More mindless rambling!

There's lots of stuff going on, so let's get to it!

It's TAKS week here in Texas. For those of you not from here, the TAKS test (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills) is the current version of the state-mandated assessment which is SUPPOSED to judge where the kids are in their academic development. "Supposed" is in caps because, contrary to the intended purpose, TAKS is used to guage the job performance of school districts, schools, faculties and administrations more than it is to gauge kids' development. As such, it is a pressure-packed week all around! In a couple of years, TAKS is supposed to be replaced by a subject-by-subject end-of-course test that will test kids on the curriculum they're supposed to get in any given year. It should be better than what we've got now, that's for sure!

Barack Obama says that what his pastor says is reprehensible and that he is not the man he met twenty years ago. Frankly, I have a hard time believing that. I think he's saying the same things now that he said in his well-publicized sermons of several years ago; you know, the things that Obama apparently had no trouble with at the time! Well, he apparently had no trouble with them; he stayed at that church, after all. I mean, I've left churches for a variety of reasons. One I left because I had a philosophical difference with the pastor. He wanted me to teach a Sunday school class that defies scripture. I told him I wouldn't do it. He started making things uncomfortable for me and my family, so I left. I left another church when the "numbers game" became paramount, moreso than the preaching of the Word. So, I have a little experience with leaving churches for different reasons. It would have been real easy for Obama to leave his church, too. You just stop going! When the question arises, you say, "You know, the pastor there is a little misguided in my opinion and he was making a variety of claims from the pulpit that I just didn't agree with, so I stopped going there." Instead, we got a laundry list of excuses. Here's the dirty little secret in my opinion. Obama is just like any other ethnic group, whites included. When racial hatred exists in someone's mind and they find themselves in a mono-racial group, that hatred will find voice. To disagree with the stance is to take a stand against one's own race, or at least that's how it will be percieved by the haters. So, what you do is simple! You don't associate with that group of people if they express thoughts and feelings that you find "reprehensible." Obama didn't do that, which means that, tacitly if nothing else, he agrees with the sentiment. That, my friends, is truly despicable!

Houston is perhaps the worst sports town in the world. It's a shame, too, because we have world-class facilities for all three major sports (a fourth if we ever get hockey) and they're trying to build a new soccer stadium downtown for the Dynamo. (I know....the WHO??? That's our MLS champion soccer team. I've heard they're pretty good, if you're into soccer). Anyway, we have stuff going on here that wouldn't be heard ANYWHERE else, and it's just because we have uneducated, "seat-of-the-pants" type fans who only exemplify what a fan is when the team is winning. THAT doesn't happen very often around here! The Rockets are in the play-offs, but all we here about is how Tracy McGrady melts in the 4th-quarter. Uhhh....he's one assist from a triple-double and because he doesn't score another twenty in the 4th, he's garbage. He's probably EXHAUSTED!!! He hasn't had a break the whole game! Roll off, H-town! Drayton McClown (McClain, actually) is the penny-pinching owner of the Astros. Whenever he gets someone with a future, he runs them out of town. He hires rubes to manage his club because anyone truly qualified would cost him a few extra nickles, so they consistently lose. A few years ago, they got hometown discounts from both Roger "the steroid taking philandering (allegedly)" Clemens and Andy "I only did it twice...errr...make that five times" Petit, and they STILL couldn't win a game. Even the Pirates have a few world championships and they haven't had a winning season since Dimagio's streak. But we're not talking about the teams; we're talking about the fans, primarily. Houston fans pay big to go to a game, then show up an hour late. They stay for an hour; maybe an hour and a half, then they leave. It matters not whether the game is still going on; they weren't there for the game anyway! They wanted to get out with some friends and what better way to do it than pay $18 for parking, $200 for tickets, $10 for a really bad hot dog, and $8 for a drink! Visiting players remark about how quiet Houston stadiums are. It's not because the fans are polite, it's because they're not paying attention! I'd like to comment on Texans games, but I can't - I've never been to one! I have been to professional football in Houston, though. I've seen the Browns play the Oilers twice in the Astrodome. It wasn't much different than an Astros game or a Rockets game. There were more Browns fans there than Oilers fans and the stadium was only half-full to begin with! I have a feeling that the Texans games are much the same. They say they're sold out every week, but when you watch it on television, there are large chunks of empty seats visible! I think the seats are sold to corporations who just don't use them every week. Why they don't put them on StubHub and auction them off to people who'd use them, I don't know. Frankly, I have no proof that that's what's going on in any case, but that's my suspicion. If you want to follow a Houston sports team with a rabid fan base, follow the Dynamo. The games are always sold out, the crowds are boisterous, and the team is good (from what I hear). You won't be able to understand anything anyone says, but you should be able to decipher "G-O-A-L !!!!!" when the announcer hollers it (of course, it IS soccer, which means they only score about once a month!). Pitiful!

MDB is leaving me! Oh....not for good, just for a business trip! I'm going to miss her! It'll be the first time we've been apart for any time at all since we got married. She's going to a "diversity" seminar. I guess it's one of those things that everyone has to do every so often. We used to have to do "sexual harrassment" training every so often at my last job. I guess it was because no one knew how to do it; they had to teach us! Anyway, it's another CYA I'm sure, much like this TAKS test we've been doing.

Well....that's enough for now! - Dan

Here's something else the NBA needs to do!

In my last post, I said that Houston's lack of weakside help for Rafer Alston allowed at least 6 Utah points, perhaps 8 or 10. Then I got to thinking, "maybe they were slow because they didn't want to get called for a 'defensive 3-second violation' while sliding over to help."

Well, it's possible, I suppose, but I didn't see anyone even moving in the general direction of the penetration when it occured.

In any case, can someone PLEASE tell me why there's a "defensive 3 second" call in the NBA in the first place? When you teach man-to-man defense, one of the first things you try to get across is weakside help! When your guy is two passes away from the basketball, you take two giant steps toward the ball, keeping your man in one eye and the ball in the other. If the man on the ball gets beat, or if a cutter recieves a pass on the give and go, you leave your guy and stop that penetration. It's fundamental! So why is it against the rules in the NBA? Well, I know why they SAY it is; they don't want Yao, or Shaq, or whoever else plays 5 to simply camp under the basket all the time. Uhhh....that would be a zone, wouldn't it? A guy playing an area and NOT a man? I thought that zone was illegal in the NBA? Oh, I know they've allowed modified zones in the last several years, but a straight zone? I don't think so!

Here's what you need to do, NBA! Just let the fellows play basketball! You won't have to fuss about what kind of defense someone wants to play because ANY kind of defense is allowable! And then (are you ready?) MAYBE we can just watch basketball! It works in college; why not the pros?

Rocket report

Well, I called it the other day, but now it appears that the prophecy may come true sooner than later. The Rockets loss last night was UGLY and the game was not nearly as close as the score would indicate. Here's what went wrong:

1. Missed free throws. Free throws aren't called "free" for nothing. A professional basketball player has no excuse for not hitting at LEAST 80% of his free throws. The Rockets as a team are hitting more like 60%. This lack of concentration and effort is absolutely inexcusable.

2. Rebounding. Time after time, at least until Carl Landry came into the game, Houston got only one shot and there was NO ONE going to the offensive glass. I know that transition defense is at a premium against Utah, but NO ONE was going to the offensive glass. No one!!! What's worse, Utah got multiple opportunities WAY too often because Houston did not box out and protect its own defensive glass. The back-breaking straw there was the offensive rebound off of a free throw attempt that Houston allowed on the last possession. If Houston rebounds that basketball, they have the basketball with a 2-point deficit and at least have an opportunity to tie the game or go ahead. To allow an offensive rebound in that situation is absolutely inexcusable!

3. Help-side defense. I don't know how many times Rafer Alston got beat on isolation, but it was at least 3 or 4. Rafer's hurt, so it's not really his fault, but here's the question: Where was the help? No one came from the weak side to help out and, in a 2 point game, any one of those ties the game; stopping two of those penetrations wins the game for Houston.

4. Offensive execution. Houston loves the high screen. I'd call it the high "screen-roll" except that the screener NEVER rolls to the basket in Houston's version. Utah hedges every time against the high screen, setting up a mismatch for the roller IF the screener would ever actually roll off of the pick! I know there's weakside help coming to stop the penetration, which mean whoever Houston has on the weakside baseline has got to cut back door and look for a pass. Uh....basketball 101?! Houston hasn't figured it out, which means that we wind up reversing the basketball weak side around the 3-point line and settling for a poor shot when we could have done much, much better!

Okay....these are the things Houston has to fix if this series is going to continue. Here are the things the NBA needs to do:

1. Hire some referees who own a whistle and know how to blow it when there's a foul. Luis Scola is the new Yao Ming when it comes to "one-way" calls. He gets called for every little ticky-tack thing and he gets POUNDED on the other end and there's no call. Carl Landry got both arms taken out from under the basketball AND knocked down on one layup attempt and there was no call then HE was called for an over-the-back on the other end and he wan't within 2 feet of the guy he supposedly fouled! Uh....there are three officials calling NBA games for a reason; they're supposed to be in position to make the correct call! NOT to be in position is inexcusable! Get it right, NBA!

2. Change the rules to punish "flopping." In years past it may have been "smart basketball," but now its epidemic and guys fall over as if shot close range with a 30-06 every time someone breathes on them! A flop by Utah probably cost the Rockets game one and subsequent flops have sent Rockets players to the bench prematurely in foul trouble on several other occasions. Flopping is changing the fabric of the game and the league owes it to its audience to figure out a way to stop it before individual achievement awards in the league are Oscars.

Oh well. Maybe some of this will help the Rockets next year. I'm afraid its too late to change anything THIS year! - Dan

AWESOME Day!

Despite having to take a bank loan for the gas, MDB and I took a little road trip to Rosenberg today to go "antiquing." It was a blast!

We had lunch at "Texas Burger" in Pleak and then went on in to Rosenberg. We'd looked it up earlier; along 1st, 2nd, and 3rd street at Ave G, there are A BUNCH of antique stores. We started out at a store that I believe was "Old Towne Antiques." MDB likes green "Depression Glass," so I had my eye peeled for any that I saw. Actually, there were a few pieces that we saw that we'd like to have but most of them were a little bit steeper than Ebay, so we put them on the "next time" list. One of the funniest things (actually, the little free paper we picked up at Texas
Burger was THE funniest thing, but you'll have to follow MDB's blog to find out what that was about!) that happened was when MDB found some dishes she liked (the Franciscan "Ivy" pattern), or at least she liked them until I told her that it was the same pattern that my first wife started collecting when she found out that it was the pattern used on "I Love Lucy." MDB decided that she didn't care for it too much after all....I shoud've been quiet! Anyway, what was funny was that, all of a sudden, it seemed as though that pattern of china started popping out of every corner! Weird! From there we went to "Red Queen's" Antiques. It was a little more promising than the first place and they had several items that made the "next time" list. They even had a display case of coins, my own "antique" passion, so it's a definite re-visit for next time. Probably the best place was "Vogelsang's," a place that was more than likely a hotel in a former life. It kept going, and going, and going! Upstairs there they have a small live theatre that looked like a lot of fun. There couldn't have been 40 seats in the place and the "stage" was really just a spot in the middle without any chairs! It looks like a lot of fun! We've planned to make a trip back to see one of the plays when they do them! Also at Vogelsang's they had a Lane cedar chest for only $250! I don't know, but I'd think that's a pretty good price! On the way home, we stopped at a couple of more shops in Wallis but there wasn't much to see there.

On the whole, it was a wonderful day! We had to make a stop at Sam's on the way home. We tried to buy 400 pounds of rice, but they wouldn't let us (JK)! All that said, ANY day with MDB is a wonderful day, and it doesn't matter what we're doing! I was just glad we could get out and do something that I knew she'd enjoy together. - Dan

Signs of the times (II)

Hey Dad!



I just thought of something else that would amaze you! In your day, computers filled rooms and did "slide rule" calculations. Today, I have more computational power in my lap right now than all of the government computers that sent men to the moon! Not only that, but we connect routinely with computers elsewhere and access information on a world-wide scale on a contraption called "the internet!" It's really quite amazing!



22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. (Romans 1:22,23)

Now I've read a report that, by the year 2010, the internet will be out of room and will be able to expand no more without substantial investment.

28Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. (Romans 1:28)




Of course, there'd be more room on the internet if it wasn't for spam e-mail, unbridled pornography, and everysort of "spyware" and virus trap imaginable. You know, if some people would put as much energy and inventiveness into legal and/or moral business pursuits as they put into illegal and/or immoral ones, they'd be lending money to Bill Gates. Oh, I'm sorry. He's like the richest guy in the world. He got that way in the computer software business. I told you it was big!

More later, Dad! - Dan

Sign of the times

Dear Dad,

You've been gone for nearly thirty years now, so I thought I'd fill you in on what's been going on. Today I paid $3.50 for a gallon of gasoline! I knew you'd be shocked! When you left in the very early 80's, gas was .40 and you thought THAT was ridiculous! That's not all, Dad! Food prices are going through the roof (the price of diesel fuel is higher than gasoline and, as you know, diesel is what delivers almost all of the commodities to market, so those costs are passed on to consumers via higher prices). Rice is in short supply in several areas of the world market, causing "rice riots" in several places over the last several days. Sam's and Cosco began to limit the amount of bulk rice any individual can purchase! Rice rationing! Can you believe it?


5When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. 6Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, "A quart of wheat for a day's wages, and three quarts of barley for a day's wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!" (Revelation 6:5,6)


Oh, and I know you knew about Viet Nam and all, but we've had a few wars since then. In 1990, we fought in Kuwait to evict the Iraqis from there and then, in 2001, we were attacked by terrorists in New York and in Washington. One of the attacks was thwarted by brave passengers on one of the airliners used in the attacks; it crash-landed in Pennsylvania. Anyway, we retaliated in Afghanistan and later in Iraq; two places where we're still at war. I read today that an American cargo vessel had to open fire on an Iranian speed boat in the Persian Gulf and that the US believes that Syria is working with North Korea to develop a nuclear reactor (ostensibly for the purposes of getting "the bomb"). Naturally, we just had the same problem with Iran and a lot of people thought we would wind up at war with them before everything is said and done.


4Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 5For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. 6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8All these are the beginning of birth pains. (Matthew 24:4-8)


Anyway, Dad, you'd be disappointed with the progress we've made in space. I guess it was all worthwhile, though. Our space program and advanced technology drove the Soviet Union out of existence along with all the other "Iron Curtain" countries. The only communist countries left in the world are the Asian communists and they're not so much communist as they are totalitarian and capitalist! Oh, and you wouldn't believe the presidential races, Dad! The Democrats are running two main candidates in their primaries; the former First Lady (Yes, Dad! A WOMAN!!) and an African-American Senator from Illinois! The black guy's name is Barak Obama. He basically captivates his audiences wherever he goes. Most of the pundits think he'll win the nomination. The other day he made a comment about working-class people clinging to their guns and religion to alleviate their bitterness! Imagine that, Dad! A politician attacking religion and getting away with it!

9 Out of one of them came another horn, which started small but grew in power to the south and to the east and toward the Beautiful Land. 10 It grew until it reached the host of the heavens, and it threw some of the starry host down to the earth and trampled on them. 11 It set itself up to be as great as the Prince of the host; it took away the daily sacrifice from him, and the place of his sanctuary was brought low. 12 Because of rebellion, the host of the saints and the daily sacrifice were given over to it. It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground. (Daniel 8:9-12)

Well, that's all for now. I'll try to let you know if anything else interesting happens. I have a feeling it will. - Dan

We have a "Wait" problem!

And, if the truth were known, I have a weight problem as well! Short version of that - the doctor told me to increase my fiber and calcium intake, so I started eating a bowl of bran cereal with milk in the morning. In a very short period, I've put on 5 pounds! I told MDB that I can see it now; I'll go in and they'll say "Dan, your colon looks great, but you need to lose weight!"

Can't win for losing!

Anyway, back to the wait problem.

We had a discussion in "small groups" the other night about the differences in society now versus when we grew up. When I was growing up, if someone wanted something that didn't fit into their budget, they saved until they COULD afford it. Another alternative was trading stamps. Most remembered the S&H Green stamps. My mom saved "Top Value" stamps, but the principal was the same. For whatever your purchase at the participating retailer, you'd get "X" number of stamps, which you saved in books. When you had enough books, you went down to the Green Stamp Store (or the Top Value store in the case of mom and many others) and you redeemed your stamps for whatever you wanted to buy. Interesting concept - DELAYED gratification! Now of course, no one waits for anything. If you can't afford it, you charge it. If your cards are maxed out, you steal someone else's identity and buy it with someone else's money! It's a sickness, it really is! God said "Thou shalt not covet," not because He didn't want us to have nice things, but because He knew the greed involved would lead to exactly this sort of situation!

God's pretty smart! - Dan

Well....it seems that the Rockets are toast!

On the way to work, I usually listen to sports talk radio. I like to get caught up on scores from the night before and see what people are talking about. Sports talk radio is funny. People seem to think that their opinions matter, as though the GM from whatever franchise they're railing about is on the other end of the phone and WILL make changes based upon their feelings on this topic or that. I hope getting that load off of your chest made you feel better, Mr. Caller, because that would be the only positive outcome of your call, thanks for playing!

In any case, the concensus right now seems to be that the Rockets are finished. They've lost the first two games of their playoff series with Utah and now must travel to Utah for the next two. I'd be inclined to agree, but I think they've basically played over their heads for the last several months anyway and that, with no presence in the middle once Yao Ming went down, they've essentially been done since that pivotal injury. Perhaps they'll dig deep and force a fifth game in Houston, but the number of teams (whole teams at that!) who've recovered from a 2-0 deficit can be counted without removing shoes! The team's poised to make a deep run next year if the wheels don't fall off again, but they're pretty much done for this season.

Meanwhile, my beloved Reds are struggling (again!) under new manager Dusty Baker. After a hot start and some surprising starting pitching, I thought they may actually challenge the Cubs for the Central Division this year. At this point, I'm glad I didn't spring for "MLB Season Ticket" again - I wouldn't enjoy watching anyway!

Well, that's all for now. - Dan

What's the best?

This morning in Sunday school, the question "What's the best way to win Christian converts?" was asked. A few folks said that your daily lifestyle was your best witness, and a few said that approaching people with acceptance, letting them know that God loves them, is the best way. One said that God's forgiveness should be pre-eminent, and another said that we need to make sure that there's no such thing as "too far gone" for church. It was pointed out that even the cannibal-murderer Jeffrey Dahmer found forgiveness in Jesus before he was executed. Are any of those things the BEST way?

I'd say there are some pretty good points there, but the best way is to simply share your own experiences with whoever seems interested. In my own experience, people will notice something different about you if you live your faith and they will inevitably ask you about it. You see, people are basically the same the world over. They have the same wants, needs, and desires regardless of circumstance. Some of us are a little hard-headed and we think we don't need Jesus to forgive us and we don't need the indwelling presence of His Holy Spirit to find happiness. So, when the time is right and those fallacies are coming to realization, people will seek what they need and, quite naturally, they'll look for it in the places where it seems most likely that they will find it. That's where the Christian believer comes in! You have to be ready to share your witness when these "Holy Spirit moments" come up! I guess what I'm trying to say is this; our own personal witness of the power of His love and forgiveness in our own lives is our most powerful tool for the conversion of non-believers!

So, do we have to be some sort of super-saints or something to deserve the privilege of witnessing to others? Well, I never was! When someone would tell an off-color joke or let go with a string of expletives, I wouldn't show any sort of disdain or whatever, I'd just laugh and continue with my business. Now, I would never join in with that sort of behavior telling off-color jokes or using profane language myself, but I wouldn't criticize others or even worse, CONDEMN others for these sorts of behaviors. Many times, I think, we're way too quick to tell others that they're going to hell if they don't follow Jesus. Let me ask you; how would you feel if some muslim walked up to you right now and told you that you're going to spend eternity putting out fires if you don't follow the holy prophet? I'd immediately be on the defensive (well, if I were not a blood-bought born again believer, that is!) and I'd let the Sheik know right quick that his brand of religion doesn't play here and if he knows what's good for him, he'd better find someone else to sell it to! The key, dear friends, is to show the love of Jesus to the world and let them know that there is a better, more peaceful way to live. You don't have to have all that stress! You don't have to live with anxiety and fear! You don't have to worry about the future, because the future of a believer is assured! Just as it says in the bible, storms come to the believer and non-believer alike, but the believer has a life that is founded on the Rock of Ages and he/she will weather the storm!

That's my take, like it or not! I know it doesn't "take Jesus to the streets" or whatever, but that's not my talent in any case. If this little blog, or the various chat boards I've run, or my own personal witness finds someone in need, I'll be happy to share because Jesus has totally changed my life and has made me complete and filled with joy! Life has thrown me some pretty interesting curveballs since I met Jesus, but, just like God's promise says, I've weathered them and have come out happier and more complete than I was going in! God is good, people! - Dan

Butterflies

Recently, Edward Lorenz, author of the so-called "Butterfly Effect," passed away. His "chaos theory" is considered to be one of the major theoretical achievements of the 20th Century. What does the theory suggest? As I understand it, the theory basically says that no action exists in a vacuum; there is always a reaction of some kind. The "butterfly" came from the explanation, which was that, if a butterfly flapped its wings here, it could theoretically cause a typhoon on the other side of the globe! The "stone in the pond" allegory is often employed in description as well. You know, the ripples continue forever only getting further from the source.

So, why do I bring this up? Well, there was a toad sighting earlier and it made me think that our actions are a lot like that butterfly; the ripples from our wings go on forever and affect who knows how many. We tend to think only about the ones closest to us, but others we've left behind are often the most affected by what we do or do not do.

It's just a thought.

Anyway, from the outside looking in, it's a lot easier to see the affect than it is from the inside looking out. I've been behind the nozzle of a firehose; it's much easier to see where the water goes from the side than it is from the source. Perhaps our actions or inactions are the same way.

Just a thought.

When I first heard about the chaos theory, I thought it was ridiculous, but, from a purely physics standpoint, it has merit. I mean, "every action has an opposite and equal reaction," "Conservation of Energy," and "Conservation of Mass" aren't called "Laws" for nothing. They always hold true! So, theoretically, the idea that a relatively minor action could have major repercussions is possible.

A thought.

Suppose for a moment that people actually DID what Jesus commanded and loved one another as they do themselves. What would the ripple from that be like?

Think. - Dan

Life is Good (Part 47)!!!

Hello again, blogfans!

Today's entry is a generic rambling about a lot of stuff; have patience!

The day before yesterday, I went in and had "Moh's" surgery on my nose. For those who don't follow along very often, I had a basal cell carcinoma discovered there about a month ago, so the surgery was scheduled to have it removed. Now, I'm told this form of cancer is not particularly virulent and seldom if ever spreads, so no one was very worked up about it one way or the other. Anyway, the worst part so far has been explaining to E-V-E-R-Y-B-O-D-Y why I have a bandage across my nose and why my eye is black! I almost just did up a sign to wear that explains it so I wouldn't have to anymore, but I decided against it. In any case, they said that they "got" all of the cancer and it shouldn't return (but I have to get checked out again in 3-6 months just to be sure; translation - we need to charge you for another office visit so be sure to come in so we can do that!). On that afternoon, I had a follow-up with the Proctologist (if you need to know why I had a follow-up scheduled, read the "translation" above!), who said that the type of Polyp they found during my colonoscopy is the kind that tends to become cancerous over time, so they suggested that I increase my calcium and my fiber intake. Toward that end, I started eating a bran cereal with a cup of milk in the morning instead of the Atkins "Morning Start" that I had been eating, so I hope that does the trick!

MDB has stayed home the last couple of days to work on her hurricane book. Every year, the Weather Service puts on this big hurricane conference. It's attended by all of the emergency managers in the area, safety directors of large companies, governmental officials of all sorts, emergency medical people, fire department personnel, etc., so it's a really big deal! Part of the preparation is the annual "hurricane book" that all of the above buy for their people. It's got all sorts of hurricane-related stuff in it and it's really very well done. In any case, MDB is the one who puts it all together and arranges for publication every year. She says it's her favorite part of her job, which makes me glad that her job is HERS and not mine! I would go crazy trying to put something like that together! Anyway, she does a really good job with it and the book is really very well done! I'm VERY proud of her! She's AWESOME!!!

Something happened the other day that doesn't happen very often. We were talking about species adaptation and one of the kids asked me if I believed that we had monkeys for ancestors. I said, "no, all of my ancestors were human; sometimes I wonder about the ancestry of OTHER people, but mine were all homo sapiens!" To that, he replied "I don't think I came from monkeys either, coach! You must believe in God!" I said, "well, as a matter of fact, I DO believe in God!" and several of the other kids in the room chimed in and indicated their approval. I don't get opportunities to voice my faith in school very often, so this was an unexpected and welcome surprise! As you may or may not know, INTRODUCING religion as a topic is a big time no-no! However, if asked, we CAN state our own beliefs without fear of reprisal, so it was good to get asked!

That leads me to another "burr in my saddle;" A "moment of silence."

What is supposed to be the purpose of THAT? Oh, I KNOW what it's supposed to be for; you're supposed to take the time to offer prayer to whatever deity you choose or NOT pray to whatever deity you choose to disbelieve in, but how many of us actually use it that way? You know, in muslim nations, everything stops twice a day and every person in the country throws down a prayer rug, kneels toward Mecca, and offers a public prayer to Allah. If anyone says anything, they're dealt with in the harshest of terms! Yet, here in this country, supposedly a Christian nation, we cower behind "moments of silence" for fear of offending someone who doesn't believe the same things we do. Uhhh.....what?! Whatever happened to "majority rules?" When did it become the right of the minority to dictate policy to the majority? I think we ought to operate a little more like the muslims in this case. "Hey! We're going to offer a prayer now! If you don't like it, or if you'd rather pray to the grass or your dead Great Aunt or whatever, that's fine, just don't do it around here!" How do you think that would play out?

Exactly!

It's fine if it's my rights that are being trampled, but I'd sure better not infringe upon someone else's rights!

Somehow, I don't think that "freedom FROM religion" is what the Founding Fathers had in mind!

Anyhow, I'd like to thank God right now for all of His blessings - continued good health, a WONDERFUL wife, a great job and salvation through my belief in Jesus! Praise God forever!

(sorry if that offended you!) - Dan

Uhhhh....WHAT!?!?

Recently, those of us lucky enough to live in or near Houston were treated to a story about Boris Miles, a State Representative from this area accused of pointing a gun at his wife during a Rocket's game and then doing something equally despicable later (pointing his gun at someone else later the same day while at a party after forcibly kissing another man's wife). If you've read the story, you've probably noticed that Rep. Miles is African-American, a fact that I would never point out if not for the point of this particular missive:

Where is Quantrell X and Shirley Jackson-Lee?

Oh, you know Quantrell. He's the Rev. Sharpton of this community. You know Shirley. She's the Maxine Waters of our town. Together, they manage to show up for anything that vaguely smacks of racism, usually finding it in places where it never existed! Together, they're the Laurel and Hardy of Houston; pratfalls and all!

In any case, here we have a clear case of a public official abusing the powers of his office by breaking the law wantonly and (probably) expecting his behavior to be dismissed because of his offical capacity. If this was a white guy, he'd have been strung up in the court of public opinion by now at the shear insistence of Quantrell and Shirley (actually, their real names are SHEILA Jackson-Lee and....well....who knows what Quanell X's real name is!? He adopted "Quannel X" in the tradition of Malcolm X, ostensibly because of his religious affiliation, but more likely because it attracts attention and publicity!) and would have been expedited to trial where his gun would have been confiscated, his office taken away, and his life left in shambles in some other locale far away from this place!

When the perpetrator is black, there is deafening silence from Shirley and Quantrell.

I long for the day that the color of the perpetrator is not considered; only the nature of the actor's crime.

I just wish...

...that someone would channel Ronald Reagan and speak their mind for a change instead of taking 100 polls to find out what people are thinking and then saying whatever fits the crowd they're addressing at the moment.

There was a time that people chose a candidate based on that candidate's views and stands on issues; now they vote based on color, gender, and soundbites that are choreographed specifically for whatever group they're speaking to. Do you think Obama would've made his "bitter" comments to a group of steel workers from Pittsburg? Of course not!

People need to hear the truth, regardless of how it affects them at the time. Is there a candidate out there who fits the bill?

Sadly, I don't think so.

Here's a few of the things we need to hear:

Government needs to justify every nickel that it spends. "Earmarks," or "pork," or whatever they call it these days, needs to go away PERMANENTLY!!! Unless there is a Constitutional mandate for the spending or a specific law that requires it, Congress should only appropriate what MUST be spent to fund such items!

Someone needs to tell the unions of this country that the time is past for the rich deals they've always enjoyed. Ford, Chrysler, and GM will continue to exist, but they may very well take all of their manufacturing jobs out of this country where labor costs are more reasonable. The time for fully-funded health care, fully-funded pensions, and exhorbitant per hour labor costs is past. Our manufacturing concerns cannot compete on the world market with costs per unit as high as they are and, unless something changes and that right soon, the goose that laid the golden egg will be cooked and the last of the eggs will be gone.

One thing government HAS done well over the years is gather the best minds toward a common goal when times demand it. It's time to free America from the chains of foreign oil! Toward that end, we need a "moon mission" to develop an alternative form of transportation that is reliable, relatively inexpensive, and easily adaptable to our current infrastructure. Personally, I think hydrogen is the best bet, but who's to say? The fact is, huge sums of American money are moving overseas to pay for energy and foreign interests have us literally over a barrel. When it becomes more profitable to produce home-grown energy than to buy it overseas, American energy interests will do just that. We, therefore, have to make it so and that as quickly as possible!

Iraq was a lie from the start. When people found out that there were no WMDs, they tired quickly of the excuses for our staying there. We must formulate an exit strategy, communicate it to the Iraqis and the American people as well, and execute it with all due haste. It is time for us to see to American needs before we attempt to build states elsewhere. Instability in that part of the world is nothing new. In fact, if that part of the world WERE stable for a change, it would be highly unusual indeed!

Oh well....that's a few of the things that we need to get going. I just wish we had a candidate who would stop taking opinion polls long enough to say them!

Intrinsic Value

It's Sunday morning and, because we're both exhausted and not feeling well, we stayed home from church. Usually, on the way out the door, we'd watch "Sunday Morning" on CBS, but today we watched the entire show. It was about a guy who was hitting a golf ball across Scotland for no apparent reason, an extremely eccentric artist who paints mostly birds, butterflies and monkeys (this guy has a HUGE loft in the middle of New York and two VERY impressive antebellum plantation homes in Louisiana. MDB and I had never heard of him or seen his work before, but he's apparently pretty popular with the art-buying public; they said his paintings go for as much as 100k!), the song-writing team of Ashford and Simpson, the Pony Express, and, the coup de'grace....license plates in Delaware.

Okay; why did they do a show on Delaware license plates? Apparently, in Delaware, it's a REALLY big deal to have a license plate with a low number on it. The Governor always gets #1, the Lieutenant Governor #2, and the SS #3. All of the other plates were issued in numerical order beginning with #4. Naturally, rich guys who were the first to buy cars way back when were issued those first plates. Anyway, buying and selling "low-number" license plates in Delaware has become quite the cottage industry. The story mentioned that one such plate sold for nearly 200k almost twenty years ago! Well, the centerpiece of the story was the death of a guy who owned plate number 6. Wow! #6!!! At auction, the plate sold for 3/4 of a MILLION dollars!!!! 750k!!!!! Several auction attendees were interviewed and they all said that buying such a plate was a "Great Investment!;" even better than the stock market!!!

Uhhhh.........................................................WHAT?!?!?!

I have two words for these fiscally-challenged soothsayers: BEANIE BABIES!

Yes, boys and girls, I remember all too well those heady days of driving all over hell's half-acre in search of the "latest" or "limited edition" stuffed animals that were going to be worth hundreds, even THOUSANDS more than we paid for them. All we had to do was protect those precious tags (by buying those pre-formed tag protectors) and watch the money come rolling in!

Some lessons are harder-learned than others.

Now, I have a box (oh...and not just ANY box; a small refrigerator came in this box) full of these "priceless" little commodities. I'd have to say that, overall, over a thousand dollars were "invested." If I could find someone crazy enough to overpay for the whole box, it's probably worth a buck seventy five altogether.

The recycled value of the cardboard would be half the price!

Anyway, for those clowns who really believe that a license plate is a better investment than the stock market, let me share the benefit of my expeience with you.

Things with no intrinsic value do not hold their "perceived" value after the trend wears off.

"But Dan!" you say, "There have been cars in Delaware for over a hundred years! This little 'trend' is still going after all of these years! Isn't that a safer bet than Beanie Babies?"

If you have nothing better to do with your overabundance of money than waste it on a license plate or a really bad painting of cockatoos, send me some of it, will you?

Okay...if you don't want to send it to me, how about sending it to help rebuild New Orleans, or to the tornado victims in north Texas, or to any of hundreds of other worthy causes?

Nevermind. If you're spedning large sums of disposable income on garbage, you probably wouldn't be interested in putting any of it into a worthwhile cause in any case.

Blowing off steam!

This morning, I had to get up out of my nice, warm bed and go to work. Thank God I have a job, but there was NO reason for me to be there; seriously! It was billed as an "AP and PreAP test preparation session," which I took to mean that AP and PreAP teachers would be separated and given some instruction on how to best prepare their students for their upcoming end-of-course examinations. Wrong! It was literally a prep session for AP students! Teachers, AP and PreAP alike, monitored the sessions, all of which were for AP level courses in high school. Uhhh...what's a 7th grade teacher supposed to glean from THAT? Exactly! Zilch! Nada! Nyet!

Can you tell I'm getting a little frustrated by this whole process?

It wouldn't be so bad if the kids in my preAP classes were all preAP type kids. Easily half of them have no business being in an accelerated class, which, of course, drags the whole class down such that the preAP classes are scarcely more advanced than a general-ed class, if that. Naturally, since they ALL have to take the end-of-course test and have not had anywhere near enough preparation for it, they're all going to bomb it and make me look bad. Set up for failure by factors beyond my control. What a concept!

The other big story this week was our "OCR/TEA" (Office of Civil Rights/Texas Education Agency)visit. We got about a two-week notice of their impending arrival, so the school looked really good when they arrived; walls decorated, doors decorated, classrooms pristine, etc. I saw a teacher from another one of the Intermediates in the district this morning and she said the same thing; lots of notice and LOTS of preparation. No WONDER the powers that be think everything is hunky-dory! If this is how they inspect every school they go into, they never see anything but the "best foot!" I wonder what they'd have thought if they'd have come in two weeks before completely unannounced? Oh, it's not that the school looked bad or anything; it just wasn't the model campus that they saw two weeks later, that's all. Anyway, they came to our campus on Thursday. We were ordered to be in our "highly professional" attire for the whole week, so it was the fourth day I'd had to answer the question "why are you wearing a tie, mister?" I'd shortened it to "a visit from corporate," but most of them didn't know what that meant. In any case, they came, they saw and they conquered (I guess). We were told via e-mail that the campus looked great and the inspectors were favorably impressed, but we have no formal report as of yet. I guess we'll know what they thought well after no one cares what they thought. By the way, I did not see any of the inspectors personally, but I was assured that they did in fact visit. In that way they were very much like Sasquatch or the Abominable Snowman. We've got "reliable" reports of their existence, just no verifiable proof!

See you next year, Yetti!

Thursday was a LONG day. Jack did one of his "over the gate" tricks and woke me up with his barking at 4:30 in the morning. I never did get back to sleep. The first track meet was also on Thursday, which means I didn't get off work until nearly 6:30 at night. 14-hour days are for guys much younger than I am. I'm still recovering. Maybe that's why the "total waste of time" seminar I had to go to this morning rankled me so. I needed the sleep that I missed much more than the Sominex injection I was treated to. Maybe tomorrow.

Meanwhile, I came home from that debacle to surprise MDB and she's not home! Evidence of CDM (#1 son) is apparent, but no persons on the premises. He's here for his birthday celebration a little early b/c he gets to go to China for his company. I got to go to Baton Rouge for my company once. Anyway, MDB baked him a cake and MDB's parents are coming to share in the celebration. We're grilling steaks to go along with her delicious vegetables she's preparing! It ought to be good!

Well, I think I'll mow real quick before anyone sees me goofing off! - Dan

Just when you think America is beginning to figure it out...

...they throw you a curveball and make you shake your head once again. To wit:

There are STILL people supporting Hillary "never let the truth get in the way of a good story" Clinton, despite the fact that she's been shown over and over again to be a pathological liar.

There are still people who think Barack Obama's glorious lack of judgement isn't enough to disqualify HIM from contention!

People have turned "American Idol" into the worst sort of popularity contest. Oh, I know...it's a package deal. The one who can sing, AND dance, AND tell jokes, AND play an instrument, AND support the needy children in Biafra, is the one most likely to win. Uhhh....I thought it was a singing contest?! Silly me! Two years ago when Taylor Hicks beat Chris Daughtry, I swore I'd never watch it again. I know....Taylor who? He's the guy who looked a lot like Jay Leno without the chin. The only reason I'm watching it this year is that MDB likes to watch it. Otherwise, I wouldn't have any problem leaving it alone altogether. Anyway, last night they voted Michael Johns off the island. It was his first week in the bottom three and his last appearance, all in one week! Meanwhile, the country and western girl, the dreadlocks guy, and the Whitney Houston wanna-be girl, all of whom are one-trick ponies the best I can tell, managed to stay on the show! Uhhh....were the phones out of order in Australia, or what happened there? One really good thing DID happen; their "group number" that they always do to lead off the show was "Shout to the Lord," which is one of the all-time great contemporary praise/worship songs and a personal favorite. I think someone has had a change of heart since a few years ago when the woman sang a gospel song (I can't remember her name, but she was the one that Simon made fun of for being somewhat overweight, quipping that the stage was going to have to be enlarged for her) and Simon said it was "Self-Patronizing" and out of place. Anyway, I really enjoyed it a lot!

Here's hoping that "Idol" voters figure it out before another Taylor Hicks gets the title.

Taylor who?

The Olympic torch

Am I the only one who has more to do with my time than worry about the status of the Olympic torch?

Where are all of these protestors coming from? Do these people not have jobs, or what?

Look....I'm just as disappointed about the human rights record of China as anyone, but I don't think I'll voice it by trying to chase down some stupid symbol and put it out with a fire extinguisher. I think I'll refuse to buy anything that says "made in China" on it and hit 'em where it hurts!

If we're so disgusted with China, why did the IOC agree to allow China to hold the Olympics in the first place?

Uhhh....the same reason that we'll keep buying their goods.

Money.

The best of their era

Hello again, blogfans!

I just read an article by Ian O'Connor on FoxSports.com, the contention of which is that Tiger Woods is already the greatest golfer of all time. Sorry, Ian, but I don't agree. I'll agree that Tiger is the best of his era, but ALL TIME? That's a difficult assertion to prove and one that certainly cannot be proven beyond all reasonable doubt.

Tiger uses state of the art clubs with metal heads, graphite shafts, gigantic "sweet spots," and golf balls that have all sorts of exotic "super ball" centers that make them fly farther and straighter than anything any golfer before his generation had the pleasure of dreaming of, let alone holding! Previous greats, such as Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, Bobby Jones, etc., played with far inferior equipment than what's available today. Given the same equipment, would they have been equal? It's hard to say. No, wait; it's IMPOSSIBLE to say! That's why this sort of article rankles me so!

Who was a better home run hitter; Babe Ruth or Henry Aaron? Or should we compare the Babe with Mark McGuire or Barry Bonds? Well let's see...if the Babe had steroids, the benefit of the "live" ball, and the watered down pitching of today, he may have hit 100 home runs in a season! But then, we'll never know, will we? Babe did it on hot dogs and beer, a dead ball that you could throw further than you could hit, and pitching that was like facing the other team's #1 every single night!

Here's the problem - you see these sorts of comparisons all the time. Was Shaq better than Bill Russell? Was Rod Laver Andy Roddick's superior? Maybe Fred Flintstone was better than those Geico cavemen?! Who knows?! They were from different eras with different rules, different teammates, and different equipment!

Are apples better than oranges?

It's a matter of taste. - Dan

What did you expect?

We had an interesting discussion in Sunday School this morning about the first few verses in John 14:

1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.”5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Now, we, as Christians, have no trouble with the assertion of Jesus in this passage; that there is no other way to heaven other than by believing in Him. However, non-Christians, atheists, agnostics, and others, have a REAL hard time with this concept! They say we're arrogant to say that one must be Christian to inherit everlasting life. They contend that "karma" makes more sense, or that "religiosity" gives one the right to earn a place in heaven. They contend that only a horrible God would send His children to everlasting hell! Frankly, these arguments remind me of the kids at school - "Mister! Why did you fail me the last 6 weeks?" I usually respond, "I didn't fail you; YOU failed you! All I did was keep track of your progress!" God doesn't send ANYONE to hell, however, when we, the obstinate, selfish beings that we are insist on going there, He's more than happy to oblige! Also, it's not as though we're making this stuff up just to make you feel bad! These are the words of Jesus, not ours! We're more than happy to tell you what He said, but the "only way is Jesus" concept came from Him! So, don't say that we're arrogant or whatever when we tell you what He said! We're just passing along crucial information!

Actually, our main conversation this morning centered on the statements of Philip, who asked to see the Father. Jesus replied that if you had seen Him, you HAVE seen the Father! What were they looking for? The Pharisees kept asking for a sign, as if raising the dead, healing the sick, making the blind to see, the lame to walk and the deaf to hear was not a sign enough! To me, it all boils down to a "spiritual existence versus a physical existence" thing. The Jews were looking for a Messiah who would restore the earthly kingdom of David and give them political power on earth. They're still looking, BTW. However, they're not the only ones. Certain "Christian" sects deny the divine nature of Jesus and insist that their non-belief in Him is inconsequential. There's a verse in John 4 that gives a really good clue about the nature of God:

22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

God is a spirit! He exists in the eternal and He's mainly concerned with our spiritual welfare and that on an eternal basis! That's not to say that He cares NOT about our day to day lives, but it IS to say that, in the big picture, our little aches and pains here are just a radar blip compared with the rest of eternity and where we wind up in that circumstance! Jesus came with this in mind and setting our eternal salvation in motion was His mission here on earth! I thank God that He came and set us free and I'll proudly proclaim that Jesus IS the only way! Sorry if that upsets your karma! - Dan

So here's the health scoop

The GP called the other day and wanted to do a repeat PSA because my results were "elevated."

I had one done in November of 2006 and the result was 0.6 ng/ml. According to the lab report I got then, a "normal" range is anywhere from 0.0 to 4.0 ng/ml. Anyway, my doctor seemed concerned with the recent result, reported at 1.7. Uhhhh......isn't 1.7 less than 4.0? I don't get it!

Of course, the doctor was unavailable for comment when I went in today to get the repeat lab work done.

Also today, the dermatologist's office called and said that the recent biopsy that was done on my nose was positive for basal cell carcinoma.

Apparently, BCC is not that big a deal, but anytime you hear "cancer" it's kind of startling. Anyway, I've got to call another doctor who's going to deal with it for me.

Should be fun.

Stay tuned; more later. - Dan

And then there's this!

The other day, I wrote about the Obama supporters and how they would perceive an Obama defeat as racially motivated and that, as a result, cities would burn.

Now, I read this; an article in the Wall Street Journal that basically says the same thing about Hillary and HER campaign, only from the gender-bias perspective.

Apparently, a lot of women support Clinton not because of what she stands for or does NOT stand for; what she says or does not say and not because of what she has accomplished or failed to accomplish. They're voting for her simply because she is female.

So, a really despicable female President is better than the alternative just because she would be perceived as a gain for female equality? How twisted is that?

I said the other day that I'd have no problem supporting a female Presidential candidate if it was the right woman who was running. I wouldn't have any problem supporting an African-American candidate either, as long as it was the right guy. I will NOT compromise my principles of just governance, however, just to advance some cause or worse, the PERCEIVED advancement of some cause!

Look, I know there's no arguing this. A Clinton supporter who backs her for the reasons described would support her regardless of how many lies she tells, what her stand is on this topic or that, or whatever. In their case, it's almost a religious conviction that we're dealing with. However, maybe, just maybe, there's a supporter or two who will read this and go, "You know what; he's right! It's ridiculous to support a liar and a cheat for President just because she's female. We'll get another female candidate one day and she'll be a candidate that we'll be proud of before the election AND during her term of office!"

Well....one can hope, can't one?

Risking credibility

According to the article I just read, Hillary Clinton is "risking credibility" with some of her recent "inflated" assertions concerning Bosnia, her role in bringing peace to Northern Ireland, the children's health care initiative, her opposition to NAFTA, and other little things.

Risking credibility?

Wouldn't someone have to HAVE some credibility in order to risk it? Hillary learned well from the master of spin-doctors and has spun some of the most incredible tales I've ever heard in an attempt to bolster the perception of her before the voters. Nice try, liar! You can tell me that the sky is green and apples are blue, but I'd have to be blind to believe it. Apparently, Hillary thinks that Americans are blind. And stupid.

Here's the scary part. Obama isn't any better and I really don't care for that pseudo Republican McCain, either. I may make a write in vote for Casper just to voice my displeasure over the complete paucity of likeable candidates in this upcoming election.

Well....maybe not.

I'm going to hold my nose and vote for McCain. After all, half a pie is better than no pie at all. Hillary or Obama either one will take all of the pie, and the plate, and the fork, and the oven it was baked in! Can you impeach and convict a candidate before the election?

Back in the saddle (and driving to work)...

Well, today I'm back at work, Praise the Lord, and I'm actually feeling pretty good. Yesterday I had a headache all day but I couldn't take anything for it because of the little minor surgery I did yesterday morning. Of course, my classroom looks like a bomb went off (typical sub-day arrangement), but this, too, shall pass.

When are people going to realize that driving like there's a fire in your trunk just doesn't pay off?

I have to drive a little narrow stretch of road on the way to work that goes for about a mile and a half, perhaps two miles. On either side of the road along this stretch there are fairly deep ditches and little or no shoulder; not the sort of place one would normally consider passing another vehicle (well....at least a SANE person would not normally consider it!). Despite this, I witnessed not one, but two vehicles pull off this stunt this morning on the way in! Naturally, I just toodled along, minding my own business, and then caught up with both cars (actually went ahead of one of them) at the next light (where the road widens to a four lane boulevard). Can these people not see that all their hurrying is just for nought? Do they not care that they may very well kill themselves and some poor innocent who happens to get in the way?

I guess not.

In any case, I made it safely, thank God, so here we go with the last day of the week. This evening, MDB is picking up MDGD after a trip to the doctor and we're taking her to the zoo tomorrow. It ought to be a good time! As much as I look forward to seeing MDGD, what's really a treat is watching MDB interact with MDGD! It's like watching mother and daughter! MDB's so good with her, it's just really a joy to watch!

Well, have a great day, blog-reading peoples! - Dan

Okay...that's done!

One down, who knows how many more to go!

The colonoscopy went smoothly. They found and removed one polyp, the feeling being that it was benign. Regardless, it was sent away for analysis to be sure. However, since they did find something, I have to do it all again next year.

Pretty good one-day crash diet, actually.

I still have not heard about the biopsy that was done on my nose and the doctor's office has not called back about the PSA, so those things are still up in the air.

As usual, MDB was fantastic! She went with me to help with the driving. It was great to have her there. On the way home, she took me to JiTB for an "ultimate cheeseburger." I saw last evening that they are on sale....so I had two of them! Back to the diet later!

Our little garden is doing great! Everything has come up, even though the bell peppers were beginning to worry me. The beans and squash are doing the best, but the peas, turnips, brocolli, caulifower, lettuce, onions, and tomatoes are doing well, too. The eggplant and okra is lagging behind, but hopefully, they will catch up soon!

It's funny how things are turning out this year. In the NBA West, there's about 4 games difference between the #1 seed and the #8 seed; this is as close and exciting as I've ever seen it! In politics, things are a little less unpredictable. The 'Pubs have nominated an old "straight down party lines" candidate who promises to tweak the Bush/Cheney policies a bit but not change much of anything wholesale. Then there's the Dems, who, as usual, are trying to nominate two entirely unelectable candidates. On one hand we have a woman with a very checkered past who has little or no actual experience in governance and who cannot seem to remember anything correctly. How can you tell Hillary is lying? Her lips are moving! On the other hand, you have a young, ambitious African-American guy who had every chance of capturing the hearts of America a la JFK except for the fact that he seems to have little or no problem with racism when it's black on white racism and who seems to lack enough judgement to not hang out with and accept the support of known criminals. The Dems do it again; nominate a candidate who has no chance whatsoever in the general election! Here's the sad part; Obama will win the nomination and, when he's not elected president, there will be "Rodney King" style riots in various locations as blacks express their indignation over perceived racism. Let me set that record straight right now. Speaking for myself and I'm sure the vast majority of white voters, I'd have no problem voting for an African-American candidate who's qualified to lead. Obama is not that guy, I'm afraid. For that matter, I don't have a problem visualizing a female president. If, say....Condoleeza Rice ran for president, I could vote for an African-American AND a female all at the same time; no problem! Here's the dilemna; if we do not vote for Obama, we'll be branded a racist country because we failed to support his candidacy and that failure will be chalked up to race. As I said, race is not the issue, but that will be the perception and that surely will be what gets screamed from the podium as black leaders attempt the justify the burning cars and storefronts, the looting and rioting, and the general anarchy that will surely follow. Let's all pray that Hillary gets the nomination so that we may be spared from that eventuality.

Another weird thing this year - the Major League baseball season has begun! You know....I've been around for a few years. Traditionally, the first game of the season was always played in Cincinnatti because the Reds were the first professional baseball team formed way back when. A few years back, they decided that that tradition was arcane, so they started moving the opening day game around.

Now it's being played in Tokyo.

I have no problem with playing a game or two in Tokyo. There have been exhibition games played there for a number of years. They didn't count for anything, but they were played none-the-less. These first two games counted toward the season standings and they were home dates taken from the Oakland A's. Everyone is supposedly concerned about conserving fuel and global warming and what-not. If they HAD to play a game in Tokyo, why not send two west coast teams to play rather than an east coast team (Red Sox) and the A's? I think Anaheim would have gone with them; maybe even Seattle. For that matter, any of the NL teams would probably have agreed as well. It could have been the Giants vs. Dodgers, or perhaps the Padres. They could have even done an interleague match-up with west coast teams. I guess it doesn't matter. Global warming isn't a concern when there's deep pockets in Japan willing to line someone's coffer with lots of yen to make the trip!

I wonder how much the fuel surcharge set them back?

Oh well....enough random thoughts for now! Play ball!!!

Well....I thought I was pretty healthy....

...until the cadre of doctors I went to last week started poking around!

The Dermatologist took a biopsy of a spot she considered "suspicious" from the side of my nose and burned a bunch of other spots off with that little liquid nitrogen gun. People have been asking what happened, which led me into a long explanation of the trip and what they found, etc. MDB suggested that I should shorten it up a bit and just tell them "bar fight."

Actually, a bar fight would be much more believable anyway!

Then I went to the Proctologist (well...MDB says that he's a "Gastroenterologist," but I have a hard time spelling that correctly, so "Proctologist" is what he is until he gives me a clean bill!) and he decided that I needed to have a colonoscopy, so today I'm doing the liquid diet thing to prepare for THAT bit of unpleasantness tomorrow.

Monday was the day for the GP to poke around. They called yesterday and said that my PSA was a bit elevated and wanted to know if I had results from any previous PSAs. I do, indeed; a year ago November I had one done and it was normal. I guess I'll need some kind of follow-up on THAT as well. Fun times...fun times!

All that aside, praise God for His blessings! He has led me and sustained me through my whole life until this point; I know that He will continue to do so as I stumble through this uncharted territory of "health concerns." Praise God forever!

Meanwhile, if anyone feels led to pray about any of this, I do covet your prayers and I will keep you posted! - Dan

Happy Easter!

I'd be remiss indeed if I did not take this opportunity today to remember the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross; His death, burial, and resurrection to life again, conquering that stronghold that the evil one had held against us and freeing us to the opportunity of everlasting life through our belief! Praise God forever!

Our Sunday school lesson this morning had to do with a personal favorite topic, the investigation of Lee Strobel into the evidence of Jesus and His claims. Strobel had been a devout atheist and an editor for one of the largest newspapers in the country, the Chicago Tribune. Strobel sought to examine the evidence and verify that the claims of Jesus and the tenets of Christianity were without merit and therefore justify his own atheism. Of course, as Strobel investigated, he came to believe in the truth of Jesus and His ministry and became a devout Christian himself. Strobel's first book that details his search, "The Case for Christ," is a compelling read that I highly recommend.

Now, it's hard to know who reads here, so it's hard to know where readers are in their own walk with God. There are many reasons I could give for my own faith in Jesus and His Holy Word, but I'll stick to a few of the ones that were addressed by Strobel. First, Jesus would have been a complete fraud if He had NOT risen from the dead! Since, as Christians, we believe that He did in fact rise from the dead and did in fact fulfil His promise, what actual evidence is there to support the claim? Here's a few:

1. No one has ever produced the body of Jesus despite the tremendous advantage of doing so if they wished to stamp out Christianity. Jewish leadership at the time realized that they must prevent Jesus' followers from stealing the body, so they had Roman guards placed at the tomb to circumvent that attempt.

2. The risen Jesus was seen by literally hundreds of witnesses after His resurrection and not all of the witnesses were disciples or necessarily even followers.

3. After His ascension, followers of Jesus were severely presecuted, many to the death, but they would not recant what they knew to be the truth. Many have died in the history of mankind to support the truth and a deep belief, but its hard to find people who will go to their deaths in support of what they know to be a lie.

4. The resurrection story if it wasn't true wasn't very well concocted. The biblical accounts have WOMEN finding the tomb of Jesus empty and then telling their story to other disciples who then verified their account. If someone was going to concoct a story about the resurrection of Jesus, women, who were basically personna non grata in the time of Jesus, would never have entered the picture!

5. Jesus was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimithea, NOT that of a disciple or a family member. Such being the case, they had little or no control over His body and were prevented by the guards from getting anywhere near, as if they themselves were not so afraid of their own potential demise that they would ever come out of hiding in any case!

Anyway, that's a taste, but it all boils down to this; you either believe or you do not. I leave you with a challenge and an assertion; if you find yourself in disbelief, read "The Case for Christ" by Lee Strobel. If you still disbelieve, you will have at least exhausted the evidence that's there so that you may have some justification for your belief. The assertion? If you read the book and still disbelieve, your faith is much greater than mine! If you can look at incontrovertible evidence and still disbelieve in what that evidence proves, then your faith is great indeed!

May God bless your search! - Dan

On the beach

Hello again, blogfans!

Well, the day before yesterday, I moved about 4 cubic yards of sand with a wheelbarrow and a shovel.

Yesterday, I moved about 5 cubic yards of sand with a......wheelbarrow and a shovel.

Today, I moved about 5 cubic yards of sand with the same tools. Now, we have our own beach in the back yard!

Uhhh...where's Richard Simmons when you need him? I could sell this exercise regimen and diet very easily! It's the "move 14 yards of sand in three days" diet! Any takers?!

I didn't think so!

MDB is working hard on the taxes. I think, together, we'll get a little money back! Woo-hoo! We may get some or all of the "economic stimulus money" back as well. That would be nice. I think I'll put mine into an air conditioning part! Maybe that's not what they had in mind, I don't know, but I do know that, when the A/C guy came out the other day, he said we have a leak in our condenser, which is a bad thing, of course. Naturally, this presents a conundrum. We could update to the new 410A system and eat around $6000 in expenses, or we could simply replace the condenser on our existing R-22 system and hope that the compressor lasts several more years. That option will go for around $1500.

Isn't home ownership a hoot?

We think we'll just replace the existing condenser and hope for the best. When the compressor and condenser together give up the ghost, we hope that the new 410A systems will have come down in price somewhat. Sort of the "new tech is always expensive tech" thing, a la "$1200 VCRs when they were new vs $200 VCRs when they'd been around awhile" mantra. We hope it actually works that way! Otherwise, we may get to find out how grandma and grandpa lived here before A/C.....NOT!

Grandma and grandpa moved to Colorado where it's cool!

Dan

Fish on Friday

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, today was the first day in a LONG time that we were able to put the boat in the water and go fishing! woo-hoo!

A bad day fishing is a good day doing anything else (well....ALMOST anything else!)

My oldest daughter and her boyfriend came along. We had arranged to meet at the old house (where the boat is stored currently) at 6:30. MDB and I got there at about 6:00 and put whatever we needed into the truck and/or boat, hooked the boat up to the truck, pulled it out of the garage, and waited. Slightly before time for them to get there, I looked at MDB and said, "I'd bet my left lung that they're late. Lauren is going to be late for her own funeral!" No sooner than the sound of my voice stopped reverberating from the garage walls, my phone rang. "Dad...I snoozed the alarm at 5:30 and I guess I hit "off" instead of snooze. I just got up. We'll be there in half an hour!"

Uhhhhh........okay.

Anyway, the lateness of launch time aside, it wasn't a bad day. The weather forecasters at MDB's office predicted "smooth to slightly choppy" for the marine forecast. As we made our way across the confluence of the Texas City, Houston, and Galveston ship channels toward the north jetty, I looked at her and said, "I think we need to get whoever forecasted 'smooth to slightly choppy' into the boat one day on a day like this so they'll know what 'very choppy to extremely rough' looks like!" Anyway, we got there without too much fanfare, but I guess we got there after the breakfast hour had passed - nothing biting but the mosquitoes. In about 3 hours of fishing we managed two keeper pan fish; one a sand trout, the other a whiting. Oh, and a piggy perch that was almost as big as the bait shrimp!

Anyway...back at home now and relaxing before the last rodeo night for us this year.

More later!

Okay...so this is what's going on!

I went to the Gastroenterologist on Monday; he wants to do a colonoscopy. I went to the Dermatolgist today; she did a biopsy from a patch on my nose. I have an appointment on Monday to see the GP; she'll probably want to do a spinal tap, or some such nonsense. What is it with these people!? I mean, you turn 50 and all of a sudden, your good health and assurance thereof just go by the wayside? When I was 49 nobody wanted to go "Deliverance" on me! At 49, the funny-looking patch of skin on my nose was nothing to be concerned about! Now, at 50, all of these (and who knows what else!) are alarming and potentially life-threatening! I have to admit; I don't get it! Are symptoms less theatening at 49 than at 50? Am I more likely to develop polyps in my colon now than I was just a couple of months ago? Go figure!

All that aside, I am the most blessed man on the planet! Not only do I have GREAT insurance coverage, I have the most beautiful, understanding, compassionate, and loving wife in God's creation! Praise God forever! That said, I do covet your prayers should any of this turn out as a bad report!

Dan

Kids and cats are my new best friends!

Now I know why people used to build sand boxes in their back yards; sand, in any form, is absolutely a KID MAGNET!!!

I ordered a load of sand yesterday. MDB and I had been talking about leveling some of the low spots in the yard and there were several places where my dog ("houdini") has dug large holes in the yard and along the fenceline, so I thought, while I'm off from work, I could probably do a little work on that leveling project.

Well, no sooner than the sand arrived, so did the kids! I think a few of them rode in on the dump truck that brought it in! I've met every mom in the neighborhood twice now. They're circling like buzzards to make sure that their kids are okay I'm sure. They say, "I don't want little Johnny to get in your way!", but they mean, "I don't know you; you may be a child molester who ordered sand just to attract all the kids in the neighborhood; I'd better keep my eye on you!" Good moms! I assure them that little Johnny isn't any problem as long as he doesn't take a nose dive off the top of the pile! They usually find an excuse to relieve me of Johnny's company as soon as I say "nose dive;" I can see visions of emergency room visits dancing in their heads! LOL!

The part about a pile of sand that's disconcerting is the fact that every feline within a 100 mile radius hears the call of "cat-box!" and comes running! I must've seen 57 cats out there already, and believe me, I'm spreading as fast as I can! I'm just glad their owners aren't charging me for the fertilizer!

Anyway, MDB blogged about the sand and all I can say is, she's the awesomenest woman on planet earth and beyond!

Back to "the beach!" Dan

Basketball 101 (time to dispel a mistaken notion)

Since Yao Ming of the rockets went down, and since Shaquille O'Neal of the Suns (formerly of the Heat) was traded, I've heard a disturbing assertion; that teams with "slow big men" can't run a fast break. Allow me to dispel that rumor.

Regardless of the level you play on, a fast break opportunity presents itself when your team has "numbers," that is, you have more players running toward your basket than the other team has defenders protecting it. You generally have a fast break opportunity when the numbers are 4 on 3 (or fewer), 3 on 2 (or less), or 2 on 1. Please note that I never said 5 on 4! A basketball team that knows what it's doing will NEVER fast break with all 5 players; it leaves no one back on defense in the event of a turnover and it does not allow for a "trailer;" a guy who brings up the rear to attack the basket as the defense attempts to set up to play in the half-court. This is only one reason why having Shaq or Yao on your team would not hinder a fast break; they would be the fifth guy who would seldom if ever join a fast break in any case!

Fast breaks generally start in one of two ways. First, the other team misses a shot, your team rebounds the miss and starts the fast break by throwing an "outlet pass" to a man on the wing who then either passes the ball to the center of the court or dribbles to that position so he can distribute the ball to either wing as he attacks the basket. The rule being that, when the force player on the other team commits defensively to the ball-handler, he dishes a pass to either wing as he attacks the basket. Fast breaks can also start off of steals. Steals generally occur on the perimeter, but even a steal in the post will result in a fast break in transition if your team has numbers and will occur in exactly the same way as described above.

As the leading rebounders for their respective teams, Yao and/or Shaq would be the guy who starts the fast break by rebounding the ball and throwing the outlet pass. That's the guy who becomes the trailer; the last guy to transition into offensive mode! In the case of a steal, these guys would have been situated on the low post in most cases, which means that they'd be the last guy down the floor in any case, taking the job of "emergency defender" if there's a turnover or a steal that send the other team on a fast break in transition.

To put it in fewer words; Yao or Shaq, as the case may be, would seldom if ever be "running the floor" as a fast break participant in any case, so why would their presence ever hinder their team from running one? The fact is, they are the crucial cog in one of the two ways (rebounding) that their respective teams would be able to fast break in the first place! Without assurance of a defensive rebound, their teammates are more likely to hang around the basket to assist with defensive rebounding and would therefore be much less likely to "release" in transition to fill the lanes and run a fast break. Bottom line: teams are LESS likely to fast break without Shaq or Yao than they would be WITH them, which means that this whole notion of Shaq or Yao killing fast break opportunities is just pure hog-wash!

Hope that cleared that up! - Dan

Spring Break!

Well....here we are....Spring Break!

I'm breaking springs at home this year and trying to catch up on some of those "can't find the time" chores that just don't get done with work in the way.

Yesterday I went to the Proctologist (well, MDB says he's a Gastroenterologist, but I don't know what that is; so he's a proctolgist to me!) who says I need to have a colonoscopy done. I guess that's right; you turn 50 and all of a sudden, people want to look at things that never concerned them before and worry about things that weren't that big a concern just a couple of months ago. I'll have it done for the peace of mind, but I really don't think they'll find anything. The hard part is going to be going a whole day on a "liquid diet" and doing all of those "cleansing" drinks during a day at work. Uhh....can you say "sub?"

Today's been more of a "get-'r-done" kind of day. I had a mountain of trash to put out for the sanitation guys, so I got that done and then went into the back yard to do what I can to protect our tender garden vegatation. We've got seedlings coming up for everything we planted except the eggplant and peppers and we've got a forecast of HEAVY rain and/or hail for later, so I built some screen covers to protect the tender little plants. Then I filled in holes that the dog dug in the yard last time out and put the compost pile back together. While I was out there, I hung my big extension ladder on the kennel wall and did some leveling. When I was done with that, I backflushed the water heater (first time that's ever been done) and watched as the A/C guy did his thing. He found a $1500 dollar leak in the condenser upstairs, so now we've got that little challenge to deal with as well.

Tommorow, MDD (My Darling Daughter) is coming to borrow my flatbed trailer, so I've got to get it ready (I put the new tag on it earlier today, so that part's done!). "Getting it ready" is pretty much an exercise in checking the tire pressures, but that's about it. Thursday is the day I'm taking the cans to the can man and going to the dermatologist. The D-tologist is going to holler! The last time I saw her she told me to bathe with $5/bar soap (Uhh...I don't THINK so!!!) and wear a full-brim hat while outside. I switched to "Dove" and started wearing a ball cap, but I don't think she'll be happy about it. I guess we'll see!

Friday, weather permitting, I'm taking my oldest daughter and MDB on a fishing trip, the first in a LONG time! Woo-hoo! We'll see how that goes!

More later! - Dan

Rodeo update (and other random thoughts)

Hello again, blogfans!

Well, we went to the rodeo again yesterday. My step-daughter Casey bought tickets, but the friends she invited could not attend, so she asked if we would like to go. We said "Yes!", of course!

Yesterday was Brad Paisley. As I've said before, I'm not much of a country music fan, but I'm getting the impression that, while I wasn't paying attention, someone told the country music hierarchy that "stomping on cats" wasn't selling records and they decided to go more "rock-n-roll," because, quite frankly, if the band wasn't wearing cowboy hats, I'd have thought I was at a rock concert circa 1980-85! Paisley is an excellent musician and the lyrics were funny for the most part, which was entertaining! We've got MDGD this weekend (My Darling Grand-Daughter), so we took her through the livestock show so she could see the steers and pigs (I guess all of the other livestock was hiding; back in the day, you could wander through the AstroArena and see EVERYTHING; cows, horses, pigs, goats/sheep, chickens, rabbits, emus, donkeys, mules, etc. I mean, there was even a buffalo or two, and that was thirty years ago! MDB said that they show them in stages now, so they'll move all of the cows and pigs out of the way and then bring in the other stuff later. Too bad; Lexie would have enjoyed the bunny rabbits, I'm sure. I tried to convince MDB that rabbits are not only cute, but very tasty. She said that anything that tastes like chicken may as well BE chicken, 'cause she's not having any of anything else! LOL!

Yesterday was not a good day if you don't like crowds. I'm getting ambivalent. I LOVE being with MDB and I really do like the rodeo, but I really dislike big crowds. Maybe it's not the crowd so much as it is the attitude of most PEOPLE in big crowds; the pushing and shoving, the "me first" attitude you have to deal with. Personally, I'd rather let someone else have the spot and get there a second or two later than have to live with pushing someone else aside. Apparently I'm in a minority of one! I think back to what Jesus said - "He who would be first will be last, and he who's last will be first. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." If I don't like being pushed aside or trampled by someone who's generally thoughtless about anyone other than himself, why would I treat someone else that way? Anyway, that's what you get in a big crowd and I really don't like them (big crowds) very much.

People "in uniform" make me laugh! You see all kinds of uniforms at all sorts of events. People going to the Astros game dress up in all of their Astros regalia; people going to church events dress up in their "Jesus gear." People going to the rodeo dress up in cowboy gear! How the WOMEN dress really crack me up! Apparently "cowboy chic" this year is a cotton "baby-doll" style dress (REALLY short!) with cowboy boots. If the dress reveals A LOT of cleavage, so much the better! Wow! I try to think about it like this; would I wear that to a birthday party at my momma's house? Would I wear that to church? Uhh....I don't think so! I wore a pair of shorts and an oxford shirt with tennis shoes. Last time, I wore blue jeans and a button-up shirt and a pair of cowboy boots. Would I wear them any other time? Well, I've got 5 or 6 pairs of boots in the closet and I wear them all the time to almost anything; church, parties, whatever, so I didn't "dress up" just for the rodeo. I didn't wear them yesterday because yesterday it was hot and it didn't fit the weather! Anyway, I guess if it makes them happy and doesn't cause anyone else any discomfort, it's okay; it just makes me laugh, that's all.

ALL inconsiderate, boorish, idiotic people drive GM cars. That's not to say that all people who drive GM products are idiotic, inconsiderate, or boorish, but everyone who fits that description drive either a GMC truck or a Chevrolet. I'm not sure why that is, but it's just as sure as the sun rising in the east, the wetness of water or the blue hue of the sky! Yesterday we stopped at Target to buy a stroller for MDGD. I parked in a space that was one space from one of those island with a tree deals. When I parked, there was no one in the one next to the island with a tree. When we came out, a mentally-challenged motor vehicle operator had parked his Denali about two inches from my driver's side door such that I literally could not physically squeeze in to my truck. Now, if I'd been all the way to the left in my space, I would've taken partial blame, but I was dead square in the middle of my space! The idiot in the GMC had parked diagonally across his space so he didn't have to contend with that horrible curb around the tree, nevermind that he very nearly hit our truck and made it impossible for us to enter our vehicle! Inconsiderate boob! I had to enter on the passenger side and crawl across the front seat and then back out so I could open the doors and put Lexie in the back! Then, back on the road to the rodeo, a guy in a Chevy truck, going about 20 mph faster than everyone else, weaved in and out of traffic and almost ran a couple of other cars off of the road! Now, I'm sure his destination was MUCH more important than everyone else's, but does he really have to kill a bunch of people to get there? Oh...I know; there are idiots of every stripe driving every sort of vehicle made, but I've just noticed over the years that many if not most of them drive GM cars/trucks.

Well...more later. I've got to watch MDGD while MDB's in the shower! Woo-hoo! - Dan

Rodeo time!

Hello again, blog fans!

MDB and I went to the rodeo in Houston last evening and saw Rascal Flatts and some decent rodeo at the same time. Kim doesn't care too much for rodeo, but she was looking forward to the concert, so it was well worth the rodeo ahead of time to see them. I'm not much of a country music fan, but the band was pretty good and the lyrics that I could understand (I'm STILL suffering a hearing deficit today - my GOODNESS it was loud!) were poignant. MDB likes one in particular:

I set out on a narrow way many years ago
Hoping I would find true love along the broken road
But I got lost a time or twoWiped my brow and kept pushing through
I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you
Every long lost dream led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

I think about the years I spent just passing through
I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you
But you just smile and take my hand
You've been there you understand
It's all part of a grander plan that is coming true
Every long lost dream led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

Now I'm just rolling homeInto my lover's arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you. - Rascal Flatts

Well...since it's the story of our lives...I kind of like this lyric, too! - Dan

Watching the Rockets

Here in Houston, we've been treated to some of the best NBA basketball that I've ever seen as of late.

I'm on record as saying that NBA ball, by and large, is unwatchable. Too much posturing, too much whining and jaw-jacking, too many calls left uncalled, and too many "favorites" played, depending on salary and reputation. However, this NBA team, made up mostly of no names (except Tracy McGrady and the injured AGAIN Yao Ming), is playing sound, unselfish offense, FANTASTIC team defense, and they're running the floor and scoring in transition early and often. It's been fun to watch to the tune of 18 straight and the third seed in the very tough Western conference.

Right now, they're up by 19 against the hapless New Jersy Nets and it doesn't look like it's going to be too hard to get number 19.
Most folks around here think that number 20 and 21 (also against weak Eastern conference opponents) won't be too tough either. Those same folks are looking to Sunday, when the Lakers are on the schedule. Frankly, aside from Kobe, are the Lakers really as tough as their record would indicate? I guess we'll see on Sunday.

Speaking of tough races...Hillary and Obama are getting after each other a bit, aren't they? Apparently, Barrack isn't too keen on Hillary's suggestion that he should bow out and accept the VP position on her ticket. Smart guy. Being Chief Mate on a ship is great; unless the ship is sinking! Hillary's ship is surely sinking, she doesn't want to tell the passengers that the ice on the bow came from that floating frozen mountain she just ran over! I think Hillary is counting on Bill to pull a few strings and shore up those "super delegates" for her. I think most of the DNC wish that Bill would find some twenty year-old to hide under for awhile so they can get Americans to forget him, blue dresses, Hillary's health care take-over fiasco, and everything else "Clinton" that left a really bad taste in their mouths.

You gotta love the Dems! Boring, they're not! - Dan

While I'm railing about stupid moves...

...let me throw one at Toyota.

When you think "Toyota," what comes to mind? Well, for me, and I suspect for most people, "Toyota" and "Well-built, very fuel-efficient cars and light trucks" are practically synonymous. Anyone seen a Tundra lately? My gosh! It's the biggest of the huge behemoth trucks that seem to be the trend these days and, if you want one with a little room in the cab, it comes standard with a 350 CID (5.7 Liter) engine that does not do well at the pump (14 city, 18 highway according the the US gov). Uhhh....what happened, Toyota? Did the little, fuel-efficient models that you used to build get boring or something? Maybe the lure of that full-sized American market was too much to avoid! Uhhh...Toyota? Ever here of Daryl Royal? That wise Texas sage who said "You'd better dance with who brung 'ya." Toyota, who "brung 'ya" was little, well-built, fuel-efficient cars and light trucks and frankly, in this day and age of $3/gallon gas, you'd have thought that a little foresight would have convinced y'all not to invest whatever it cost you to tool up a whole new full-sized truck manufacturing capability when there is essentially no market for them!

Maybe that thing about superior japanese business acumen is just what it appears to be; a myth. Seems the allure of the almighty dollar is too much when a company "yens" for someone else's market, regardless of whether it makes good business sense or not!

Will someone tell me...

...why someone would buy a perfectly good truck and then drop all of the suspension out of it so it rides about 1/2" off the ground? Here's why you buy a truck:

* Haul a load in the box
* Tow a load on a trailer
* Sit higher than everyone else so you can see down the road better

When you drop all of the suspension out of a truck, you...

*Can't haul a load (truck bottoms out too easily)
*Can't tow a trailer (the extra weight bottoms the truck out on the axle)
* Don't sit higher than the average Civic

Uhhhh.....need I say more?

While I'm at it...I need a bumper sticker that says "Of course I'm driving slow; Daddy's not buying MY gas!"

Look, I know that petroleum is a finite resource and we should expect gas prices to escalate as time goes by. What I don't get is a couple of things.

1. Exxon/Mobil made more money over the last quarter of 2007 than any corporation in HISTORY. More than Microsoft; more than Standard Oil; More than US Steel; More than G freakin' M!!! Uhhhh....can someone tell me why I'm the one paying .75 cents a gallon in taxes when Exxon FREAKIN' Mobil is making that much per gallon apparently?

2. Experts say that gas prices are going up as they are because the dollar is falling versus the Euro. Uhhh....what's a EURO? Is that a British Pound on steroids? Is it a Franc on Estrogen? Maybe it's a Lire on caffeine! Why is the freakin' EURO pushing the dollar around? Does anyone in Europe not named Fritz even work for a living anymore? Does anyone who IS named Fritz work sober? Europe can't wash our dish-towels! I'm paying higher gas prices because some Frog from Allsaise-Loraine smoked a half-pack less last weekend? Will the economic gurus out there remove their heads from the territory of the proctologist long enough to get this gas price thing right?

Someone said the other day that the Pennsylavania primary would be a "crucial" battle-ground state for Hillary and Obama. That's probably true. Lord knows, no one up there is WORKING any more; they should have plenty of time to worry about getting to the polls and voting for whichever candidate has promised to extend their welfare for the longest. Uhhh...I have an idea; drop out of that union that has led you to ruin, find a job with an industry that's actually meeting a real-world demand at a reasonable price, and see what you can do to make an honest living, Pennsylvania! Now, I know that's a broad brush and it's extremely unfair to a lot of hard-working people there in William Penn's colony. Sadly, for a lot of those union types who still believe that Japan, China, and India are just British proctectorates in the back pocket of DC, it's a little too honest WAY too late!

Just random thoughts. - Dan

Well, now that my bid for President has hit a snag...

...I guess I ought to go ahead and concede as well.

After all, me and Huckabee have the same number of delegates.

You know, I shouldn't be so hard on the old Huckster! I actually like many of his ideas and it was refreshing to hear a politician referencing the Bible at a time other than when his/her right hand falls on it before testifying in self-defense at some ethics trial!

Despite misgivings, I'm throwing all of my considerable support behind McCain! Hillary never sent me the antacids I requested as a precursor to her health care scam (she makes me sick to my stomach), and Obama's politics are just slightly left of Chairman Mao from everything I've heard, so the lesser of three evils is McCain.

Speaking of McCain, did anyone see him at the White House with George W yesterday? McCain was clearly trying to solidify the conservative branch of the party and George W was apparently trying to go out backing a winner. Frankly, this is a no-brainer. As usual, the Dems have imploded and, in the tradition of McCarthy, Dukakis, Kerry, and all of the other losers they've trotted out over the years, they've painted themselves into a corner and WILL nominate another sure loser for 2008. Is it just me, or do Democrats fair a lot better when they appear to appeal to middle of the road voters instead of the left-hand fringe of the party? Uhhh...Clinton was the last Democrat to win the presidency. He appealed to middle of the road voters and got elected. Before that, Carter was the last Democrat to occupy the WH. HE had to roll in on the heals of Watergate to get elected. After four years of people holding their noses and saying "Oh, my goodness! What WERE we thinking?!", he was soundly defeated by Reagan. Starting in 1968, we went Nixon, Nixon/Ford, Carter, Reagan, Reagan, Bush I, Clinton, Clinton, Bush II, and Bush II. Uh....does anyone see a Democrat in there that was worth change for a dollar? Uh....Carter's a fine man; he's built some really nice houses I hear, but he was the worst president of the 20th century! Clinton was smart enough to leave what Reagan did pretty much alone and take the credit for it, but he wasn't smart enough to keep his pants on around the interns, was he? Why on earth would anyone go back to a Democrat when their party isn't smart enough to nominate someone who's electible on a regular basis? Do the 'Pubs have some work to do? Absolutely! First thing; McCain has got to appeal to Americans and admit that the war in Iraq was prosecuted under less than honest circumstances and beg America's forgiveness. He must then outline a clear and concise plan for getting us out of there and detail how we're going to find and elliminate Bin Laden and root out his organization. America does not want another 911 and we do not want to simply leave a bigger mess in Iraq than what we found when we got there, so they'll respond to an honest assessment and a clear direction on how to reach the objective.

Vote McCain! The alternative is unthinkable.

Election Day in Texas!

Well...it's here finally; the Texas primary! Of course, the primary in Ohio is at least as important as the one here, but I don't live in Ohio anymore, so it's the Texas version I care most about.

Republican Primary

McCain has the nomination sewn up, so who cares? The only thing that's interesting here is the fact that Huckleberry won't quit and help to unify the party. What a selfish boob! Most think that Hucky is vying for the VP nod, but who on earth would consider him for that when, several months later, Mitt Romney STILL has a delegate lead over him? To quote Bugs Bunney - "What an Ultramaroon!" THIS JUST IN!!!! HUCKLEBERRY CONCEDES!! HUCKLEBERRY CONCEDES!!! About what I said earlier......nevermind!

Democratic Primary

The Dem primary is interesting because of the personalities. We've got a scandal-plagued female who, despite claims to the contrary, only has experience following her so-called husband into one office after another and, by the way, a term and a year as a US Senator from a state that she wasn't even a resident of until an opportunity for that seat arose! We have another senator, one with almost as little experience as Clinton, who likes to speak in generalities, generate as much excitement as possible by cueing up all the typical Democrat rhetoric, but doing it with such FLAIR!!! You know the rhetoric I'm talking about; "Republicans are evil because of...tax cuts for the rich; high gas prices; NAFTA; Global Warming; Inflation; the Boogie Man; The Edsel; The fact that Pluto is no longer a planet; and increased numbers of fleas on the dog. Whoever the Dems nominate, he/she is an empty suit who will have a hard time governing and an easy time talking (whining) about why nothing is getting done.

So, where does it go from here? I think Americans are tired of what we've been doing and are past ready to try something new. I think it matters not who the nominees are; Americans are going to elect a Democrat this time and hope for change. I hope I'm wrong, because I don't see anything all that promising from either Democrat candidate. Sadly, I don't like the Republcian nominee that much either. This, then, is a "lesser of two evils" race and, frankly, I haven't decided who makes me hold my nose LESS at this point.