Week 3 College Football Recap

CELLAR-DWELLERS REVENGE!

That's the overarching theme for this last few days of pigskin.
In the ACC, Duke defeats Navy to go to 2-1.
In the Big XII, Baylor crushes Wazzou to move to 2-1 as well.
In the Big 10, Minnesota is showing signs of life at 3-0 after its dismal 1-11 season a year ago.
In the SEC, Vandy moves to 3-0 and Kentucky uses some D to move to 3-0 while Jevan Snead and Ole Miss cruised past Samford to improve to 2-1.
In the Pac-10...OUCH!! Just go here to get an idea of the carnage.
In the Big East, well, Greg Robinson should just be a man and step down. Take this little tidbit from the ESPN recap: Greg Robinson continued to struggle at Syracuse, dropping to 7-31 as head coach. The Orange have been outscored 127-51 in just three games this season.


CINDERELLA?
Hot: BYU
Not: Fresno State, Rice, Arkansas State
Luke-warm: ECU, Utah, TCU

The most likely scenario has a team from the Mountain West, but the road is tricky. Utah, BYU & TCU all must play each other. The best-case scenario is either Utah or BYU running the gauntlet because TCU faces some team from Norman in a couple of weeks.

UNBEATENS
Even more clarity will happen this weekend in the chase for the BCS National Championship game as several contenders and undefeateds square off.
Colorado (3-0) welcomes West Virginia
Baylor takes its potent offense to UConn (3-0)
Troy (2-0) goes into Columbus to try to hand the Buckeyes consecutive losses since a long time ago
A plucky Ohio team travels to face Northwestern (3-0)
The SEC starts its meat-grinder by pitting Alabama (3-0) & Arkansas (3-0)
Boise State (2-0) takes on Oregon (3-0)
Utah (3-0) and Air Force (3-0) start the MWC war of attrition
In the ACC, Wake Forest (2-0) and FSU (2-0) face off
Ball State (3-0) and Indiana (2-0)
Vandy (3-0) takes on Ole Miss
LSU (3-0) travels to Auburn (3-0)

It's gonna be a fun week of NCAA Football! Enjoy.

iPhones

They're handy little devices.
They're a status symbol.
They're also undeniably smug.

You know what I'm talking about, don't you?

When someone sends you an email from their iPhone, what is the last line of the message?

"Sent from my iPhone."

Oh yeah?! You can take your pompous iPhone and stick it where the iSun don't shine!

So, how do you fight back? This is what I do: I end my reply email with "Sent from my PC."

Take that Mac!

Sweetness

Nomenclature change: I will now be referring to S as Tiny One and M as Munchkin for those of you who come from C's blog.

You know how fun it is to come home after a long day at the office, right?

Thursday night I came home and walked in the door to nothing unusual. Nana was here and all the ladies were in the kitchen. Mama told Tiny One that Daddy was home and she came running to me, shouting "HI DADDY!" and gave me a firm embrace. What a way to start the rest of your day!

Both of the girls are prone to give their Daddy some Eskimo kisses. I made it a point to teach them at an early age. It's one of the best things in the world for a daddy. And then there are the times when Munchkin comes up unprompted and snuggles with me and tells me that she loves me.

Tiny One is in love with her blanket right now. She'll search around the house for it and when she finally does find it, it's like a long lost love coming home and she screams in delight 'BLANKIE'.

So it's not all sour grapes around here, even though it feels like it at times. Besides, it's kind of like the old work/golf analogy. The worst day with my family is better than the best day alone.

Ike

What a disappointment!

Last night the weathermen were saying a near 100% chance of rain with up to 4+ inches of rain in the Round Rock area. Now? Just windy and clearing skies. Good thing we didn't water yesterday, huh? I was very tempted to put a sign on our roof that said "Ike, hit it here." But I decided against it.

So now the funny part: Some neighbors were just mowing their lawn, which is a normal thing to do on a Saturday morning. The thing is, the wife was out there with the leaf blower to get the grass out of the driveway. HELLO-OOOO!! You've got 10-15 mph winds with gusts up to 25 and you're using a blower to get rid of your grass. Amazing.

Now we're gonna be lucky just to get a quarter inch.

The Weekend in Sports

This weekend, the Big XII stood for 12-0. An undefeated record for the week against non-conference foes. Granted, there were some 1-AA squads in the mix, but for a league as a whole to go undefeated speaks volumes about the Big 12's depth. Sorry SEC.

The ACC bounced back to have a slightly better week. Duke is, well, Duke. Va Tech beat 1-AA Furman only 24-7 and Maryland laid an egg against their patsy. NC State found some offense after getting shut out by the other USC, but a 34-24 win over William & Mary isn't anything to be proud of.

The Big 10 went 11-0 for an undefeated week, although the boxscore says the Buckeyes had a lackluster performance against Ohio U; Ohio ain't a walkover. They've got some guy named Frank Solich leading the show.

The SEC did well. Florida handled the U, especially with a horrendous overturn in the third quarter. The official on the spot called it correctly. It wasn't that the receiver was out of bounds, it was that he didn't continue possession after getting knocked out of bounds. Arkansas turned in another poor performance, this time against Sun Belt power UL-Monroe. *snicker* LSU didn't have the stones to tell Troy "Hey, let's just play at your place." I mean eight home games isn't enough. You need that ninth one to make sure you have a successful season. NINE HOME GAMES!! That's hogwash. Or at least bayouwash. Ninnies.

Pac10: The biggest news was the criminally awful unsportsmanlike call against Jake Locker after he punched it in for six with the PAT to tie the game. The ESPN analysts beat it into the ground, but you've got to let the kids have emotion in this game.

The Big Least showed its potential with the battle of the century between UConn and Temple, which ended 12-9 in overtime. Temple? Seriously? Meanwhile, Greg Robinson is just counting down the days until he can go back to being a defensive coordinator, although, giving up 42 against the Akron Zips ain't something he's gonna want to put on his ole résumé.

C-USA can sure put some points on the board. However, it's the Skip Holtz-led ECU Pirates that are making headlines by keeping opponents off the scoreboard. East Carolina absolutely dominated the West Virginia Mountaineers, even though WVU was put on notice by the previous week's Va Tech game.

Jason Whitlock spent an entire column doting on his alma mater Ball State and how they have a shot at crashing the BCS party. Who knows with the way ECU jumped up to #14 in the polls. Dan LeFevour and the Chippewas didn't really put on a good game against Georgia. I bet the CMU brass is glad they took out that huge billboard at the baseball stadium (Comerica Park?) and let ESPN follow LeFevour around during the week.

In the Mountain West, rivals BYU and Utah continue on their march toward their end-of-year meeting to decide not only the conference championship, but possibly a berth in a BCS bowl.

Notre Dame laid a blue-and-gold egg against SDSU. I bet the folks at ND are glad they coughed up all that dough on Weis.

So, I think I said last week that I'd have my rankings out this week, but, to be honest, they look silly with ten Big XII teams in the top 11 spots. It'll take several more weeks before things start to sort themselves out.

In other news, Serena Williams! People call Jevon Kearse "The Freak" because of his size and athleticism, but with Serena able to maintain any semblance of athleticism with her new "size", I mean, that's just incredible. I know it sounds bad to make fun of her because her weight looks like it's getting a little out of hand, but she's supposed to be a professional athlete. For all her fashion sense, she should've known to wear vertical stripes instead of what she wore. The thing is, with her 6-4, 7-5 victory over Jelena Jankovic tonight, the rest of the WTA is on notice if she slims down a little.

NCAA

Football Bowl Subdivision.
Football Championship Subdivision.

What does that crap mean? I think it was just another in the long line of "I'm Keith Hernandez!" moments by the NCAA.

Do you remember that failed two-year experiment with March Madness where they went by the pod names instead of the regional monikers and had everyone confused? Don't give me the East Rutherford Regional. Give me the East Regional. Those things had history. Thankfully Miles Brand and his blowhard minions came to their senses and corrected things.

Here is one man's plea for sanity. Give us back D 1-A and D 1-AA. Those make sense. Don't change things just for the sake of change. That's just stupid.

I will never, NEVER use the terms FBS or FCS as descriptors in this space. Appy State is D 1-AA and LSU is 1-A. Too bad their history had to have inane acronyms associated with it.

Week 1 Recap

So, Texas' green secondary grew up in a hurry on Saturday, with freshman safety Earl Thomas providing some big plays after he'd given one up early in the first quarter. The game could've been much closer, say 28-24, at halftime if we didn't get those two turnovers in our red zone in the first quarter.

Even though that first quarter was rough, at least we weren't Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Pitt or any program from the ACC. The ACC merits special detail with the choke-job by Clemson (raise your hand if you were surprised), Beamerball getting turned on its head (the loss wasn't surprising, just the way it went down), Maryland squeaking by the D 1-AA Blue Hens of Delaware 14-7 and Virginia getting taken to the woodshed at home by the Trojans (when your QB is built like Screech you're in for a long season).

The Book 'em Horns are back after going on hiatus during the summer.

My rankings won't come out until next week since not everyone will play their first game until Saturday. The SEC and Big XII are the class of Division I-A, while the Sun Belt is the only conference with a sub-.500 winning percentage.

The early Heisman hopefuls didn't exactly come out slugging this weekend with a combination of injuries (Beanie Wells) and sub-par performances (Tim Tebow, Michael Crabtree), although I know Urban Meyer and Mike Leach are happy that their squads played a complete team game without focusing on just the star player(s).

I did good today with my Aggie buddies at church. One of them remarked to me after a meeting that he appreciated me not bringing it up and that I showed good restraint. That was most evident when a young kid, about 12 or so, walked past me with his A&M shirt on. I wondered, did he not know the outcome of the game? Was he just trying to provoke? Or was he just supporting his team no matter what? At any rate, I kept my mouth shut, because, after all, he's just a kid.

The guys at work on Tuesday? They're fair game. :o)

Let the fun begin!

Uncle Time!!

This past Wednesday night, we had the pleasure of Cheryl's sister and brother-in-law, along with their daughter, over to our house for dinner and fellowship.

We had visited them at their place near Dallas when we'd gone up to see family in Fort Worth, but Niece was teething and not feeling up to par, so it wasn't a great time.

But Wednesday night, she had a fun time with Uncle Ryan. That title feels really weird since they're not close by and we don't talk to them or see them with any regularity. She really giggled and squealed when I poked her belly button and played peekaboo. She even let me hold her for a nanosecond!

Thanks Niece for my Uncle time. I really enjoyed it and I look forward to some more fun in the future; whenever that is.

What A Day!

This is what I saw in the morning while riding my bike to work:

Thankfully I was going against it. Apparently there was a big wreck involving an 18-wheeler on I-35.

This is what it looked like when I was riding my bike home from work:

It didn't take long for me to get tired. When I went over the bridge I got my gangsta lean on so it wouldn't blow me off.

And this is what I came home to:


C is such a trooper for dealing with two of these all day long. I love ya Babe!

Overheard At The Dinner Table

M: "Mommy, I finished my chicken nuggets!"
C: "Okay, you can have your tattoo."

'Lympics

That 4x100 men's relay was just sick. Not only did the 'Mericans smash the world record by 4 seconds. Not only did Lezak smash the 100 split record (46.04) which is a full second faster than the official world record of 47.05 set in the semifinal. But Lezak overtook the world record holder to do it. Although, what would you expect? The French are best at quitting.

Last nights men's gymnastics was fun to watch. We went from "Green Eggs and (No) Hamm" to "Horton Hears a Woohoo!" This Johnny was not worried yet. It was time to go big or go home and Jonathon Horton went big. Congrats especially to Sasha Artemev. No pressure on the kid. His only routine was on the pommel. The other two USA Team Members had a hard time on the horse, especially with both hands around their necks. Germany was making a big move. It was down to him to save the Bronze (could've been silver!) medal. And the little man nailed it!

You'll never listen to women's gymnastics the same again after what I'm about to tell you. Have you watched "Finding Nemo"? You know towards the very end when Marlin and Nemo are on the deck and the pelican picks them up to rescue them from the seagulls? You know how those same seagulls are going "Mine!" and they're all doing it at the same time? That's what the girls sound like when they're cheering on their teammates. That's your laugh for the day.

Hindsight Really IS 20-20

I remember at the time when Ryan Perrilloux reneged on his commitment to Texas to go to LSU, the Burnt Orange Nation was up in arms.

It turns out that was the best move for the Longhorns given his troubles at LSU.

But hey, when you're a gifted athlete, especially a prized quarterback, you get as many chances as you can, as long as someone's willing to put up with a certain amount of pain in order to rent your services.

Here's hoping this kid will finally get his act together. If he screws this opportunity up, he shouldn't be paid to play football. Earn a regular man's wages instead of having everything handed to him.

It's Only a Month Away...

Football season, that is.

I believe this speaks for all my fellow Longhorns...


We've almost made it through those seven months without pigskin. At least now we have the camps beginning and the blogs going. Check out Tim Griffin's Big XII blog on ESPN.com. He's got a good assortment of original pieces and links.

Coincidence?

I think not.

On the same day I began riding my bike to work, this article came out about an incline in road rage in Portland, Oregon. As more riders hit the road in the bike-friendly town, there has been an escalation in accidents and violence between the groups as new cyclists hit the road either uninformed or ignorant of the rules of the road.

I made it safely to both work and home, but there is definitely room for improvement.

It's a great workout and it helps save on gas money.

Links Part Deux

ESPN.com has been running an interesting feature all week ranking each program in Division 1-A basketball for "prestige". Texas ranked 18th. Today they unveiled the Top 10, with no real surprise with Duke at Number 1. They took it back only to the '84-'85 season since that was when the Field of 64 was started and the 3-point line introduced the following year. Check back here to see how Sportsnation has things.

Slate Magazine had an interesting article on Presidential pardons. They wondered if Bush would use his power to preemptively pardon someone. What choice will he make? Since Bush has been more than obvious about his belief and trust in the Creator, his pardons will, and should, be under more scrutiny than, say, William Jefferson Clinton, et al. His integrity is on the line. Will he be a relativist, or will he stand firm under the pressure. My advice to the President? The leftists have already painted you as on of the worst Presidents in history with the unpopular war on terror; stand out for something.

That's Why They Pay Me The Big Bucks

During football and basketball seasons, my old crew and I from UT shoot emails about what's happening. I was cleaning out my Inbox tonight when I ran across this gem.

First, you have to check out this link and see where Texas ended up and who it matched up with in the Sweet 16.

Next, you need to read my email from March of 2007 after the 'Horns were shellacked by USC.

Oh, what to say...I know most of you guys will shoot me down as a pessimist. But before you do, just let my arguments ruminate a little bit.

Augustin needs a little more seasoning. I wonder if he was just spent playing 30 minutes a game at the pace of college ball. He kinda went all White Chocolate Jason Williams on us the last few games.

Abrams never met a shot he didn't like. Like Antoine Walker, only shorter and a little more handsome.

We don't have a legitimate big man who can dominate inside and make opponents respect the middle.

Our youth really, really killed us on Saturday. Thankfully, they'll get better with time. However, I'm not sure that Rick Barnes is the man that can take us to the next level. Sure we went to the final four back in 2003, but that team was loaded.

Mack Brown recruited well enough to put the pieces around Vince Young to the point where even he and Greg Davis couldn't screw up winning a national champtionship. The Longhorn men went basically seven deep this year with the starting five being four fish and a sophomore. Even freaking Duke was deeper than we were! And they were bounced in the first round.

So let's be real for a moment. We should all know what we're getting from a Rick Barnes-coached team at this point.
1. We cannot defend the 3-pointer, even if we play the 2-3 zone.
2. We turn the ball over too much. DJ Augustin only had a 2:1 assist:turnover ratio. Mike Conley Jr, a fellow frosh at Ohio State had a 3:1 ratio.
3. We are never blowout proof. This was something raised on ESPN this year that really caught my eye. Take a look at A&M, UCLA and other programs that were higher-seeded than us. They never got wupped.
4. Especially in our losses, we don't get to the free throw line. We only had 16 attempts against USC. Unacceptable! We only had 9 FTA against Kansas on 3/3. And when we do get to the line, although this year was slightly anomolous, we can't knock 'em down.
Just take a look at our boxscore from K-State and you'll see points 1,2 & 4.

So even if Durant stays around, which he'd be a fool to do, we won't scratch the potential of what this team could do. Sure we'd make the Sweet 16 next year, but would we really make much noise beyond that? I don't think so. If it gets a favorable draw it could even make the Elite 8, but I think the Final Four is too much to ask from Rick Barnes. One of the Sports Guy's readers likened him to Art Shell, just standing there with a blank expression on his face while the game goes on without him. He doesn't seem to have that much fire.

And maybe I'm just bitter because it could've been so much better. I had them getting by UNC but losing to Georgetown in my bracket. But if you listen to what I'm saying and think back all these years that we've had Barnes, I think you'll see that there ain't much more than we're getting from the guy. I don't care if he landed Durant AND Oden. We still wouldn't have made the Final Four.

I know I got a little carried away with that last statement, but MAN IT'S GREAT TO BE RIGHT!

Links

This article is an interesting read. I clicked on because of the perspective of what black people think about Jesse Jackson. I know I've covered him in this space before, but now his people are growing perhaps even more tired of his act than I am. In the piece he is called an "old fool" who is "an increasingly irrelevant, former big shot...who does not seem to realize that the times have passed him by." Can Barack Obama overcome all odds to win the White House? Regardless of the outcome, this can be nothing but good for our country. Young minorities, whether black, Hispanic or Asian, will feel impowered and driven to new heights. It's one thing for all little kids to say they want to be the President some day. Now, much more of our population has a role model for those dreams.

It's almost been a year since this article was published, but it remains relevant. It reminds us of the consequences of relativism and the thinking that all religions are basically the same. While the Word tells us that, as much as it is in our power to live at peace with all men, Colossians 2:8 instructs us to "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ." I am reminded of The Chronicles of Narnia, where the Ape and the Calormenes get to calling the Donkey 'Tashlan', a mix of Tash and Aslan. Those who did so paid with their lives the penalty for blaspheming the I AM. Exodus 20:7 warns us "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name."

Love him or hate him, Brett Favre is one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history. Maybe not Top 5, or even Top 10, but Top 15. Depending on your viewpoint, he held the Packers hostage most of the last four years as he drug out his decision on retirement, even holding news conferences to tell us he hadn't made a decision yet. But he's forgiven because he hasn't missed a game in I don't know how long, even after his dad passed away and there were other family issues. I can't say I blame the Packers brass for giving him the cold shoulder. The only problem is that, unfortunately for Ted Thompson, Favre has become a demigod to the cheeseheads, reaching a stature that is almost above the Pack. My only question is, when they induct him in the Hall of Fame, will they do the typical bust, or will they having a bronzed butt with John Madden's lips on a cheek? Zing!

It's pretty cool watching our new building go up. The change was amazing from the time we left for our trip on June 9th and when we made it back on July 6th. Now when we tell people it's at 360 and 183, they'll know exactly what we're talking about. We won't have to say it's close to the Arboretum or across from the Gateway shopping center (centre if you're from across the pond). God is good!

Olympics

It's cool enough that they're starting on 8.8.08.

It's even cooler that it's happening in Beijing. Why? Because the word Beijing has three dotted letters in succession. It looks cooler than Fiji because the letters are in the middle.

It's the simple things in life.

Welcome Back Cotter!

I was gone for three weeks, so I had the expectation that most of my work would be done for me so I didn't have to deal with the whole "R is only gone for a few days, let's just leave everything for him to do when he gets back" thing. Boy was I wrong. Honestly, there was an extenuating circumstance, namely that our active ingredient we manufacture was going through process validation, which meant three successive, successful batches. All of those were released during my time gone. So I didn't have to deal with that and the circus our lab becomes during the release testing. But when I got back I had, quite literally, 100 tests in my various queues. That is, in a word, unprecedented.

Knowing I had a lot of work ahead of me, and since the girls were up at 5AM, I went in an hour early and stayed a little past 5 even though our CEO had let us off two hours early. I went in for three hours on Saturday, even though it was a holiday weekend, and took some work home.

This proved to be invaluable and made last week much more manageable than it would've been otherwise. So, work has been good, although it was quite overwhelming at first.

Far West Asia

We've been here for a little under two days. I'd like to share a few cultural experiences we've had along the way.

Their keyboard is slightly different than ours. Instead of a period, it's a capital squiggly C and in place of the 'i' is an 'i' without the dot. I learned that the non-dotted 'i' is pronounced 'uh' and the dotted version is 'ee'.

They like to point at you and call you a foreigner. I remember our friend PVA regaled us with a story one time of how a little boy was walking by with his mother and pointed at him saying "Foreigner! Forgeigner!" He shot back at him with "East Asian! East Asian!" I wanted to do this, but I don't know the Far Western equivalent.

Yesterday when we went to have a picnic on the waterfront, an old convertible came past with a guy banging a drum and the driver honking the horn. Seated in the middle, in the place of honor, was a young boy, probably ten years of age, in a white robe with a white hat upon his head. The occassion? Circumcision. It's common for boys 7-14. I believe I can speak on behalf of all mankind when I cringe and say OUCH!

Kids are adored here. Not like they are in the states with the grandparents. Everbody loves kids. Especially pale ones with blonde hair. It's not uncommon for high school boys to come up to kids and want to hold them. Tonight, two gents came up to S after we got ice cream and water and gave her the ole coochie-coo. I could feel C's skin crawl as they did it. I've been with her long enough that I did the same. She suggested that we Purell her face.

Beating the heat: Today was 100 and it's going to be the coolest day of the week. Kabob says 107 is in the forecast for later this week. It plumb wore us out today. It really hit M hard, especially after her and Chickpea were up till midnight last night before falling asleep in Chick's room. We were eating dinner and Kabob noticed her starting to nod off. I excused her and she left the room. I thought she might be playing in Chick's room quietly like she has several times. But when C went to look for her, this is what she found in our room. Poor sweetheart. She even fell back asleep after S woke her up when we put her down.

I consulted my fact-checking team and she confirmed this is the first time M has ever fallen asleep before S. Both girls asleep by 8:30. We can actually have a significant amount of adult interaction with our hosts!

Sunday, Sunday. So Good To Me

Not a bad Father's Day.

C took care of the girls with Tio & Tia and let me sleep in till 11:30. I don't know when the last time it was that I slept in that late. It must've been my last semester in college, which would've been upwards of seven years ago.

We went to the beach and enjoyed some time in the sand and sea. There was a fun paddle game that Tio brought and we had a max 88 consecutive hits between us. That may not sound impressive until you factor in dodging people walking by and the wind blowing in off the Mediterranean.

Then I got some good snuggles from S after she woke up from nap. Since she's such a mommy leech, it's VERY few and far between that she'll just stay still in my arms and nuzzle up to me.

Week two begins today.

Adaptation

There are a lot of things different in Espana than America.

1. Traffic. They incorporate circles with liberty and the rules are quite different. You have to constantly be on your guard. And it doesn't help with all the motos zipping around.

2. Schedule. Namely, everything is done 2-3 hours later than in los Estados Unidos. We've been eating "early" dinners at 7:30. We normally sup at 5:15.

3. Scenery. Sure Austin is green, but you can't look out your balcony and see the Mediterranean Sea in front of you and a mountain range to your left.

4. Currency. Wow the dollar is taking a beating! It's about 1.5 dollars per Euro. I have a better understanding about what the folks are going through over here. Even if you get a steal of a deal on anything, it still kicks your bank account's butt.

5. Trash. It's all over the place. You know how Texas has those signs that say "It's unlAWFUL to litter" and "Don't Mess With Texas!"? It's just like that, except the exact opposite. Graffiti is all over the place. It's not just limited to gang-infested areas. We walked to the supermarket and in the tunnel there was a graffiti with a combo Mickey Mouse/skeleton head that said "Mickey Mouse must die!" Those anarchists are so nice. I'll try to get a foto of it and post it later.

6. Five-Second Rule. Not Applicable. The people over here train their kids with "Caca! No en la boca!" whenever something hits the ground. Tio warned us of it and we heard a lady use it on her grandson.

7. Manners. If you don't cut in line you must be either stupid or slow. No feet on the coffee table or chairs/sofa because you've most likely been walking around in sandals all day. Now I better understand the washing of feet.

8. Laundry. Whereas in the states people are wont to air their dirty laundry, here it is not uncommon to see all types of clothing hanging out to dry on the balcony.

Prayer Requests

Thank you for all your prayers so far. They have been working. Please keep it up.

I have been a lot more mindful of not sinning in my anger. While I haven't responded only in love, it's been good for the most part.

Please pray for C. She got a sinus infection and is on some antibiotics. Please pray that these meds will work well.

Thanks,

R

Recap - Travel

Time flies when you're having fun. It also flies when you're stressed and tired, too.

All in all, it hasn't been that bad. Or at least that's what I keep telling myself.

M had a beast of a time with the first two flights' descents. We didn't get the nose drops in quick enough and she wailed at the pain in her ears. We apologized to those around us, but in general they responded by telling us what a good job the girls did and what great parents we were. We were very happy to hear those kind words.

Things did not go smoothly from the outset. We arrived at ABIA to find out that our flight to O'Hare was canceled due to weather and they were working with Air France to get us on another flight. Tom from United did a superb job getting us taken care of. At one point he asked if we wanted to come back Tuesday and we declined. Thankfully we got there 2 hours early, or we probably would've been one of the number of people on standby that were left mad and waiting as we taxied down the runway. I had the pleasure of getting the extra search. They had flagged M's ticket too, but the nice FSA gentleman saw she was only 3 and took care of things. The flight to Hotlanta was uneventful. The girls had a great time on their first flight. S was cracking up as M kept opening and closing the window. It's such a joy when those belly laughs come out. At the airport they had a nice underground train to take you to and from the terminals, so we opted to take a ride to get Chick-Fil-A nuggets for the girls instead of Mickey Dees. We have plenty of time, said I. We got back to the gate just in time to board.

As we left the ATL for Paris, a storm was coming in. M didn't care for the lightning and wanted to keep the "door" closed. The staff were quite helpful and gave the girls each a little gift. M got a purse that had a card game and a small numbers puzzle. S got a little green crab with a mouse in it. The meal wasn't too bad. M didn't want any of the ravioli she was given, but munched down on the brownie. Oh well. The girls didn't fall asleep till about 10:30 or so. S slept all the way until we arrived in Paris. M not so much. She woke up with 3-4 hours left in the flight to go to the restroom, which was good because Daddy forgot to put a pull-up on her before she fell asleep. But, as she did during our Nebraska trip, she was fairly quiet while she was awake. C got her to fall back asleep maybe 45 minutes before our arrival and she woke up several minutes after we landed. Our experience at CDG was rather fateful. We got a little lost and finally got to our terminal. We found the way to our gate, but the person had a hard time finding our boarding passes and her disdain for us was so palpable you could cut it with a knife. Thankfully there was a kind man who helped us out and we were able to board our final flight of the day. The mean woman was indignant with him too. I didn't understand her French, but her tone and body language said "You've got to be kidding me!" I think if she rolled her eyes more they might've just stayed in the back of her head.

So we get on the AirEuropa flight to Malaga and the lady says 'Hola'. I respond with 'Buenos Tardes'. I said a couple of other things to her in my best Spanish accent, but either she didn't understand me or she didn't want to. The overall service wasn't too bad, although with only one working toilet in economy, the line got a little long. As the plane touched down, a woman next to us started clapping feverishly and was soon joined by others lending their approval. So did we just happen to get a good pilot that day? Was she a frequent traveler on this route and an uneventful landing isn't routine? Does she have some disorder where she just gets overexcited about normal things. Maybe she was a cheerleader and is always so happy.

We got our bags and only a minute later Tio walked in the door to greet us. He only had to shell out 15 cents for his parking. He fit all the suitcases and the stroller in the trunk and off we went in his Primera. It was a short drive to their apartment and we were in Malaga! Tragedy almost struck, however, as it took us quite some time to find M's pink night-night. C finally found it in one of the backpacks. Phew!! That is one thing we cannot do without.

Praise the Lord!!

Mister Fix-It

As a man, you want to be able to fix things that are broken and perform the basic tasks in the house.

The light-bulb on our garage-door opener cannot stay lit. I bought those special bulbs specifically designed for the opener, but it only took a couple of days before their weak filaments broke. I had an idea. Those newfangled compact fluorescent bulbs don't have filaments. I installed one of those puppies last night. We'll see how long it lasts.

The driver's-side light bulb went out in the car a couple of weeks ago. I found a web thread that discussed how to do it and it sounded simple enough. Doesn't it always seem that way? The final line was "The whole job takes 5 minutes to do. When you have done it once you will kick yourself as to how easy it is." Maybe my problem is that we have a 2002 Sonata and not a 2003. I ended up taking off the lamp assembly and got the new bulb in easy enough. The tough part was getting the spring back on. As most men do, I didn't pay enough attention when taking the spring off to figure out how to get it back on. (Ladies, please try your best to stifle your laughter) So I had to open up the passenger's-side to see how the spring was done. Five minutes later I had that puppy in there. Sheesh! So it took me 30 minutes in all. But hey, if you need a bulb replaced on an '02 Sonata, I'm your man.

Our poor lawn mower sounds like its drunk lately. It'll go puuuuurrrrrrr, cough, cough, wheeze, puuuuurrrrrr, cough, cough, wheeze. Repeat ad nauseum. Today I changed the oil and spark plug. The oil was this blue color and opaque; that didn't look so bad until the new stuff I put in was this blue and clear. I pulled the spark plug out and it was as black as night with the blackness caked on. The new one was nice and shiny silver. We'll see on Monday if it works or if it's a different problem.

But I feel extra manly today. Next thing to do: rinse out the air filter.

See You In July

As I left the lab yesterday, I was able to say that with a big grin on my face.

I'll be out of the office for the rest of the month of June, right at the end of the quarter. If you think about it, pray that C Corp and APL will continue to prosper while I'm not there. I think I left them in pretty good shape with only one unfinished project and all my instruments maintained. The great thing about being out three weeks is that they can't just leave all my work for me when I get back. They'll actually have to do it. :o)

PacMan on the Up-and-Up?

There's funny and there's this:

"Since being traded to the Cowboys, Jones has tried to surround himself with a better support group. He's befriended former Cowboys Michael Irvin and Deion Sanders... Jones also has become friends with...Tank Johnson, whom the Cowboys helped return from a similar suspension last season."

Is he going to start dating Amy Winehouse too?

Perhaps he'll ask Odell Thurman or Chris Henry to rent rooms from his new Dallas digs to cut down on his living expenses.

Hockey

I'm one of those fans that will watch the Finals of just about anything. I actually enjoy watching hockey in addition to the finals. Just love the speed and the artistry with which these men handle the puck and deke a defender out of his skates.

Needless to say, I'm pumped the series is heading back to Pittsburgh for a game six. The NBC crew does an amazing job and they keep the energy going as well, if not better than, Bill Simmon's man-crush Gus Johnson. I thoroughly enjoyed Game 3. The fans were on their game. They cheered for every hit, whether the weak or the bone-crushing variety and the announcers fed off that energy and delivered an Emmy-winning performance. Pierre McGuire sits in a little glass booth between the team benches and gives us a feel for body language and things overheard. Go here for the bios of the color and studio teams.

I know one thing though: If the Pens want to win this series they need to take better care of the puck. They've had a lot of silly passes intercepted by the Wings to start odd-man rushes and there's the example of Hossa, who just can't seem to keep the puck on his stick, wasting opportunities.

Another thing I look forward to is the Canadians. It's not every day that you hear the word Calgary pronounces cal-GARY. Love it. Fires me up.

And then there's this commercial.

Imitation

It's the sincerest form of flattery. I've now had to posts stolen from ESPN columnists. First, Mark Schlabach ripped off my 2008 College Football Preview and now comes the imminent Jayson Stark.

In this article, his second question is Can Lance Berkman or Josh Hamilton win a Triple Crown?

Thank you Jayson. This one is free. The next one will cost you.

TWIB

I used to love watching This Week in Baseball when I was growing up. I love hearing Mel Allen as he went through the show.

One of the token things I always look for during the season is the batting Triple Crown: lead the league in average, homers and ribbies.

Currently, one player from each league has a shot.

In the AL, Josh Hamilton is tied for second in BA (.333 [only .005 behind leader]), second in round trippers (12 [2 behind]) and first in RBI (53 [10 ahead]).

In the NL, Lance "Men at" Berkman is second in BA (.385 [-.032]), tied for first in homers (16) and first in RBI (46 [+3]).

This is only the second year in The Show for Hamilton, so I don't see him sustaining his pace, although he wasn't that shabby last year. He's a lefty, so he'll definitely get the opportunity against a lot of righties to pad those stats, especially since the Rangers aren't exactly a murderer's row. The main question is, will he get enough plate appearances?

Oddly enough, the top two men in average in the NL are switch-hitters. An article a week or so ago about Chipper Jones mentioned how hard it is for him because he has to practice two different swings. Berkman plays at HomeRun Park, so that'll help him a bit. His stats tell us that he's on pace with his 2002 and 2006 campaigns, which were his best years for average, homers and ribbies. He's more patient at the plate this year and he's an every-day player. The question though, is will his average hold up? He's a career .304 hitter. Those '02 and '06 seasons gave us .331 and .315. Plus, he's got Albert Pujols lying in wait for him. Sir Albert is a lifetime .332 hitter and his average, homers and RBI are all higher than Berkman.

One thing these guys can't control, however, is those RBI. They're kinda danged if they do, danged if they don't if the men in front of them get on base. They're likely to see better pitches with nobody on.

It'll be an exciting race to watch.

To be continued...

Grey's Anatomy

So, the season is over. What are we to expect from next season?

Meredith goes into bankruptcy after spending $2000 on candles and glasses for their future house because she can't afford medical care after winds whip up the flames and give her third degree burns over 90% of her body.

Derek gets hurt in an accident on his way to tell Rose that he's going back to Meredith and is in a coma for four weeks. He and Mer are put in the same room. Yang and Rose become best friends as they spend most of their time caring for the two invalids.

The girl that lived through the trial will be pregnant and her parents will sue Seattle Grace, Derek & Meredith. Her child will be a boy and she'll name it after her dead boyfriend with Derek as his middle name.

Meredith (and Derek in absentia) will be suspended for doing the extra attempt even though it worked. The chief will also be suspended for it being at his hospital.

George will retake his intern test, but fail again by one point because he is so disturbed by the new romance between Callie & Hahn. He will then become a manny for Bailey's boy so that her husband can go back to work. Several weeks later, a scoring error will be revealed from the first test, but George decides to stay a manny, saying he has found peace and enlightenment.

Tune in this fall to see what predictions come true.

CMAs

Me and the missus were watching the awards show tonight and two artists threw their guitars off-stage. Now, did they have to go hire a "hands team" to field the guitars, or is it someone from their crew they tour with whose responsibility is to catch the Fender? How much does that person get paid? If you drop one do you get fired? Or do you practice? If so, how many hours of practice do you go through? Do they have guitar crash-test dummies? Do you get your wages garnished if you drop one or break a string?

George Strait. Still going strong after all these years. To give some perspective on how many years that is, he was my big sister's heartthrob back in the day. Him and Joe Montana.

Why did Tony Romo dump Carrie Underwood for Jessica Simpson? That's like a new junior partner in a huge law firm being offered a Bentley as a signing bonus and saying "Do you have a used car I could lease?" Because everybody knows, if you got Jess, you get Joe too. *shudder*

And The Answer Is...

Yes, I can walk today. The only thing I feel is my right shoulder clicking a little bit.

Old Man Haiku

I know, I know. I'm not officially old yet. That'll happen in October.

Nevertheless, I submit the following poem:

Haven't played hoops in
ten years. Will I be able
to walk tomorrow?

Points Proved

In case you missed them, I panned both Jason Castro and Paula Abdul in two recent posts.

Jason did nothing tonight to prove me wrong, and, in fact, made things worse for himself. The only way he gets through is if that web site asks all its readers to vote for him.

Was Paula drunk tonight? I'll give her the benefit of the doubt that she was thrown off by Seacrest's impromptu call for a quick assessment. (He had previously said the judges would give their takes after the second song. When she started talking about Jason's second song, the cameras quickly focused in on the confused host, contestants, judges and audience. And once more I plead with you, LOSE THE BANGS! I know the '80s are coming back, but at least with those bangs we could still see your eyes. Maybe she was trying to hide the dark circles from her hangover!

Simmons Cracks Me Up

For those of you that don't know, I'm a big fan of the Sports Guy on ESPN2. He's got a great sense of humor and regular gets me laughing.

Today at lunch I was reading his Awards column. Scroll to about two-thirds the way down and read the section entitled The Raymond Babbit Award, but especially the aside in parenthesis. I almost spewed the water in my mouth and I was literally crying.

Thanks SG. Keep it up.

Date Night

C and I went out on Wednesday night to the outlet mall.

You know how in most stores the clerks don't care if you go into the dressing room together? Well, we went to this one store called Papaya, where they had two signs posted outside the dressing room area that said "NO BOYS ALLOWED". I applaud them for having the mores to not allow guys in. While it may be a convenience for those married folks who want to put something flirty on just to see how it looks, I'd rather them have a moral compass.

After we were done shopping, we sat down in Starbucks to make some lists to help us be better organized. While we were there, I noticed a sign on a Sirena Espresso Machine that said:

"Everyday low price $399"

If that's the low price, I'd hate to pay the normal price. Sheesh.

American Idol Results Show

Last night on American Idol, Paula Abdul was voted off. A stunned Paula Abdul lashed out at the voting public "I just renewed my contract. You can't vote me off!" Ryan Seacrest asked fellow judges Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson what Paula could take away from her time on the show to help her in the future.

Randy said "You know, it was just a'ight for me. I wasn't really feeling it this season. I think she found her niche with all the complimenting. Maybe having actual thoughts isn't what she's best at. I think she should try motivational speaking."

Simon replied "I thought her judging this season has been rather cabaret. She had a strong show in week two of the finals when she actually gave a relevant opinion based on the singing. I think going forward she needs to stop focusing on the contestants' appearance and more on their vocals."

Producer Simon Fuller was seen backstage giving high-fives to everyone he saw. He gave an extended hug to a surprised key grip. Asked to explain his jubilation, Fuller gave the following press release, including a job posting:

Dear Idol fans,

Although we were given only six-and-a-half years of Paula's presence on Idol, it felt so much longer. She was a key third member of our judging panel and provided an uplifting spirit to help our contestants feel good about themselves even when they performed poorly. In lieu of flowers, please feel free to buy a Ford, a Coca-Cola product or donate to Idol Gives Back.

In the spirit of Idol Gives Back, we are sending Paula to Ethiopia for what would have been the remainder of her contract with Fox.

Consequently, we are in need of an analyst to join Simon and Randy. The successful candidate must have a mind of her own, be able to form a cogent analysis of the performances, and have a stylist with a sense of current fashion trends (Note: No bangs allowed). Experience feigning romantic tension a plus.

Sincerely,

Simon Fuller

(Sigh) If only that were true.

American Idol

We have some neighbors who casually know Jason Castro.

He seems like a good kid.

But Top 10 good? I don't think so. If he didn't have those eyes of his, he would've been booted a long time ago. But he's garnering the coveted 12-30 female demographic because "He's so dreamy!".

He has yet to really show off his pipes, instead settling for ballads, which, in most Idol seasons, would be enough to get you gone early. But with the weak overall talent, especially from the ladies, he's been able to stay.

Let's just some it up with a question from my 3-year-old last night when we saw the recap:
"Mommy, what's her name?"

Aaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnd...

I'm out.

Allergies

If you live in Austin long enough, you'll develop allergies, even if you haven't had them your whole life. We complain about the pollen around here, and rightfully so. Our daughters get nailed with it several times a year. Just recently, M was diagnosed with allergy-induced asthma, which gives her this horrible cough for weeks at a time. It usually hits during the winter, so we'll be ready for it later this year. When it hits S, she's a big snotty mess. C and I usually keep at least one tissue tucked in our pockets so we'll be able to wipe her face before she can get to it. She doesn't quite look like Pizza the Hut, but it can get gruesome.

A Forbes study on worst city for allergies lists Austin as only #54, down from #24 a year ago. It doesn't seem that much better. Of course it doesn't help that we have a yoooge (as The Donald would say) oak tree in our front yard.

Maybe I should just buy stock in Puffs.

Camping

We had a good time, the sleeping battles notwithstanding. We're gonna need a bigger tent next time.

Two nights did prove nicer than just one since we didn't have to hurriedly pack our bags first thing in the morning.

We couldn't have asked for better weather, even though it was in the upper 30s both nights.

Saturday morning I did a terrible job trying to start a fire from the hot ashes. Not being a person that likes to make the same mistake again, I watched Alpha Pig and came back Sunday morning with a good fire going to warm us up.

You know you've been outside too much when you look at your feet and wonder if it's a flip-flop tan or you just got the first layer of dirt off. Thankfully it's the former.

And finally, whereas I usually space out my farmer tanning over several weeks, I just decided to get it done in two days. Nice golden neck and arms. Pale everywhere else.

Links

In this article excerpt republished as the NFL draft approaches, The Hair talks about how Ryan Leaf could throw accurate darts on the run and how it "make[s] you hit the rewind button on the VCR." Bye-bye VCR, hello TiVo. What will it be in 5 years?

A story out of India that a couple's first child has a rare malformation called craniofacial duplication. Beware photos of the child, which may be unsettling for young children possibly sitting in your lap. The unfortunate part is that, in this deeply superstitious part of rural India, people believe Lali is a reincarnation of the goddess Durga and they're petitioning the government for funds to build a shrine to their deity of valor.

This article details the "21 on 21" drinking binge that apparently 30% of kids take part in on their 21st birthday. I remember my freshman year at school when my roommate pledged Acacia house. They took him out drinking on his birthday. He came home in the early-morning hours and woke up still drunk at three in the afternoon. I personally think allowing a child to have a limited amount of alcohol before the turn 21, and maybe sooner, would drive down the incidence of binge drinking and alcoholism in young "adults". I think it's the mystique of illegality that drives young people to dangerous habits, whether it be alcohol or drugs. Take away that mystique before they leave the nest and they're probably less likely to engage in such destructive behavior.

Finally, there's an article about a magazine creator who gives this purpose and drive for his lifestyle:
"I could not bear just being a publisher or a planter of trees or just being a mad hedonist. I'm immensely greedy and I want it all. I'm just trying to have a bloody good time filling in the gap between being born and dying."
That's why I'm scared for my daughters. That is the prevailing mindset for so many lost souls. That is the epitaph for millions of young people and will be for millions, even billions more, if they don't hear about Jesus the Christ. Not the Jesus that's castigated and viewed as just a prophet or a good teacher, but the true Son of God whose perfect life and resurrection from the dead alone gives us the hope of eternal life.

Priceless

In this article on MSNBC.com, a Serbian farmer was ordered to give half of everything he owned to his ex-wife of 45 years.

Miffed at having to decide which farm tools to give up, he just cut them in half instead. Then he gave this quote:

"I still haven't decided how to split the cow," he told the newspaper. "She should just say what she wants — the part with the horns or the part with the tail."

Hope that brings a smile to your face. I know I needed it today.

Smarty-crats?

Growing up in the buckle of the Bible belt, I've heard the term "Dummycrats" more than my fair share. I was intrigued by this article in the online edition of Slate magazine.

The premise is rather fun. Before the general election, Obama and Clinton decide to split the term in some way. Whoever is the candidate for President will at some point cede power to the Veep. Then in '12, the Veep runs for President and flip-flops again. Repeat in '16 and '20. Those two would be able to run the country for 16 consecutive years, barring an injunction by the Supreme Court, which the author fails to mention. Could you imagine that? No matter the party, that would defeat the purpose of the 22nd Amendment. But I really like it. It's very clever, so it makes me a fan.

I don't see the Republicans being able to pull this one off since neither are vastly popular and especially since McCain is Bob Dole-ish in age during his run. I think also that the GOP needs a fresh new face, or at least a non-Bush pol, to have any shot in '12.

Personally, even though I tend to lean toward Republicans when voting, I'd like to see how the Dems do at 1600 Pennsylvania for a term or two, just to see how the press would handle them. Foxnews would most likely be the only large news agency willing to give them bad pub. After all the hemming and hawing during the George W. Bush Administration, it would be interesting to see if the Blue Base will get as annoyed and frustrated with the broken promises and bait-and-switches that will happen with their party prez.

God Bless America!

Done

The UT mens basketball season is over. We were thrashed by a very talented and motivated Memphis teams. When they were up 50-20 over a very good defensive Michigan State team on Friday, I knew that spelled doom for our Tourney run. But hey, Elite 8 with a cast comprised mostly of sophomores and juniors. I'll take it. Fifth- to eighth-best team in the country? I'll more than take it.

Now our boys no what they need to do next year to advance further. Thanks for the memories 'Horns. See you next year.

P.S. All four #1 seeds advanced for the first time in history. That wind from Illinois is the collective sigh and rejoicing of the Selection Committee for being the first to "get it right". Congrats.

March Madness

I know it's been a while since I've last posted, but I didn't quite expect March 2. Things have been very busy at work and home since our 6th Anniversary.

Work hasn't really had any letup for these past three weeks, except maybe one day a week where I can come up for air. Things don't look like they're going to let up any time soon. I have to start a method validation on a certain raw material and it needs to be wrapped up before the end of April. Oh yeah, I have to do it on top of everything else that comes in. Caution: Rant Alert!! I am having the hardest time getting GCMS#2 to work right now. It won't pass a tune and I'm not sure what to do to get it to pass. I'm thinking about pulling on Office Space on it next week if it doesn't shape up. That or call our service contractor.

If you haven't heard, S got her cast off a week ago and the last few days she has been motoring. Everything clicked on Sunday night and she just started toddling around. It's so much fun to watch her amble around the house and hear the pitter-patter of those cute little feet.

M turns 3 on Good Friday. It doesn't seem like that long ago we brought her home from the hospital with her little conehead. While she's grown a lot, she's also gotten a little too big for her britches lately. She has developed an attitude that doesn't sit well with us. But she is still doing so well with a lot of things. I have to keep reminding myself that she is not an adult, even though she acts like one a lot of times.

C has been very busy lately. The girls' nap schedules have not overlapped much, so she hasn't been able to get much done around the house. And there's the new venture, a mission trip in June to Spain and Turkey to encourage some of Grace's missionaries, that we hope to raise support for. Since we both have full-time jobs, it's been hard to get everything done. She's done a fantastic job as much of the onus has fallen on her since she does have a little more downtime than I do.

So, there is this basketball tournament that starts tomorrow. Well, it technically started Tuesday night with a play-in game, but the real madness begins tomorrow. I think my bracket is already busted. I filled out 4 brackets on ESPN, including one I've dubbed my Formula Bracket. I am walking a very fine line between nerd and geek here lately with my spreadsheets to determine rankings. I want to see how it does compared to my gut instincts. I'll post the results later. I'll give you a couple of picks to get you started. The formula picks #15UMBC over #2Georgetown and #10Davidson over #7Gonzaga, which is the "sexy" upset pick. If everyone thinks it'll happen, is it really an upset? Whatever happens, I'm just happy they went back to the old East, West, South, Southwest for the region names. None of this pod business. At least the NCAA came to their senses.

My Little Songbird

M's been singing up a storm lately and she added a new wrinkle this week.

Maybe it's the little bit of American Idol she's seen these past couple of weeks.

Part of Something Special

Dude, this is my church!

We drove past it last night after a wedding and it looked incredible. But this overhead shot gives a better picture of what our new building is going to look like.

If I were a snowboarder, I'd say "I'm stoked!"

But I'll just say "sweeeeeeeet".

Happy Anniversary!

Okay husbands of the world. I dare you to find a better anniversary gift than this...


A two-and-a-half hour nap!



Thanks Hon for the best gift you could give me today.

I love you.

The Simple Things in Life

This was one of M's favorite past-times around our house.

S discovered the joy of the doorstop when we went to Keller for Christmas.




Always brings a smile to my face.

Hopefully you'll like it too.

Utopia...for July

SUNDAY'S FORECAST:

Sunny and beautiful. Light and variable winds.

HIGH: 81°

Root, Root, Root For The Road Team

All season long as I've glanced at the NCAA Men's Basketball standings, one team has stood out.
Unfortunately, it's for futility.

The New Jersey Institute of Technology is oh-fer this year, standing at 0-28.

Their last game of the year is Thursday 2/23 at the Utah Valley State Wolverines.

Go Highlanders!!

Can You Be More Specific?

We had a good laugh the other night.

We were playing Tribond. The basic idea is that you are given three clues and you have to find what they have in common.

It was my opponents turn and the clues were Hit the Road Jack!, America the Beautiful, Georgia on my Mind.

The answer given was "Songs by the famous blind, black singer [sic]."

My retort was "Which one?"

Apologies to Mr. Wonder and the late Mr. Charles.

CSI: Round Rock

She wasn't happy with the first outline because she couldn't see her ponytail.



This one was more satisfactory.

Winning The War

The fruits of the battle are beginning to emerge.

A couple of months ago, we had a tête-à-tête with M over food. We were challenging her attitude, not just eating itself. She would say that it was not good or she didn't like it before she ever tasted it. We wanted her to have a thankful heart and to understand that mommy and daddy won't give her bad things, just like her heavenly Father will not give her bad things.

Generally, all it takes now is to get the timer out and she'll eat her bites. Tonight I actually had to start the timer (1 minute for each year of her age), but she ate her bites before it elapsed, so we didn't need to go to discipline.

Thanks Lord for the victories you give us.

So, if this is going to be the new normal...

Man. Another week in paradise.

Thankfully, C was able to schedule both of S's appointments for Monday morning. Yes, I said both. Not only did she need to get recasted, but she was NOT feeling good. Turns out she had an ear infection, a really bad one, that was giving her fits when she was lying on it at nap and bedtime. So, she's doing good in her new cast--and staying in it thanks to a bit more bend at the knee--and the drugs are getting rid of her infection.

Every night has been a struggle to get M to stay in bed. We've even been trying to go to bed later than usual. But she gets out of bed at least thrice each night. Right now, she's still awake, even though we put her to bed 'round about 90 minutes ago. I'm very frustrated. Maybe because she's encroaching on the "us time" C and I get an ever smaller amount of each week.

I have been seeing spots in my left eye recently, so I went to get my vision checked yesterday. The tech was having me look through that thing where they can flip all these lenses and ask you which one is better while you try to make out the letters. The bad news is that I'm a little near-sighted in my left eye. The good news is that the spots are probably because it's a little dry and not something bad like macular degeneration. I've always had exceptional eye-sight, but my parents and sister have worn glasses or contacts all their adult lives, with my sister beginning in her preteen years. It's almost as if 30 is taunting me, saying "Neener, neener, neener. This is what it's going to be like!"

Work has been at a good pace this week all things considered. I was able to pump out two backordered standards last night; this after months of investigation as to why such very similar compounds could be so far apart upon assay. We have a huge packaging job that has taken over our formulations lab and is now spilling over into QC as we check their work. It's fairly easy to do, but it's monotonous and there are almost 200 boxes to check. Thankfully, I have a couple of helping hands that are knocking it out slowly over the last three days.

As some of you may know, today was Valentine's Day--or as some call it, Singles Awareness Day (SAD, how cute). I actually didn't bungle it this year. I remembered both the card and the flowers. It's pretty poor that I've set the bar so low, but I'm not a gifts person. I'm working on it though. Thanks for hangin' in there hon. I'll get it one of these days.

Time to get some shut-eye.

G'night.

Looking Back

There are so many things that you forget as a parent. I'm so glad that we've been able to catch so many memories on our camera. Back when M was smaller in June '06, about S's age, she was really into babbling. Here is a small clip:



She was able to do a lot that S isn't able to do right now, but that's okay with us. This little castage has set S back on her walking, she's even further "behind." But it's all relative.

Mixed Bag

Another busy week at work and there are definitely no signs of letting up. We've got all our positions filled and I like how the group is working together as a team helping each other out. I had instrument issues, which wouldn't be a problem if we had more than one ECD. The Agilent rep came out and replaced everything but the actual cell before he got it to work. I told him that I don't do anything half way. It's either really good or really bad.

Just when S was starting to get a hang of this walking thing, she up and breaks her little leg. That's right. Check out C's post about it. She's getting a better feel for crawling around with her cast, but walking won't really be an option for the next six weeks. Hopefully she's got her daddy's quick-healing genes and can get 'er done in four. She has been learning a lot more signs and shouts "A-Da" when she sees a dog. She's getting better at putting her cup on the table instead of pushing it on the floor. One of the signs she's mastering is "No", which she does whenever she passes the things she knows she shouldn't get into. And while she has been learning signs, she still has a hard time communicating, except for the not-so-occasional yells that mean more or all done. It doesn't change volume or intonation, so it's guesswork at best.

M is enjoying her 'nastics. Each Tuesday night (thanks Gramma) she goes to a gym owned by C's former boss for 45 minutes of a toddler class to get some running and jumping energy out of her. She has a lot of fun and finds a lot of time to practice her forward rolls. S will stick her head in the ground and hiney up in the air to signal us that she's ready to roll too. M's favorite video right now is Cinderella. Nary a day goes by that she isn't asking for it. She's had a lot of fun lately making cards for friends and their new siblings. She even made a card for S that said "Get well better." Tonight we were visiting some neighbors to show off S's cast and M was skipping and hopping down the sidewalk. She informed C that she was "hippin and hoppin." After she was all done with her dinner tonight she told me that she wanted some of our garlic bread. I reminded her that she said her tummy was full. Her reply: "But my tummy is hungry for bread." Gotta love those moments.

Did you catch the name of that truck that hit me? Something blew in Sunday night and just wrecked my allergies. I've been alternately stuffy and runny with a little sinus headache thrown in for good measure.

National Signing Day was yesterday and, although Texas didn't make out like bandits like they usually do, they filled all their needs except running back. However, I'm definitely excited to see what Vondrell McGee can do. Now if Colt can just halve his INT total from last year, I think we're headed for a 9-10 win season. It won't be easy, but we've got a shot.

NCAA Tourney time is just around the corner. Texas is rounding into form with a clutch win over Baylor and a demolition of OU in Norman. I worry about our team .683% from the charity stripe as well as the fact that our starting center averages as many rebounds as our guards. That and Rick Barnes is coaching. Has anyone ever seen coach Brown & coach Barnes in the same room together? Does coach Barnes put on a voice-modifier and a weight-suit during football season? Sorry. I'll stop.

Our new auditorium had some more foundation poured this past week and it's exciting to see the changes going on. It's cool to be a part of something that will change lives even after I'm dead and gone.

I think that 'bout covers it.

Until next time, God bless.

First Steps

S has really been starting to walk lately. Sunday morning she walked to me for the first time. It's an exciting time to be a dad. She's still peg-leggy and wobbles quite a bit, but it's so fun to watch her test her legs out and try to walk. She's been walking around the house holding onto thing a lot the past two weeks, but she's beginning to learn to go without holding on. Our little miss independent!

I'm sure if you're a man, some time or another, you've struggled with the nebulous idea of what a spiritual leader means and looks like lived out in a daily walk with the Lord. This past weekend, Grace held its annual men's gathering. I'm hoping the bonds formed will continue to grow and the process begun there would work its way to completion. I'm most fearful of the mountain-top experience most often personified at Baptist youth retreats, where you get this emotional high that you can't/won't sustain because the cares of this world choke you out. It's like the man who looked in the mirror, but, when he went away, forgot what he looked like. Pray for me that I would be a doer of the Word and not just a hearer. That I would lead my family with integrity and wisdom. Most of all, pray that God would give me the energy to get my carcass out of bed in the morning to spend time with Him and my wife, both in the Holy Writ and in prayer.

Thanks,

R

2008 Pharisees

By now you've already heard that Australian actor Heath Ledger died, possibly by overdosing on a mix of antihistamines, sleeping pills and anti-anxiety drugs.

You also may remember that he played one of the gay cowboys in "Brokeback Mountain."

It seems that the people of Westboro Baptist Church believe that being an actor and portraying a gay character is reprehensible. In an MSN.com article, a spokesperson is quoted as saying "“You cannot live in defiance of God. He got on that big screen with a big, fat message: God is a liar and it's OK to be gay.” They are so distraught that they plan to protest his funeral.

Let's lay out the facts:
1. God tells us in the Bible that homosexuality is a sin.
2. God tells us in the Bible that self-righteousness is a sin.

As far as I can tell, besides the sin of unbelief, all other sins are equal in God's eyes. Therefore, being self-righteous is equivalent to homosexuality. Both are equivalent to murder. However, there are different social consequences to each sin. So most people would agree that murder is worse than assault, which is worse than stealing/cheating/adultery, which is worse than addictions to substances/pornography, et cetera. That may seem the case because you can be put to death for murder, put in jail for stealing/cheating, made a pariah for adultery and who even knows if you suffer from addictions?

As Dave Dameshek might say "People of Westboro Baptist Church, you are the Jerks of the Week!" In the Darth Vader theme song: Jerk Jerk Jerk, of the Week, of the Week...He or she is the Jerk of the Week.

Use your passion for something that's useful, not to sound like a bunch of homophobic, bigotous, pompous windbags. Go feed the hungry or clothe the naked.

Otherwise, you are a brood of vipers. White-washed tombs.

Focus On The Family

One thing about our two little ladies is that they keep us both on our toes and knees. S is crawling around very quickly these days and you can lose her if you're not paying good enough attention. She can go from the play room to her room in about 5 seconds.

With all the whining and screaming going on, it's been increasingly important for us to go to God in prayer the moment that starts happening, or in my anger I will sin.

Please keep this in mind as the days get busier and more stressful.

Thanks,

R

Boy Was I Wrong!

At the end of my last post I said that I thought our performance last week set us up for an easier time this week. Ha!

It's been more of the same and tomorrow shows no signs of letting up. I've barely had enough time to breathe these past two days. But hey, as many of you know, it's a whole lot better to be too busy than too slow. We're still cranking things out at a phenomenal rate and I'm looking forward to continued progress.

The good news is that some of my old responsibilities are being taken off my plate so I can focus on the new points of emphasis.

ROCKED IT OUT!

That's what I/we did at work this week. It was a doozy.

When I wrote last week I told of the winds of change that were sweeping through work and how Doc wants to do a reorg. My new job description as Supervisor is to manage the flow or our standards production as it comes into QC. I'm going to be overseeing the scheduling, data review and stability program for our reference standards. Maybe even more importantly, though, is that if there is an out-of-spec (OOS) result, it will be immediately sent my way so that I can make a quick assessment of the root cause and plan the next course of action. The reason being that, whenever we have our quarterly meetings, our CEO tends to point out QC's on-time percent as well as how long it takes to resolve an OOS. As you can imagine, they've been very poor the past two quarters. It's my job to change that. I don't know the exact numbers, but we churned out close to 15 standards this week, many of which were past due and a lot of which were (or close to) backorder. As our day wound down, Doc turned to me and said how good our log looks and that I did a good job.

I think our performance this week sets us up for an easier time next week. We only have a few standards in the lab now and there's only two max on an instrument, so we can focus on getting some extra tasks complete. I'm excited! I want to hear how much QC has improved in those two areas when we have our Q1 meeting.

Thanks for your prayers. Keep 'em coming. We have an audit Monday morning and a huge customer project that looms as a daily task for the next several weeks. Pray for staff cohesiveness, that everyone will settle into their new roles quickly, and that we will be able to find an experienced analyst to run NMR.

Thanks and have a great weekend.

I'm 'bout ready for some football.

R

College Football Recap

College football fans were left unsatisfied this season. The two teams that finished the hottest, USC and Georgia, dominated their bowl opponents, but neither played in the BCS Championship Game. Either might've made for a better game against the Bayou Bengals. This season is the one that all the playoff proponents will point to as the final nail in the bowl system coffin. One has even gone too far.

Dr. Michael F. Adams, the president of the University of Georgia, said that "this year's experience with the BCS forces me to the conclusion that the current system has lost public confidence and simply does not work." What? The BCS came to your house and put a gun against your head and literally forced you to come to that conclusion? Nice rhetoric prez. Nobody forced you to do anything. I think Ivan Maisel did a great job calling you out for your press grab.

But what we saw is what makes college football the best sport in all the world. The regular season really is a playoff of sorts. Generally, lose one and you're done. Two and you're toast. High school & NFL football, Fútbol (a.k.a. Soccer), NCAA & NBA Basketball, MLB and NHL are all more kind upon losses. Not to mention the rivalries, the Best Conference debates and Heisman jockeying that happens every week. I think I like the idea of using the BCS Standings to put the top eight in a playoff, but I don't think a playoff will ever happen. There is just too much money involved in bowl games and the Big & Pac Ten are too engrossed in their "pageantry" to let it happen. I personally would like fewer bowl games, with only teams that are at least a game above .500 allowed to participate, preferably two games over. I don't like the idea of a team ending up with a losing record after they play in a bowl. It would also give greater meaning to the bowl season.

Anyway, I gotta go. I hope to revisit my 2008 predictions after National Signing Day and the NFL Draft.

Have a great weekend.

R

The Winds of Change

(in my best Mike Wizowski voice): "You hear that? You hear that? That's the winds of change. Some day I am really gonna let you teach that guy a lesson!"

Changes at work, changes at home, changes in the weather.

Just to keep you on your toes, I'll go in reverse order.

The old axiom about our weather is true: If you don't like the weather in Texas, just wait five minutes. Well, maybe not that quick, but a day or two. It seems like every other day it goes from hot to cool, then cool to warm, then warm to frigid. We had to run the AC on Saturday and then the heater on Sunday.

S has been standing a lot lately. And walking along furniture. And just a couple of days ago, she took her first steps. Granted, she hasn't taken any toward me yet, but it's fun watching those little peg legs propel her forward to her loving mommy. I'm trying to make it as fresh and exciting as when M did these same things. She is also very happy to see me when the gals pick me up from work or when I pull up to the house. She gives me the biggest smiles and flails her legs. Lately S has been pushing anything and everything all around the house, whether it's her doll's crib, the hippo walker, the school bus or M's stool.
M continues to express her individuality and independence. The other day while watching football, the cameras panned to the band and she said "Look! Trumpets!" C asked her how she knew those were trumpets. Her answer, of course, "I just knewed it." It seems that our toddler is a bit of a tree-hugger, not that there's anything wrong with that. I was trying to hack out a willow tree next to the deck a few weeks back and she tells me "Don't hurt my tree Da-Da." She expressed similar scorn for C a couple of days ago when she was trimming bushes. I will not let her be a pantheist, so don't worry. These days she enjoys playing with friends, annoying her little sister and not taking naps.
C continues to enjoy being a SAHM, although the latter two of M's current faves keep her on her toes and out of energy a lot of the time. Trying to understand how to best parent M and channel her energy is keeping us both on our knees. Spring is coming and we've made a list of outdoor things to try to stay ahead of the weeds. She has spent many morning this week outside making piles of sticks for me to bundle. Thanks Hon! She also continues to be patient with me as I try to follow through on getting all our paperwork organized. I have a tendency to be so overwhelmed by the immensity of a project that I just put it off.

So, how many changes can occur in less than a month at such a small company? My old boss left just before Christmas, leaving a rather gaping hole in our team. We somehow managed to meet our revenue goals despite being short-staffed the week before and of Christmas. That's huge because we haven't met revenue goals in several years. It's a very exciting time at work. Well, since Jefe left, they needed to replace him. They did that within our group, promoting a PhD who runs LCMS and is the NMR & FTIR backup. That wouldn't be so bad if we also didn't lose another integral member of the team that does data review and is the primary NMR & FTIR analyst. Thankfully he's only moving 30 feet away into a product development marketing role, but still, we've suffered heavy personnel losses in a very short time. I told him "You know that leaves me as the only male in QC." He tells me the thought crossed his mind when he was considering the offer. So let's recap: I'm the only man at home...and the only man in my lab. And our new boss, I'll call her Doc, wants to do a little reorg of our lab to put people where they'd like to be, but where we'll be the most efficient team. It's gonna be rough for a while until we find someone to fill the needs left by Doc & D$ and everyone settles into their new roles. Pray for a good attitude, good team chemistry and that God will continue to prosper our business.

Looking Forward to 2008

From watching all these bowl games, all I can say is WOW! Next year's gonna be one for the record books.

Let's look at some of my preseason favorites for next year:
USC Trojans
They have arguably one of the tougher schedules, opening at Virginia and home to Ohio State.
Key personnel losses: OT Sam Baker, QB John David Booty, TE Fred Davis, DT Sedrick Ellis, DE Lawrence Jackson, LB Keith Rivers and I suspect LB Rey Maualuga will leave for the NFL.

Georgia Bulldogs
They get Bama and the other UT at home, but most of their tough games are one the road.
Key personnel losses: WR Sean Bailey, K Brandon Coutu, WR Mikey Henderson, DE Marcus Howard and could lose LB Dannell Ellerbe to NFL.

Oklahoma Sooners
While not too shabby, there aren't really any games that stick out. They start the season at home against a tough Bearcats D before heading to Washington to face Jake Locker. And depending on which Josh Freeman shows up, they might have a tough test against KSU in the Little Apple.
Key personnel losses: DE Alonzo Dotson, K Garrett Hartley, RB Allen Patrick, DB D.J. Wolfe, FB Dane Zaslaw, LB Demarrio Pleasant and maybe WR Malcom Kelly to NFL.

None of these three teams play each other. One wildcard team could be the Buckeyes. If they get past USC in week three, they might not lose a game.


Now let's look at some interesting teams, some with changes and other with something to prove:
Michigan Wolverines
They lose the Henne-Hart-Long trio and welcome Rich Rodriguez and the spread to Ann Arbor. And they play OSU in the Horseshoe.

Missouri Tigers
They lose RB Tony Temple and TE Martin Rucker, but don't face OU until the Big XII Championship game. Can they repeat the success they had this year?

Kansas Jayhawks
They lose a lot at the skill positions, including their punter and place-kicker, top WR, top TE, top RB, not to mention CB Aqib Talib most likely bolting to the NFL. Their offense won't be as potent. They have a very friendly sked, with only 4 road games, two of with are USF and OU.

Va Tech Hokies
While they lose their top 3 receivers & LB Xavier Adibi, they have a creampuff schedule to break in some new wideouts before things get tough.

BYU Cougars
Can they repeat the success they had this year? Fourteen of their 18 seniors are on defense, which gave up only 18.8 points per game. They won't play too many high-octane offenses, but I don't think they can have as good a year next year.

Holiday Bowl

Wow. What a thorough dismantling of a pretty solid ASU team. Thanks to ESPN360.com I was able to watch the game even without cable.

It should've been a higher score, but the officials said that a Texas coach touched the ball, even though he didn't. I think Chris Jesse, Mack Brown's stepson, will be in a Southwest TV ad in the next few weeks. Not the way to get your name in the papers and splashed across the internet.

I must say that I am still very worried about Colt McCoy next year. He had two total TDs, but had 4 fumbles. Thankfully only one of them was lost.

The D-line was very impressive against the run. But the men responsible for that are graduating: Lokey & Okam. The much-maligned secondary did a fairly respectable job against ASU, intercepting three passes and forcing a fumble. That one was sweet. Little Brandon Foster in there with the big fellas just ripping the ball away.

Here is a list of important seniors we'll lose to graduation this year:

33

Scott Derry

LB

28

Brandon Foster

CB

67	Dallas Griffin	C
26	Marcus Griffin	S
79	Tony Hills	T

9	Nate Jones	WR
4	Drew Kelson	S
40	Robert Killebrew	LB
96	Derek Lokey	DT

97	Frank Okam	DT
5	Billy Pittman	WR
4	Limas Sweed	WR

And today Jamaal Charles announced he's declaring for the draft. Three more from the secondary gone, two starting O-linemen, and three top receivers. Yikes!

Next year will be a difficult one to keep the streak of 10+ wins alive past seven. Losing Charles might not hurt as much with the emergence of Vondrell McGee to keep defenses honest and allow Colt to hurt 'em with his wheels. We'll still have Jermichael Finley as Colt's security blanket.

If I were Mack Brown, with what I have returning, I would go to a 3-4 defense and use the LBs to shoot the gaps on rushes. On offense, I'd play ball control with only 2-3 receivers, Finley and McGee. I'd also find a better punter that can hit the coffin corner. From looking at our roster, those are the strengths I could find. We only lose 18 seniors, but as you can see 12 of them were key components this year.

September can't get here fast enough!