Nine-Eleven

I admit it... I had planned on either not posting today, or at the very least not mentioning the fact that today is 09/11....

But, the truth is, there are events that occur in our lifetimes that affect us so deeply and profoundly, we can never really keep them out of our thoughts. For me, there are certain events that I can recall as if they occurred just a few moments ago, even though they happened many years apart. Some are good and some are not.

One of the earliest memories I have of actually paying attention to the bigger world around me is that of President Ronald Reagan being shot. We had a radio with a tape recorder built in and I popped in tape after tape, recording everything that came across the airwaves.

Next would be the Space Shuttle Columbia.... It was the first time a "regular" person was allowed to go into space that I knew of, and a teacher at that. I was in 10th grade at Westminster High school in Colorado. A student ran through the school yelling that the shuttle had exploded. I was standing outside of the media center, and I couldn't believe it until I saw it being played on the televisions....

The attack on the federal building in Oklahoma City is next. That is when I started listening to NPR. I was glued to every radio or television set I would come across. Timothy McVeigh was everywhere in his orange jumpsuit.

There may be other events between those and September 11, 2001, but right now, nine-eleven is what comes to my mind next. September 11th is a day I will never forget. I worked for the educational co-op in Camden, Arkansas, at the time. It was like watching a movie, but you knew it wasn't one. And when the buildings fell, I cried. I pulled myself away from the televisions, went into the men's room, and cried. Once I was through, I was ready for a fight. This was OUR country, the friggin U.S. of A. If there was more to come, I was preparing myself mentally to protect my family, my friends, my way of life. No, I am not a militia-type. That is not what I mean. I just mean, from that point on, I found the true, blue, deep American in myself. I am damn proud to be an American. I never take for granted the life we have. There are men, women, and children who die every day because they are Americans, or are IN America.

Do I support war, or sending money all over the globe "in the name of" America? No. Do I believe we should hunt down the people behind what happened on this date five years ago? You bet your rear-end, I do.

It's been five years. Does it seem long ago, or just like yesterday? Do you watch the programs that have been produced since that day? Do you purposely turn them off or avoid them? Do you wish everyone would just let that day fade into history? Do you wish we talked about it even more than we do? Do you (still) tear up when you watch the towers collapse? I'm just throwing out things to think about.... You see, in America, you have the right to think about what you want to. You also have the right to express your beliefs, even if they are unpopular or contoversial or as mundane as peanut butter and jelly on bread...

Some people gave their lives five years ago, even though they had no intention of doing so when they woke up that morning. Some people gave their lives five years ago because they banded together in order to prevent a plane from reaching our nation's Capital. Some people helped others, giving up thier own lives so that other people wouldn't die. Some people made a left turn instead of a right, took a different plane, stopped to get coffee, took their children to kindergarten and ended up not losing their lives that day. When is it "our time?" Why are some people "spared?"

When you hear "nine-eleven," how does it make you feel? What do you think about? Where does your mind go? Is it a coicidence that in America, 9-1-1 is the number we dial for emergencies and this happened on 9/11? Is it a coincidence that the towers fell essentially straight down, rather than toppling in one (or two) directions? Is it a coincidence that the people on Flight 93 happened to be the very people who would come together to sacrifice themselves in order to prevent some other tragedy?

I had planned to talk about the new Dodge Challenger......

It is Sepetember 11. It has been five years. It feels like yesterday.

Taking a leak....

Why do we say things we don't REALLY mean?? "Hey, I'm going to take a shower." Really? Where are you taking it? Are they hard to carry? Do you have permission to take it?

"I need to take a leak..." Um... No offense, but really, I'd prefer if you LEFT it right where you put in... If you did actually take one, what would you put it in, and just where would you take it? And, more importantly - WHY would you take it with you in the first place??

"I'm going to the bathroom." Makes sense in the house, no so much in the restaurant... Last time I checked, you could not actually bathe in a restaurant... And, yes, I almost said, "you cannot TAKE a bath...."

I think it's funny that we still say things like "Don't touch that dial!" When was the last time you saw a DIAL on the television set? How about the telephone? And a radio? Okay, some radios still have a "dial" but really, you aren't using it to move the little orange station indicator anymore.... It's all digital... My truck even has a dial-knob for the volume control... Remember when you could turn that knob when the vehicle was OFF and it actually affected the volume? Oh, what fun to get into Grandma's car and turn the volume all the way up before anyone got in.. And then, when the car was started, **BAM!!** Everyone would scream and holler and cover thier ears as they dive for the volume control knob!! Ahh... The good ol days... :-)

Do people still say "roll up" the windows? How about "wind up" the windows? I know, not all vehicles have power windows, I was just curious as to which phrase people are using....

Like snow... When snow falls and it accumulates, do you say it's "laying" or "sticking?"

Does anyone in your family (still) refer to the microwave as the "zippy-zapper?"

Yes, these are things that pop into my head on a Sunday afternoon watching football... Well, okay, some of these things came to me after watching a re-broadcast of George Carlin's "On Campus" and Richard Pryor's "Live from the Sunset Strip..." Classic comedy... Of course, Richard Pryor's was on a channel where they silenced the audio everytime he said a "really bad" word... It was like listening to him on a cell phone with a bad connection... :-) "If I don't get the --- I can --- this couch!" Yeah, just not the same.....

Four-Wheelin and It's FRIDAY!

Yesterday (Thursday), Tyler and Shan's Dad took off on the 4-wheeler together. Lately, Tyler has been riding the ATV, but sticking mainly to first gear. When he came back from his 'venture, he was so excited because he had been taught how to ride and shift gears. :-) I have a feeling we'll never see the boy again, except maybe at mealtime... :-) Or when Pokemon is on, though he uses the DVR for that now, so really that's not going to get him back into the house.. :-)

It is FRIDAY! Okay, okay, so this was a short work week... But, still, IT IS FRIDAY!

And, I checked my fantasy team, and except for the people on there that have zeroes, I am in LAST PLACE! Woohoo!! Seriously, I have never been good at the whole fantasy sports thing. I do it because... Well, honestly I have no idea... :-) Just to do it, I guess. One year, maybe 2 or 3 years ago now, I did every fantasy sport known to man (well, known to THIS man): baseball, hockey, basketball, english futbol (soccer), football, racing, golf.... Yes, fantasy GOLF people! What the blankety-blank is up with that one? Ironically, I actually faired pretty well in golf... Go figure.... Figure... There ya go - fantasy figure skating for the women (or guys, i guess) who don't care for other sports.... How about something like fantasy prime time, where you trade characters from TV shows... Earn your fantasy points based on things like dramatic effect, comedy, one-liners, how many times they roll their eyes or pick up some prop.... You laugh now, but I'm telling you, fantasy games based on TV is coming... Heck, they already have Fantasy Idol... FANTASY AMERICAN IDOL??

We are in the "Information Age." And, with the 5th anniversary of 9/11 coming up, we should be reminded that no matter how much "information" you have, it is useless if we don't look around at what's happening all around us.... No, I am not suggesting we all start taking up arms. Good Heavens, that's like the polar opposite. I just wonder how long this "age" will last before the next one comes along... And, what will be the next one? Once a nation has industrialized, informationalized, then what comes next? Hmm... I'll have to let that one roll around in my head for a bit....

In the meantime, I better go check my eTopps portfolio... :-)

See? Ya just never know.... Thanks for tuning in. Y'all come back now, ya hear?

Black-N-Gold are Back-N-Bold!

Pittsburgh wins 28-17!! That is awesome! Yeah, okay, Miller was out of bounds at about the two yard line.... Even so, there is a HUGE chance we still would have scored the TD... The best part, of course, is that Hines Ward is on my fantasy football team.. :-) Big Ben is too, but I benched him this week for obvious reasons (he's out).

Emily and I took Daisy out for a ride before the big game today. Daisy was not happy since she hadnt been ridden in a while... My fault, mostly. The best part was when we put her up and she stood by her feed bucket, stomping her feet and snorting at us. :-) She knew it was supper time! Speaking of suppertime, that girl (Daisy) has really filled out since we've been feeding her and she has lots of grass to munch on! :-)

I'll post more later - right now, I'm hitting the bed!

Can you say Kouzmanoff??

Okay, DUH! How'd I forget to blog this??

Kevin Kouzmanoff gets called up from the minors for the Indians.... "Kevin? Uh, yeah, how'd you like to come play in the bigs for us? Yeah? Okay, we'll see you in a few hours..."

Oh, by the way, if you get called up to the majors, and you REALLY want to impress the whole flippin world, just hit a GRAND SLAM on the very FIRST PITCH you ever see in the Big Show!

Yes, no one has ever hit a grand slam at their very first pitch in the majors! Even if Kouzmanoff fades into the background after this, he will always be the first (and most likely the ONLY) player to EVER hit a grand slam on the very first pitch of a major league career!

From MLB.COM:

ARLINGTON -- Before the game on Saturday, Kevin Kouzmanoff was a discombobulated mess. His plane to Dallas was delayed, he nearly missed his first pregame stretch with the big-league club and he had to ask a random reporter how to get to the dugout from the visitor's clubhouse at Ameriquest Field.

But when Kouzmanoff stepped to the plate with the bases loaded in the first inning of the Indians' eventual 6-5 victory over the Rangers, he certainly looked to be in his comfort zone.

Kouzmanoff swatted at Edinson Volquez's first-pitch fastball, sent it hurtling 417 feet over the center-field wall and found his place in baseball history. He became the third man to hit a grand slam in his first Major League at-bat, and, it's believed, the first to do so on the first pitch.

"It's pretty cool," Kouzmanoff said. "It's pretty hard to top that."

Dumb luck? Incredible skill? Either way - AWESOME!