A National Day of Thanksgiving .......

Thanksgiving Day comes, by statute, once a year; to the honest man it comes as frequently as the heart of gratitude will allow. ~Edward Sandford Martin

Why is it just today that we seem to pause and give thanks for the wonderful people and things in our lives?

I have tried pretty hard these past 8 months to show my love to all things important in my life. I have failed at times to properly vocalize these feelings but all in all I really do think that those most important to me know how I feel. I few special mentions .....

My Mother and my Brother....What an incredible year we have had ! I know there are many members of our family but in a matter of hours it seemed as though we were the only three left. That maybe does not make sense but its how I felt and still somtimes feel. I have never known a person as strong as my mother. She amazes me daily . I see my Daddy everytime I see my Brother. For that I am very grateful. I love them both so very much .

To Nick, Laura and Mike.......What an incredible year we have had also !! For friendship,love, laughter.....you three have made this hard year bearable! Thanks!

To the other countless friends out there that might read this post ...know that I love each of you...old friends ...new friends...everyone.

May God bless each of you this Holiday Season.

I Stand Amazed

On November 15, 2016 I am sure there will be much talk on the news about the big storms that blew threw Montgomery 10 years earlier. I am sure in the meantime we will have many other storms to hit the area. For right now though I am gonna talk about the storm that hit Montgomery County on November 15,2006.

35 people walked out of the rubble pictured above. We can ask all the questions we want. We can wonder aloud with friends about what ifs. You can stand in the parking lot of Worth Cleaners and look across at a building you watched being built. I stood there amazed. Amazed that a building that big and solid was no match for God's power. That's what it is ....it's God's power..... Clearly on display for anyone and everyone to see. For all you folks out there saying "Wow God is pissed at someone" He is mad because the Democrats won last week. He is being rubbed the wrong way because we allow homosexuals to be married. He is upset that the moral center of this country has gone down the crapper..... well here is the kicker--The same God that created nature and the forces that come with also provided a hand of protection to 35 people. 31 children, some as young as 8 weeks old, were carried out of that devastation. I can hardly type this or talk about it without getting choked up. Not one person lost their life yesterday in all that happened in all those buildings that were destroyed or badly damaged .

I am not one to wear my faith on my sleeve and anyone who knows me knows that..... I have a relationship with Jesus Christ and it is a strong one but what happened yesterday......WOW! I am sitting here at 1am in the morning and I can still see some of those kids from the Fun Zone being grabbed by their parents and being hugged so hard.

I worked at Worth Cleaners for 5 years and I thank God that Mr.Worth's business did not have any major damage. I thank God for his current employees who ran into a destroyed building to try and help people in danger.

I Thank God.

Ps i dont think my pictures are gonna come through...sorry !

We all Win................

Yesterday was a great day in American politics.......not because the Democrats won but because WE THE PEOPLE turned out in huge HUGE numbers and voted with a loud voice. We want change. Last week I read an article about the election and the guy writing said he hoped that Dems would win but only by one seat in each house of Congress. That perhaps a clear message would be sent to the members......SCREW THIS UP AND YALL ARE OUT ALSO!!! I believe with a strong heart that things will be different. I also think that we need term limits on every level,branch,division,station etc of our government. Get there knowing you have a certain amount of time to get the job done and if you screw it up then you are gone ...one way or the other.

It was a great day in America yesterday......Today is great ....and Tomorrow will be even better.

I close with a few quotes I found online ....

A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine." --Thomas Jefferson

"No business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country." --Franklin D. Roosevelt

"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little." --Franklin D. Roosevelt

"Democracy is when the indigent, and not the men of property, are the rulers." --Aristotle

AND FINALLY ......

"And so, in my State of the -- my State of the Union -- or state -- my speech to the -- nation, whatever you wanna call it, speech to the nation -- I asked Americans to give 4,000 years -- 4,000 hours over the next -- of the rest of your life -- of service to America. That's what I asked. I said 2 -- 4,000 hours." --George W. Bush

GOD BLESS AMERICA ....INDEED!!

VOTE EARLY AND VOTE OFTEN !!!!!

Bad politicians are sent to Washington by good people who dont go vote.

anonymous

The Constitution of The United States says........

Article 1

Section 2-The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second year by the people of the several states, and the Electors in each state shall have the Qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the state legislature.

Section 3-the Senate of the United States shall be composed of two senators from each state chosen by the legistature therof*, for six years and each senator shall have one vote.

*Amendment 17-The Senate of the United Staes shall be composed of two Senators from each state,elected by the people therof, for six years; and each senator shall have one vote.

Election Day occurs on the Tuesday following the first Monday of November every year. This rule was instituted by the Congress in 1845, and the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November was chosen to keep the election day from falling on All Saints Sunday. Tuesday was chosen to allow voters one day to travel to their polling place, as most residents at the time could not travel on Sunday because of church. The month of November was chosen because it was after the crops were harvested.

Simple American History.

Are you going to vote tomorrow or are you so fed up with the whole political process that you wont even consider driving to your polling place and casting your vote.?

Please go vote .....the founders of this nation paid a high price for YOU. Not many things make me madder than when I hear someone say they did not vote. Are we that busy? Do we not care about what happens? I believe that voting procedures should be changed . Nothing is done to appeal to the young voter anymore ....

How about allowing folks to vote via email or at an online polling place? What about using text messages? What if iTunes got behind something like this and used their considerable website to promote something new?

I think we could and can change this nation! But we have to start somewhere and that somewhere is Me, You, We, Them , They.

Encourge your friends and parents to vote, offer to take them to vote JUST GO VOTE.

Democrat....Republican......Independent......VOTE Tomorrow

In other News........

I had a up and down weekend but I think it ended on a really high note. The hard part was facing some hard realities about some things and realizing that great friends should ALWAYS be a part of the things in your life. Life is about changing and I think we grow up in some way everyday........Does not matter if you are 8 or 80 we always have room to grow.....Our friends just make it easier!!

My Dad would have been 61 years old this past Sunday. It was a tough day but not as tough as I thought it would or could have been. I said it before in another post and will say it again...I really feel that I have turned that corner and am looking at life different now. I miss Daddy so much but I am making the choice to celebrate his life and not mourn his death. I am praying that others start in someway to do the same thing.

I got a Facebook account.......for what that is worth....Thanks Nick!!!!!!

I leave you with this quote............

When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves. ~Victor Frankl

It's a Date.......

Dates you should never forget.....As told in the new edition of Mens Health Magazine

• The edible kind, like the ones that killed the monkey in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Without the posion of course, dates are low in calories (24),fat and cholesterol;full of fiber and richer in potassium than bananas. Eat six or seven a day and shave points off your blood pressure while adding snap to your bullwhip.
• 1507. The year the New World was named after Italian navigator Amerigo Vespucci. People remember guys who arrive first and plant their flag. Having a cool name helps, too.
• February 26, 1993: The first attampt to destroy the World Trade Center. Few attacks come unannounce, whether on the battlefield, in the boardroom, or in your own backyard.
• Her mom's birthday. Hell hath no fury like a women with a mother-in-law scorned.
• January 1692. The kickoff to the Salem witch trials. Nineteen people were hanged in a climate of war, economic strife, religious intolerance,and teenage boredom. Of course, something like that could never happen today.
• The date when you took her on a picnic instead of to a restaurant;to an art museum instead of to a movie;or on a midnight stroll on a beach instead of to a bar for a nightcap. Also,the date when you were asked in for that drink instead of being dispatched with a hug.
• D-Day: June 6, 1944. If the Nazis had won the war,we'd probably be on our Ninth Reich by now. History has a series of pivot points. We bet your own life has had a few. Learn from them and it will be easier to spot the next one coming.
• November 19, 1863. Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address. If you want immortality, get to the point.
• January 1, 2000. Two dropped digits plunged cyberspace into chaos, resulting in premature missle launches, a global transportation shutdown, and a worldwide economic meltdown. Oh, wait a minute. No, they didn't. So the next time a coworker starts hoarding drinking water and stockpiling munitions because the end is near-heard about the 2012 apocalypse lately?- abuse him verbally.
• Any expiration dates. Medicines, health insurance,passports,driver's license. Red Tape Sucks!

I blame Nick for this ......

My last post was when I got back from North Carolina .....I thought I had some really good stuff to talk about after that but now I am drawing so many blanks .....
My creative juices are gone for some reason ...and I blame Nick ....cause I gotta blame someone that aint me !
Yo Yo Ma Rules !!!!!!!

If you are lucky enough to be in the mountains....then you're lucky enough!!

At the very top of Grandfather Mountain October 12, 2006

PART 1......

I am back ...Did yall miss me ?

I spent the last week on holiday in North Carolina.The British say holiday instead of vacation and I like the sound of it anyway I was in Asheville to be exact. I am about to sound kinda silly ...like someone with a high school crush.....BUT I dont care . I LOVE Asheville, North Carolina. Well, to say that I love the mountains as a whole would be a slight understatement. But, I do dig Asheville for so many reasons ...so many that its hard to pick just one. So lets start with this ....It's eclectic....

Eclectic is described by Websters as being ....

Selecting what appears to be best in various doctrines, methods, or styles, composed of elements drawn from various sources.

That's Asheville! That's the mountains of Western North Carolina! People who settled the region came from all over...Scotland, Ireland, Wales....so many styles and elements that came together to make something so beautiful. The people who walk the streets today are every element that you can imagine. Diverse.

I feel comfortable in the mountains....it's soothing! I have been there in all four seasons, in the rain, snow, high winds....No matter the weather I always have a smile on my face. The area suits me. The people suit me. It all suits me . I told yall I was gonna sound kinda silly. It's a lovely place. My mood rises when I leave because it only means I get to come back someday and enjoy it all over again.

My family has roots that go deep in the mountains of NC. A family that has ancestors that fought in the Revolutionary War and them came back to start families. My grandfather moved to Alabama in 1940 because of his being in the Army Air Corps. He stayed in Bama...my and fell in love with my Nana.....Here we are..................BUT

I sometimes sit and think that maybe I could be the one to "take" our family back to NC......to buy a house on Rock Hill Road in Asheville and just let things happen.

If I cant live there full time then I plan on going back as often as time and funds will allow. I also want to take family and friends back with me. And as often as they want to go . When you have something this great that you enjoy this much ....it should be shared and shared often.

I want to expose people to The Blue Ridge Parkway, Barleys, The Mast, Christmas at the Biltmore Estate, The Noodle House , The Grove Arcade, the Natahalla, All Souls Church, Pack Square,Grandfather Mountain, The Grove Park Inn and so many other great places.

So who wants to go ? When do you want to go ? How long do yall want to stay? I am up for any trip that will include the mountains.

I might live in Alabama but North Carolina is my home.

This is the first of at least two posts. Stay Tuned!!

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 4, 2006

What's going on .....
The Good....
LOST's third season begins tonight on ABC. The USA Today gave it 3.5 stars out of 4. I am pretty dang excited about the show getting started back up tonight. Auburn is currently 5-0 and Number 2 in many, if not all national polls. I have been talking about it for months but it looks like the time has finally arrived for my vacation to Asheville, NC. This will be my third trip to western NC this year. I cant get enough of that area. My friends are wonderful ....my family is great.
Work continues to go very good for me. I really do enjoy getting up each morning and going into work. The weather in Montgomery makes me very sad. We have maybe TWO days of good Fall weather and then its like someone pulling a rug out from under us ....just like that...BAM! It is 93 degrees on the 4th of October......But things will cool off again and all will be right in MGM.
The Bad....
A scandal has hit the higher reaches of our Government. AGAIN! Former Rep.Foley of Florida did some bad things it would seem. If he has some demons and needs to work on taking care of those problems I really REALLY hope he finds the help he needs. Is he the reason no one has any faith in our political system? Or people like him? There have been scandals going all the way back to Pres. Washingtons time but it seems that so many Americans are just turned off by the whole political process. Everyone is to blame ...Democrats and Republicans. Although, Ann Coulter said last night that this was all being made a much bigger deal by the Dems. Ugh! Why cant folks take responsibility for things ? I am a Democrat and it upset me when President Clinton had his affair with Monica. Still makes me mad. OWN up to what you do ....thats all.

8.4 Billion is being spent each month in Iraq. I know we are at war . Times are different. People all over the world hate us for what we stand for . That sucks. But besides longer lines at the airport, what sacrfices are we being asked to make ? Where are the ration cards like the ones my grandparents used during WWII? Where are the blackouts?
We are asked to realize we are fighting a global war on terror but then expected to act like nothing is out of the ordinary. On so many levels that is not right . Would those folks who drive around with the yellow ribbon magnets on their cars be the first in line to get rationing books?
How about if college students and others were asked to turn in their iPods so the metal could be used for making tanks and planes, like in WWII? How many folks would go out and plant Victory Gardens? Imagine the last 5 years with the following items either rationed or not produced.
Rationed
Meats, butters, cooking oils, cheese, canned good, dry items, sugars, coffee, gasoline, motor oils.
Production suspended
Radios, cars, trucks, boats, tires, microwaves, tv's, stoves, fridges.
Is this country willing to make this type of effort for the war? Am I ready to make this effort ? People did these things 60 years ago because they knew what the end result would be. They were fighting just as much as the men who were living in the fox holes in Europe and Asia. Something has got to change.

Montgomery pays respect
Officer Keith Houts was laid to rest today in Birmingham. He was shot last week in the line of duty here in Montgomery. He was the first MGM officer to be killed in the line of duty in almost 10 years. I watched the heartbreaking funeral on television. I thank God daily for the wonderful men and women who serve to protect us each day. They are doing something I would never be able to do . When you think about this senseless killing it kinda makes a television show like LOST seem very very very small. God Bless his family.

On a very light note
I saw these two guys online the other day and they were trading pickup lines in a bar.....the women walked away but the lines were funny.
Here are a few..
I'm so sweet Slugworth stole ME!!
I'm so hip your Grandad broke ME!!
and my favorite
I'm like Altoids...Small,white and Curiously Strong!!

This might be my last post till after I get home ......Travelling prayers appreciated.

Homeward Bound.........

"Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Healing happens in all sorts of ways .......I have been trying to heal for the last 6 months . I will never fully be back to where I was at the beginning of 2006 but I am somewhat better since the middle of the summer. This past week I decided to take a step towards some type of closure. I spent some time this week in my home town of Tuskegee ,Alabama. Thomas Wolfe said in his novel "Look Homeward Angel" that you cant go home again . I believe that you can go home. I think we often get so caught up in the daily dealings of life that we forget where we are from........Where our roots are. My roots are deep in Macon county. During the last 8 years when I have returned for some reason or another I have always had this deep feeling of discontent. You see, Tuskegee is not the town it was when I was growing up. There is no one really left from when I was there. The stores are all closed. The homes where people I knew are all run down or gone.
My main purpose of this visit was to say goodbye. To say goodbye to my Daddy. I have been trying and trying to think of something that I could do to bring this closure. I went to Tuskegee for a few hours this week and my Daddy went with me.
I went to my old school .....the house I first lived in when I came home from the hospital.....my Nana's house,my old church, our old business and our house in the country. It was a odd feeling to stand in the church that I grew up in to sit on the pew that I last sat in nearly 13 years ago at my Grandaddys funeral . It was a catharsis. I cried. I saw my Daddy in each of those places. I talked to him and I told him that it was time for me to put some things behind me and to move forward with my life. I have lived with a huge regret for the past 6 months. A regret that I did not get to speak to my Daddy before he had his surgery. Would I have said anything profound to him? Highly unlikely. I would have hugged him and told him I loved him and that things would be ok. I truly believe that my Daddy knew deep down that he would not ever be coming home again. I also think he was prepared for that and had made some type of peace. I have also made a peace. I dont fool myself into believing that things are gonna be all roses from now on. We will have some hard days ahead.... Then the holidays . But life will be better. We will remember and laugh .....we will tell his grandsons how much they were loved by their "Ga".....For me it's now about remembering the things that happened.....The past events that made us a family. I will no longer deal in a "what if" world. Those days are gone. Trying to imagine him here with us does me no good. He is gone, but the memory of him, is as strong as an anchor on a ship.
I went to Tuskegee to say goodbye to that part of me . Perhaps no one will ever really understand what I have done, or why I did it this week. Most of the reasons are still inside me and that's cool.....that's where it belongs. Those things I am keeping for myself. I did it for my reasons and my reasons alone.
I spent a very small part of Friday afternoon doing the last thing I felt I needed to finally do.... I went back to his grave. I stood there for a few minutes and said my last goodbye. I did not go alone and I appreciate my friend and his willingness to go with me . It is very unlikely that I will go back there much in the future. My Daddy lives on with me . I see him in myself everytime I go to a restaurant......when I look at my nephews.....and dozens more.
I went home this past week and I said goodbye. The page has turned .

Friends......

WARNING WARNING WARNING

CHANGE OF OPINION AHEAD

I no doubt deserved my enemies, but I don't believe I deserved my friends. Walt Whitman
Ok....so maybe I am not "full up on friends". I have said for a long time now that I have plenty of room in my life for people. Young, old, big, small, black, white, gay, straight. But I really dont have room for anymore close friends. That sounds really harsh! It is Harsh. I am a terrible, horrible, harsh guy. Right ? Of course not ....I am a fun, easy going, laid back gentleman who happens to enjoy a glass of Jack Daniels or a good martini. I enjoy good music, good books, good conversation. I enjoy being around folks who also share these likes.....SO why not open myself up to more friends?? God puts people in our lives so that we will be richly blessed by their presence. I am ashamed to say that this only recently dawned on me. Too often I have looked at new friendships as something that will take me away from other things instead of making me a better person in the long run. That ends today. I look forward to good friendships with people like Luke and Jackie....... Although Luke thinks I am a drunk. I am excited about continuing the friendships with John and Laura, Mike, David, Susanne and of course Nick and Laura. I have so many others that I could mention....You all know who you are . I am blessed and will continue to be blessed by all my great friends.

So to quote GWB...."Bring um on" Friendships that is....I am ready.

But it does hurt!!!!!...........

All I wanted was a haircut .......thats it....Not too much to ask ...right ??? There used to be a time about 20+ years ago when it was easy for me to get a hair cut. My Mother would take me to my Nana's house and Nana would cut my hair. I can still smell the "perm smell" that always seemed to be present at 202 Wallace Drive in Tuskegee. I can see Nana cutting away and the whole time there was a cigarette in her mouth . LOL!! That was circa 1980. Well needless to say things have changed a good bit.
2006--I cant get a decent haircut to save my friggin life. My hair is not hard to cut its thick but its nothing special..... I am looking for nothing fancy ...just a haircut. This past weekend I went to get a haircut. First problem-Everyone else in the the tri-county area decided to get a haircut. I went to three places on Friday afternoon and you could not stir folks with a stick I decided to go back on Saturday. I go to two places....the first is closed and the second is in the mall. I would rather be exposed to the plague than to have to go to the mall, maybe I am becoming my father....I dont know but the mall is not my idea of fun. Throw into the mix that it happened to be some kind of FAMILY- FAIR- AT- THE -MALL- WITH- FREE- BALLOONS-NIGHT.....UGH!!! Anyway.....I go to a fine establishment that will remain nameless for this blog we shall call them "Haster Cuts". There are three women working there ......I sign in and notice that my name is next.....Of course they proceed to take two other women ahead of me !!!! It would seem that they had been there around lunchtime on Tuesday I suppose , and were told to just come back and they would be "worked in"!!
I finally get called and explain what I want....I was pretty clear that I did not want to look like a doofus ....I look like a doofus already without a bad haircut adding to the problem. Long story short....She did a decent job I guess.
SO whats the problem .....I think its our overwhelming amount of choices. If you travel on the Atlanta Hwy , from Taylor Road to Ann Street, you will pass no less than 8 places to get your hair cut.....and many of those are chains. DO we really need that much ? I dont have any answers ....It just chaps me wrong I guess.....!!!!
Good Grief!!
14 days to North Carolina

This and That.....

Presidents

Former President Bill Clinton has been making the talk show rounds this past week to drum up support for his Global Initiative. First of all let me say that this guy looks fantastic . After having spent the last couple of years looking sick , it now appears that he is back at his fighting weight.
This seems like a very worthwhile project to be involved with and many people from all across the world are signing up to do what they can to help. Also it is just wonderful to see someone on television that is so articulate, relaxed in intereviews , engaging and smart.
President Clinton seems to be taking a page from an old FDR playbook by saying "Do something, big or small, that makes a difference." That seems to be the phrase I am hearing and seeing the most about this project. Click on the link to get more info.
http://www.clintonglobalinitiative.org/NETCOMMUNITY/Page.aspx?&pid=346&srcid=-2

Books

I ran across an old article I had saved from several years ago that had a listing of books that had been banned for some reason or another in the last couple hundred years. I thought it would be fun to post that and see if any of yall had read any of these "banned" books. On a related note, I was talking to my friend David sunday night and we both talked about how much we enjoy "To Kill A Mockingbird" By Harper Lee. Anyway, that book made the list along with some other great ones. I have never quite understood the "banning" of books. Maybe we could all be a rebel and pick up a copy and either read or re-read one of these books. Enjoy!

• The Adventures of Huck Finn-Mark Twain
• The Diary of Anne Frank-Anne Frank
• The Great Gatsby-F.Scott Fitzgerald
• The Martian Chronicles-Ray Bradbury
• To Kill A Mockingbird-Haper Lee
• Uncle Tom's Cabin-Harriett Beecher Stowe
• The Canterbury Tales-Geoffry Chaucer
• I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings-Maya Angelou
• 1984-George Orwell
• A Farewell To Arms-Ernest Hemmingway
• A Catcher In The Rye- J.D. Salinger
• The Color Purple-Alice Walker
• Flowers For Algernon-Daniel Keyes
• Gone With The Wind-Margaret Mitchell
• Of Mice And Men-John Steinbeck
• One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest-Ken Kasey
• Ordinary People-Judith Guest
• The Bible-God

On a personal note ....I have not felt this good in months. I dont know if its the weather or what but I feel great. My mood is good. My time out with friends seems to have a new shine to it . Things are going great at work and beyond. Things are good!!!
I only have about 17 days till I head to North Carolina and I cannot wait
http://www.exploreasheville.com/index.aspx?mediatype=ppc&source=google&campname=general&adgroup=general&ad=1&campaign=g&yr=2006


I close with a quote.....
"Love is the master key that opens the gates of happiness"
Oliver Wendell Holmes

What a weekend ................

First of all let me say this .....I am a better poker player than I give myself credit
We had our first card night this past Friday night and I believe the general feeling was that it was a huge success. This might sound weird but I have always enjoyed that image of "the guys" sitting around playing cards, drinking beer, smoking cigars and telling funny stupid stories. Thats what we did last Friday night. The girls were there of course but they were on the front porch and pretty much left us to do our thing. We all had a blast, at least I had a blast and I also got to meet some really nice folks .
I could write lots more but as they say " What happens in Vegas , stays in Vegas"

I recently finished another book about President Franklin D. Roosevelt. This book focused on the last year of his life, April 1944-April 1945. President Roosevelt suffered from congestive heart failure. This is a serious condition today but in the mid 1940s there was really nothing that could be done for it . Imagine this ...You have a serious heart condition, chronic high blood pressure, paralyzed from the hips down and you are running a nation who is fighting a world war on several fronts. It is really amazing that he lived to see a fourth term much less run for one .
One of the problems with his heart condition is that not enough oxygen rich blood was getting to his brain so it was harder for him to make decision or follow conversations . This man was trying to shape the post war world and was having a hard time doing just that.
But he did manage to shape the United Nations. Win a fourth term as President. Go to the Quebec Conference and the Yalta Conference......he did it all while dying.
He was planning a trip to San Francisco for the opening session of the United Nations in late April of 1945 and then a trip to London in May.
Anyway I dig Roosevelt ......

Fall

So I read Lane's blog today ....just catching up on different things and his blog made me SICK ...He talked about how fall is in the air up in New England and in so many ways it makes me jealous. Fall really is my favorite time of the year. It is a beginning. I know many folks will say "WAIT A DANG MINUTE...SPRING IS WHERE IT ALL BEGINS" but not for me folks.
I enjoy the slow crawl of Summer into Fall.....down here in the deep south we get to see things happen a little more slowly . In the upper regions of New England leaves are already turning and before long that will spread its way across New York , Pennsylvania , Maryland, Virginia and into North and South Carolina. We still have many leaves still on trees at Thanksgiving !!!!!
I enjoy th.t first small small taste of Fall that we get here in the deep south. Those mornings that are a little cooler. Cooler for us is the low to middle 60's. It warms up during the day but it's the cooler nights that sustain me. The lower temps revive me and make me feel good again. I see Fall as a stepping stone ...me being one step closer to Winter and that really makes me happy.

My oldest nephew plays his first football game tonight . He is in the Termite league out at Macon East Montgomery Academy. He is 9 years old and is SOOOOOO ready to play.
My Daddy was so excited when he heard that Hunter was going to MEMA. Hunter is a third generation Gregg to be going to Macon East. Both his grandparents graduated from the school in 1964(the first class in fact) His Dad and his uncle (me) graduated from the school . Daddy would have been equally excited to be going to the games to see Hunter play. I have said it is a year of firsts for the Gregg family, good ones and bad ones, this is a good one. Good Luck Hunter!

If I was a smart man, and had to sit and analyze things I was seeing on television, I would say that the Bush administration was doing a good bit of backpeddling. They still sit on a throne of lies. They are now saying that things in Iraq are not as good as was once thought!!!! WHO ONCE THOUGHT THAT? Bush? Cheney? This mess has been going on for three years. Dozens of former Generals or commanders have issued statements talking about the problems from the start of the war. It makes no sense to me. NONE .
Why dont we invade North Korea? Iran? The international community is pretty sure they have some bad weapons. SO why dont we use the "Iraq Formula" and invade to disarm them and remove a cruel dictator from power?? I am guessing it has alot to do with the fact that they REALLY have these weapons and the leaders of these countrys are nuts. I dont want to go to war with these people . They have nothing to lose . They hate us with such a passion.
Perhaps they dont want Democracy. We have never stopped to think about that have we ? Maybe our idea of a great country run by the people does not sound that great to others . Many leaders in our government today still believe in a "Manifest Destiny". We are to be the leaders of democracy and as Americans it is not only our duty but our right to bring these freedoms to the world. Perhaps we should follow the path of the "Truman Doctrine". That is when nations ask for our help to perserve their freedoms. Orginally started to curb the spread of communism in Europe it could be used today in the middle east or anywhere really. But we should not invade. I think its wrong.

FORECAST: CLOUDY

Things happen.....That is what people tell me . Things happen. I realize that things happen. Everything happens for a reason. We dont understand it. Never will understand why certain things happen. Why a hurricane of such force hits a city almost 8 feet below sea level. Why some nut climbs a clock tower in Texas and shoots fellow students. Why people die. I understand certain things. I kinda understand how DVDs work, how iPods transfer music and make playlists you kinda see what I am saying .
A friend today told me that our faith is tested everyday. I really truly believe that the Devil does tempt us. He places situations in our lives that cause us to wonder if our faith is strong enough. My test lately has been about the death of my Dad. Many of yall are more than likely REAL tired of this subject since its been going on ever since I started this blog. I keep going back to something someone told me and that this is a "new normal". Things, of course will never be the same again. How can they ? I see no end sometimes to the problems associated with his death. It really is a domino effect . How do you counter the effect? Go to church more? Spend more time with good friends? Drink alchohol ? Well, I work at a church so I am pretty much there all the time.....I pray daily and by pray I dont mean I kneel at the side of my bed and clasp my hands together. I pray all during the day , at stoplights, while eating , while working. I guess there is always room for more. My friends are a huge rock that I stand on. Thick, thin, up, down they are always there for me . I drink in moderation. Drinking more has adverse effects on me and I dont dig that.
I am a huge WEST WING fan along with many other bloggers out there. I was watching the other day while painting upstairs and its the Christmas episode where Josh is having his meltdown. He is meeting with a guy about his problems and Josh tells him that he wants things normal again. The doctor tells him that he is trying to get him back there. So that he can remember the shooting but not associate music with the shooting. Get him to a place where he can relive it all and be ok with things .
I heard that and had to go back and play it again. Thats what I do on a daily basis ...I cant think of my Daddy lately without thinking of the hospital. I think of the smells, the uncomfortable chairs, the bad coffee, the tubes and the sounds in Daddy's room. I dont think about the times we went to the beach as a family. I dont think about the cookouts. The times we shared during football season. I have eaten at Chappys once since Daddy died...Why? Because thats all we ate when he was in the hospital then after he died we got tons of food from there. I cant see all those things right now. I am waiting for things to clear and allow me to see.

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH

He is clueless.

39 days till North Carolina.

We will return to regular programming shortly.....

He that can take rest is greater than he that can take cities.
Ben Franklin

Sometimes you need a break from things....a little rest from stuff ...Blogging is no different. I am gonna take a few days off from reading and writing blogs. Nick's homework assignment drained me!!!! I love it all ...just need a break. So stay tuned, exciting news is just around the corner folks .....I promise!
43 days to North Carolina

It's the Little stuff in Life........

The following is a list of things that can be found in Septembers copy of Mens Health magazine as written by author Duane Swierczynski .

Sorry ladies this mainly applies to the guys.....

Little things that count..Each of these will make you a better man (eventually)

1. Paying attention-real attention-to a small child. I still remember the adults who did that when I was a kid. They also happen to be my role models.
2. The lid on a jar of pickles. It's not that women really need your help twisting ir loose from the jar. They could use a hammer. But they like to make you appear strong, even if you are built like Mick Jagger.
3. A breath mint.
4. A brown bag. Pack a turkey-on-wheat most of the work-week and you'll save enough for a plasma TV by year's end.
5. A lunchtime reservation-one that doesn't involve a drive-thru. All those sack lunches earn you a fine meal in a steak house every couple of weeks. Life ain't a gulag.
6. A 50-minute CPR class.
7. Gratitude. It takes 15 seconds to thank someone for their time or gift. It takes 15 years for them to forgive you when you don't.
8. A single glance. THAT glance. If you have to ask , it's been too long since you've made it.
9. Five degrees. Go easy on the thermostat overnight this winter and you'll save 5% on heat. Mother nature thanks you. So does Al Gore.
10. Checking your spelling. Because the difference between Public Relations and Pubic Relations could be your job.
11. Listening-really listening-to your grandad when he tells you,for the ninth time, about that seafood shop back in South Philly that sold little clams for a penny each. Forget the clams. He's trying for a little bit of immortality by passing along stories to you.
12. A handwritten note. I landed myself a redhead because I sent her a goofy Far Side card with a dashed-off question along the lines of "So, how have you been?" Ten years later,we have a house and two kids.
13. The last drink. IF you're drunk enough to absolutely need it, you absolutely don't.
14. The right to remain silent. People never remember you for being quiet. They remember you for a stupid joke about a venereal disease, your boss , and a transvestite hooker.
15. Getting off your butt. Time was, you stood up when being introduced to someone new. You meet eye-to-eye and shake, which is a small way of saying, "I'm not above or below you."
16. Getting off your butt, period. Even 10 minutes of activity a day can drop your blood pressure, boost your mood, and prevent you from forming a covalent bond with your couch.
17. A single detail. About someone else. Could be a wife's name, or a kid's sport, or the gum disease their hound had. Wield details wisely and you'll be a charm machine. Flub them and you'll make people feel like they 're interchangeable cogs in a cosmic mishmash.
18. A single date. I have it easy. My wedding anniversary is September 11. Plant a Post-it, set an Outlook alert, or write it on your hand in permanent marker. A Sharpie fades. Her memory doesn't.

Without a song the day would never end.....

Prof. Mielke requested this"one cd on an island " list by Monday afternoon. No later than 3:00pm. It was a little harder to narrow it down than I thought it would be ..especially since I am a geek about Sinatra, jazz and any really good piano music. Oh well...here it is in no particular order. The composer/writer is listed after the song and the person who recorded is next followed by the year. I think this is all pretty accurate.

1. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts roasting on an open fire). Torme/Wells. Nat King Coles version 1963. This song has always meant tons to me. Often its hard to narrow down a favorite holiday song but this is it for me because it makes me think of Christmas back before we all grew up.
2. I'm a Fool to Want You. Wolf/Herron/Sinatra. Frank Sinatra recorded in 1953. Frank recorded this the day his divorce from Ava Gardner was final. She was his true love. You can hear the ache in his voice. Sad.
3. Both Sides Now. Mitchell. Joni Mitchell latest recording 2001. She hits it on the nail about how we change when we age and see things different. Why can't we hold onto that youthfull wonder?
4. For all We Know.Karlin/Wilson. Johnny Harman 1965. Sinatra made love to a song when he sang it. You can make love to this song.
5. So What. Davis. Miles Davis with John Coltrane on Sax 1959. From one of the greatest jazz albums of all time Kind Of Blue. Pour yourself two fingers of sour mash bourban or aged scotch and enjoy.
6. Hurt. Reznor. Johnny Cash 2003. Johnny was a musical mastermind. I really believe in 200 years they will teach about him in music classes. This song makes you take a hard look at your own life.
7. Sonata No. 36 In C Major for Piano. Haydn. Something to read a book to. Something to have on in the background while friends are over. Something .
8. You Make Me Feel So Young. Myrow/Gordan. Frank Sinatra 1966. Taken from the Live from the Sands album . This is FAS at the very top of his game. He was so far in the musical atmosphere during this time, its hard to believe that he ever came down. This song jumps and swings and its LIVE !!!
9. All You Need Is Love.Lennon/McCartney. The Beatles. I love all the instruments used. Some days I just play the Beatles because they make me smile. Smiling is Good!
10. Heres That Rainy Day.Van Heusen. Sammy Davis Jr 1966. SDjr and a guitar. I can feel the rain. The dark clouds. My favorite song of all time I think

Iceburg ....Right ahead!!!!!! or maybe just an ice cube

The most destructive element in the human mind is fear. Fear creates aggressiveness
Dorothy Thompson

Pipelines coming out of the Alaskan oil fields are all messed up in some form or fashion and what do they talk about on the news ?? How much gas is gonna go up ! News folks were telling us that we had better sink a pump in our back yard if we wanted cheaper gas because from here on out we were screwed.What happened ??? Gas prices in our area have dropped ...DROPPED . Dont get me wrong, I am thrilled that they have gone down. What upsets me the most is the FEAR FEAR FEAR edge that every news organization uses nowadays. They have experts tell us that gas could be close to $6.00 dollars a gallon by the end of August. The economy is heading for a huge ruin. I am not a smart guy when it comes to economy stuff. I know and understand the basics. If you have ever taken an economy class one of the first things you learn is the concept of "supply and demand". Maybe demand is down in the past week or so to warrent the prices dropping. Maybe the newcasters blew enough smoke at consumers that they finally scared them into cutting back. Perhaps thats the upside to FOX,CNN and MSNBC all having crap spew from them ; maybe they actually did help some!!?!?!?!? Aint that a kick in the head ?
People get things wrong all the time....no one is without mistake. I give everyone the benfit of doubt from time to time. But these people go on Television on a daily and nightly basis and for the most part scare the crap out of us. On any given day we could expect the following :
A horrible hurricane is bearing down on Israel tonight and fears are growing that it could trigger a massive war in the region, because we all know how hurricanes hate Jews. This coming just days after members from an al queda affliated group in France ( we still hate France right??) were arrested before they were able to follow through with a terrible plot to blow up 5 paper airplanes over the Seine river. WE INTERRUPT this broadcast to bring you this LIVE BREAKING HORRIBLE TERRIBLE HEINOUS story that is developing.......Gas prices continued their slid today at pumps across the nation sparking fears that gas could actually "GASP!!!!" fall below the $2.00 mark for the first time in nearly two years. A represenative from Exxon-Mobile, BP and Chevron had this to say, " We are such greedy pond scum sucking creeps, BUT PLEASE DRIVE MORE, the hired illegal immigrants who work in our HUGE homes all across the nation will not have huge houses to clean if the little man actually gets a break "
It happens nightly folks ....I watch it, you watch it , we all watch it . Why? Because we all enjoy a good show. We all slow down on the interstate when there is an accident. We cuss the guys out in front of us but then we slow to a crawl when we get to the scene.
I say we stop watching. Just stop. No more Bill O Reilly, Anderson Cooper, Greta, Sean, Larry. NO MORE. If we cant get it from a newspaper ...then we dont get it !

TOP TEN

My top ten song list is going to be posted either tomorrow night or Monday morning. I have to admit that I am having a little more trouble with this one than I thought. More soon.

CURRENTLY READING

An Army at Dawn.
The war in North Africa, 1942-1943
Volume one of the Liberation Trilogy
Rick Atkinson
This book has a ton of meaning to me because my Grandaddy fought In North Africa under Gen. Patton.

I believe the children are our future.........

"It is my belief that we cannot deal with the most serious of the things in the world until we understand the most amusing." Winston Churchill

Laura had a great post about what she believes in.....but she also said it was hard for her to put it into words. I often feel the same way about things. Its hard for me to put into words what I feel about things. I am going to try though....Thanks for the push Laura!!

I believe ......
In the fundamental ideals of the Democratic party, that gas prices are too damn high, that folks who work real hard for little money are getting the VERY short end of the stick, everyone should have a chance at the "American Dream", the "American Dream" is the same today as it was decades ago...the faces have just changed, that I am no better than you, you are no better than me, there are many folks who do think they are better though, everyone should be treated the same, global warming is for real, George Bush is a horrible President, soft kisses, Jesus Christ is our Savior but that belief is mine and should not be impressed on anyone or any country, baseball is our national sport, football is the heart of the south, in Auburn, laugher is the best medicine unless you have an upper respitory infection and then antibiotics are better, that FDR was our best President, shaved heads are cool, Santa Claus is real, racism is wrong in any form, people should be allowed to get married..regardless of their sex, race, heritage or sexual orientation, that what we are doing in Iraq is wrong on so many levels, We can each make a huge difference in someones life, that if it were not for the all the sand I might actually enjoy the beach, orange is a happy color, Sinatra was the best vocalist of all time, you are only as good as your friends....so I guess that makes me GREAT, 4 months can feel like an eternity, I grew up a presbyterian..went nowhere for 10 years....became a methodist but still think deep inside none of it matters if you dont have a strong faith in your heart, that quotes make a blog post better,
I know I got more but this is a start I guess

Don't Ask, Don't Tell
There was an article on the internet yesterday about a gay soldier who was outed by an anonymous email sent to his superior officer. The solider was given an honorable discharge by the US Army. He never made any claims to his commanding officer that he was gay. He was asked by them and was even investigated for 8 months. They had evidence that he violated the military's policy on homosexuals in the military, even said the evidence clearly indicated he had engaged in gay practices.
DONT ASK DONT TELL....thats the flawed policy of the US military. Bill Clinton dropped the ball on that one but whatever ..he could have taken the same route that Harry Truman did when he desegregated the army in the late 1940s with a presidential proclamation. Instead we got this mess........This solider was asked by superiors if he was gay,he said no but refused to answer the same question in a deposition for fear of perjury. They booted him out based on emails sent to them claiming he was gay. He is gay by the way .....But does that really matter? In a country where we struggle to get people to enlist anyway does it really matter if you like dating a man over a women ?? He signed up soon after September 11, 2001. He said he felt a sense of duty to help his country. I felt terrible after 9/11, sickened that someone or something hated us so much that they would attack in such a way BUT I never felt a duty to enlist in the military. It says alot for a person who enlists knowing full well they will go fight somewhere. He is appealing the decision made by the Army. He should do that and I hope he wins. If you want to serve your country, of course be some limits but your sexuality is not one of them. There is so much wrong with this country I sometimes find it hard to find just as many good things to balance everything out.................Just what I think..........

61 days till Asheville, North Carolina!