this 5k climb. I hope I do well. The best I've done at it was 3rd in my bracket...so we'll see how it goes. I am going to be running for TEAM ION which is cool. Just to tell you a little about it, TEAM ION sponsors people who do runs, etc. in order to help raise money for under priveledged kids to go to summer camp. The kids can then experince things that they normally wouldn't be able to. It takes $250 to send a kid - so with one week to go - I'm asking for your support to help send a kid to camp. Just email me or commit an amount in the comments and myself (or johnnyT) will followup with you on your donation. All tax-deductible too. Ahhh Yeah!

Well...I'm going to get off here...

I'd also like to give a shout-out to baby Jesus, or Jesu, as our brothers down south say...

WHOOOOOOOoooO!

Election Day...

So, first I thought I'd update you on my eye situation. I am having to have it removed.

No just kiding....hahahaha it is actually doing MUCH better. I went to the doctor yesterday for a checkup and she said that my eye has regenerated awesomely. It's doing much better than she expected. "Of course it is," I told her. "I do have superpowers, you know. I used to think it was flight, but I have since figured out it is cell regeneration." hahahahahahah

Anyway, I should have all the sight back by this weekend and I have my next appointment scheduled for Sept. Now, to answer Beth, I will be able to wear contacts again, but not until after my next appointment. So...I'm not sure if that means no MXing...or just MXing with glasses (what a dork I am). Anyway - I should be good. Thanks to all for prayers, etc. i appreciate it.

Now, I get up this morning a little early to help a friend of mine (Ethan) who is running for office. I told him i would campaign for him a little etc. So I don the T-Shirt and head out to a local Elem School ready to encourage the voters to vote for him. Well, I did just that. i encouraged all 20 that I saw this morning. What was really funny is that a couple of girls came up to me (noticing the Ethan shirt - this very well could have been the first time they ever voted - they looked about 18-20) and said "We voted for Ethan. We really hope he wins."
"Great." I said, "I know he really appreciates your support. He'll do a great job. Do you know him?"
"No, we don't know him. We saw him out one day campaigning and he is so cute we decided to vote for him."
Yes...that is what they said. Ethan was so cute so he got their vote. I found this hilarious and tried not to laugh in their faces, and said "Well. Any vote's a good one. And just so you two know...he will do a good job anyway so you can rest easy about your vote."
Well, after this I called Ethan and told him and he had a good laugh about it. He really should have done some TV ads. Just imagine the landslide (you should see the people running against him...hahahahahah) Seriously - he will do good.

And Ed came by too. He's running for Senate and I think he has a pretty good chance, although Bob seems to be the front runner. He said hey and was happy to get his pic on the blog (seems he's a big fan of it - hahaha no, not really. just kidding).

I've got a meeting in a little bit so I have to get ready for that, but did want to give a shoutout to my birthday girl. We're celebrating her bday today (even though it was really tuesday).


Time to get off here now, I'll rap it up in the words of Kool Moe Dee, I go to work.

Another Day in My Life...

Well, after yesterday's post - I went home and decided to rest my eye and take back the lawnmower. Well, I didn't rest my eye, but more on that later. I decided to take my lawnmower back to Lowe's and heaven help the person behind the counter if they were going to give me a hard time about it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I walk in, and scan the customer service area (with one eye mind you). Good. Only one person in line in front of me. I wait, patiently. The person in front of me gathers their refund and walks off. I step up to the counter and the lady behind the desk looks at me and asks, "Can I help you?"
"Yes. Yes, you can help me. I need to return my lawnmower and get a new one." This statement would be the test, I thought. I wondered how she would react. She just looked at me. Then she looked around, her eyes returning to me after a moment.
"Uh-huh. Sir, I don't see a lawnmower. Did you bring it with you?"
Why, no - I didn't. I completely forgot it. That was the intial response that went through my mind and I almost said it. "Yes, I have it outside. It's a riding mower. Do you want me to bring it in?"
"Yes, go ahead and get it and I'll process the exchange for you. I'll get someone to help you."
Wow. This was not at all what i was expecting. But then again, I remembered I was at Lowe's, not Home Depot (whose customer service really sucks).
So I go to get my lawnmower and guess who comes to help me...none other than John who is one of the many people I know at Lowe's.
"Lawnmower problems again, huh?" he said with a slight smile. Probably remembering my most recent episode from last week of tearing the lawnmower up after one day's ownership.
"Yep. I decided to get a new one. This one doesn't even start anymore and i don't want a lemon. I figured getting a new one was the best thing."
"Yeah. Good idea."
"Hey John, by the way, can we siphon the gas out of the old one into the new one? I mean...it's like 3 gallons and that's a lot of gas."
"Ummmm. Yeah - I guess so. Let me go get something."
Yes...I get my gas too!!! Awesome. Now, let me tell you something. I am getting ready to save you lots of money and heartache and headache. Notice the little hose thingy John is (attempting) to use to siphone the gas. THESE DO NOT WORK AND ARE CRAP! It took us 15 minutes to figure that out. Instead go for what's called a "Flo 'n Go". It worked in 2 minutes. Nice.


Now - about my left eye.

As I mentioned yesterday, I woke up with it red and it hurt really bad. Well, I woke up again this morning with it really red and still hurting bad. I could hardly keep it open. I decided to go to the eye doctor and see what was wrong. They told me to come in immediately and they would help me. I got there and they asked if I needed pain drops. I initially said, no - I'll be OK. But another girl looked at my eye and said...I'm going to give you one anyway - I know that hurts - you don't have to be in pain. I think she could tell it hurt because i kept squirming around and making faces. hahahaha
"Now this may sting a little, but your eye will feel better", she said.
Well, it didn't sting - IT BURNED!!! I wanted to pull my eye out. I think the lady felt bad about giving it to me initially. But after about 30 seconds my eye did feel better. And I waited about 30 minutes or so and it started hurting again and they gave me another drop and yes, it hurt really bad again too. After about 45 minutes I finally got in to see the doctor and she put some more stuff in my eye and looked at them etc. Diagnosis - something I can't pronounce. Long and short - After MXing on Sunday with my contacts, my face/eye got a little burnt and I slept in the contacts that night and they didn't need to be in there. When I took out the left one Monday morning when my eye was red/hurt I actually pulled part of my eye off. hahahaha Ahhh Yeah! I think that explains the fact that I still can hardly see out of my left eye. Anyway, I've got drops, to help heal it and it should be back to normal in a few days. Wohoo. If not, well, c'est la vie - right?
So, she told me to not go to work today (which I didn't - a good day to have off) and go home and sleep (which I didn't - i went and got a haircut). And I mowed with my once again new lawnmower.

OK - Long post, I know. And I'm not even supposed to be on the computer.

left eye, out (literally - hahahaha)