What a Week

Man what a week. Sorry for the slowness around here but this new job has been VERY demanding and I honestly have had no time to post (much less sleep, spend time with family, etc.).

I'll do better next week after I recover this weekend!!

How 'Bout Them Cougars?!

I posted last December on the year I spent teaching high school and coaching basketball. It was a great year - loved it more than any job I've ever had and we had a great team and a great season. At that point, we had the best team in the history of the school. That statement, however, is no longer valid.

This Saturday night, Apex plays for the state 4A basketball championship for the first time in school history. They're playing against East Mecklenburg, a powerhouse team from here in Charlotte, who is also playing in their first state championship game. Apex has really had a miraculous season. With their leading scorer academically ineligible and their 'star' having graduated last year (now playing at Fairfield University in Connecticut), the team started the season 4-9. They've been on a roll since and have shocked a number of heavily favored teams on the road to the championship. They barely even made the state playoffs when the season ended (seeded 3rd out of 3 teams from their own conference)!

Obviously the kids that I coached are long gone - most of them are already out of college but I'm still proud to have been at Apex and I'll definitely be pulling for them on Saturday!

FNL - This is What Ticks Me Off

I bet you're probably tired of my incessant ranting and raving about Friday Night Lights. Well - until the shows gets renewed (or cancelled), I'm going to keep on ranting because I simply can't understand what NBC is thinking?!

Yesterday, Optimedia, a communications planning/buying agency, published a first of it's kind study called the 2007 Content Power Ratings. The study attempts to provide a ranking of a program's true commercial value based on buzz, web presence/streaming, audience size, and audience appeal. Basically the gist is that traditional rankings are based solely on Nielsen ratings but today, with multiple channels for shows, blogs spreading buzz about shows, etc., there are more factors to consider.

So - taking all of these new variables into consideration, how did FNL do? It came in 17th! It finished ahead of supposed powerhouse shows like 24, NCIS, Two and a Half Men, My Name is Earl, Without a Trace, ER, Cold Case, the list goes on and on. It's absolutely ridiculous to me that we're even having to sweat it out. The show clearly has a dedicated following and wide spread appeal - what in the heck is the issue here?!

What else can we do now that SaveFridayNightLights has finished their mini-football campaign (at least for the time being after sending nearly 20,000 footballs to NBC!)? There's still a few things to do. First - head over to TVGuide and vote in their poll about what "bubble show" deserves another season. The poll is on the lower right side of the page. Second, head to NBC.com and use their contact form to send the powers that be an email on your desire to see the show continue.

I'm going to keep talking about it and trying until we get a definitive 'yes' or 'no'. I hope you'll hang in there with me!!

Thirteen Thoughts: My Greatest Hits

I meant to do this post a few weeks ago when we finally hit 2,500 page views here but time got away from me and I didn't get to it. I've got a couple of tools on this site that let me know where people that visit the site are coming from, whether or not the links I post get clicked on, etc. The tools also tell me what posts are the most popular posts on the site. There are four or five of my posts that get clicked on MUCH more than any of the others. I suppose it's because they turn up more prominently in Google searches or something like that. Nonetheless, I've been surprised by which pages are the most popular - as they're often not the ones I think people will be as interested in or they're ones I've posted just on a whim. Without further adieu, here are my "Greatest Hits" after 2,750 page views:

#1 - Far and away my most popular post. Guess there are a lot of annoyed people out there!

#2 - Random post on a random topic and it gets hit at least 3 times per day

#3 - Lots of searches for colleges on Google - hopefully this post will influence some decisions

#4 - I guess there aren't many reviews of this book on the net because this one gets hit almost daily

#5 - Apparently a lot of folks were wondering about these guys just like I was

So - that's it - the top 5 posts since I started this blog. Weird - none of my ideas on money saving or shopping or cool websites. Just random stuff. Any ideas on why these would be more popular than the others?

A Pretty Cool "Coincidence"

I'm not going to continue to try and beat you over the head to get you to sponsor a child through Compassion International. I did a number of postings last week talking about what's going on over in Africa, the team of bloggers that was there documenting the conditions and the difference that Compassion's programs make in the lives of the kids there, etc. Read for yourself and decide if sponsoring is right for you.

I did want to relay a pretty cool story though. Britney and I talked about what was going on in Uganda for several nights before we decided to sponsor a child. I was following Carlos' blog each day as he posted stories of what he was seeing and hearing and then I was coming home each night and relaying the stories to Britney. We would sit and watch the videos and talk about how cute the kids were or how sad the conditions were, etc. We finally decided to go ahead and make the commitment to sponsor a child.

We chose Uganda as the country based on the fact that Carlos and team were there and we were getting 'live' input on the difference that sponsorship made in Uganda (I'm sure it's equally as important in other areas). We chose to sponsor a girl based on the fact that we have our own little girl and thought it'd be neat for her to have a pen pal across the world when she gets older. When we applied those two conditions (Uganda and Female), we had quite a list to choose from. We looked through page after page of pictures and narrowed our choice down as we went - primarily based on age or how cute they were (sad to say). Finally we zeroed in on the girl we sponsored - Phinah - and went through with the deal.

Over the weekend, the packet came from Compassion with the details about Phinah, a bigger picture of her to put up on our refridgerator, information on how to correspond with her, etc. We opened the packet and started reading more about her. It was so weird - her birthday is the day that Britney and I got married - same day, same year, everything. Now - maybe that's just a coincidence - but it sure seemed providential to me. Needless to say, we took it as a sign that we were doing the right thing and that we had chosen the right child for our family!

On the Ground in Uganda

As I mentioned yesterday, my friend Carlos Whittaker and a team of 15 bloggers are on the ground in Uganda as part of a Compassion International outreach trip. The trip is designed to let these 15 bloggers bring eyes and ears to the conditions that many people across the world face on a daily basis. You can find links to all 15 blogs HERE.

In this picture, Carlos is showing the Ugandan boys a picture of his adopted son Losiah. When he explains the meaning of the word 'adopt', the little boy in the basketball jersey asked Carlos if he would adopt him. That, to me, is heart breaking.

Please take some time to read these blogs over the next few days. The team will be in Uganda through the 18th of February. I'm also including a link below for Compassion International in the event that you decide that sponsoring a child is something you're interested in.

Stop Getting Phone Books

I remember, once upon a time, when you got a new phone book once per year and/or when you moved to a new residence. Those days are apparently gone. I swear I get a new phone book about once per month. I've got a giant stack of them under the island in my kitchen and I hardly, if ever, use them. These days, they even come in different sizes. I have a miniature version of the yellow pages that contains the exact same listings just in smaller print! Amazing. With the advent of the internet, who needs the print versions anymore. If you need a number, go to YellowPages.com or WhoWhere.com or 411.com.

If you want them to stop dropping new phone books off at your house every month (or however often you get one) and you live in an area served by AT&T (formerly BellSouth in my area), here's the number to call: 1-800-682-4000. Save a tree, some ink, some gas and some room under the island in your kitchen!

Friday Night Lights - This Calls For Action

If you've been here long, you know that I am a big big fan of NBC's show 'Friday Night Lights'. In my opinion (and in the opinion of my wife and at least 3 other people I know), this is the best show on TV hands down. I don't actually know anyone that watches the show that doesn't absolutely love it. Here's the problem - NBC is thinking of cancelling the show. Read the comments HERE from NBC's head of entertainment, Ben Silverman.

So...we absolutely have to take action so that this show doesn't get cancelled. If this sounds like a desperate plea - well...it is. Here's what you can do:

1. Go over to Best Week Ever and sign their online petition.

2. Go to PetitionOnline and sign their petition.

3. Send letters to Jeff Zucker and Ben Silverman at NBC/Universal telling them that you'll never watch another NBC show ever again or buy another GE product (NBC's parent company) AND you'll devote your life to making every NBC show fail miserably in the ratings AND you'll make it your life's cause to see CBS, ABC, and FOX succeed by any means necessary if this show is not renewed. Here's their address:

Jeff Zucker/Ben Silverman (send a letter to each one separately)

NBC/Universal

100 Universal City Plaza

Universal City, CA 91608

If you want to do what some other websites are suggesting, you can send these two guys a light bulb with 'Keep Lights On' written on it. I'm not sure how to prevent it breaking in transit - but that's their problem. You could, alternatively, include some 'Clear Eyes' eye drops - as one of the mottos on the show is 'Clear Eyes, Full Hearts Can't Lose'.

In all seriousness, please (I beg you), take the time to do one or all of the things above. My high school football career ended in less-than-spectacular fashion and this show is one of the best outlets I have for vicarious living. Plus it's a really good show. Seriously.

Ragamuffin Soul - Live from Uganda

My friend from high school, Carlos Whittaker, is doing something that not many of us are willing to do. He and his wife are leaving their 3 kids behind and heading to Uganda as part of a Compassion International mission trip. They, along with 10 other bloggers, will be logging exactly what they are seeing through video, words, and photos. Take a few minutes and head over to Ragamuffin Soul and see exactly what's happening on the ground in Africa.

Last Man Standing

I guess this kind of thing is inevitable with the passage of time but I saw that on Monday of this week, one of the two remaining World War I veterans in the United States passed away at 107 years of age. That leaves just one surviving veteran of 'The Great War' - 107 year old Frank Buckles of Charles Town, WV. Worldwide, there are only 14 known veterans still alive - all of them 106 years old or older.

The last time something like this happened was in 1992 when Nathan Cook, the last surviving veteran of the Spanish American war, passed away at 106.

11 Year Old with NBA Skills

One of my favorite things to do when I feel not-so-good about myself and my declining athletic skills is to imagine how great I would be if I was playing against a bunch of little kids. I'm pretty sure I'd be the best player in the local Little League. I'm also pretty sure that most Pee Wee football players would have a hard time tackling me and that I'd lead the league in TDs if I were allowed to play.

Until yesterday, I also thought that I was better than every 5th grader in the country in hoops. This video has altered that perception and sent my ego into a tailspin. This kid is unbelievable. And - in addition to being good at basketball, he also is the world record holder in his age group for running a mile. Great - now I can't even beat up on little kids anymore. I'm depressed.

Give it a Shot

86

40

I am terrible at colors!

22

I am not, however, terrible at beating up little kids.

Coolest Guest Speaker EVER!

I've already confessed my rock and roll dreams to the readers of this blog, so today's confession just takes things one step further. I'll confess that the guys in the picture were and still are my all time favorite band. Make fun of me if you like - but Stryper holds a place in my heart that no other artist will ever touch. I realize that the outfits are a bit ridiculous in hind sight and that a couple of these guys look like girls - but that's beside the point. This band represented everything I ever wanted to be when I was 16 AND they were Christians too. Somebody says that Christians don't have long hair or listen to heavy metal - BOOM - I pull the Stryper out on them and the argument ends right there. Don't think I haven't had that conversation about 30 times in my life. My friend David Yougblood even caught one of the Bibles they threw out at a show once. It was totally awesome.

So...imagine how excited I would've been if the following clip had occured at MY high school. The best speaker we ever got was the guy that played Cooter on 'The Dukes of Hazard'. That was lame. This, however, would have been unbelievable:




Ladies and Gentlemen - may I present Stryper guitarist Oz Fox LIVE from the Home Economics room!

Zeitgeist - Fact or Fiction?

This may be old news to some of you. Apparently there was a movie released straight to YouTube back in July called 'Zeitgeist'. It's a 2 hour movie that makes a number of claims debunking Christianity, calling the events of 9/11 a conspiracy, and claiming that the international banking community will form the basis of a New World Order. I hadn't heard about it until my sister-in-law sent me a link to a 9 minute snippet of the film. This is that snippet:



When I got the email, I was asked my opinion on it - whether it was valid or not. My initial reaction after watching it is that this type of film is really not that much different than the type of stuff presented in 'The Davinci Code' or 'Angels & Demons'. Essentially the point (as I interpreted it) was to convince the viewer that Christianity is simply a derivation of other religions (nothing new in that claim - it's been around for years - and many of our traditions may well be just that) and that there is an international conspiracy going on to create a new world order/police state. I find that highly unlikely. This, to me, is repackaged garbage that's been floating around in different formats forever. Keep this fact in mind - this is a MOVIE - it's designed to cause stir/buzz/reaction. It certainly does that. But that does not mean it's factual. Call me a skeptic, but I think this is manipulation and fear mongering. That's just me - you judge for yourself!

Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

I Guess This Was To Be Expected

Given that I live in Charlotte (home of the NASCAR Hall of Fame), I guess I should have expected what took place last week. Our NBA team, the Charlotte Bobcats, had 'NASCAR Night'. Teams do promotional nights all the time and the Bobcats probably do more than most given the lack of attendance. I've got no problem with having a 'NASCAR night' or any other night that they want to have to get people excited. I don't even have a problem with them giving away Bobcats cars or having cars on display or whatever. I do, however, have a problem with the hideous checkered flag design they incorporated into their uniforms for the game.

I drove by the team store yesterday on the way home from work and they've got this disgusting design on display in the window of the store. Please - be a sensible person and do not buy anything related to this whole concept. We must ensure that this never, ever happens again!

Dang There's a Lot of Them!?

I'm sure by now we're all familiar with the fact that Mitt Romney, one of the Republican Presidential candidates, is Mormon. I suppose that's a big deal since he's probably the first major Mormon candidate for President (yes there have been others but none that were thought to really be potential nominees).

I started thinking the other day about other famous Mormons. I think we all know that the Osmonds are Mormon. I've known for a long time that former Atlanta Brave Dale Murphy is one. Merlin Olsen is one. But I was wondering whether there are any mainstream, currently popular people that are. It turns out that there are a TON of them:

Amy Adams - actress (Enchanted, Charlie Wilson's War, etc.)
Eliza Dushku - actress (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Aaron Eckhart - actor (Thank You for Smoking, The Black Dahlia)
Ryan Gosling - actor (The Notebook, Half-Nelson)
Jon Heder - actor (Napoleon Dynamite)
Katherine Heigl - actress (Grey's Anatomy, Knocked Up)
Matthew Modine - actor (Vision Quest, Pacific Heights, Full Metal Jacket)
Kelly Packard - actress (Baywatch, California Dreams)
Aaron Ruell - actor (Kip from Napoleon Dynamite)
Paul Walker - actor (The Fast and the Furious, Eight Below)

Diamond Rio - country band
The Jets - 80s pop band
The Killers - modern rock band
Gladys Knight - R&B legend
SHeDAISY - country band

Bobby Crosby - Oakland A's - 2004 American League Rookie of the Year
Kyle Farnsworth - New York Yankees
Roy Halladay - Toronto Blue Jays, 2003 American League Cy Young Winner
Jeff Kent - LA Dodgers, 5 time All Star, 2000 NL MVP
Harmon Killebrew - baseball Hall of Fame

Andy Reid - Philadelphia Eagles head coach
Sean Salisbury - ESPN commentator, former NFL QB
Danny White - former Dallas Cowboys QB
Steve Young - NFL Hall of Fame QB

I seriously could go on and on. If you're interested in finding out who else is on the list, check out FamousMormons.net. Now - why do I bring this up? I guess it's just out of curiousity. I have my own personal opinions about Mormonism but I'll save those for another day. I'm just frankly surprised that there are so many well-known Mormons. I guess I just figured they'd primarily be athletes from the colleges in Utah and a few random celebrities here and there. Guess I was wrong?!

Taking a Stroll Down Memory Lane

I'll go ahead and tell you before you read any further. This post is probably interesting to exactly one person - ME. I'm writing it anyway.

The other day I was day dreaming (something I do frequently when bored) and started thinking about my dream of being a music star. For those of you that don't know me, I once dreamed of having long hair and playing in a rock band. For those of you that do know me, that may also come as a surprise given my current lack of hair.

Anyway - as a teenager I had this dream of being in a band, touring the country, playing in front of millions, etc. I was in a couple of garage bands (Eternity, Crossfire, Freewill to name a few) and we did a few shows here and there but nothing really ever came of it. We moved away during my junior year of high school or I'm pretty sure I'd be a huge star right now. What a cruel twist of fate.

At that time, there were a couple of bands that I idolized and one of them is the guys in the picture - Paragon. I used to stay over at a friend's house whose parents let us go see their shows and stay out really late (my parents would not have let me go and probably had no idea that I did go until this very instant! Surprise!). These guys were the kings of the Charlotte scene and I felt like I had an in with them since Marc, their guitar player, knew my family. I did a search for Paragon the other day and low and behold they have their own MySpace site - dedicated to the band and the music from back in the day. I was so excited about hearing the songs again that I just had to post about it!

I think I'll talk to Britney about getting the band back together!

Fight the Addiction

I don't know exactly what's going on with my lips these days but I'm having the hardest time keeping them from peeling/cracking/etc. Winter is usually bad but this winter has been worse than any other for me. I've already gone through about 5 tubes of lip balm since the end of November but, after watching this video from CBS News, I think I may be making the problem worse.

If you don't want to watch the video, here's the synopsis. Lip balm can be completely addicting. People get addicted to the sensation of having something on their lips, to the tingling sensation that some balms give, etc. The doctor in the clip recommends avoiding any lip balm that contains camphor, menthol, phenol, salicylic acid, or flavorings. Anything that makes your lips tingle is going to eventually serve as a drying agent rather than a moisturizer (I did not know that!). I put Mentholatum on my lips every night before bed - that might be part of my problem.

If you feel like you need to moisturize your lips, the doctor recommends using Vasoline (petroleum jelly), wax, aloe, vitamin E, or lanolin. We recently bought some petroleum jelly/lanolin ointment for Bailey so maybe I'll try that. Nevertheless, it's time to break the addiction!

God Save the Wii

In yet another sign of the Apocalypse, this story that I heard on the radio this morning turns out to be true. Apparently Queen Elizabeth is addicted to the Wii. Prince William got the thing for Christmas and now he never gets to play it because the Queen is addicted to Nintendo bowling.

Read it for yourself HERE.

I'm Reeling...

Sorry for the lack of posts today. Frankly I'm still reeling from yesterday's Cowboys game. I'm a die-hard, life long Cowboys fan and yesterday's loss was just added another chapter to what's becoming a long list of disappointments. Last year's dropped snap was painful but Dallas wasn't as good last year as they were this year. This year's loss was just a collapse. Missed tackles, no pass protection, dropped passes - it literally made my stomach hurt.

Between the current state of Georgia Tech sports, the Cowboys exiting in the first round of the playoffs, and my fantasy football team absolutely collapsing down the stretch, I'm on the verge of giving up sports or punching a hole in the wall. I'll let you know which one I go with.