I need a song about brothers

I'm in the process of making a video of Chase's first year and I'm looking for a good song about brothers. I am going to have a grouping of clips of just Seth and Chase and I'm looking for a good song about brothers for the background music. Shelley suggested the theme song from Simon and Simon but I can't find anyplace to download a copy of it.

I'm looking for suggestions, I only have 2 weeks to finish the video.

What Muppet are You?

This is so true...

You Are Scooter

Brainy and knowledgable, you are the perfect sidekick. You're always willing to lend a helping hand. In any big event or party, you're the one who keeps things going. "15 seconds to showtime!"

The Muppet Personality Test

Memorial Day

Thank you to all the men and woman in the armed forces who have served or are serving our great country. We all owe you great deal.

Prosper

This might change the way people think about borrowing money. Instead of going to a bank or credit union, now people can go online and borrow from a community of individuals.

From their website this is what Prosper is:

Prosper, America's first people-to-people lending marketplace, was created to make consumer lending more financially and socially rewarding for everyone.

The way Prosper works is intuitive to people who have used eBay. Instead of listing and bidding on items, people list and bid on loans using Prosper's online auction platform.

People who want to lend set the minimum interest rate they are willing to earn and bid in increments of $50 to $25,000 on loan listings they select. People who lend can easily diversify using "standing orders", which automatically make many small loans to different borrowers.

This is going to be interesting to watch and see if it catches on like Ebay. I have already signed up to lend money because it could provide some interesting possibilities for returns.

Pray for Me

I'm in need of prayers. I don't want to go into the specifics but just pray for me, God knows what it is about.

Thanks

We are being audited

Today when I went to the mailbox we had this very ominous envelope from the Internal Revenue Service. My heart skipped a beat and then I had this hope, "maybe it is just one of those junk mail pieces where they got creative just so I would open the letter".

No such luck. This is what it said when I opened it.

"In our review of your 2004 tax return, we found what appeared to be differences between some of the income and deduction information you reported on your tax return and amounts reported to us by others."

Upon further inspection I found what they said "appeared to be differences" a difference of $164,041 dollars of income they said we failed to report. Ok, my heart didn't skip this time but actually stopped for a few moments. How can that be, I thought?

Well, once my heart started beating and I pulled our tax return from 2004 and compared it to what was in the letter, I found the mistake. I won't go into all of the details but I did fail to report some income but it was not $164,041 but $800.

I just hope I can explain it so the IRS understands.

"Thanks Coach, how about the traditional pat on the butt next time?"

Watch Coach Avery Johnson's right hand.

(again, if you are reading from a viewer please go to my blog to watch the video if you aren't seeing it)

Better vs. Different

Seth Godin wrote this post about instead of making something "better" make it "different". When you make something "better" you are just improving the status quo but when you make it "different" you are changing the game.

Makes me go hmmmmmmmmm.....

Government Assistance and Kids

Shelley wrote this post on her blog and one of the topics she addressed was government assistance, the abuses of the system and this being one reason she is a conservative. In the comments people expressed support for government assistance for the sake of kids and protecting those that can't protect themselves. I am all for protecting our children, there is no greater calling in my opinion. But, I don't see government assistance being the answer.

But, take the example of an 20 year old who had grown up in a household that was supported primarily through government program. He is now living in a household that isn't on government assistance and when he sits down and eats an entire bag of chips in one sitting and then asks for more and is told that those chips were intended for the whole family and were to last the week and they can't afford to buy anymore. His response is something to the affect "Why can't you go to the government and get more money?" How can the creation of this kind of attitude be good? The cycle just continues...

I'm Not Equipped

About three and half years ago I took a new job. This job had the worst training program I have ever seen. When I asked about formal training, I just got blank stares from everyone.

"What about a training manual?" Nope, blank stares again.
"Any kind of documentation?" No such luck.
"Who can I call if I have a question?" There was no one to call I was told.

"What? How am I going to do this?" You'll figure it out I was told.

Well, I haven't figured it out yet and this job of being a father is the hardest thing I have ever done.

Last night we had an "incident" at our T-Ball game. I won't go into all of the ugly details but Seth was just not going to do anything he was asked, not even a simple request to sit on the bench.

But, I did not handle the situation well. But, the worst part is I don't know how I could have handled it any differently.

Someone needs to create some Online Help for this parenting thing...

My Head is Full

Writing is not something that comes naturally to me and actually requires some work. The fact that I have been blogging for one year now and have 342 posts is amazing to me. This process has taught me a lot about myself and one of those things is that the only way I can tap into the very few creative juices I have is if I have very little on my mind. Right now my head is full and I can't find the energy to write.

But, the exciting thing is that my life is going through some trial and tribulations and I am excited to find out what God has planned for me. I really want to know the outcome, and it is difficult for me to turn it over to God's timeframe.

Once this all unfolds I hope to have more interesting posts.

I Might Need One of These

I usually go running somewhere between 3:30 and 4:30 in the morning. Needless to say it is not daylight and I don't always have reflective clothing on. The other morning someone tried to run me down. In this case reflective clothing wouldn't have helped and actually may have hurt because this was an intentional attempt and if they could have seen me better they may have actually hit me. But, it got me to thinking that I needed to have better reflective clothing.

This is actually a belt you can wear and it not only is reflective, it also has a flashing strobe light. I bet that would be a sight at 4 in the morning...

What Are You Talking to Me About?

"What are you talking to me about?" is Seth's new catch phrase. We don't know where he picked this up because it isn't anything Shelley and I say. A conversation will go like this:

Us: Seth, its time to take a bath.
Seth: What are you talking to me about?

or

Us: Seth, don't throw the ball in the house.
Seth: What are you talking to me about?

BBC News Blunder

The BBC accidently put on a cab driver as an expert on internet music downloads. He was the driver for Guy Kewney, the actual intended guest. His expression at the beginning of the interview when he realizes what is happening is price less.

Update: If you are reading this in some sort of reader like Bloglines, you may need come directly to my Blog to view the video.

Oklahoma Passes Castle Doctrine

Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry signed HB 2615, the Castle Doctrine self-defense bill, into law. In this post I wrote about Florida being the first state to pass such a law.

The Castle Doctrine simple states that if a criminal breaks into your home, your occupied vehicle or your place of business, you may presume they are there to do you har and you may use any force necessary against them. It also removes the duty to retreat if you are attacked any place you have a legal right to be.

Also, the law provides protection from criminal prosecution and civil litigation for those who defend themselves from a criminal attack.

Happy Mother's Day

I am fortunate to have some wonderful women in my life. Most notably my wife, my mom and my mother-in-law. I thought about writing a tribute or some sort of poem but I don't have the literary skills to give these women the tribute they deserve. So, I just want them to know I love you very much and Happy Mother's Day!

Opening Day

There isn't much that can compare to the excitement that surrounds Opening Day of T-Ball season. The excitement was uncontainable as the players gathered around home plate and recited the YMCA Pledge.

Seth then led the season off with a single up the middle and he eventually came around to score. He ended the day 2 for 2 with 2 runs scored. It was an offensive battle as
the game matched two of the league's powerhouses in Seth's team the Rattlers against the Scrappers. After many swings back and forth the game ended in an amazing tie.

It was a great first game but I think Seth liked the drinks and snacks afterward the most.

Game 2 is this Monday.

Where Have I Been?

I haven't posted in 10 days and if you read this post from Shelley then you know where I was last week.

The last few days I have in Las Vegas at a conference. This was my first trip to Vegas and I haven't decided if I like it or not. I can say it is interesting at the very least and there is no shortage of things to do. But, there also isn't any shortage of cigarette smoke which just about drove me crazy.

I did get to see the Blue Man Group and that was a trip. I didn't have any idea what to expect but I didn't really expect that. It was a combination of stomp, Gallagher and the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

I'm glad to be home and I will try and get caught up on my posts.

Where were the Bluebonnets

What happened to the Bluebonnets this year? I look forward to them blooming every year . Also, since we have kids, I look forward to the "Texas" tradition of pulling off of the highway, hiking up a hill and sitting your kids in the middle of a Bluebonnet patch and taking their picture. Since this is Chase's first spring, this was going to be his first picture and we missed it.

Was it just our area or did the Bluebonnets not bloom in other areas as well?