2009

It's 2009. New year. Time to start blogging again.

I've Been Censored!!!

Warning: This entry deals with things of a political nature. If you're not in the mood, let this one pass.

What changes I've seen in my life. Or maybe I've just been naive.
I've always held my right to vote as a sacred trust and I've tried to use it wisely.
I have gone to great lengths to avoid becoming a label (a brief description given for purposes of identification).
I tend to be conservative (traditional in style or manner; avoiding novelty or showiness), not a Conservative.
I believe there are things in life that call for a liberal mentality (given freely or abundantly; generous), but I'm not a Liberal.
I consider things independently (not looking to others for one's opinions or for guidance in conduct), but I'm not an Independent.
I've always believed that at the end of the day, right and justice would prevail over ideology (A set of doctrines or beliefs that form the basis of a political, economic, or other system.).
The events of the last few weeks have me wondering (thinking or speculating with curiosity).
Will it matter how I vote?
Will, again, the dogs bite the hand that feeds it?
Has partisanship replaced patriotism?
I dunno...
I have supreme faith in God.
Some faith in the American people.

Bill

(No Independents, Democrats or Republicans were harmed in the writing of this Blog.... but not cuz I didn't want to. <_< )

Let's Try This Again

I've been using the Forum's Blog....but it's a closed community and I have way too much insight to be bound by that. There are somethings that just don't fit comfortably there and, I'm guessing here, a few things that won't fit well here. So for a time I'll dual post to both sites, but, now here's the tricky part, there may be original posts on either site. Ooooh, can you stand the excitement?? Me either!!

And as a special bonus....a foto!! I call this one "Rocks Underwater". It's from our recent Colorado trip. It's a foto of some rocks underwater.

NBA Finals: Game 1

Time for the NBA Finals. A review as seen thru my eyes.

Prelude: Ahhh, my favorite part of game 1. Dinner at Sea Island. I had the fried catfish and shrimp, Sandy the sirloin & grilled shrimp. Washed down with a nice, cold beer. Point of interest: going to dinner the freeway was typical rush hour bumper to bumper, snail paced traffic. On the way home there were only 10 or 12 cars the entire way.

1st Quarter: After a 7 day layoff between games, I showed a little rust. While the Spurs & Cavs were sluggishly going back and forth, so was I. I went upstairs and fired up the laptop. Dohhhhh, I forgot my Diet Coke, so back down for the soda and then back up. Ohhh, I forgot a snack. Down & up again. Answered a "Go Spurs" pm from Allie and then jumped into the Forums.

Key Play of the quarter: Managed to eat my snack without having to share with the dogs - that was HUGE! Spurs: 20 Cavs: 15

2nd Quarter: Started strong but started slipping after a bit. The soda gave way to bottled water, and that may have proved to be bad judgment on my part. I was trying to play Snood on my laptop, but the bladder wasn't cooperating. My game was starting to slip a bit and I was giving up too much ground. If I could just hang on til half time. Sandy turned on the game and kept cheering which just added to the distraction. Finally half time.

Key Play of the quarter: Holding my bladder until I finished Snood. I was able to score an all time best on the "Evil" level. I had my game coming together. At the half Spurs: 40 Cavs: 35

3rd Quarter: I finally gave into Sandy's request and began to watch the game. It's hard for me to get to worked up about game 1 of any series. With the Spurs it really never gets to interesting until the 4th quarter anyway, so usually I wait. But Sandy kept yelling and being a distraction ......

Key Play of the Quarter: Actually staying awake! The game was getting out of control. The big thing that piqued my attention was that LeBron James (King James according to the media) was having a horrific night - that was cool. I'm not a fan of players that think it's all about them - he be one. After three Spurs: 64 Cavs: 49

4th Quarter: You could hear people all over the neighborhood yelling and cheering. It's a begin thing here to have playoff parties. Kind of a tailgate party thing. Everyone is on the deck or patio, BBQ grill going and the TV moved out for all to enjoy. I personally don't like watching TV sports with a group. Too many people say too many stupid things.At commercial breaks I was running downstairs, making coffee for the morning, letting the dogs out and shutting things down. It was my favorite kind of game - blowout & ending before 11 pm! No anxiety, just the fun of watching an opponent being crushed!

Key Play of the Quarter: Getting the dogs potty break and coffee made in one commercial break. I've got game!

Final Score: Spurs 85 Cavs 76

Jackson's 1 year old!!

Fun in the sun for Jack-Jack's birthday yesterday. BBQ weinnie's and birthday cake were the order of the day. Jack hit the mother lode of gifts, but his fave had to be the little drum Steph got him. Here are some foto's of the fun.

Had some laughs with Carson & Jackson and really enjoyed Aaron's stirring rendition of "In-A-Godda-Da-Vida"!

Lost Maples

The Singles Group took a day hike to Lost Maples last Saturday. Here are just a few shots from the trip.
We had a blast. Lunch at the overlook, played in the pond, and even met a species of Monkey Flower, that tried to kill us and steal our cars.

A "Boy of Summer"; Reminiscing on the Past

Not sure of when I first fell in love with baseball, but my guess is when a friend's parents invited me to a San Antonio Missions (a Cubs Double A affiliate at the time) game at old Missions Stadium when I was in the second grade. I still vividly remember that evening - walking into that stadium with it's green, manicured grass, the orange/brown infield dirt contrasted by the brightness of the chalked batters box and foul lines. We sat in awe as the teams took infield smartly snapping up everything hit to 'em and the sound of the pitchers warming up on the sidelines. I don't remember who won or lost that summer's evening, but I do remember sitting for 2+ hours mesmerized by every play, every sound, every scent. I'm sure that on that May evening in 1959, my life became bound to a sport.

There is so much about this game that I love. As much as baseball is visual it's also a game of sounds, the loud "pop" of horsehide hitting a well oiled leather glove, the crack of the wooden bat making solid contact with a fastball, the cry of the Ump -"Steeee-rike" or the nervous chatter of ball players in the field, the sound of your cleats on the dugouts concrete floor. It's smells - the scent of a new glove, the scent of pine tar, a freshly mown infield, and digustingly enough, the smell of your sweat through wool uniform & hat. On occasion, right after you foul off a pitch, you can even smell a burning odor. And there are even tastes. Super Bubble bubble gum, sunflower seeds, the occasional chaw of Redman, the "Suicide" soft drink after the little league game, the gritty sand and acrid tast of the chalk after that slide at the plate, the chili pies after the game at the concession stand and of course the pizza at the post game team get together.

There are sights that I still carry in minds eye of playing the game. A fat pitch, looking for all the world like a beachball, a sinking liner that maybe, just maybe if I stretch a little more...., a runner barrelling down on you as you wait for the throw, that instant where you arrive at the bag awaiting the umpire's call - safe or out?

But most of all, the camaraderie of teammates. I miss that the most. There is an irreverent humor, a sometimes not so gentle ribbing of everything. Teammates, opposing players, coaches, umpires, spectators - no one was immune. Some of my best laughs have come in those hot, sweaty dugouts. Guys finding humor in the most innocuous things. June bug races, sunflower seed spitting games (distance, accuracy, trying to get them to stick to the back of someone's uniform), taping someones glove to the bench so he can't take the field, bubble blowing contests. Sometimes the game on the field was secondary to the games in the dugout. Like I said, silly things, but they're moments that bond.

I began playing little league at 9 and played or coached until just a few years ago. The game stayed the same. New teammates, new teams, new leagues, but always the game stayed the same. Specific memories? I have so many, but the ones that came to mind first - my first glove (my dad made it out of canvas & packing straw), my first caught fly ball at 9 (we lost like by 33-2, but I caught the ball!!), the first time I got to play catcher (I lunged forward for a pitch & was knocked unconscious), my first allstar game at 11( all-bench baby!), my first JV tryout (made the team), my first Varsity tryout (made the team), my first rebellion against authority (My Senior year we got a new coach and he decided to play all Juniors and build for next year. So I took a roll of tape, marked off a section of bench and marked it "Reserved For Bill Powers - Senior" - he didn't like that much. I asked him "Whattya gonna do, bench me?"), my first dose of reality (after school I played semi-pro for the Longhorn Exporters, 1st game we faced a 50 year old ,overweight Hispanic pitcher who totally screwed me into the ground with his curveball!), my most favorite moment - coaching both my sons into high school.

This has been fun, and I have opened a floodgate of memories here. I think for now I'll end, but I may revisit his subject again - soon.

Bp