Tie-Dye!

Check it out!  After seeing a post on my Aunt Debbie’s Blog, I thought I would get it a go.  What do you think?

A New Year

Last year was a great year!  It was my first full year of marriage, I got a job that I love, and I was able to end it with the people that I love! 

 Here is 2008! 

The Yard!

Well it has been a few months since I have last notice any real change in the yard, and the grass looking better.  And with a little work on the corner flower bed in the yard, I think that it is beginning to look a lot better.  I just have to remember that it takes a lot of patience when it comes to seeing improvements to the yard.  So with everything going the way it is right now, my plan is to continue to get rid of the weeds, and then over seed in September, and then again in February.  Here is the before and after!

 

Before

 

After:  The wood chips, make the biggest difference, it looks a lot better than the pine straw.  And the grass is starting to fill in! 

Georgia Force! Oh so close…

Well after a 15-2 season, the Georgia Force close out their season with their only home loss of the season in the playoffs to the Columbus Destroyers.

Columbus came out fast in the beginning with a good defensive stand, to hold Georgia to a quick four and out.  That was followed by Georgia’s only really shining moment in the first half which was an interception in the end zone, to prevent a Columbus touchdown.  However after that Columbus ran away with the game at half time to put the score at 41 – 21.  Some might think that the game would be over but Georgia found the ”Force” within to tie the game with about six minutes left in the fourth quarter.  And then it was back and fourth, until Columbus’s offense became too much for Georgia to handle, which seemed to be the problem all game.  (Georgia had given up one to many big plays, as well as given up one to many turnovers.)  But it was the third and fourth quarters that made the game enjoyable.  It was also those quarters that reminded you of what Arena Football is supposed to be, which is fast paced!  It seems that TV always ruins the pace of game, and they would slow the game down with TV time-outs.  And that would be my only complaint about the game, that right as you were getting into something they would be at a TV time out, which was dictating the game pace.  

But Becky and I, and a buddy from work went to the game, and I thought that it was pretty good.  Our seats were surprisingly good as seeing that we only paid 14 dollars per ticket.  I would maybe go to another playoff game, or maybe a game that wasn’t televised.  I also thought it was cool how they let the fans go down on the field for autographs after the game.  

 

On our way to the Game! GO Force!

The view from our seats, they were really good, you didn’t miss anything!

Down on the field @ the 50 yard line!

The Radio

Listening to talk radio is a big part of my life.  At least 6 or 7 hours a day.  I started listening to talk radio when I moved New Orleans, which was when I got my first job working 9 to 5.  And I also had a 30 minute drive to work.  But I also got tired listening to the FM radio DJs.  They deliver what I think is a very quick down and dirty form of information in the morning.  And I guess I felt if I was going to invest time into something I wanted something more of it than that.  So I started listening to NPR (National Public Radio).  And I believe that they do a great job of delivering a quality show that covers current events as well as other stories you might not hear else where on the radio.  So I listened to that on the way to work and back home …which is usually comprised of two shows; Morning Edition, and All Things Considered. 

Then a couple months in to working I was working a little later every night, so I had to find a new show.  And thankfully NPR had Marketplace.  And I will have to say that to this day it is still one of my favorite radio shows on the air.  It goes over basic financial news of each day.  And the host (Kai Ryssdal) does a great job of keeping the tempo of the show…and I think that is a big part of what I listen for in a radio show, besides content.  I really do wish that this show was longer or in a better time slot. 

Then when I moved from New Orleans to Atlanta, I didn’t listen to NPR as much, and I think part of that has to do with a phase that I am going through with radio…trying to find a new intro into the day.  But I have been listening more to sports radio, and I have to say that if it weren’t for the content of the show, I am not sure I would be listening as much.  Because here I am sacrificing talent for content.  I am currently listening to 680 the Fan.  And the morning show is called “The Rude Awakening.”   It is hosted by two guys, and one of them I can not stand, Perry thinks very highly of himself and might as well think that he is an etiquette coach for some of these guys that he talks about each day.  But like I said I want up-to-date sports information. 

When I get to work I listen to “The Tony Kornheiser Show,” and that was great, up there with Marketplace…I really mean it.  He does a great morning show and that is the best of both worlds; sports and current events.  He also does a bit when he is coming back from a commercial that he plays a different song, and talks about it.  Only problem is that he is not on all year long and his show is only two hours long.

I guess that would bring me to the real reason I was writing this entry which is that Dan Patrick is leaving ESPN, and is another show I would listen to during the day.  And the think I like about Dan is that he has great guests.  Charles Barkley is one of my favorites, and I wish that Charles would have his own show!  But Dan would also have good content, that was up-to-date, and with a great delivery.  I just hope that he does get another job doing radio so that I can listen to him during the work day.  It would be great if he got a spot in the same time slot at Colin Cowherd.  Because I am so tired of listening to him…I was listening to him regularly but stopped due to his I don’t know what, but I just couldn’t listen to his show any more.   

And then on the way home, I have been listening to mainly music, because most of the crazy FM DJs are off the air.  But if I listening to talk radio I am listening to Sean Hannity, or this guy named Dave Ramsey.  Niether one I really enjoy listening to, but sometimes more Hannity more than Ramsey are talking about something that is interesting and worth listening to.  Dave Ramsey is more like a Dear Abby column mixed with financial issues.  I mean sometimes I just shake my head with his show, I mean people are calling this guy to ask questions that they already have the answer to, just to hear him agree.  I mean I could do that, which is why I very rarely listen to his show. 

But I guess the moral of the story is maybe I should go back to NPR, I really don’t feel like I have invested my time wisely with these other shows. (I am more upset with the drive home, than I am with the AM guys)   And I guess I am a little upset with the way that these guys deliver these shows, almost like Howard Stern would his show.  And I really hope that Sports Radio does not have a bunch of Shock Jocks all over the radio, and we do begin to see more of the Dan Patrick delivery.  Good Luck Dan!   

How Many Lights Are Out?

 Well, I didn’t know how many different types of light bulbs that I would need to change the ones that were out in the house until today.  I guess after living in an apartment for so long you really only use one type of light bulb.  But that is not the same for living in a house, at least not this house!  I have 8 different types of light bulbs that I have to change out as they go dead.  And in this house that is just about every other week.  (Not Really, but I now know better to check and see what kind of light I need before I go and change it!)

 

Here is a picture of 7 of the 8 that we have in our house. 

Kennesaw Mtn.

Well I just got back from Hiking and it was very nice.  I have been hiking a few times after it has rained, and it is as everything changes.  Things look different, and not to mention that it is a little cooler out. 

But I had a good time, I am not sure how long I hiked for, maybe it was some where around 3 or 4 miles.  I took a different route this time then and was glad that I did.  It was nice to take another path that I hadn’t went on because of course you get to see another area, but I like the way that it makes you feel.  You kind of know where you are, and don’t know where you are.  Similar to the way that Bill Bryson explained in his book A Walk In The Woods about how when you are in the woods, it is very different from being out in the open.  You can see the can’t see the horizon, and it almost feels as if everything is closing in on you.  But it is cool, here a few pictures.  Enjoy 

 

Baseball…

What happened to the sport that I used to love?  Over the years I have wanted to distance myself more and more from baseball.  And it is upsetting because I used follow the Florida Marlins from the day the began playing. 

I remember going to a game in their opening series against the Dodgers and when Darryl Strawberry would come to the plate everyone would be chanting Dar-ryl, Dar-rly.  And that was when my grandfather had seats between third and home on the lower deck.  I remember going to many games and now I don’t even feel like going to a game.

I think after cheering for the Marlins and watching them being tore apart after each World Series win, was hard; I mean it was like, ”let’s not even think about trying to repeat.”  I went to the Ring Ceremony for the first World Series, and no one was there (The former team as well!).  And to think the only time that Joe Robbie Stadium is full is when the Yankees, or the Red Sox are playing.  It’s funny though because I am always watching Sports Center and saying he used to be a Marlin, he used to be a Marlin.  

Then watching the All-Star Game Ended in a tie!!! Way to got Bud!

And getting caught up in the home run chase that took place; it got me back into baseball.  (I was pulling for Sammy Sosa and was clipping articles from papers, and magazines.)  And finally to be disappointed again on March 17th when the Congressional Hearings were held, to only watch guys that I looked up to just act like nothing happened, to cry and say, “I don’t want to talk about the past,” and then wave your finger at these congressmen.   

I know that the baseball has a very powerful players union, but what upsets me is that the players allow all of this to happen.  I mean why aren’t they looking at the NFL; and taking notes, both the commissioner and players.  What they are doing right now to make players accountable, is great!  The players need to understand regardless of what they think they should be able to do, is not what they are expected to do.  They are in the spot light, and that is something that they wanted and it comes with a price.  Cheating is cheating, I mean using HGH or steroids, or something that is going to give you an unfair advantage is cheating!  And the worse part is that it is filtered down to younger kids; when a coach is telling his kids to take weight gainer, and bulk up; its not right!  It is not just the coaches fault, I mean I am sure some of these kids really think that if they want to make it that they need to do something to give themselves an edge over the other kids that they compete with.

So when it comes to watching Barry Bonds break the ”All-Time-Best Record in All of Sports,” I will not be watching.  It just doesn’t seem that Baseball is going to look at its self in the mirror and see that it needs to change.  So why should I just watch to be disappointed down the road. 

The Freedom Writers

I just finished watching “Freedom Writers” with Hillary Swank.  And it brings up a question that I have always had.  Why does it seem that the ‘bigger’ we get the less we think we can do, or the harder it is to obtain something.  While this is a general thought I believe that it can be applied to many people.  How many times do you hear someone say that, “I wish I could have done this or I wish I could have done that?”  Who says that you can’t do what you want, most of the time I think that it is due the fact that once people come up with an idea or something that they want, they then try to talk them selves out of that idea, or are just lazy.  I know I have done that.  And I think that we are very lazy people…not all of us, but most of us.  We do what is easy and just do enough to get by.  Even as I am writing this I can think of many things that I want but I am too lazy to work for.  Why is that, I don’t know.  I think a part of that is that I am living right now and not living a few moments ahead.  I love the outdoors, and want to hike the Appalachian Trail.  Will it happen maybe one day, but I will have to work hard, and have to sacrifice something else.  And that really does break down what life is about and it is about make choices, that effect other things in life.  My question is why as we get further away from our goal do we just believe that it can’t happen.  Because I am not upset that I won’t ever get to hike the AT but am upset because I have already counted myself out of hiking the AT.  And while this is just an example it is a real one, but I just need to keep that in my head that I will hike the AT one day, maybe with my Son/Daughter, or solo.  And if it were with my son or daughter that it might be even better than what it might be now.  And it is the what ifs, that in the end you can’t beat yourself up about.  You have to make sure that the decisions that you do make are worth what you decided not to do…and I can say that I am happy about the decisions that I have made.  Building my family is important to me, traveling when I am older is important to me, and not saying no to something and trying something new is important to me.  And I think that is what gives you freedom is understanding that you can’t give up, you can always go hike the AT, you just have to make that decision.

I have asked this similar question recently to some friends of mine,

“When starting something why is it the bigger it gets, the further away it gets from what you started out to do. How do you pull yourself back, to look at yourself and go I have deviated from what I set out to do.”

I believe that the best way to explain it is when someone begins a business, that it is because they want something that someone is not providing or they want to do something better.  So that when this business begins they are the best at what they set out to do, but as they begin to grow the start to forget what they set out to do and end up becoming what they tried to correct.  I guess that everything comes full circle.  And I can say that I wish that we would slow down sometimes and really just enjoy what we have.  

The movie was really good.  Go see it, and then watch Lean On Me. It is nice to see someone who works hard, and does it for some else and not for themselves.  I think my Mom is that someone, and I love her very much.  Thanks, Mom.

Maps

I think that maps are very cool, they can describe even the simplest of ideas.  Not until my parent bought a painting of the Fox Theater, that was painted on a map of Atlanta did I really start looking for something similar.  And in the process I have found some really cool maps. 

From museums, a place of business, to a country…and even those can vary from map to map.  Some interesting ones that I have seen are how a map of India that looks upside down to us, but is right side up.  The organization that created this map stated that, “their focus is on the people rather than the nation-states.”

This next map was the latest post on “strange maps.” It is of the State of New Jersey, but labeled according to Bruce Springsteen lyrics in his music.  And again this is an example of a map that is different and still serves a purpose of letting people identify with an area in a different way.  Very similar to a project that I did in school one year were we all had to draw maps of Statesboro, GA and they all came out different.  It is just the way that you look at your surroundings and what is important to you.  And what we found was that things that were important to people were larger on the map.

Then you have something that I thought was really cool!  Something called GPS Drawing.  And this is done when with a hand held GPS.  This is not necessarily creating a map, but using a mapping technology to create art.   The one I am posting is really cool, this guy rode his bike to collect each letter on the coast some where in the UK.  If you click this link you will be able to see each letter, and how many miles each letter is!  

 

And so you see here are three very cool ways that maps can be interesting and different and still provide some sort of information to it’s readers.  Check out my Links to the right, and you will be able to find some of the maps that I am talking about and much more!