How an Aggie prepares for a Hurricane

I don't know if I have any Aggies reading my blog but in case I do, the boards go on the outside of the window.

A new KISS?

When I was 12 I was a huge KISS fan. Now that I'm old I don't listen to them anymore but I'm still disappointed that they are considering putting together a new band with new members to wear the make up and tour. They are viewing it more as a brand name or franchise and that people don't care who is behind the make up. This is probably true but I am still not crazy about the idea.

Read the article here.

Texas

I was born in Missouri, not Texas, so when someone asks me if I am from Texas I will say "No, but I got here as quick as I could."

Here is a good article about Texas. Read it here.

Congratulations United States

The United States beat the International team 18 1/2 to 15 1/2 to win The Presidents Cup. If you have never watched one of these competition, either The Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup, I highly suggest you do. It is some of the best sports viewing you will find, even if you don't enjoy watching golf normally.

Ten Commandments to my Wife

To my wife:

1. I will love you as Christ loves the Church.
2. I will always obey the 7th Commandment (thou shall not commit adultery)
3. I will commit to have at least one date night a month.
4. I will never make fun of you in front of other people.
5. I will always make our marriage my first priority.
6. I will be open, honest and direct.
7. I will be spontaneous.
8. I will never go to bed angry with you.
9. I will create an environment that makes you feel safe, secure and loved.
10.I will avoid places and people that can be harmful to our marriage.

I Almost Said It

Last night we were all in the living room and Seth was waving a poster in the air. At one point it came very close to hitting Chase and I said, "Seth, be careful, you could..." and then I stopped because I almost said "put an eye out with that."

Uggggg, What will I say next? Will it be, "When I was your age I had to walk 10 miles up hill, in the snow, to get to school."?

I guess it is official, I'm a parent.

Adultery

Fellowship is in the middle of presenting a message series on adultery called Love Affair. It has already had an impact on me but not because I ever had an affair or even contemplated it but quite the opposite. I always told Shelley that one thing she never had to worry about was me having an affair. Well, when Ed started the series he said if you are one of those people who have said they you wouldn't ever commit adultery then this message is for you.

The reason for this statement is because no one is immune to adultery, it could happen to anyone and if you aren't protecting your marriage from it because you don't think it can happen, then you are susceptible to it. The only way prevent it is to realize it can happen and then building a wall of protection around your marriage.

Also, current stats indicate that 80% of all marriages will be a victim of an affair at some time. Eighty percent!!! This again shows how it can happen to anyone.

I can't do it justice so I encourage you to either go to Fellowship or watch the messages online at www.fellowshipchurch.com.

Also, they did a very touching song that when you listen to the words, it really makes the pain of adultery real. You can watch it here. One note, the girl singing is whose pictures are being shown but her husband didn't cheat on her, they just volunteered their photos for video.

Rita

Hurricane Rita is about to pound the Texas coast and the current forecast indicates that it will hit Dallas on Sunday and it will still be a Category 1 hurricane with winds up to 75 miles an hour. If you aren't familar with Texas, Dallas is about 250 miles north of Houston.

I am struggling with what to do with my family. I believe I am going to encourage Shelley to take the boys to Oklahoma this weekend.

I Wuv You

For months Seth's vocabulary has been virtually unlimited. Plus, he has the ability to repeat anything he hears. But, he has had what seemed like his own personal boycott on saying "I love you." Shelley and I tell him daily that we love him and all we ever got back was a blank stare. Well, tonight when I put him to bed, I said "I love you" and he returned "I wuv you." Nothing has ever sounded sweeter.

Armed Citizen #4

Gayle Martin was sound asleep when the doorbell rang at 5 a.m., but he didn't open the door because he didn't recognize either of the two men standing on his porch. He continued watching the men through his front window as they went around his house and began battering his back door. Within moments, the two thugs came crashing through the door into the kitchen and living room area. That's when Martin drew is .357 Magnum and fired three shots, causing the men to run away. Authorities found the home invaders nearby, both suffering from gunshot wounds.

No More Anonymous Comments

I was hoping I wouldn't have to do this but I have eliminated the ability for people to comment anonymously. The spam comments I am getting is starting to get ridiculous so I am choosing to remove this capability. I hope this doesn't discourage anyone from commenting in the future.

The Pledge

I pledge allegiance to the Flag
of the United States of America,
and to the Republic for which it stands:
one Nation under God, indivisible,
With Liberty and Justice for all.

Another Judge in the crazy 9th Circuit has declared the Pledge unconstitutional. It is absurd and it is now time for an amendment to the constitution that will remove this as an issue.

Home Sick

I'm home in bed sick. Being sick is something I really hate and usually go into denial when I'm not feeling well.

Dig a hole to China

Here is another cool use of Google Earth and it disproves the old theory that if you dug a hole in the earth you would end up in China. Actually, it is somewhere in the Indian Ocean. To end up in China you have to start somewhere in South America.

Go here.

Chase is 3 months old

Chase is 3 months old today. Time is flying by..

Back on the Job

Yes, I returned last night to my position as Seth's Official Bed Time Story Reader.

Google Blog Search

Google has launched a blog search.


http://blogsearch.google.com/

I got fired

Shelley and I have some defined jobs in our household and one of mine has been reading Seth his bedtime stories. Last night he fired me and decided to go with Mommy. I was shocked to say the least and truthfully I didn't feel she was up to the responsibility. But, I reviewed her performance last night and she does seem to have the necessary skills but I haven't given up. I put her on notice that I wasn't going down without a fight.

Joys of Fatherhood #13

Chase has started smiling and giggling. I can hold him for hours and just look at his smile.

The "Tell"

In poker they say everyone has a "Tell". This is some sort of nervous habit or body language that gives away whether they have a good hand or if they are bluffing.

Well, we have finally figured out Chase's "Tell". He actually has two, one is a little yawn and the other is when he sticks out his bottom lip. If you see either of these your time is running out and you need to fix whatever is bothering him or you will really regret it.

I know the "Tell" but I'm still working on the solution part.

Brain Pattern

This is pretty weird. I looked at all of the pictures and kept coming back to this one. Amazing how accurate it is...

Your Brain's Pattern

Structured and organized, you have a knack for thinking clearly. You are very logical - and you don't let your thoughts get polluted with emotions. And while your thoughts are pretty serious, they're anything from boring. It's minds like yours that have built the great cities of the world!

What Pattern Is Your Brain?

September 11

Just remembering...

Noise

In Seth Godin's new ebook, "Who's There", he talks about the amount of "Noise" there is in society. Examples of the "Noise" we face every day is:

80,000 new blogs every day
19 flavors of Oreos
172 professional sports teams in the United States
17,000,000 podcasts

What if we were transported back in time when there were just 3 television networks, 3 car companies, 2 kinds of laundry detergent, etc. you might go crazy because it seems so "Quiet".

This past weekend we went to visit Shelley's mother in Oklahoma and this is an area where there are only 2 television stations, dirt roads, no high speed internet, and there aren't even stop signs at intersections.

It was very "Quiet" but I did find myself looking for that distraction from the "Noise". I think I need to spend more time in "Quiet" environments.

Is it Lego or Legos?

If you go to www.legos.com you get the above message. Well, excuse me...

Legos, Legos, Legos, Legos, Legos, Legos....

Katrina Timeline

A very good post outlining the timeline of Katrina is located here.

It's long but here are a few things I pulled out of it.

First, Katrina hit New Orleans at 8 am, Monday, August 29th.

The morning of Saturday, August 27th President Bush declared a state of emergency in Louisiana authorizing federal emergency management officials to release federal aid and begin coordinating relief efforts.

At 5 pm on Saturday a voluntary evacuation order was issued.

A mandatory evacuation order was issued Sunday morning. Just prior to this announcement President Bush personally called Governor Blanco and appealed for a mandatory evacuation.

The Superdome opened at 8 am on Sunday and began taking people in.

11:30 am on Sunday President Bush issued a statement vowing to help those affected by the hurricane.

Overnight and the morning of Monday 4,000 National Guardsman were gathered in Memphis preparing to help New Orleans police.

It goes on and on with a lot more information. I won't say mistakes weren't made but it is obvious this wasn't being ignored and people were preparing to do the best they could.

The New York Times Short Memory

Interesting post from the guys at PowerLine

It is an excert from the NY Times critisizing some Bush legislation from earlier this year to increase funding to the Corp. of Engineers for flood control along the Mississippi.

Read it here.

God Bless Texas

I had the opportunity to watch a good bit of the Katrina coverage this weekend and one thing became very evident, Texas really stepped up to the plate to handle all of the Katrina victims. Currently Texas has over 250,000 victims in arenas, convention centers, churches, etc. It also seemed that Texas was a lot more prepared to handle a crisis like this than New Orleans or Louisiana.

It was also nice to see that it wasn't going unnoticed. I heard many times when they interviewed victims the comment "God Bless Texas".

Chief Justice Rehnquist Dies

Chief Justince Rehnquist passed away yesterday. Link

TCU

TCU beat OU 17-10 today.



Riff Ram Bah Zoo
Lickity Lickity Zoo Zoo
Who Wha Wha Who
Give em Heck TCU

QT

I really love Quik Trip and I go there frequently. They are clean, the staff is always friendly, quality gas and an awesome fountain drink selection. But, I may go there too often. Here is how the events of my visit this morning occured.

This morning when I arrived besides Jeff, the regular assistant manager on duty, there was also now Nicole. I know Nicole but she usually works the afternoon shift and Saturday and Sunday. (If you know their names and schedule, are you going there too much?).

Well anyway....

Jeff commented that he really knew his customers and to prove the point he knew I would get a 44 oz. fountain drink. Nicole countered that yes she knew I would get a 44 oz. fountain drink but also did he know that my son's favorite drink was a Strawberry Banana FreezOn?

Yes, I go there often.