So, I've never been a huge fan of Mack Brown and Greg Davis.
Here is a great quote from Pat Forde, taken from his bowl predictions:
"With Vince Young, Mack Brown is a BCS-level coach. Without Vince Young, Mack Brown is a Holiday Bowl-level coach."
You can't really say it any better than that.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Keep It In Your Pants
There have been a couple of people in our household's sphere of friends that have gotten pregnant out of wedlock recently.
And apparently Jamie Lynn Spears (age 16) is taking one for the team to get big sis Britney out of the headlines. She says, and I quote: "It was a shock for both of us, so unexpected," she says. "I was in complete and total shock and so was he." YOU SHOULDN'T BE SHOCKED WHEN YOU'RE HAVING SEX!!
This is what happens when our government decides that schools should teach safe sex and not abstinence. You have parents who shirk their responsibilities because the school is teaching this mularkey. And the schools are caught because they have a curriculum to follow that can only be changed through legislation and elections.
But hey, when you have an older sibling like Britney to emulate, what can you expect? The saddest part is that these young girls (I will not use the term lady or woman) are somehow role models to millions of little girls.
I have enough to worry about when thinking ahead to what my kids will have to face as they grow up, I don't need this kind of stuff to add onto that already long list.
So kids, whether you're in middle school or out of school, make the right choice for abstinence. The Bible talks in Genesis 2 about how Adam and Eve were naked and not ashamed. If you're naked, partially or fully, and you feel ashamed, stop what you're doing, because that is not God's design.
And parents, help your kids out by talking to them about the consequences they face, both emotionally and physically. Don't go out and buy them condoms because "They're just gonna do it anyway; they might as well be safe." That's a lie and you know it. What it is is neglect.
And apparently Jamie Lynn Spears (age 16) is taking one for the team to get big sis Britney out of the headlines. She says, and I quote: "It was a shock for both of us, so unexpected," she says. "I was in complete and total shock and so was he." YOU SHOULDN'T BE SHOCKED WHEN YOU'RE HAVING SEX!!
This is what happens when our government decides that schools should teach safe sex and not abstinence. You have parents who shirk their responsibilities because the school is teaching this mularkey. And the schools are caught because they have a curriculum to follow that can only be changed through legislation and elections.
But hey, when you have an older sibling like Britney to emulate, what can you expect? The saddest part is that these young girls (I will not use the term lady or woman) are somehow role models to millions of little girls.
I have enough to worry about when thinking ahead to what my kids will have to face as they grow up, I don't need this kind of stuff to add onto that already long list.
So kids, whether you're in middle school or out of school, make the right choice for abstinence. The Bible talks in Genesis 2 about how Adam and Eve were naked and not ashamed. If you're naked, partially or fully, and you feel ashamed, stop what you're doing, because that is not God's design.
And parents, help your kids out by talking to them about the consequences they face, both emotionally and physically. Don't go out and buy them condoms because "They're just gonna do it anyway; they might as well be safe." That's a lie and you know it. What it is is neglect.
Biggest Loser Finale
The twins took home all the cash, but the eliminated brother gets bragging rights since he lost more percentage of weight, with over 51.5%. He lost 186 pounds, or me plus a few. Can you imagine someone carrying me around on their back and knees and heart for 20 years?
Congrats again to all those contestants who made being a loser a good thing.
One thing that is pretty icky is the fact they're calling the next one 'Couples'. This connotes a romantic relationship, whereas it should be 'Pairs' since the competing teams are couples, parent-child and lifelong friends.
Congrats again to all those contestants who made being a loser a good thing.
One thing that is pretty icky is the fact they're calling the next one 'Couples'. This connotes a romantic relationship, whereas it should be 'Pairs' since the competing teams are couples, parent-child and lifelong friends.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Unexpected Consequence
You know life will change in a lot of ways when you have kids.
Tonight C and I were making a grocery list and I mentioned I needed some cereal. I mentioned that I'm really craving some Count Chocula. But then I remembered the ordeal when I had the generic Fruity Pebbles and sighed at the loss of another fine treat that I will no longer be able to enjoy because M would most assuredly be covetous of them.
Not that I need to be eating them anyways. But it's the principle.
Tonight C and I were making a grocery list and I mentioned I needed some cereal. I mentioned that I'm really craving some Count Chocula. But then I remembered the ordeal when I had the generic Fruity Pebbles and sighed at the loss of another fine treat that I will no longer be able to enjoy because M would most assuredly be covetous of them.
Not that I need to be eating them anyways. But it's the principle.
Tiny Tots Update
The previous post notwithstanding, M has given us some real gems lately.
Tonight I was reading a card sent to us from the H family in New York. M asked me who it was from and I said mommy and daddy's friends. She said "My friend is Uncle N!" Even though she spent so much time with Tío & Tía lately, they still get trumped by Uncle N and his doggies.
Earlier tonight when we were on our walk in the older neighborhood nearby, she saw some reindeer and inflatable Santas. But they weren't moving. Apparently this is a bad thing. I guess she has higher standards than we do.
Tonight, after the walk and before the card, M and S were playing with the food toys from M's kitchen. Well, S had her eye on this lemon and was quite persistent about it. After she dropped it, M would scoop it up quickly and try to hide it between her legs. S would tire of whatever she had in her hand and would look for the lemon. Then she would seize it from M. I asked her if she was just holding it so S couldn't play with it and she agreed. After a few back and forths telling her she had one minute to play with it before it was S's turn, she, by herself, counted to 10 and gave it to her little sis. Praise the Lord! It's sinking in.
Eating has always been a battle with her. Typically, C would prepare a nice meal and M would take one look at it and say in her whiny voice "I don't liiike iiit." So, the last couple of weeks we've been telling her that she needs to eat 2 bites of several things on her plate since she's 2 years old. If she initially balks at the idea, we set a timer for 2 minutes to give her an audible signal that it's time to take a bite or else there will be consequences. After following through if she doesn't eat it at first, she will usually get back in the saddle again and obey. So that's been a great sense of victory for us. It's been hard, though, not to compare her to S, who eats pretty much everything we set before her.
S has been using her hippo walker lately to get around. She still crawls a majority of the time since she's faster. I thought for sure she'd be walking by Christmas, but, given her history of doing things later than M, it'll probably be well after the New Year. Don't you just love how, when they crawl, their little hineys shoomp back and forth. (As an aside, I wasn't sure how to spell hiney, so I checked on dictionary.com. It didn't have an entry, but suggested this link. Start with the Connotations section. I couldn't stop laughing for a good while. Beware of some vulgar uses.)
Her favorite thing to do lately is to bonk heads, especially with mommy. She slowly leans her head down and says khuh. After repeated bonks, she starts giggling and laughing. It's a lot of fun to watch. The only unfortunate thing is that she turns 1 next week. I can't believe she's already that old.
Tonight I was reading a card sent to us from the H family in New York. M asked me who it was from and I said mommy and daddy's friends. She said "My friend is Uncle N!" Even though she spent so much time with Tío & Tía lately, they still get trumped by Uncle N and his doggies.
Earlier tonight when we were on our walk in the older neighborhood nearby, she saw some reindeer and inflatable Santas. But they weren't moving. Apparently this is a bad thing. I guess she has higher standards than we do.
Tonight, after the walk and before the card, M and S were playing with the food toys from M's kitchen. Well, S had her eye on this lemon and was quite persistent about it. After she dropped it, M would scoop it up quickly and try to hide it between her legs. S would tire of whatever she had in her hand and would look for the lemon. Then she would seize it from M. I asked her if she was just holding it so S couldn't play with it and she agreed. After a few back and forths telling her she had one minute to play with it before it was S's turn, she, by herself, counted to 10 and gave it to her little sis. Praise the Lord! It's sinking in.
Eating has always been a battle with her. Typically, C would prepare a nice meal and M would take one look at it and say in her whiny voice "I don't liiike iiit." So, the last couple of weeks we've been telling her that she needs to eat 2 bites of several things on her plate since she's 2 years old. If she initially balks at the idea, we set a timer for 2 minutes to give her an audible signal that it's time to take a bite or else there will be consequences. After following through if she doesn't eat it at first, she will usually get back in the saddle again and obey. So that's been a great sense of victory for us. It's been hard, though, not to compare her to S, who eats pretty much everything we set before her.
S has been using her hippo walker lately to get around. She still crawls a majority of the time since she's faster. I thought for sure she'd be walking by Christmas, but, given her history of doing things later than M, it'll probably be well after the New Year. Don't you just love how, when they crawl, their little hineys shoomp back and forth. (As an aside, I wasn't sure how to spell hiney, so I checked on dictionary.com. It didn't have an entry, but suggested this link. Start with the Connotations section. I couldn't stop laughing for a good while. Beware of some vulgar uses.)
Her favorite thing to do lately is to bonk heads, especially with mommy. She slowly leans her head down and says khuh. After repeated bonks, she starts giggling and laughing. It's a lot of fun to watch. The only unfortunate thing is that she turns 1 next week. I can't believe she's already that old.
Chipmunks
Okay, so they're coming out with this new animated Alvin & The Chipmunks movie. I'm interested in it because I was a big fan back in the day. Notice how so many of the movies and toys coming out are themed around things when we were kids 20 years ago: Transformers, Care Bears, etc.
If you ever read or watched the stories about Alvin, Simon & Theodore, you know that half of the story is only one word long: AAAAAAAAAllllllllviiiiiinnnnn!!!! That's how I've been feeling with M the past week or so. Part of it is lack of good sleep. S has been waking up multiple times each night; we think she's teething. Part of it is our fault for not getting to bed early enough. And part of it is that she's 2.75 years old right now. She uses her whiny voice about 80% of the time and this drives me up the wall.
Have you ever had an extended period of time where, afterwards, you're just glad everyone survived. That's what we're going through right now. I had to go in to work last night and it was a good thing. C had a wedding shower to go to and I stayed home with the girls. S took a good long nap, which was great since she didn't take one at church. However, even after several yawns and I'm tireds, M would not take a nap. More importantly, she wouldn't be quiet in her room. And I told God when I was making my sammiches that I needed a nap and that I wouldn't be a good dad if I didn't get one. Now, was it a self-fulfilling prophecy or was it just knowing my weakness? M did good for an hour or so while I watched football to relax, but she turned to her whiny voice for the next two hours. I called C and told her I needed a break. When she got home she asked why M was in her room. It was so I didn't explode.
So, if you think of us, pray for patience and that M will stop using her whiny voice and use her sweet voice instead. Also pray for S to sleep through the night. That would be a big help. It just sets a bad tone for the next day.
If you ever read or watched the stories about Alvin, Simon & Theodore, you know that half of the story is only one word long: AAAAAAAAAllllllllviiiiiinnnnn!!!! That's how I've been feeling with M the past week or so. Part of it is lack of good sleep. S has been waking up multiple times each night; we think she's teething. Part of it is our fault for not getting to bed early enough. And part of it is that she's 2.75 years old right now. She uses her whiny voice about 80% of the time and this drives me up the wall.
Have you ever had an extended period of time where, afterwards, you're just glad everyone survived. That's what we're going through right now. I had to go in to work last night and it was a good thing. C had a wedding shower to go to and I stayed home with the girls. S took a good long nap, which was great since she didn't take one at church. However, even after several yawns and I'm tireds, M would not take a nap. More importantly, she wouldn't be quiet in her room. And I told God when I was making my sammiches that I needed a nap and that I wouldn't be a good dad if I didn't get one. Now, was it a self-fulfilling prophecy or was it just knowing my weakness? M did good for an hour or so while I watched football to relax, but she turned to her whiny voice for the next two hours. I called C and told her I needed a break. When she got home she asked why M was in her room. It was so I didn't explode.
So, if you think of us, pray for patience and that M will stop using her whiny voice and use her sweet voice instead. Also pray for S to sleep through the night. That would be a big help. It just sets a bad tone for the next day.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Biggest Loser
Tonight was the final weigh-in before the Final Four went home to see if they can keep it off and lose more.
Neil is 25, and 14 TV weeks ago weighed 421 pounds. On this week's show, he lost an additional 10 pounds to put his weight lost at around 156 pounds. To put that in perspective, he lost an entire adult human in three-and-a-half months. It's almost as if you took him at his current weight and he ate Michael J Fox. Can you imagine?!
Good luck to all the contestants.
Neil is 25, and 14 TV weeks ago weighed 421 pounds. On this week's show, he lost an additional 10 pounds to put his weight lost at around 156 pounds. To put that in perspective, he lost an entire adult human in three-and-a-half months. It's almost as if you took him at his current weight and he ate Michael J Fox. Can you imagine?!
Good luck to all the contestants.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Thanks For Coming. Now Git!
We went to Macaroni Grill tonight for dinner so that the gals could get out of the house. All that estrogen pent up in the house all day is not a good thing.
By the way, I have to brag on our girls. With very few exceptions, whenever we go out to a restaurant, they are very well behaved. M didn't take a nap again today, but was extremely well-behaved. She even ate a good portion of her chicken strips. I greased the wheels a bit by telling her they were BIIIIIGGGGG chicken nuggets. S just munched down on whatever C put in front of her and only toward the very end did she start to get a little fussy, but not much considering there was another tot making quite a bit of noise.
So, we've paid the tab and we head out to the car. I notice I forgot to grab the leftovers. Literally not even 30 seconds had passed during this time and they had already cleared our table and put a fresh slab of paper down. Our waiter had already tossed our bag of extras. C came out and gave me the bad news. Having been in the food service industry before, I knew I could be recompensed. I had half a Penne Rustica left for crying out loud! I spoke to a manager and he asked me if I wanted them to prep a new one. I said no, that a $5-$10 giftcard would do fine and he obliged.
As an efficiency nut, I applaud their expediency with which they operated, but just not on this occasion. It looks like we'll be making a return trip soon. Maybe I'll get to eat my whole dish next time.
By the way, I have to brag on our girls. With very few exceptions, whenever we go out to a restaurant, they are very well behaved. M didn't take a nap again today, but was extremely well-behaved. She even ate a good portion of her chicken strips. I greased the wheels a bit by telling her they were BIIIIIGGGGG chicken nuggets. S just munched down on whatever C put in front of her and only toward the very end did she start to get a little fussy, but not much considering there was another tot making quite a bit of noise.
So, we've paid the tab and we head out to the car. I notice I forgot to grab the leftovers. Literally not even 30 seconds had passed during this time and they had already cleared our table and put a fresh slab of paper down. Our waiter had already tossed our bag of extras. C came out and gave me the bad news. Having been in the food service industry before, I knew I could be recompensed. I had half a Penne Rustica left for crying out loud! I spoke to a manager and he asked me if I wanted them to prep a new one. I said no, that a $5-$10 giftcard would do fine and he obliged.
As an efficiency nut, I applaud their expediency with which they operated, but just not on this occasion. It looks like we'll be making a return trip soon. Maybe I'll get to eat my whole dish next time.
Just Curious
So, there are things in the Bible which are debatable, but, ultimately, will not determine our place in Heaven or Hell.
I just came across this one tonight.
Matt 19:28--Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel."
Fast forward to Acts 1:26--Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.
Don't forget the Apostle Paul.
So the question, then, is even though Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus to fulfill the prophecy, does he still get to sit on one of twelve thrones judging one of the tribes? Or does that fall to Matthias? Or Paul?
Because Jesus said it, it must be true. So at first glance, you'd think it must be Judas. But in the context of His entire ministry, His disciples numbered in the hundreds. This passage calls out the disciples and not the Twelve, so it vary well could be Matthias. I think Paul is out of the question since he was not with Christ throughout His ministry.
The answer of Judas would be a very uncomfortable one, but God has never been One to call us to a life of comfort. And Luke's account of the betrayal says that Satan entered into him, and if a man is possessed by a demon, isn't it the demon acting and not the person? When Judas actually comes with the lynch mob, Jesus calls him 'Friend', but in the Greek, it's a lot more of fellow than actual friend. The American colloquial equivalent would probably be 'dude'.
I know you were probably coming to my blog to see what witty thing I'd say next. But this is my ramblings, and they are here and there, all around the square, saying catch me if you can.
Have a great rest of the week.
R
I just came across this one tonight.
Matt 19:28--Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel."
Fast forward to Acts 1:26--Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.
Don't forget the Apostle Paul.
So the question, then, is even though Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus to fulfill the prophecy, does he still get to sit on one of twelve thrones judging one of the tribes? Or does that fall to Matthias? Or Paul?
Because Jesus said it, it must be true. So at first glance, you'd think it must be Judas. But in the context of His entire ministry, His disciples numbered in the hundreds. This passage calls out the disciples and not the Twelve, so it vary well could be Matthias. I think Paul is out of the question since he was not with Christ throughout His ministry.
The answer of Judas would be a very uncomfortable one, but God has never been One to call us to a life of comfort. And Luke's account of the betrayal says that Satan entered into him, and if a man is possessed by a demon, isn't it the demon acting and not the person? When Judas actually comes with the lynch mob, Jesus calls him 'Friend', but in the Greek, it's a lot more of fellow than actual friend. The American colloquial equivalent would probably be 'dude'.
I know you were probably coming to my blog to see what witty thing I'd say next. But this is my ramblings, and they are here and there, all around the square, saying catch me if you can.
Have a great rest of the week.
R
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Random Thoughts
A lot of people in our neighborhood must've read my last post, because lots of Christmas lights were put up this weekend. Thanks folks. M is happy with your work.
C and I were watching The Amazing Race tonight. It's one of our favs, but we haven't caught it as consistently this season. There's this team of fairy goths (they wear pink) and the dude looks like Julia Roberts in the face. Sorry Julia. No offense.
The UT men's basketball team is 9-0 so far this year with two marquee victories over UCLA and the other UT (Tennessee). I'm excited to see how deep of a tourney run they'll make. Seth Davis has them in his final four. I think it's good for the kids to not have The Kevin Durant Show every few days. That must've been a circus last year. It looks like we have a serviceable big man and a bench deep enough to absorb fouls. I'm a little concerned that they're only attempting 15 free throws a game, which will hurt them in March if they're not as aggressive.
I got to play again for church today, the first time in over a year I think. Man I enjoyed the heck out of it. It was great seeing the little things that some of the musicians were doing that put the icing on the cake. A little four-note diddy by the pianist gave one song that extra something. I'm of the less-is-more ilk, so I enjoyed it immensely. Thanks Mike for giving me the call. Let's do it again sometime soon.
Tim Tebow won the Heisman, becoming the first underclassman to win the Downtown Athletic Club's trophy, which goes all the way back to Jay Berwanger in '35. Congrats kid. So let's recap. He shows up to Florida as a folk hero and, in backup change-of-pace duty, helps UF to a national title as a freshman. This year, under ginormous expectations, he leads the Gators to a respectable 9-3 record and actually exceeded the expectations. Incredible. If you haven't seen his acceptance speech, it's worth youtubing. That unexpected, exuberant rant that makes you appreciate that he's still just a kid. Good luck in your bowl game and with the rest of your career.
Winter's back. The cold front blasted through this afternoon, a little earlier than expected. Hopefully there will be pockets of no rain this week so the girls can get outside. I'm not sure I can cope with the pent-up energy they'll have everyday if they're couped up in the house.
Y'all have a great week.
C and I were watching The Amazing Race tonight. It's one of our favs, but we haven't caught it as consistently this season. There's this team of fairy goths (they wear pink) and the dude looks like Julia Roberts in the face. Sorry Julia. No offense.
The UT men's basketball team is 9-0 so far this year with two marquee victories over UCLA and the other UT (Tennessee). I'm excited to see how deep of a tourney run they'll make. Seth Davis has them in his final four. I think it's good for the kids to not have The Kevin Durant Show every few days. That must've been a circus last year. It looks like we have a serviceable big man and a bench deep enough to absorb fouls. I'm a little concerned that they're only attempting 15 free throws a game, which will hurt them in March if they're not as aggressive.
I got to play again for church today, the first time in over a year I think. Man I enjoyed the heck out of it. It was great seeing the little things that some of the musicians were doing that put the icing on the cake. A little four-note diddy by the pianist gave one song that extra something. I'm of the less-is-more ilk, so I enjoyed it immensely. Thanks Mike for giving me the call. Let's do it again sometime soon.
Tim Tebow won the Heisman, becoming the first underclassman to win the Downtown Athletic Club's trophy, which goes all the way back to Jay Berwanger in '35. Congrats kid. So let's recap. He shows up to Florida as a folk hero and, in backup change-of-pace duty, helps UF to a national title as a freshman. This year, under ginormous expectations, he leads the Gators to a respectable 9-3 record and actually exceeded the expectations. Incredible. If you haven't seen his acceptance speech, it's worth youtubing. That unexpected, exuberant rant that makes you appreciate that he's still just a kid. Good luck in your bowl game and with the rest of your career.
Winter's back. The cold front blasted through this afternoon, a little earlier than expected. Hopefully there will be pockets of no rain this week so the girls can get outside. I'm not sure I can cope with the pent-up energy they'll have everyday if they're couped up in the house.
Y'all have a great week.
Friday, December 07, 2007
Merry Slacker Christmas
I know the weather was cold and rainy in the days following Thanksgiving, but it seems like most people haven't gotten things in gear when it comes to Christmas decorations. Now, C and I are rather minimalist in our approach to outside decorations. A simple outline of our house with white lights will do. No blow-up things or gawdy scenes. No candy canes or longhorns.
We were the only house on our block with lights for an entire week. Even the houses that usually do lights and junk for every, and I mean every, holiday hadn't made an attempt until this week. Today the "Motorcycle Santa Claus" finally showed up. We were on our way home from work and from her back seat M spotted the jolly biker and shouted "LOOK!!" with her face in amazed familiarity. Like her face was saying "SWEET!"
The dog-walker was even getting into the act tonight. But there are still so many houses that had opulent displays last year that haven't even started. To those folks I say "Get into gear." Our daughter expects more from you. She's waited a whole year for Christmas and you better not let her down.
Oh, and thanks for spending all your money on the inflatables and tons of lights. My wallet thanks you for not having your electric bill.
We were the only house on our block with lights for an entire week. Even the houses that usually do lights and junk for every, and I mean every, holiday hadn't made an attempt until this week. Today the "Motorcycle Santa Claus" finally showed up. We were on our way home from work and from her back seat M spotted the jolly biker and shouted "LOOK!!" with her face in amazed familiarity. Like her face was saying "SWEET!"
The dog-walker was even getting into the act tonight. But there are still so many houses that had opulent displays last year that haven't even started. To those folks I say "Get into gear." Our daughter expects more from you. She's waited a whole year for Christmas and you better not let her down.
Oh, and thanks for spending all your money on the inflatables and tons of lights. My wallet thanks you for not having your electric bill.
Experiment No Longer in Progress
Just for the heck of it, I let my facial hair grow and trimmed it into a mustache & goatee combo. This was made possible by not being able to go to church since I was sick. Since I didn't go to church, I felt no need to shave. Those of you who know me are probably thinking to yourself "R. Your facial hair grows at a snails pace." And you're right. While the connectors were filled in enough, the hair is too light in most places to actually show. That and during high school I used to pick at my hair, pulling it out by the root so that there are patches with no hair.
C gave me the go ahead to give it a shot for a couple of weeks, but I didn't really like it that much. After 1.5 weeks it had gotten nice and soft, but was still prickly enough that the ladies in my house didn't like my kisses as much as they normally do. The folks at work gave me mixed reviews. A couple of people gave me pretty snarky comments, but that wasn't completely unexpected. One in particular is usually quite hateful and demeaning in her comments, unlike mine which are normally in jest. I told her it must be because she has an inferiority complex. She responded with her typical "Don't mess with me" routine, which grows quite thin as time passes. Intimidation only works if people are afraid of you. I'm at the point where I feel sorry for her because she feels she needs to hide behind that attitude.
Anyhow, I'm back to my normal baby-faced shaven self.
C gave me the go ahead to give it a shot for a couple of weeks, but I didn't really like it that much. After 1.5 weeks it had gotten nice and soft, but was still prickly enough that the ladies in my house didn't like my kisses as much as they normally do. The folks at work gave me mixed reviews. A couple of people gave me pretty snarky comments, but that wasn't completely unexpected. One in particular is usually quite hateful and demeaning in her comments, unlike mine which are normally in jest. I told her it must be because she has an inferiority complex. She responded with her typical "Don't mess with me" routine, which grows quite thin as time passes. Intimidation only works if people are afraid of you. I'm at the point where I feel sorry for her because she feels she needs to hide behind that attitude.
Anyhow, I'm back to my normal baby-faced shaven self.
Monday, December 03, 2007
RC Index Week 14
And the results are in...
So, what to make of this beautiful disaster?
Both indeces left out Boise, but they weren't that far behind.
In RC2, the difference between Missouri at #3 and Oklahoma at #8 was only 0.0072. So basically, it was a pick 'em. Also, only 0.0080 separate numbers 11-16 and only 0.0087 between #17 to #21.
I'm surprised that #6 Mizzou got left out of the BCS entirely, especially since it beat #8 Kansas and it's only losses were to #4 Oklahoma. They got gypped.
Texas is in the Holiday bowl against Arizona State on December 27th. I definitely like our chances in the game since most of our injured players will have had time to heal.
Time for me to go play Daddy.
Have a great day.
| RC1 | RC2 | BCS | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Ohio State | 11 | 1 | 0.8947 | 1 | LSU | 11 | 2 | 0.9040 | 1 | Ohio State | 0.9588 | ||
| 2 | LSU | 11 | 2 | 0.8864 | 2 | Ohio State | 11 | 1 | 0.8941 | 2 | LSU | 0.9394 | ||
| 3 | Missouri | 11 | 2 | 0.8824 | 3 | Missouri | 11 | 2 | 0.8817 | 3 | Va Tech | 0.8703 | ||
| 4 | Georgia | 10 | 2 | 0.8805 | 4 | Georgia | 10 | 2 | 0.8789 | 4 | Oklahoma | 0.8572 | ||
| 5 | Va Tech | 11 | 2 | 0.8779 | 5 | WVU | 10 | 2 | 0.8772 | 5 | Georgia | 0.8392 | ||
| 6 | Kansas | 11 | 1 | 0.8667 | 6 | Va Tech | 11 | 2 | 0.8766 | 6 | Missouri | 0.7763 | ||
| 7 | WVU | 10 | 2 | 0.8604 | 7 | Florida | 9 | 3 | 0.8750 | 7 | USC | 0.7637 | ||
| 8 | Oklahoma | 11 | 2 | 0.8581 | 8 | Oklahoma | 11 | 2 | 0.8745 | 8 | Kansas | 0.7589 | ||
| 9 | Florida | 9 | 3 | 0.8567 | 9 | Kansas | 11 | 1 | 0.8669 | 9 | WVU | 0.6628 | ||
| 10 | Hawaii | 12 | 0 | 0.8475 | 10 | Arizona St. | 10 | 2 | 0.8484 | 10 | Hawaii | 0.6468 | ||
| 11 | USF | 9 | 3 | 0.8413 | 11 | USF | 9 | 3 | 0.8391 | 11 | Arizona St. | 0.6204 | ||
| 12 | Illinois | 9 | 3 | 0.8400 | 12 | Illinois | 9 | 3 | 0.8380 | 12 | Florida | 0.6133 | ||
| 13 | BC | 10 | 3 | 0.8330 | 13 | Tennessee | 9 | 4 | 0.8356 | 13 | Illinois | 0.4597 | ||
| 14 | Arizona St. | 10 | 2 | 0.8326 | 14 | Hawaii | 12 | 0 | 0.8340 | 14 | BC | 0.4586 | ||
| 15 | BYU | 10 | 2 | 0.8201 | 15 | BC | 10 | 3 | 0.8321 | 15 | Clemson | 0.3844 | ||
| 16 | Cincinnati | 9 | 3 | 0.8181 | 16 | USC | 10 | 2 | 0.8311 | 16 | Tennessee | 0.3251 | ||
| 17 | Clemson | 9 | 3 | 0.8181 | 17 | Texas | 9 | 3 | 0.8204 | 17 | BYU | 0.3027 | ||
| 18 | Tennessee | 9 | 4 | 0.8178 | 18 | BYU | 10 | 2 | 0.8183 | 18 | Wisconsin | 0.2915 | ||
| 19 | UCONN | 9 | 3 | 0.8171 | 19 | Cincinnati | 9 | 3 | 0.8170 | 19 | Texas | 0.2523 | ||
| 20 | USC | 10 | 2 | 0.8160 | 20 | Clemson | 9 | 3 | 0.8159 | 20 | Virginia | 0.2349 | ||
| 21 | Wisconsin | 9 | 3 | 0.8123 | 21 | Wisconsin | 9 | 3 | 0.8117 | 21 | USF | 0.2112 | ||
| 22 | Auburn | 8 | 4 | 0.8048 | 22 | Virginia | 9 | 3 | 0.8084 | 22 | Cincinnati | 0.1789 | ||
| 23 | Texas | 9 | 3 | 0.8042 | 23 | Auburn | 8 | 4 | 0.8029 | 23 | Auburn | 0.1566 | ||
| 24 | Virginia | 9 | 3 | 0.7926 | 24 | Penn State | 8 | 4 | 0.8016 | 24 | Boise | 0.1179 | ||
| 25 | Michigan | 8 | 4 | 0.7918 | 25 | UCONN | 9 | 3 | 0.7983 | 25 | UCONN | 0.0745 | ||
| 26 | Boise State | 10 | 2 | 0.7864 | 28 | Boise State | 10 | 2 | 0.7851 |
So, what to make of this beautiful disaster?
Both indeces left out Boise, but they weren't that far behind.
In RC2, the difference between Missouri at #3 and Oklahoma at #8 was only 0.0072. So basically, it was a pick 'em. Also, only 0.0080 separate numbers 11-16 and only 0.0087 between #17 to #21.
I'm surprised that #6 Mizzou got left out of the BCS entirely, especially since it beat #8 Kansas and it's only losses were to #4 Oklahoma. They got gypped.
Texas is in the Holiday bowl against Arizona State on December 27th. I definitely like our chances in the game since most of our injured players will have had time to heal.
Time for me to go play Daddy.
Have a great day.
The Sick House
Okay people. Let's review. What are the three acceptable places for you to go when you know you or your child is sick?
1. Your house
2. Your doctor
3. Your pharmacy
Notice that WORK and CHURCH are not on the list!!! Or any other place with healthy people.
Some cretin gave me strep throat this past week. I had a little sore throat on Thursday night but thought it was just allergies. Well, Friday night I had a splitting headache I couldn't get rid of. It came back on Saturday along with a little chill. That afternoon it was followed by a 100.3° fever. So I stayed home. That night I ate a pretty healthy dinner, so I rejoiced and told C that is wasn't the flu since I didn't lose my appetite.
Sunday afternoon C started having some aches and a sore throat, so she took a look at her throat and asked to see mine. I believe "Wow!" was her reaction. She's had strep enough times that she knew I had it and that I'd given it to her. So she called the ARC After-Hours Clinic, but they said they were booked solid for adults. However, the nurse mentioned that the CVS on Gattis School has a MinuteClinic and they could do the swabs and cultures for strep. She went in first and I stayed in the car with M who had fallen asleep in the car on the way over--she didn't bother to take her nap after she got home from church. Her swab wasn't positive. So it was my turn. The took a look and said that's the worst she's seen. She took a double swab--I didn't gag--and within a minute or two it was positive. So she ordered us up some prescriptions and we went on our way.
Thankfully we were able to get in and get the antibiotics, because C has a really bad time of it. Her achyness got worse by the hour. I went into work for an hour-and-a-half because there was some R&D work that needed to be done for our API group and I'm the only one trained to run it that is currently in the country.
Today we're feeling much better and looking forward to going to the Lamb of God concert at church tonight...after we've been on meds for 24+ hours.
1. Your house
2. Your doctor
3. Your pharmacy
Notice that WORK and CHURCH are not on the list!!! Or any other place with healthy people.
Some cretin gave me strep throat this past week. I had a little sore throat on Thursday night but thought it was just allergies. Well, Friday night I had a splitting headache I couldn't get rid of. It came back on Saturday along with a little chill. That afternoon it was followed by a 100.3° fever. So I stayed home. That night I ate a pretty healthy dinner, so I rejoiced and told C that is wasn't the flu since I didn't lose my appetite.
Sunday afternoon C started having some aches and a sore throat, so she took a look at her throat and asked to see mine. I believe "Wow!" was her reaction. She's had strep enough times that she knew I had it and that I'd given it to her. So she called the ARC After-Hours Clinic, but they said they were booked solid for adults. However, the nurse mentioned that the CVS on Gattis School has a MinuteClinic and they could do the swabs and cultures for strep. She went in first and I stayed in the car with M who had fallen asleep in the car on the way over--she didn't bother to take her nap after she got home from church. Her swab wasn't positive. So it was my turn. The took a look and said that's the worst she's seen. She took a double swab--I didn't gag--and within a minute or two it was positive. So she ordered us up some prescriptions and we went on our way.
Thankfully we were able to get in and get the antibiotics, because C has a really bad time of it. Her achyness got worse by the hour. I went into work for an hour-and-a-half because there was some R&D work that needed to be done for our API group and I'm the only one trained to run it that is currently in the country.
Today we're feeling much better and looking forward to going to the Lamb of God concert at church tonight...after we've been on meds for 24+ hours.
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Happenings
You'll have to pardon the Zapruder-esque quality of the video, but I had to catch little S at her sweetest. She's really been into making the machine gun sound lately, and it's especially funny when she changes octaves.
Can you believe today is December 1st? It's crazy isn't it? The Christmas season is upon us and M could not be more excited. Let's just say that last Christmas, I went around and took pictures of all the decorations in our subdivision so that when they got taken down she wouldn't go into depression.
Work has been fairly good lately. I had some down time this week so I was able to start updating a lot of our GC & GCMS methods to the current format. It's one of those things that needs to be done, but doesn't because it's busy work at best. Our Doc Control ladies love me!!
TINSTAAFW. There is no such things as a free weekend. I think we've been booked solid since September and there is no relief in sight. I don't mind all the things going on, but I don't have as much time to get things done around the house...not that I'm keen on housework. I need to put some weather stripping around our doors, but it's either been too cold or too moist to take care of that the past two weeks. I don't mind the cold. I wish it were winter more here in Central Texas.
Alas, the last weekend of college football on regular TV for three weeks. On Monday, as usual, I'll post my BCS Rankings as well as my thoughts on the Texas bowl matchup. Some time between now and the first bowl game I'll give my picks.
Have a great weekend.
R
Can you believe today is December 1st? It's crazy isn't it? The Christmas season is upon us and M could not be more excited. Let's just say that last Christmas, I went around and took pictures of all the decorations in our subdivision so that when they got taken down she wouldn't go into depression.
Work has been fairly good lately. I had some down time this week so I was able to start updating a lot of our GC & GCMS methods to the current format. It's one of those things that needs to be done, but doesn't because it's busy work at best. Our Doc Control ladies love me!!
TINSTAAFW. There is no such things as a free weekend. I think we've been booked solid since September and there is no relief in sight. I don't mind all the things going on, but I don't have as much time to get things done around the house...not that I'm keen on housework. I need to put some weather stripping around our doors, but it's either been too cold or too moist to take care of that the past two weeks. I don't mind the cold. I wish it were winter more here in Central Texas.
Alas, the last weekend of college football on regular TV for three weeks. On Monday, as usual, I'll post my BCS Rankings as well as my thoughts on the Texas bowl matchup. Some time between now and the first bowl game I'll give my picks.
Have a great weekend.
R
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Head On Straight
In a football landscape that sometimes seems like life-and-death, one man has kept his perspective on getting canned.
"Nobody likes to get fired," said Gailey, a former head coach with the NFL's Dallas Cowboys. "But all they can take is your job. They can't take your faith. They can't take your family. They can't take your integrity."
Thank you, Chan, for remembering that there are far more important things than winning and losing. If your players became men while under your tutelage, then you excelled in your job, no matter what your record was.
"Nobody likes to get fired," said Gailey, a former head coach with the NFL's Dallas Cowboys. "But all they can take is your job. They can't take your faith. They can't take your family. They can't take your integrity."
Thank you, Chan, for remembering that there are far more important things than winning and losing. If your players became men while under your tutelage, then you excelled in your job, no matter what your record was.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Texas-A&M
What a debacle that was. I sent an email to my old college boys entitled "Fire Mack Brown". I did this partly because I was serious, partly to see what everybody else would say. An excerpt:
"Seriously, after being outcoached by a man who just finished four seasons of mediocrity at A&M, Mack oughta hang up his headseat and enjoy his retirement.
There is no excuse for losing to that school when we have significantly more talent. I know we've been ravaged by injuries on both sides of the ball, but they just wanted it more. Plain and simple.
That's another sad thing too, because we had a shot, if OU lost, to go to the Big XII Championship game and a BCS game if we won that. Now? San Antonio here we come.
Say Colt McCoy doesn't go all Rex Grossman on us, we don't have those special teams breakdowns against K-State and those momentum-killing turnovers against OU and played kinda like we had some cojones against A&M, then we'd be in the BCS title game picture! "
My buddy Tap chimed in with the following:
"What have you done for me lately....
Let's see, last 2 years, 19-6 (my guess is 19-7) with 11-5 in the Big XII
Start season in top 5, finish outside the top 12
1-3 vs OU/A&M in last 2 years
2-6 vs OU since 2000
Putting aside the National Title year....we have not beaten a top 10 team since 1999.
Lots of discipline issues
Doesn't look that great to me.... "
Knight Rider included this thought:
Of course there were some dissenting opinions, but the season could've been so much more.
But hey, if that's the worst thing I had to deal with during the Thanksgiving holiday, it wasn't that bad.
I am very passionate about football and I'd like to try coaching at some point if I was financially set. I think I'd be fairly good at it. Anyhoo...
The Big XII Championship Game oughta be an awesome game.
"Seriously, after being outcoached by a man who just finished four seasons of mediocrity at A&M, Mack oughta hang up his headseat and enjoy his retirement.
There is no excuse for losing to that school when we have significantly more talent. I know we've been ravaged by injuries on both sides of the ball, but they just wanted it more. Plain and simple.
That's another sad thing too, because we had a shot, if OU lost, to go to the Big XII Championship game and a BCS game if we won that. Now? San Antonio here we come.
Say Colt McCoy doesn't go all Rex Grossman on us, we don't have those special teams breakdowns against K-State and those momentum-killing turnovers against OU and played kinda like we had some cojones against A&M, then we'd be in the BCS title game picture! "
My buddy Tap chimed in with the following:
"What have you done for me lately....
Let's see, last 2 years, 19-6 (my guess is 19-7) with 11-5 in the Big XII
Start season in top 5, finish outside the top 12
1-3 vs OU/A&M in last 2 years
2-6 vs OU since 2000
Putting aside the National Title year....we have not beaten a top 10 team since 1999.
Lots of discipline issues
Doesn't look that great to me.... "
Knight Rider included this thought:
"I agree with both R and what Sgt. G told me on the phone after the game....Duane Akina is pretty bad. He is not a genius when it comes to defensive strategy. Mack Brown is way too loyal sometimes, and it appears that he will make no changes to his coaching staff. The only time change comes, is when they are offered head coaching jobs somewhere else and they leave."
Of course there were some dissenting opinions, but the season could've been so much more.
But hey, if that's the worst thing I had to deal with during the Thanksgiving holiday, it wasn't that bad.
I am very passionate about football and I'd like to try coaching at some point if I was financially set. I think I'd be fairly good at it. Anyhoo...
The Big XII Championship Game oughta be an awesome game.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
RC Index Week 13
Another week, another round of upsets. Lightning does strike twice! Just ask LSU, which lost for the second time this year in a 3OT thriller. Kansas actually proved it belonged up at the top with a game effort against Mizzou in the 116th edition of the Border War.
So, let's see how things stack up. I included the teams in the BCS that weren't in the Top 25 of an index. I did actually do the monkeying I said I would, but it screwed things up a lot. But it did give me a hint at why teams were where they are.
Without further ado...
Kansas, Texas and Boise all took BIG tumbles from the previous week. USF and BYU both rocketed up the rankings. And Hawaii is in the promised land...so far. However, if Arizona State wins this week then the Warriors could get leap-frogged.
My Aggie coworkers will be insufferable this week. Not only did they beat us on the field, they got rid of Coach Fran to boot.
Y'all have a great week.
R
So, let's see how things stack up. I included the teams in the BCS that weren't in the Top 25 of an index. I did actually do the monkeying I said I would, but it screwed things up a lot. But it did give me a hint at why teams were where they are.
Without further ado...
| RC1 | RC2 | BCS | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Missouri | 11 | 1 | 0.9041 | 1 | WVU | 10 | 1 | 0.9125 | 1 | Missouri | 0.9781 | ||
| 2 | WVU | 10 | 1 | 0.8948 | 2 | Missouri | 11 | 1 | 0.9034 | 2 | WVU | 0.9713 | ||
| 3 | Ohio State | 11 | 1 | 0.8922 | 3 | Ohio State | 11 | 1 | 0.8925 | 3 | Ohio State | 0.9192 | ||
| 4 | Georgia | 10 | 2 | 0.8816 | 4 | LSU | 10 | 2 | 0.8915 | 4 | Georgia | 0.8274 | ||
| 5 | LSU | 10 | 2 | 0.8732 | 5 | Georgia | 10 | 2 | 0.8809 | 5 | Kansas | 0.7918 | ||
| 6 | Va Tech | 10 | 2 | 0.8632 | 6 | Florida | 9 | 3 | 0.8750 | 6 | Va Tech | 0.7811 | ||
| 7 | Kansas | 11 | 1 | 0.8622 | 7 | Kansas | 11 | 1 | 0.8634 | 7 | LSU | 0.7744 | ||
| 8 | Florida | 9 | 3 | 0.8557 | 8 | Va Tech | 10 | 2 | 0.8617 | 8 | USC | 0.6926 | ||
| 9 | BC | 10 | 2 | 0.8520 | 9 | Oklahoma | 10 | 2 | 0.8594 | 9 | Oklahoma | 0.6829 | ||
| 10 | Hawaii | 11 | 0 | 0.8430 | 10 | Tennessee | 9 | 3 | 0.8530 | 10 | Florida | 0.6184 | ||
| 11 | Oklahoma | 10 | 2 | 0.8423 | 11 | BC | 10 | 2 | 0.8511 | 11 | BC | 0.6169 | ||
| 12 | Illinois | 9 | 3 | 0.8387 | 12 | Arizona St. | 9 | 2 | 0.8429 | 12 | Hawaii | 0.5835 | ||
| 13 | USF | 9 | 3 | 0.8382 | 13 | Illinois | 9 | 3 | 0.8377 | 13 | Arizona St. | 0.5571 | ||
| 14 | Tennessee | 9 | 3 | 0.8345 | 14 | USF | 9 | 3 | 0.8371 | 14 | Tennessee | 0.4614 | ||
| 15 | Arizona St. | 9 | 2 | 0.8262 | 15 | Hawaii | 11 | 0 | 0.8303 | 15 | Illinois | 0.4198 | ||
| 16 | Cincinnati | 9 | 3 | 0.8186 | 16 | USC | 9 | 2 | 0.8248 | 16 | Clemson | 0.3358 | ||
| 17 | UConn | 9 | 3 | 0.8163 | 17 | Oregon | 8 | 3 | 0.8242 | 17 | Oregon | 0.2706 | ||
| 18 | Clemson | 9 | 3 | 0.8155 | 18 | Cincinnati | 9 | 3 | 0.8185 | 18 | Wisconsin | 0.2628 | ||
| 19 | BYU | 9 | 2 | 0.8088 | 19 | Texas | 9 | 3 | 0.8172 | 19 | BYU | 0.2252 | ||
| 20 | Wisconsin | 9 | 3 | 0.8088 | 20 | Clemson | 9 | 3 | 0.8143 | 20 | Texas | 0.2216 | ||
| 21 | USC | 9 | 2 | 0.8087 | 21 | Wisconsin | 9 | 3 | 0.8091 | 21 | USF | 0.1880 | ||
| 22 | Oregon | 8 | 3 | 0.8064 | 22 | BYU | 9 | 2 | 0.8077 | 22 | Virginia | 0.1795 | ||
| 23 | Auburn | 8 | 4 | 0.8021 | 23 | Virginia | 9 | 3 | 0.8039 | 23 | Cincinnati | 0.1490 | ||
| 24 | Texas | 9 | 3 | 0.8001 | 24 | Auburn | 8 | 4 | 0.8012 | 24 | Auburn | 0.1472 | ||
| 25 | Michigan | 8 | 4 | 0.7903 | 25 | UConn | 9 | 3 | 0.7985 | 25 | Boise | 0.1125 | ||
| 26 | Virginia | 9 | 3 | 0.7874 | 28 | Boise | 10 | 2 | 0.7812 | |||||
| 27 | Boise | 10 | 2 | 0.7817 |
Kansas, Texas and Boise all took BIG tumbles from the previous week. USF and BYU both rocketed up the rankings. And Hawaii is in the promised land...so far. However, if Arizona State wins this week then the Warriors could get leap-frogged.
My Aggie coworkers will be insufferable this week. Not only did they beat us on the field, they got rid of Coach Fran to boot.
Y'all have a great week.
R
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
When Will You Learn??
Obviously, we as sinners saved by grace have to, at times, repeat lessons before we learn them. While this is frustrating to us, imagine how frustrating it must be to God?
Let's look at an example from around 2000 years ago.
In approximately April of AD 28, the miracle of the feeding of the 5000 occurs. Jesus tells his disciples to feed the people. In the John 6 account, it says that Philip tells Jesus "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"
Fast forward to circa July AD 28 when the feeding of the 4000 happens. In Matthew 15, His disciples reply "Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?"
It only took three months to forget how amazing the God was that they were serving. And they were with God face-to-face!!
So, don't fret when you have to learn your lessons over and over again.
Let's look at an example from around 2000 years ago.
In approximately April of AD 28, the miracle of the feeding of the 5000 occurs. Jesus tells his disciples to feed the people. In the John 6 account, it says that Philip tells Jesus "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"
Fast forward to circa July AD 28 when the feeding of the 4000 happens. In Matthew 15, His disciples reply "Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?"
It only took three months to forget how amazing the God was that they were serving. And they were with God face-to-face!!
So, don't fret when you have to learn your lessons over and over again.
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