Lately

A Catch Up

Apparently its two weeks from Christmas, and I am wondering where the past couple of months have gone. Here’s what I’ve been up to lately (and not so lately).

The first of November we went to the NASCAR races in Ft. Worth, which were absolutely awesome. We stayed out in the camping grounds and had wonderful food and got to catch up with the family. I rode 5 laps in a NASCAR going upwards to 170 mph, which was by far the coolest part of the weekend! Whooaaa

The next weekend I took on a home project that I thought would be pretty simple. I had some bathtub tile that were missing and needed replacing badly. I wish I would have had the whole process on video because it had to of been hilarious watching me take on this task. I easily turned an 8 hour job into 3 full days worth of work, but it was fun and the bathtub now looks pretty dang good.

Then Thanksgiving came around and my dog Kaiya and I took a road trip back to Gunter for a “fun” filled weekend of eating, putting lights on Mom’s house, putting up yard ornaments, playing slot machines with Mom and Ricky, eating some more, and of course watching Kaiya do her favorite thing in the world, roll around in cow crap. It was a great Thanksgiving and I even got to sneak out to my favorite place on the planet, Dino’s Deer lease in Sunset, TX, for some much needed time with Dino, his Dad, a deer stand, and my rifle. I saw over 30 deer, but didn’t see the right buck so I didn’t even fire a shot. It was a great end to a great weekend.

Last weekend we went out to my buddy Sam’s Ranch in Clarendon, TX to do cowboy things and to hunt. They actually work cattle so I get to ride around on a horse and try my hardest to act like I knew what I was doing, which I didn't. For some reason, riding a horse does not come natural to me, and to their own amusement, Sam and his Dad love to put me on the horse that loves to do his own thing and to scare the living bejesus out me. Needless to say I am still sore from riding that beast, and my hands still hurt from hanging on to him for dear life. I did survive and even managed to shoot an Aoudad, an exotic game animal from Africa that hangs out in the rough parts of Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado.

I am looking forward to getting back to Gunter for Christmas and New Years to see what I can get into this trip. I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Here are a few pics from my adventures.

Blury Camera Phone Pic of my NASCAR, #14 Old Spice!

Ripped the bad tiles out

Just call me Bob Villa

Dino and Me in Sunset, TX

Dead Aoudad. Clarendon, TX

Project Update

I've been asked several times this past week about the progress of my cooler. It is not 100% complete yet because I couldn't decide what kind of wook I wanted on the outside. However, I have found the perfect wood, and the cooler should be done it time for its public display in this weeks Thursday Thougths. Adios

Thursday Thoughts on Friday: Weekend Project

The weekend is almost here, and I have decided to make it a bit different than my usual. All of my running buddies are out of town in various places hunting Elk or Quail, so I contemplated heading to Dallas for the large Texas/OU weekend festivities. However, while browsing Craigslist this week I ran across something that caught my eye, a large customized, backyard cooler:

No, I’m not going to buy it from him. I am going to build my own. As far back as I can remember, I have always loved to build things and this cooler will(could) look perfect in my backyard! The problem is I may be over my head on this one, and I’m not sure I can even get close to pulling it off… I’m no Bob Villa(Trust me), and I have no wood shop. However, I do have determination and a brand new Miter saw that has been sitting in my garage, still in the box, for over a year. Is it bad that I don’t even know what a freaking Miter Saw is!….kidding. When(if) finished I hope to deck it out with some sweet personalized logos. Hopefully something like this:

I think this will be quite the expirence and no matter how ugly, unleveled, off balanced the cooler project ends up, it will be MY ugly, unleveled, off balance cooler! I will keep you updated, and hopefully someday soon you can come over and treat yourself to a frosty beverage out of it!

Here is what I am starting with, wish me luck:

Happy Friday and Weekend to all. For this weekend only Go TEXAS and HORNS UP!! Cheers!!

Thursday Thoughts on Friday

Back in Lubbock

I got home this week (finally) from a 2 week stay in Lake Whitney, Gunter, Dallas, and Grand Prairie. I was kind of a nomad, sleeping on couches, eating other peoples food, and living the big city life. Nice. Some of the highlights included: Blink 182 concert, a dove hunt, a weekend on Lake Whitney, and a horseshoe tournament. When you throw work in with these things, I was completely exhausted when I made it back to Lubbock, but it was a good time. I got the question frequently, “When are you going to move back to Dallas?” and my answer is still firmly “Not anytime soon.” Since my arrival back to Lubbock I have been in bed by 10:30 every night, eaten better, worked out more, spent less money, more productive at work, and even made it to Church. All of this, and not to mention the much needed rest that my liver has taken! Great to be home.

Our Red Raiders play Kansas St. this weekend, so Get your Guns Up people!


TiVO Filling Up

When I got home, I noticed that my DVR was at 100%. This is obviously due to my favorite shows starting their new seasons. In between football and baseball playoffs I’ve got some highly recommend shows for the fall: Two and a Half Men, How I Met Your Mother, Gary Unmarried, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the Office, and Nip/Tuck starts next week. I have also added a few new ones that are pretty solid so far: The Good Wife and Cougar Town. Check them out, and let me know of any shows that you think I should be watching.


A Truly Great Man

I ran across this story awhile back and thought I should share it. If you don’t know if you know who Mark Richt is you should. He is the Head Coach of the Georgia Football team, and is a great man with a great story. Richt is one of the few famous people in the world who not only talks the talk, but walks the walk. We should all cheer for his Georgia football team every week. When you get a chance and a few minutes check out his story (you might need a tissue Mom).

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=3663225&categoryid=2564308



Happy Friday and Happy Weekend to all.... Cheers!

Thursday Thougths: Pop Culture Update

This is my list of a few things that happened this week in the world that may be good, bad, or ugly. At any rate, you should know about them (at least a little bit) so you are not clueless at this weekend’s cookout (Mom).


MJ’s Hall of Fame Speech Gone So Wrong

If you didn’t see it, don’t worry, not many did, and I highly recommend that you do not either. It is sad... Sad... not in a tearful way, but in a bitter/cold way. Michael Jordan is one of the greatest athletes of all time. Period. However instead of thanking all the people who helped him along the way, he spent his time nit picking, and poking jabs at NBA people he didn’t get along with. Greatest Basketball Player of all time acting like a 7th grade girl is not my ideal of a good way to go out. Shame on you MJ.

Prime Time Jay

The freshly retired from the Tonight Show, Jay Leno, has moved to a new show called The Jay Leno Show in NBC’s primetime spot this week. I’ve seen one episode, and it’s pretty much the Tonight Show….only at nine o’clock. Enough said.

Patrick Swayze Dies

A great actor that played both funny and serious characters passed this week, losing his battle with a terminal cancer. Most known for his role in the movie Ghost, that I actually can vividly remember watching as a kid. I bet the VHS version is still in the movie cabinet at Mom’s house. How about that clay pot spinning scene, Nice!

Kayne, being Kayne

The VMA’s (Video Music Awards), presented by MTV, took place Sunday. During Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech for Best Music Video, singer/rapper Kayne West decided that he needed to steal the microphone from her and tell her that he thought Beyonce’s video was better. I was not watching, but you can find the scene on youtube.com. Kayne West is an idiot, and is an embarrassment to society. Beyonce, being a very decent human being, let Swift finish her speech. Check out this moron for yourself: http://www.mtv.com/videos/misc/435995/taylor-swift-wins-best-female-video.jhtml

Adios Guiding Light

CBS’s daytime drama show Guiding Light is calling it quits due to a fall in ratings. This show has been around for 72 years. That's 72 years! But really, who wants to watch soap operas when you can watch Emmit Smith dance, a splitting couple with 8 kids embarrass themselves in a lovers quarrel, or a Bully Brit tell people how terrible their voice is. I digress...



Toddler Tosses Ball

Funny Story that happened Tuesday at the Philly’s game. I don’t care who you are, you will love this!





Happy Friday and Weekend! Cheers!!

A Goodbye to My Favorite Season

Good Bye Summer

The kiddos are back in school, its not 110 degrees outside, and I’ve cleaned the guns for hunting season. This can only mean that Summer has run its course and Fall is here. Summer is by far my favorite, probably because the heat down here really doesn't bother me, and I am going to miss it....This is a sad thing people! However, really the only thing I hate about the Fall is the dang time change. How are you supposed to work and get your fun in a day that the sun only shines for 9 hours!!!?? Oh well, I’m sure we will blink and it'll be right back to see us. In remembrance of a great Summer, here are a few of my favorite highlights:

Memphis Golf Classic

Dan, Travis, Nic, D-Lo, McQueen, and Myself in front of our cart in Memphis, TX

4th of July

Selling Fireworks, sitting in the A/C

Barnett's Wedding

JJ, Cowan, Barnett, and Me in Fort Worth

Boat-a-Palooza 2009

Flip-cup Champions!

Lake George, Colorado

I found this sweet hat and caught a huge Pike!

Smitty Lake Party Reunion 2009

Me, Nic, and Chad getting some sun

Rocking out w/ Jerry (best guitarist I've ever played with)

Broken Bow, OK

Johnny G, Ferg, Me and Dave hittin the links

Happy Friday, Weekend and Fall to everyone...Cheers!!!

Football Season is Here!!

Thank the good Lord, Football season has finally arrived! Here in Lubbock, TX everything and I do mean everything is focused around Texas Tech Football. Our team is probably not going to be as strong as last years, but we are very hopeful that a few things may turn our way. We do have a wild card up our sleeve that frightens everyone in the country, Coach Mike Leach. He is not afraid to do some wild things, and take some huge chances to get a Win. I had the pleasure of meeting him last night, and I will tell you that he could not of been a nicer fellow. He answered my question, took a picture, and actually seemed to be waiting on me to ask another. I often wonder what celebrities are like in real person, and I know not all of them are really nice people but it is sure good to know that our coach is a great guy. GUNS UP! and GO TECH!

Another Deer Lease Saga

This was interesting and is funny now. The following happened when my buddy Moon and I went out to his deer lease on Saturday in Benjamin, TX. Our main goal was to put out a large shooting target that he purchased, do some hog hunting, and to relax.

First let me describe a few things to help with the story:

Moon: 6’3. 270 lbs. from Seguin, TX, man of few words, not scared of anything. Short temper.

Moons Truck: Brand new, Chevy Z71, crew cab truck

Target: 400 lbs of pure steel. Two 4ft drilling posts for a base, stands 7ft tall on steel rods and has a ¾ in. thick circular sheet of steel in the middle that is on a hinge to absorb the shot.

A few of the names have been altered for various reasons.

Moon’s Deer Lease: 4 Miles North of Benjamin, TX. 2 ½ hours East of Lubbock, 1 ½ hours north of Abilene. East portion of the Spike Box Ranch. Up on top there is some flat land with Cedar trees and small foot hills. When you leave from up top to go into the bottom it does not have one flat spot anywhere. There are creeks, drop offs, large boulders, steep climbs, spread throughout. I would not recommend even the toughest of Jeeps or ATVs to go out in this area. It looks like a smaller version of the mountains in Afghanistan.

4:00 PM: Arrive to Camp, Unload luggage and groceries. Turn AC on in Camper and head straight out to find shooting location and place to put Target.

4:15 PM: Find good, high spot where you can see for days. Mark as shooting spot, and take off down through canyons on foot to mark off 500yds. Enjoying the great outdoors!

4:20 PM: Exhausted, we mark off the distance and make it back to truck. Get in truck to find a way to get to spot. Truck Temperature says its 109, feels like 119.

4:30 PM: Only one possible place to get down into Canyon. It’s pretty much a straight down decent. I put on my seatbelt, I am terrified.

4:40 PM: We made it and are making some progress. I ask Moon if he has Bob Seger’s Like a Rock (song from the Chevy commercial) on his ipod, we could have given Chevy some great footage for a commercial. He did, and I loaded it to play 20 times in a row. We are singing it at the top of our lungs. We think we are awesome. Still trying to get to Target location.

5:15 PM: After trying 3 different ways in, we can’t make it to location. We drag Target out of back of truck and decide we are going to have to put it on our shoulders. Crap. Temperature now actually reads 119. First hurdle is a 15 ft climb straight up a hill. We can only lift a carry this thing for about 15 yards before we have to break. We have 250 yards to go, you do the math.

6:00 PM: We finally made it and celebrate with high fives and chest bumps. Get out water bottles to replenish the 3 gallons each, we just lost. Decide that we are going to charge every person who shoots at Target a labor charge for what we had just done.

6:15 PM: Can’t find our tracks to get out of canyon. Moon goes off 2 ft drop and destroys his front bumper. Can’t tell what state his license plate is from. He is irritable and not amused.

6:30 PM: Still can’t find way out. This is not good. Like a Rock is still jamming until Moon hurls ipod out window and into canyon.

6:40 PM: Still can't find way out. The trucks bumper is barely hanging on. Moon is not a happy camper.

6:45 PM: Still can’t find way out. The feeling that we may be down here for awhile sinks in. I’m now irritable. A lone buzzard soars over, licking his chops. I contemplate taking a shot at him with .338 before he goes and tells his buddies what is going on. We find ipod.

7:00 PM: Finally make it out. Moons truck is in shambles and is smoking from under the hood. We celebrate, scream, chest bump, and I take a shot at Buzzard for being cocky. Missed.

7:45 PM: Pulling out of shooting station, where Moon hit target 10 times and I hit it once (there was something in my eye and he was getting lucky). Then we hear a hissing sound that is not a pleasant one. A small piece of dead cedar is sticking out of his front left tire. We had just run over full size dead cedar trees and this little twig does it. We patch tire and head back to camp.

8:15 PM: Arrive to camp with air gushing out of tire. We patch again and head to Benjamin to get some air.

8:30 PM: Benjamin, TX, one gas station. Air Machine says “Out of Order.” Crap. We decided to put spare on, Moon says “it’ll take 2 min.” Right.

8:45 PM: Spare tire won’t lower from bottom of pickup. We swallow pride and get owner’s manual out. We were using wrong end of rod to lower tire. We are idiots!

8:55 PM: Spare tire still not lowering.

9:20 PM: On road to Knox City, TX on 8 lbs of air pressure. A 12 mile drive at 30 mph. we get the feeling that we are on the road from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and this night could end up very much like the movie. Crap.

9:50 PM: Arrive to the Allsups in Knox City, Air Machine says “Out of Order.” We have a flat tire and there are super sketchy people driving by and staring at us. Moon buys 3 cans of Fix a Flat and 6 Chimychanga burritos.

10:00 PM: Pumped 3 cans of the “good stuff” in tire and it goes up to about 15 lbs of pressure, about half of what it needs. Sketchy truck pulls up right behind us. It has gold rims and blue lights glowing out the bottom of it. We make sure the guns are loaded, if we are going down, we are going in a “Blaze of Fire!” Jose walks up and says, “Hey, man. Whats the problem?”

10:05 PM: We are following Jose to another gas station, that “has air.” We are so desperate that we are actually following this guy. God help us.

10:20 PM: Tire is full of air, but is now leaking again. Jose says we are a bunch of morons, and that he can get the spare loose. He doesn’t. We demolish the Chimychangas (we shared with Jose) and brainstormed.

10:45 PM: An 18 wheeler pulls into gas station right beside us, Jose knows the man. He is dirty, and smells bad. We check our guns again, while they speak in another language for a bit. 18 wheeler man calls us morons, and tries to lower spare tire. He is unsuccessful and says we have “a real problem on our hands.” Now, there’s some new information for us.

11:15 PM: Jose’s buddy Frank shows up. Frank hasn’t seen a shower or a toothbrush since the 80’s. Frank gives us the moron spill again and goes for the spare tire. Doesn’t work. Frank confirms that we are probably dealing with the local drug dealer. We are not amused. Frank says his dad owns the mechanic shop in town, but its way too late to call.

12:00 AM: Jose and Frank are still helping us decide what to do. Moon offers Frank are decent sum of money for any tire that will fit his truck. Apparently this was equivalent to 3 months of work for Frank because he pulls a “Dukes of Hazzard” out of the gas station to look for a tire. I am now amused.

12:10 AM: Jose informs us of a “real nice” motel they have in town. I don’t want to sound conceited here, but our idea of a “real nice” motel may be a bit different. Now we’re thinking we will have to stay at the Bates Motel. Awesome. Neither of us are amused.

12:35 AM: Frank arrives with bad news. No 6 lug tires in town. Plus Sunday was the next day and no one would be open. “This is not good Mav.”

12:55 AM: Frank calls and wakes up his dad. I can hear his dad screaming in the phone before Frank gets out his sentence, “its #%$#% stripped, you’re gonna need a %^$%@ cutting torch to lower the tire.” Frank and Jose know where a cutting torch is. Now I am no brilliant person or anything, but I mention that tire is sitting right below the fuel tank, and a cutting torch just seems like a terrible idea, even in the middle of a crisis. Everyone agrees.

1:20 AM: Frank takes a look at the hole in the tire. Apparently, Moon and myself are morons. Frank patches the hole in 15 seconds and airs the tire up. No air escaping. We celebrate with screams, chest bumps, and give Frank and Jose big man hugs. I contemplate shooting at the buzzard again.

1: 35 AM: We are singing Like a Rock at the top of our lungs with Bob Seger and discussing how great the sleep is going to be in the cold camper.

1:55 AM: Arrive to camp and open camper door. It’s a solid 88 degrees inside. A/C unit blew a fuse.

I will go no further…

Thursday Thoughts

Dove Season Approaching

Since I can recall, September 1st the opening day of Dove season has been a holiday in my family. I can remember being very young and my Grandfather (Papa) driving his red and white truck down to the back of our pasture for the opening day Dove hunt. He would set me on the back of his tailgate, and made me sit real still. I was one of his huntin’ buddies, and I can remember loving the sound of the shotgun. Well 20 years later, I still love that sound and though some of my huntin’ buddies are different, my love for Dove hunting hasn’t. September 1st is my favorite holiday for sure.


Colorado Trip

Me and a few buddies are taking a “Man’s Vacation” to the Rocky Mountains next weekend. It has been a solid 100 degrees here for about 10 days straight now, and though I do like warm weather, I can not wait for a change in temperature and view. Lubbock, TX and the Rocky Mountains do resemble each other greatly, so the weather is mostly what I am looking forward to. We took the same trip last year and it was “eventful” at the very least. The cabin sits right out on a lake stocked with trout, and there is a Casino about 15 miles away. However, the best part of the whole deal is the Player Piano that has over 80 songs that come from like the 1920’s. After a few cocktails, this thing is better than any Karaoke machine. I’ll post pictures.


Cousin Jenna

I spoke with Cousin Jenna today and she says that she hasn’t posted a blog in a long while because it “stresses her out.” I don’t even know what she means by this. Does she think we might pull a AP English teacher on her, and mark up her misspelled words and grammatical errors in red ink? I figure, if we all bug her enough she will get back on board with us. So please, if you know, think you know, are related, have dated, or see her on a regular basis, please let her know that she should write a lil something. Thanks Jeannaa


A Good Clean Joke (for a change)

A man was riding his Harley along a California beach when suddenly thesky clouded above his head... In a booming voice, the Lord said "Becauseyou have tried to be faithful to me in all ways, I will grant you onewish."The biker pulled over and said, "Build a bridge to Hawaii so my friendsand I can ride over anytime we want."The Lord said, "Your request is materialistic. Think of the enormouschallenges for that kind of undertaking; the supports required to reachthe bottom of the Pacific and the concrete and steel it would take! Ican do it, but it is hard for me to justify your desire for worldlythings. Take a little more time and think of something that couldpossibly help mankind."The biker thought about it for a long time. Finally, he said, "Lord, Iwish that I, and all men, could understand women; I want to know how shefeels inside, what she's thinking, why she cries, what she means whenshe says nothing's wrong, and how I can make a woman truly happy."The Lord replied, "You want two lanes or four on that bridge?"




Happy Friday and weekend to you all, CHEERS!!

Thursday Thoughts with a Thursday Catch Up

Catch Up

It has been awhile since I have sat down to write a few lines, so here is a brief update on what’s been shakin in my world.

Firework season came and went like a crazy whirl wind. We had a great year, sold lots of fireworks, put on 2 city shows and had a blast spending quality time with our family and friends. Plus I am pretty sure that I gained about 10 lbs from all the great food that we ate literally 3 times everyday, something I am definitely not used to in Lubbock. Thanks to all my family and friends who helped out and made the 2009 4th of July a very special week.

Post firework season was time to get back to real world, and included me getting a new insurance license that would allow our business to work for a much broader line of businesses. If you are not familiar with Commercial Insurance Packages, let me tell you that it is very interesting business. However, the test, studying for the test, and passing the test was as boring as watching C-Span for 10 days straight. All of this to be told that 90% of what we were learning and studying was never going to be used in the real business…Awesome. After a 8 hour/ 3 day study course and many hours of home study, I did pass the test, and am greatly glad it is over. I’ve only been out of college for 4 years, but getting back into that student/study mode was not an easy task.


TV Recommendation:

If you are like me, you are always searching for a new show or series to get into. Well I have a great one that came highly recommended to me, and it has not let me down at all. The show is called Mad Men and it airs on the AMC Network. It is set in the 1960’s Corporate America and is the story of five men who work in the Advertising agency in New York. The director and producers go to great lengths to throw the audience right back into the early 60’s with over-the-top business suits, crazy wallpapers, and enough cigarettes to make a viewer crave an oxygen machine. A real classic show that is going to air its brand new 3rd Season at the end of this month, so you have plenty of time to catch up!


Upcoming

I am very excited of two events coming very soon; Dove Season and College Football Season. These are two things that I cannot live without and two things that I prepare for endlessly. I will have full blogs devoted to both.


A Recipe for You

And last but certainly not least, I have a recipe for all you cookers that will knock the socks off of your family or guest. I found this in a magazine and tried at a cookout last weekend and it surpassed all the hype from the article, and comes from Barbecue World Champion “Oklahoma Joe” Davidson. A perfect fit for any cookout, its call the “Best Beans on the Planet,” (and yes they just may be):
Ingredients:

2 15 oz. cans of pork and beans
1 15oz. can of dark red kidney beans
1 15 oz can of black beans
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and diced
1 small red onion, diced
2 cups of brown sugar
1 lb. chopped barbecued brisket (I got mine from Dickies)
1 18 oz jar of your favorite barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays)

Preheat oven to 350 degreed. Drain beans and mix with all remaining ingredients in an aluminum-foil pan. Place the pan on a cookie sheet and cook at 350 degrees for two hours. Let stand 30 min before serving.

Please let me know if you try them and how they come out!

Thursday's Thoughts

Fly Fishing with the Boys

We are headed out to Brokenbow, OK for a bit of fly fishing and golf this weekend, and I can not wait! Big Time (Coach Gage) will serve as our official guide/teacher and it is sure to be a weekend of fun and hilarity. We have been talking about doing this for awhile now, and it’s finally going to happen. I don’t think anyone really cares if the fish are biting or the golf swings are top notch, but just that a bunch of great ole friends are getting back together to have a large time.


The Weather

I am not a big fan of being cooped up indoors, so these past two weeks in Lubbock have been absolutely unreal with the weather averaging 80 degrees and a 5 mph wind (unheard of!). I've got to play tons of golf, do lots of yard work, and even took Kaiya Bear to a park. This is a drastic change from the average 35 mph wind that we had here for a solid two months. I know that the heat is coming but, hey, that is way better than it being so cold you have to stay inside!


Firework Season Approaching

At the end of June will officially begin Firework season. This is the time of year where Dino and I, and our friends and families, try and run a firework business. This is my absolute favorite 10 days of the year that is filled with good times with family, friends, fishing, hunting, spotlighting, games, food, sweets, ice cold beverages, and of course Fireworks! We were born full blown pyro-maniacs and once a year we actually get paid to blow stuff up. There will be more to come on this subject.


Did You Know

Any Baptist reading this? On this date, May 28 in 1664, the first Baptist Church was organized in Boston, MA. Believe it or not, there was no dancing following the potluck dinner. I wonder if they discussed the right or wrongs of playing slot machines for my Mother? I’ve got jokes!


A Quote

"What would men be without women? Scarce, sir. Mighty scarce."

-Mark Twain

Thursday's Thoughts

Calendar Filling Up

It is well known between my family and friends that I am a spur of the moment kind of guy, and that making “plans” doesn’t suite me. There are several reasons I feel this way, like what happens if things fall through, or what happens if someone is late, or what if its not as exciting as you thought. There is no let down on just winging it, but as I stare at my summer calendar this morning there are only 4 weekends open to anything from now until September.


Weekend

My Brother and Cousin Jenna are coming to visit for the weekend. This should be a great time to catch up and to have some fun. The weather is supposed to be nice and enjoyable. I have not seen them in quite sometime and they haven’t had the LBK experience in awhile either, this could make for a large time. Even though Jenna tried, we have absolutely no plans at all, but that is what will make it awesome!


Completely Useless Information

During the California Gold Rush of 1849 miners sent their laundry to Honolulu for washing and pressing. Due to the extremely high costs in California during these boom years it was deemed more feasible to send the shirts to Hawaii for servicing. Dude, its 1849, go chunk that shirt in a river!


A Quote

“I wish my name was Brian because maybe sometimes people would misspell my name and call me Brain. That's like a free compliment and you don't even gotta be smart to notice it.”

-Mitch Hedberg

My Mother

It’s Mothers Day weekend, so here is a little something about Momma D.

If I had to write about how great my Mom is, and all the wonderful things she has done for me and my brother, it would take me way more storage space on this computer and until Mothers day next year to finish it, so I will keep it short and sweet.

If you would like to know a bit about Momma D, a man named Solomon did a pretty good job explaining her in Proverbs 31:11-31. She taught my brother and I so many things and raised the two of us better than what is even imaginable. She was the perfect example of how we should live our lives and someday (years) raise our children.

I want to point out just one of my very favorite Momma D stories, which actually happened not that long ago. It was maybe 2 to 3 years ago, after I had already graduated from college and was at least 7 years from living at home. I went back home for a weekend to visit, and had a great learning experience.

We went shopping in Frisco and for some reason decided to check out the new IKEA store. So there we were wondering through this huge store and looking at all the household items. We were probably just catching up on what was going on at the time. We get over to the section of the store where there are tons of kitchen items, and I pick up a bowl with holes in it and casually ask Mom what it was called. Without missing a beat Mom puts on her “Mother/Teacher hat,” raises the pitch in her voice but says it very softly in her best Motherly voice and says “It’s a Colander Greg” as if I was 5 years old with bubble gum in my hair. She figured out what she had done instantly, and we laughed out loud so hard in that store the people around us had to of thought we were on drugs.

I knew then and there, that no matter how long I’ve been out of the house or how old I get, as long as she lives, Mom will always be teaching me new things and giving me advice, which I do need. Ever since that day, if I am digging through my pantry or walking through a grocery store and see a Colander, I can’t help but think about my wonderful Mother and how lucky I am to have her…

Thursday Ramblings

A Few Things that are on my mind, plus some complete Randomness


Day of Prayer

Today is the National Day of Prayer which was started by Harry S. Truman 1952. It basically is a day for our President to issue a proclamation asking Americans to pray. President Obama is reported to scale it back this year. The press secretary said that Obama would issue such a proclamation Thursday but not hold any public events with religious leaders as President George W. Bush did. With the Economy problems, ongoing War, and Swine Flu outbreaks, this does not set very well with me. At this current point in time I think we should be looking to scale up, not back. I am pretty sure we could go for a National Week of Prayer!


Cousin Fergie D

My cousin, but pretty much older brother, Justin Ferguson has landed a spot on the Plano Fire Department, and not in an ordinary way. For the last year he has basically worked two full time jobs (40 hr in an office, 40 hr in a classroom) and his taken care of his family with two young kids, to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a Firefighter. President Bush may have been the only person in the world who got less sleep than Fergie D in 2008. There is no one who exemplifies commitment and dedication to their life’s goals, Church, and family more than my cousin. He is a person we should all strive to be like and a true hero. Congrats Fergie D!


Random Facts on my Favorite Board Game

Monopoly was invented by Charles B. Darrow during the Depression in the 1934 and at first it was rejected by Parker Brothers due to ("52 design errors") Streets in Monopoly, that are taken from Atlantic City and New Jersey. The Game was very popular in Cuba until Fidel Castro took power and burned all the Monopoly sets (probably because his buddies would never let him be the Car). Standard Monopoly bank starts with $15,140 and it is estimated that Monopoly has been sold 250 million times through out the world. I don’t think it gets much better than good friends and family and a good ole Board Game!


And Finally a Quote

"The day after tomorrow is the third day of the rest of your life"

--Geroge Carlin

Relaxed Weekend of Randomness

I often feel like the most random of things may happen to me more than the next person, and this past weekend is a decent example. I had absolutely nothing planned for this past weekend, which was amazing. That’s not totally true because my calendar had two very important things that were going on: Dave Matthews was playing in Dallas and the Kentucky Derby. At one point in time I had full intentions on going to one or the other, but couldn’t find anyone to ride with me to either so I just decided to stay in the LBK and relax.

Our friend Will Smith (real name, not black) came in from Midland to have sort of a last hurrah before he takes off to Norfolk, VA. He has signed a contract to a huge Sail Boat for a full year. I tried on my first pair of Sperry TopSiders about 8 years ago, since then this is pretty much been my dream job. Will is my new hero, and I will be making a trip to Norfolk for a weekend of sailing.

We did it up right for Popeye, took him out on the town, introduced him to some ladies, had a late night concert at the house, pool tournament, and even included a home cooked breakfast at around 5:45 a.m. I think he was kind of glad when his Last Hurrah was finally over.

Saturday did not come early because we had already seen a good part of it, but we did need to prepare ourselves for the greatest 2 minutes in sports, the Kentucky Derby. I wanted to be there so bad, and once again I made a promise to myself that next year I will. My horse “Nowhere to Hide” apparently had a Friday night similar to mine because he was moving sloooooowwww finishing 17th of 19. However, I did get to live the Derby vicariously through my buddy Cade “Walker” Culver (see picture) who did make the trip, and to quote him “had the best time at any sporting even, ever.” You can’t tell me this doesn’t scream awesome, and I will be there next year!

That evening at dinner, we ran into some old friends that had placed a large wager on the 50-1 Mine that Bird, and were chartering a Jet to Vegas that left at 11 p.m. and came home Sunday afternoon, and wanted us to go. We had about 20 minutes to decide, and declined (Idiots!) knowing that come Monday we would be absolutely worthless zombies. Besides, private Jet rides to Vegas come around all the time (Idiots!).

Sunday might have been the nicest day so far this year. About 75 degrees with no wind and we played a really fun but confusing round of golf. There were 5 of us: Rick, Greg, Sam, Greg, Greg (not kidding). Every single hole someone would say “Greg,” and three of us would answer. I three-putted my way through a 7 ½ hour round, but did win money in the Wolf game.

The weekend turned out to be wonderful and jam pact that as usual, did not last long enough. I did feel great on Monday, but can’t help but wonder what Vegas would have turned up. Ahhh well, there’s always next weekend!

Hoopla Weekend

This past weekend me and 3 of my WannaBe Hoop Superstar friends participated in the 3 on 3 competitive Hoopla tournament in Midland, TX. This was our chance to relive the ole glory days and show everyone that just because we are 8 years removed from High School, we could still play some ball.

We arrived in Midland around midday Friday, got some lunch and went straight to the golf course. Looking back, we probably should have found a gym, did some drills, come up with some plays, or just actually shot a basketball, but the tournament was double elimination, and we were already talking about a post championship celebration. Plus there were three different brackets: The Couch Potatoes, The Rec League, and the All Stars. We decided to sandbag it and go with the Rec League. We hit the bed around 1 a.m. because we had to play at 8:30.

They decided that our team name should be Big John’s Sons. I never found out who John was or why we were his sons, but here is a scouting report of our team:

Big Mitch: 6’2 - 226 lbs. Former Howe Bull Dog 2A All Star.

Pros: Silky smooth left hander, Great Looking shot and intimidating facial features. Superb trash talking abilities and great shot blocker.

Cons: Can only block shots and talk trash. Plays zero defense and does not rebound. Bad knees and ankles and left his dribbling abilities back in Howe,TX.

Sambone: 6’2 – 208 lbs. Former Clarendon Bronco 2A All Star

Pros: Good all-a-round ball player. Can shoot outside and take it down low.

Cons: Terrible haircut that resembles a cross between Elvis and the crazy Indian from Dances with Wolves. Sweats a lot

Big Willy: (Team Captain) 6’9 – 245 lbs. Former High School All State, Played College Basketball

Pros: He’s 6’9, just get him the ball.

Cons: Gets extremely emotional in intense situations, yells at teammates.

Crop Duster: 6’0 – 180 lbs. Former High School 2nd Team Wannabe

Pros: Great Hair

Cons: Bad ankles. Slow as Christmas



Big John’s Sons arrive to the courts at 8:32 a.m. and the game started at 8:34 a.m. We played what appeared to be a group of short, un-athletic chumps. We were losing 12 – 6 before we finally made a few shots and snuck by with a win. It finally occurs to us that we may have a short day and quick exit ahead. We were not wrong. We quickly lost the next game where we were severely over matched by another group of un-athletic looking chumps. The third game was a small victory because we played a Ninja, a third grade girl, and a 75 yr old in a wheel chair. Our final dagger was next sent by a really good team that had special powers. They passed the ball around for an open shot, set screens, worked pick and rolls, played good defense, and rebounded. We were stunned by their super powers, so we let them win.

The rest of the day was spent Chillaxing by Big Willy’s parents (Bill and Tammy) pool, where we enjoyed ice cold beverages and ice cold water to soak our muscles, joints, tendons, ligaments and everything else that can ache on a body. We reflected on the day, the good, the bad, and the terrible basketball we displayed. It was evident that we weren’t 18 anymore, but with some practice, extensive running, and some mild weight training, we could definitely take the Rec League title next year. Bedtime 8:15 p.m.

Sunday. After a good breakfast and 4 Advil, Sambone and myself played golf with Bill. Big Willy doesn’t play and Big Mitch said “Dude, I cannot move.” It was a beautiful sunny day with just a little wind, and it was great to be outside. In about 75 strokes from me, 80 something from Sambone, a few cold ones, a great chicken salad sandwich, and 2 club throws, we decided a couple things. #1. Golf is way easier on the body than basketball #2. We are going to dominate the Couch Potato bracket next year…

You Talkin to Me?!

Last night I had a startling revelation. When was the last time (not work related) a telephone rang, and it was for me? I am speaking of a telephone. I moved off to college in 2001 and have lived without one ever since thanks to my cell phone. It is crazy to think of something being such a staple in our lives at one time, to just a few years later being almost non-existent. Will cell phones totally take the place of the “land” line, even in the business world? Of course they will. The phone line repairman, who wears the cool hard hats and gets to go for a ride in that bucket arm attached to his truck, will soon join the likes of the chimney sweepers and milk men.

Here’s some breaking news for you: The cell phone (texting) and the computer (email) are going to be the absolute demise of our communication skills. I will not lie, I am certainly guilty on all accounts here. It is so much easier to fire off a text message or shoot an email than it is to actually talk to someone, right? Sure seems backwards, but lately I have sent way more texts and emails than I have made phone calls. Kind of makes you wonder where it goes from here.

I read where 1992 was the year the first text message was sent, and there were somewhat of 1 million sent that year. Apparently there are about 200 times that sent, per day now. The thing I like about the good ole TM, is that you get right to the point and do not have to worry about the chit chat that goes along with, you know, a normal conversation. This is especially noted in my (and every other single dude I know) dating life. I can not tell you how many dates/movies/happy hours/concerts I have set up through a T-bomb, and that’s a terrible thing to say because I know that girls get very annoyed by this. They want the sweet guy to call them, and charm them, and beg them, but a simple “Hey! Blue Light 1030 Josh Abbott Gonna be awesome!” is so much easier! Probably why I’m single…

Yesterday I received 42 messages by email. 10 Junk, 8 Forwards, 5 reminders, you get the point, but I can count on one hand the hand written letters or cards I received in 2008. About a year ago, I watched a documentary on Ronald Reagan. It talked about how great he was a writing letters, and how letter writing was a lost art. This fascinated me to the point where I decided I would occasionally hand write a letter to someone. I sent out maybe 7 in 2008, which was about 7 more than the previous 5 years combined. It takes more time and effort, but can be more effective than 20 emails put together.

Long story, short. Pick up your phone and call someone. Ask them about their day or maybe even just call to say hi. If someone did something nice for you, get out a sheet of paper and pen, and write to them about how thankful you are of their generosity. Let’s try and keep our quality communication skills in tact before we turn into “text messaging/email shooting introverted zombies.” It will be for the better… ttyl

Wedding in Paradise

This past weekend we married off one of my closest friends Randy “Dino” Miller in the town of Paradise, TX (population 37), and man was it a treat. They had an outside wedding at her (Jacquline Sanford Miller) parent’s place, which is a fantastic place about 8 miles off the highway literally out in the middle of nowhere.

I arrived Friday afternoon after getting lost twice, even with the help of a detailed direction sheet and a GPS device. Dino and I relaxed while the family hastily finished up the last minute things that needed to be done for the wedding (these last minute things naturally lasted right up until the wedding). Right before the rehearsal I informed Dino that I had purchased two Southwest tickets to Vegas for the both of us just incase he needed to bail. He pondered… and declined.

Before we left to go to the Rehearsal dinner, where I was to give my Best Man’s speech, he informed me that I was allowed to bring up “What ever I wanted.” This was extremely brave on his part, and I thought about burying him so that we could make our Vegas flight. He was more nervous about that speech than I was, and I had prepared three different versions of it. Jacquline is a wonderful person and friend, so I decided to give the “nice” one. Wedding still on. We finished the night with a late night Jam session that ended about 3 am.

Saturday, the Big day, was spent on more last minute things. I’ve been apart of many weddings, but never exactly right in the middle of the pandemonium, and I quickly learned why you should only get married once. The amount of time, money, and effort alone spent on a wedding could drive anybody insane. Everything got finished just in time, and the wedding was on. It was perfect and even included a small rain shower that kept us from getting hot in our suits.

The reception was glorious, equipped with great food and wonderful beverages. I got to catch up with some friends that I haven’t seen, play a Blue Edmondson song that I didn’t screw up too bad, and of course show off my great dancing skills (great might of been a bad choice in adjectives). After we sent the newlyweds off, we danced til very late in the evening.

The Bit

At every single one of my friends and family’s weddings I am always asked the dreaded question “When are you getting married” at least a couple times. It’s usually a 50 something year old mother of one of my friends. I decided that it would be hilarious to respond with a straight face “I’m Gay.” I had to find the right person or it just would not work. The first three were either from Grandmothers or ladies I did not know very well, so I did not go through with it. It was almost 2 am, after I had pretty much given up on the idea when the stars aligned, and I got a hangin curve ball right down the center of the plate. I was country dancing with a mother of one of my friends when the 5 words came out that I had been waiting for all evening. I was caught off guard and almost starting laughing right then, but I composed myself and replied with a straight faced “I’m Gay.” Her reaction was what appeared to be a combination of a heart attack and a seizure. It was priceless. One of my buddies who knew about the Bit was sitting close by and realized that I had successfully pulled it off, so he started laughing and I just lost it. When she finally came to, I think she thought it was funny and took it really well. The bit was a success, and I should probably retire it, but who knows.

All in All, it was a great weekend. Dino is now married to a great girl, and is on a huge cruise ship out in the Caribbean right now. I wish nothing but the absolute best for him and his new wife, and look forward to the great times we can share in the future. On my glorious drive back to Lubbock today I have decided a few things that I want to keep in mind once I find a girl that is insane enough to marry me: 1. Eloping has more advantages than just being quick and easy. 2. Do not undervalue the predictability of an inside wedding…

The Road Goes on Forever and …….

I will be headed out this afternoon to the North Dallas area for the wedding of one of my best friends in the world, Dino. I will give a wrap up of the wedding when I get back. I am planning on a hilarious bit*, and we will see how it goes.

I don’t know if you have ever had the pleasure of driving from Lubbock to Dallas, but it is the most fantastic 5 ½ hours of your life. Actually I rather cut my leg off with a dull pocket knife to free myself from Bear trap than to make that drive. Not really, but it is boring and very not-scenic. I estimate that I have driven it back and forth somewhere around 125 times in my seven years here, and that is somewhere around 40,000 miles. I get asked all the time, “Hey man, you are here (Dallas) all the time. Why don’t you just move back?” Actually I don’t have the time to write an answer to that question.

Let’s just say that in Lubbock, I’m only 5 ½ hours from Dallas, and while I detest the drive, it is only 5 ½ hours. After say the 80th time to make the drive, it’s just something you accept. I actually don’t even think much of it when I start out for Dallas. I get in what I call the driving to Dallas zone, and I pretty much all but go to sleep. I’ll come to, from time to time, just to make sure that I haven’t missed an exit or to find that Gatorade bottle to relieve myself, of course I do not stop.

It’s the drive back to Lubbock that is the worst. I am usually so tired (and yes sometimes hung-over) that I can’t get into my zone because of the fear of actually going to sleep. I can never find the right song to listen to, the wind is always blowing me all over the road, the sun is right in my eyes because I took too long to finally leave, and the Semi-Trucks always block the road driving at a dawdling pace of 65 mph! I usually hate myself at this time for ever going back to Dallas in the first place.

At about Seymour, TX (halfway), I always vow to myself that I will not make that atrocious drive for at least one month, maybe even two, or three! and if I do maybe I'll just fly next time. When I finally make it to my house, I do not unload one thing from my car. I just jump right into bed and think how great it’s going to be to not have to deal with that stupid drive for a long, long time. This is until the next morning, when I usually get an email from my buddy Smitty saying “Hey Man, Dave (insert any rock band here) is coming to town in two weeks!” and roadtrip #127 has just been planned…



* Bit- a bit is a plot, usually comical, where one person is doing or saying something that the other party thinks is real but actually it is not. It’s a joke.

Masters Sunday

The final round of the Masters golf tournament was held today. This is my recap and some general information on this tournament. Mostly for those who don’t watch, care about, or know much of anything about golf and are wondering what all the talk is about around the water cooler.


A Brief Background of Augusta National and The Masters Golf Tournament

First and foremost The Masters is played in at the Augusta National Golf Course in Augusta Georgia. This golf course is the holy shrine of holy shrines of golf courses, and probably one of the toughest courses in the world. If you polled every golfer on the planet and gave them one golf course to play before they died 95% would say Augusta National (the other 5% are liars).

The Masters Tournament is one of the 4 Major Golf Tournaments on the PGA tour, and this was the 75th year to be in existence. It is the Mecca of all golf tournaments, and what we all dreamed about winning when we were younger. The winner receives about $1.3 Million, a trophy, a green jacket, and above all else the title “Masters Champion” will precede his name every time he is introduced for the rest of his life. A win at this Tournament would be like winning a Powerball Lottery to a regular person, except for the fact that it actually lasts a lifetime.


A Layman’s 2009 Masters Recap


The Players

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson (both who have won) were the favorites coming into the Tournament on Thursday. They struggled the three days and were about 6 shots out of the lead entering the final day today and were paired together (Meaning they were playing together).

Kenny Perry and Angel Cabrera (both looking for their first Master’s win) were in the lead the final day and paired together.

Chad Campbell (no Master’s wins), from Andrews Texas (West Texas USA) was a few shots back starting the day. This shy looking, over weight golfer was who we were rooting for!

All the other golfers in the field are irrelevant to this story, except for Todd Hamilton (from Plano, TX) who is getting a bit old and probably about to lose his card (not going to play on the PGA Tour) finished a solid tied for 15th and a decent $131,250 for his efforts. Nicely done Sir!


The Final Day

Phil Mickelson gets out of the box at an incredible pace, shooting a tournament record 30 (six under par) on the front nine. He gets to within one shot of the leaders when he proceeds to hit an unbelievably terrible shot into the water on the par 3 12th hole. It was not that long of a hole (only 154 yards) and Phil has played it a million times. It brings up a great question that we have to ask Phil from time to time, “What in the hell were you thinking!!??” He made double bogey 5 and never recovered, finishing 5th.

Tiger never really had his game together all week, and struggled again on Sunday. This is pretty hilarious because even playing bad for Tiger all week he still finished tied for 6th and $243,000 richer (pocket change for Tiger). Had Tiger of been playing just average for Tiger he probably would have won. If he’d of been playing good he would have won by 8 shots.

Chad Campbell turned it on today (played great golf) and finished the 72 hole tournament tied for the lead. My thoughts are “He is Texan, he will win the playoff.”

Angel Cabrera (from Argentina) was my least favorite starting the round until the commentators mentioned the fact that he was truly a great person to be around, and that he goes out of his way to send tons of money back to Argentina for schools and underprivileged children. So now we are rooting for him as well. He finishes tied for the lead also.

Kenny Perry at forty-nine years old, overweight, and is trying to become the oldest golfer to ever win the Masters. He is also known as the nicest guy on the PGA Tour and you can tell this in his interviews. He played very solid and had a two shot lead going into the 17th. He proceeded to go bogey, bogey on the 17th and 18th to lose his lead. I don’t know if it was his nerves or that he needed an Ensure and a hot pack, but he choked like a dog!

It came down to a very exciting 3 man playoff with the Argentine taking home the Green Jacket after Campbell and Perry basically gave away the tournament. It should be noted that the amount of pressure that these guys went through is not really even imaginable and I am sure cannot be put into words. It was a fantastic tournament and took up the better part of my weekend.

I followed up The Masters as I do every year with a practice session out at the local golf course’s putting and chipping green. I’ve decided in twenty three years I could be forty-nine and playing a final round at The Masters. I’ll be overweight and exhausted, but you can bet I’ll be sure to pack the Ensure and hot pack…

Dusting #1

I am not a conformist.

I take a considerable amount of pride in doing things on my own, in my own way. I hate instruction manuals. I get an extreme amount of satisfaction in putting together a computer desk without the 15 step guide. Even if it takes me two days, three nights, and a War and Peace novel to keep it level. I do not get this from my Mom, she actually reads those things for fun (true statement).

I kid.

However, thanks to my dear brother jumping on the Blogging board, and crazy amounts of pressure from others (not really), it is time that I start my Blogging adventure. I do this not even knowing what a Blog is, who came up with it, or what the crap it stands for. It actually reminds me of something that comes from the nasal cavity.

I have nothing planned about what my goal or intentions are for this Blog, maybe they will change from time to time. Maybe it will be about The World According to Greg (that is just ridiculous, sorry I wrote that). Probably just about experiences, people, and the occasional random thoughts that float through my head from time to time. I seriously doubt it will be serious, seriously. I hope it will share a bit more about me that you may not know and above all bring some humor into the lives of my friends and family (or the occasional internet surfer who is supposed to be working).

I will warn you.

I have serious problems with spelling, grammar, punctuation and anything else that has to do with English, Language Arts or Literature. I thank the good Lord everyday for Microsoft Word and the wonderful red and green squiggly lines under misspelled words and run-on sentences. I would be better off had I spent more time reading Owners Manuals or books like War and Peace…