The Blogfather

We Truly did have a great day celebrating Maddies birthday. The theme was horses and western as you will be able to tell from the pics. She is the light of our lives and has made us both better people. I love being a father... Click on the pictures to enlarge.









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GOOD NEWS:

I got a huge raise yesterday and it was about time. I had another job offer and turned in my resignation, but my current employer would have none of it and then beat the heck out of that offer. I will tell the whole story later, I swear it is like straight out of a soap opera or something(maybe not).

BAD NEWS:

I rear-ended some idiot who decided to get in front of me and slam on his breaks when everyone else was going 70 on the interstate. I think I totaled my car, and I'm not feeling to great. I think I will be okay. I was thinking of a new car anyway.
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It's football time. Two fantasy games this year. I hope you have time to join these groups, and talk some trash about your teams/players. Questions to mattwisner at gmail dot com...

NFL Salary Cap Football
In order to join the group, just go to the game front page and click on the "Sign Up" button to create a team. After completing registration, or if you already have a team, click the "Create or Join Group" button and follow the path to join an existing private group. Then, when prompted, enter the following information...

Group ID#: 4441
Password: sooners

College Football Pick'em (against the spread!)
In order to join the group, just go to College Football Pick'em, click the "Sign Up" button (or "Create or Join Group" if you are a returning user). From there, follow the path to join an existing private group and when prompted, enter the following information...

Group ID#: 4429
Password: sooners

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After Monday I promise to tell the complete story. I can just say that there is a big shake up on the horizon for my life. I have also been getting ready for the big B-day party for Maddie. Tomorrow is the day. The big 2! I can’t believe how fast she has grown, and I can’t believe how much I have changed. Sorry for the limited posting this week, maybe next week will be better.

Sports Corner:

The Sooners name Paul Thompson as the starting quarterback for game one; however it looks like Rhett Bomar will get plenty of playing time.

Do you believe Lance Armstrong?
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Although Mack's picture is amusing, I can't stand for it to sit at the top of this blog. So how about this.
Adrian Peterson says "You better pack a lunch Mack".
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What a dork!
I can’t believe that Mack would allow this to be published. When I first saw this I thought it was a joke, but this is a real publication. It is great for Sooner fans. I am willing to bet there is a copy of this picture on every locker in the Switzer center come OU/Texas week.
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Google is stepping up to the plate to compete with AOL Instant Messenger and Yahoo Messenger. It seems that Google talk will have some VOIP involved as well. Someone may know more details about that aspect than me.

Check out Google talk(if you dare). Caution! Clicking on this link could make you susceptible to becoming a Google addict like me.
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Today has been a challenge to my patience. Sometimes I really hate this job. Today has been extra-ordinarily stressful. I don't say much about work for some reason, but let me tell you it sucks today. Oh well, sometimes it is good. My problem is that I can not stand to be held back from doing what is best for the company. When I feel like someone is getting in the way of progress I take it too personally. I don't know why, but I buy into my projects and they become like an obsession for me. Wish I could give details, but I think that could be a risk. What do you think?

What was your worst day at work in the last month?

What was your best?

I ask myself and my employee's these questions at least once a quarter.
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Horses will be the them for Maddies second birthday party!!! I can't wait until Saturday. I have some fun stuff in the works and I will tell if it pans out. She is so much fun at this age. She talked to my Moms who lives in Indiana on the phone on Saturday, it was very cute. I'm sure we will have plenty of pics to post of the party. Giddy-up!

Sports Corner:

OU still hasn't named a starter at quarterback... I think it will be Paul Thompson.

What do you think about the recent death in the NFL. Doctor's have said that a man of Thomas Herrion's height should have weighed in at 210 pounds instead of the 310+ the he did at the time of his death. Is it healthy for a man to carry around that kind of weight even if it is mostly muscle? The topic is interesting to me as I am 6 foot 4 inches and around 300 pounds. Should the NFL take any action? What?

Cedric Benson still hasn't signed his contract. Could he go into next years draft?

11 days until KICKOFF! Sweet Chickens!
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Tiger takes his fifth tournament of the year in fine fashion on Sunday afternoon. I had a great lazy Sunday hanging with Maddie and watching golf. What do you think about Tiger leaving the PGA Championship before it was over. I think that he along with everyone else knew that there was no way the whole field was going to drop to two under. I think that the media convinced everyone of that possibility so that they could have a story. Reality was that there was no way for Tiger to end up in a playoff. That's my two cents.

Work is going to be crazy this week for several reasons. So I am off to pull my hair out! Oh yeah I don't have any...

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No updates yesterday... that’s a first for about a month. Work has been ludicrous and I had to take a second job to raise some funds for the budget if you know what I mean. So today was supposed to be a relaxing day, then I looked out at the jungle that was my front yard you know the rest of that story. A wedding shower this afternoon followed by a shopping trip. The wife says I need new shoes, and that she is going to burn my old ones! Whatever!

I am still looking for some contributors over on the sooner blog to join Nixon and myself. Let me know if your interested mattwisner at gmail dot com.
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It's football time. Two fantasy games this year. I hope you have time to join these groups, and talk some trash about your teams/players. Questions to mattwisner at gmail dot com...

NFL Salary Cap Football
In order to join the group, just go to the game front page and click on the "Sign Up" button to create a team. After completing registration, or if you already have a team, click the "Create or Join Group" button and follow the path to join an existing private group. Then, when prompted, enter the following information...

Group ID#: 4441
Password: sooners

College Football Pick'em (against the spread!)
In order to join the group, just go to College Football Pick'em, click the "Sign Up" button (or "Create or Join Group" if you are a returning user). From there, follow the path to join an existing private group and when prompted, enter the following information...

Group ID#: 4429
Password: sooners
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I had mentioned yesterday that I paid $2.39 for gas. Well, it's a good thing because it was $2.57 when I drove by today. Freakin' ridiculous!

Nickie Goomba has a good post on the Sheehan fiasco.
The guys from Iraq the Model say it best!

Ma'am, we asked for your nation's help and we asked you to stand with us in our war and your nation's act was (and still is) an act of ultimate courage and unmatched sense of humanity.Our request is justified, death was our daily bread and a million Iraqi mothers were expecting death to knock on their doors at any second to claim someone from their families.Your face doesn't look strange to me at all; I see it everyday on endless numbers of Iraqi women who were struck by losses like yours.

I am off to catch a nap(don't ask)...
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If you tuned into Tuesday nights episode of Big Brother 6 then you witnessed one of the biggest back-stabbings in the history of the show. It was enough to make a reality nut like me giddy. Everything you could ask for in a good drama was all wrapped up in one pretty little episode.

The many lies of Jenny confound the Sovereign Alliance as the sanctimonious Friendship Alliance show their true grit, deceiving, debasing and welching on their word to nominate James for eviction. Instead, they place Kaysar on the block after Rachel wins the Power of Veto in a coaster-toss competition and saves herself.

So Kaysar cuts a deal with Jennifer to put her in the HOH room, and she puts his tail up on the block. You could tell by watching that James knew for sure that he was going up. When Jennifer announced that she was nominating Kaysar instead, the look on James face was priceless. James has won the veto 3 or 4 times and now that he was all set up to be given the pass through the back door, he convinces everyone that Kaysar is more of a threat.


Do you think James will vote to evict Kasar or Janelle? Who goes? Who would you like to see win HOH for the next round?

I am pulling for James to win HOH. The squirming and positioning would be hilarious

Cross-posted on 40 hours of TV
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Hat tip to Gizmodo for this one!

I wish they would have had one of these when I was playing!

Buckets of Gatorade and sideline misting machines may keep hulking 350-plus-pound linemen from overheating on blistering Sundays, but nothing cools down a guy's sweaty giblets like this patented three-speed airflow cup. Relax. Its powerful blower is crash-test rated and automatically shuts down should the ol' MVP come close to suffering a career-ending grazing.

Check out other Gridiron Gadgets at sync

Such as the:

Ricky Williams GPS Tracker
"Frontgating" Griller
Hot Dog Condiment Caulk Gun
Inflatable Fans
The THC Breathe-Right Strip

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This time last year it only took $15 to fill up my car(02 Grand Am). I know that Oklahoma is well below the national average, but this is getting a little ridiculous. I paid $2.39 a gallon this morning, my Mom in Indiana said it was up to $2.69 there yesterday.

It is time to start tapping the resources that we do have available (Alaska)!

How much is gas in your neck of the woods?
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Due to the aforementioned date night I missed Big Brother on Saturday night. I gather from my reading that Jennifer won the "pressure cooker" HOH competition. Something about a dead catfish and a martini bar?? She then proceeded to break her word to Kaysar and nominated two of his buddies Janelle and Rachel. There is talk about trying to take James out via the backdoor. I will be watching on Tuesday night.
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For the second time in as many years Lefty wins a major tournament. In my opinion, there isn't a more deserving person on the tour. This is also his second career major win.

AP - Aug 15, 11:29 am SPRINGFIELD, N.J. (AP) -- Phil Mickelson delivered another dramatic finish in a major on Monday, flopping a chip out of deep rough to 2 feet for a birdie on the final hole and a one-shot victory in the PGA Championship.

If you can believe it Tiger Woods finishes tied for 4th after coming dangerously close to missing the cut on Friday. Read more!

The PGA championship was postponed until this morning due to weather. It was getting really interesting on Sunday afternoon, as the field was dropping shots right and left. Tiger came in at two under and it began to look like the rest of the field might drop to that number before all was said and done. With some rest and completely different playing conditions it looks like that won't be the case. It should be fun! Read more!

In order to join my group, just go to College Football Pick'em, click the "Sign Up" button (or "Create or Join Group" if you are a returning user). From there, follow the path to join an existing private group and when prompted, enter the following information...

Group ID#: 4429
Password: sooners Read more!

Its been a while since the wife and I have had the opportunity to spend sometime together without Maddie. It was great. We decided to send Maddie to the parents house, order some takeout, and rent a movie. We ate Mexican food and watched Million Dollar Baby. I am still recovering from the impact of the movie. It was very thought provoking. Maybe there will be a review in the future.

Tiger made up a little ground today shooting four under. Lefty is still in the lead. We will see what happens tomorrow.

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40 hours of television has taken me on as a contributor. Whats wrong with those guys, huh?

We will be covering the impact of the media on our lives as well as our society. It is a great concept, and since I probably watch 40 hours of the boob tube every week (well maybe every two weeks) I should fit right in.

I will add a link under blogfather blogs on your right! Read more!

Jason White hangs up his cleats. Story on the Sooner Football blog!
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Tiger Woods +5 on Thursday. Phil Mickelson -5 on Friday.

SPRINGFIELD, N.J. -- Phil Mickelson gave himself breathing room at the PGA Championship on Friday, shooting a 5-under 65 that broke a logjam at the top of the leaderboard.

Tiger could possible miss the cut at the PGA Championship. He needs to get to around 2 under and is currently at 6 under.

We will see...
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Sooner Football, one of the most important pass times of my life is ready to get some real blogging love. I have added a link in the sidebar if you would like to keep up with that site from here.

I am still looking for contributors if any of you okies out there would like to share your superior opinions about sooner football, or the big 12 please let me know... mattwisner at gmail dot com

Boomer Sooner!
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Farewell to Sarah. For a moment we thought that she had a chance, but not so in the end. However, I did enjoy seeing Ivette sweet bullets, as she thought that she had been taken for a ride. Everyone took my advice and voted Kaysar back into the house. Sweet! We will see if he and James work things out or not. I don’t know what it is about me, but I am always pulling for the underdog. I would like to see James wreak some more havoc in the house before they finally get to him, which they inevitably will. The HOH competition was a cliff-hanger so we don’t know who won it yet. It was a great concept. The design was to see who can hang on to a button the longest with boxes that will release something every time someone drops off. The fist box Big Brother opened had flies. It was hilarious to watch Beau squirm around, what a wuss. Saturday night we find out who won Head of Household and who they will put up.

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In order to join my group, just go to College Football Pick'em, click the "Sign Up" button (or "Create or Join Group" if you are a returning user). From there, follow the path to join an existing private group and when prompted, enter the following information...

Group ID#: 4429
Password: sooners
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Tiger shot a five over 75 in the first round of the PGA Championship. This is the furthest back after a first round he has ever been. He's not out, but this dosen't look good.

Tiger says:

"It was very frustrating but I held my patience and grinded all day," he said. "I tried to stay patient all day and now I have three days to get back in the tournament." Full story

The way things are looking he is going to need all three days to get back into it!

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What was this guy thinking?

(AP) OKLAHOMA CITY An explosive device was found in a passenger’s carryon bag as the man passed through a checkpoint, and federal agents arrested him, the FBI said Thursday

More Here!

This story is disturbing considering the history Oklahoma City has with domestic terrorism. The story claims the man is from Norman. I'm getting sick of idiot's.

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Today is the start of the PGA. The last of this years four majors. Tiger has already taken two of the three previous majors this year. It is hard to pick against Tiger. I think he wins, but I wouldn't throw Vijay out of the race. Sergio Garcia is due for a win at some point so watch out for him as well. More on this later.

Who do you pick going in??
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She is a pretty good helper!
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Sparks were flying as the house settled in on the fact that Howie put James and Sarah up for eviction. All they had to do was to ensure that James dosen’t get the power of veto, and their plan works perfectly. Freakin’ Idiots! James either through dumb luck or muscle pulls out the veto and stays another week. Ivette feeling that she is safe begins to piss other people off in the house and Howie sticks her up on the block. So there is an outside possibility that this week ends with James and Sarah still in the house. I think James wins HOH next week and the payback begins. Don’t forget to vote for Kaysar.
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I have been listening to and reading a good deal of discussion about this issue and have came to the conclusion that the NCAA has lost some marbles.

Two great posts on this subject:

Tran Sient's Watch

Well, if that isn't the most idiotic ruling I have ever heard. If your team makes the NCAA basketball tournament, you must change your name. I can't wait to see the Florida State Grapefruits.

Nickie Goomba

Has anybody asked Indian Tribal Councils if they are offended? I bet the only people offended are freshman college girls and liberal-progressive white people.

Here is my take on the deal, if "Indian" is an offensive mascot, than what about the "Cowboys". I mean isn't it the same thing. The wording of the ruling says that the NCAA is outlawing anything that is "Hostile or Abusive". In my opinion "cowboys" could be hostile (not to mention the fact that I despise OSU). Let’s also take the "Sooners" for example. The term "Sooner" is the epitome of hostile. I mean they were cheaters and abused the system by running early. I'm just saying when will it stop? If peta gets involved we may lose all animal names too.

A list of all the schools to be effected after the jump...



Below are the affected schools:
Alcorn State University (Braves)
Central Michigan University (Chippewas)
Catawba College (Indians)
Florida State University (Seminoles)
Midwestern State University (Indians)
University of Utah (Utes)
Indiana University-Pennsylvania (Indians)
Carthage College (Redmen)
Bradley University (Braves)
Arkansas State University (Indians)
Chowan College (Braves)
University of Illinois-Champaign (Illini)
University of Louisiana-Monroe (Indians)
McMurry University (Indians)
Mississippi College (Choctaws)
Newberry College (Indians)
University of North Dakota (Fighting Sioux)
Southeastern Oklahoma State University (Savages)
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Maddies newest saying is "Yee Haw"
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In order to join the group, just go to College Football Pick'em, click the "Sign Up" button (or "Create or Join Group" if you are a returning user). From there, follow the path to join an existing private group and when prompted, enter the following information...

Group ID#: 4429
Password: sooners
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I am having Maddie withdraws after spending the whole weekend playing and such. We truly did have a great weekend. We went to the church picnic, went and fed Blake and Sadie(pops dogs) a dozen times, and watched Shrek 2 and Shark Tales what seemed like a dozen times. I will post some pictures of the picnic soon. I have only been at work for four hours, but I am sure missing her. Read more!

40 hours of Television

When it comes to reality television, a question to ask is, "how real is it all?" Some would argue that there's nothing "real" about it at all, considering how shows have teams of story editors and producers who take the footage, craft a narrative, and even at times create the conflict between contestants.

Good Question!
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I am completely shocked that Howie put Sarah and James for eviction. I knew that sparks were going to fly this week, but I had no idea that Howie would go for the jugular like he did. James and Sarah had that "deer in the headlights" look on their faces. I am still pulling for Howie I just thought that he would do better with James and Sarah in the house for now. So I guess we will see. I can't wait to see all the reaction to this on Tuesday night.

Howie was entertaining as usual he entered his HOH room saying, "I wanna say congratulations to me!"

The food competition caused me to laugh out loud. What a great concept. It was funny how Janelle played it like she was getting after it even though she was not. The PB&J Pass is defiantly adding some extra laughs to the show this season.

You can still vote in America's Choice.
Vote for Pedro! I mean Kaysar!

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In order to join the group, just go to College Football Pick'em, click the "Sign Up" button (or "Create or Join Group" if you are a returning user). From there, follow the path to join an existing private group and when prompted, enter the following information...

Group ID#: 4429
Password: sooners
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I find it difficult to believe, but I have been blogging here since January of this year and have now reached the 100th post milestone, if you will. This has been an enjoyable experience. Granted some of my first posts were weak to say the least. Okay some of the recent ones have lacked as well. However, I am learning little by little and my interest in writing is beginning to peak some. It is a good release for me. It also provides a channel for me to let my family and friends know what’s going on in my life and in the lives of those closest to me.

Things around here have changed significantly since I begun. I have changed my Template design twice and also added number of other objects and features. I am digging the new look so much better than the old one. I am starting to explore hosting my blog off of Blogger, but haven’t gotten too far. Blogger is cool for now.

I know it is a very eclectic blog, and I am still trying to find my focus. But for now, I am just writing about what is interesting to me, and what is going on around me.

Some people have asked me why I named the blog “The Blogfather”. There are two reasons. Number one I am a father, and I wanted a place to put down my experiences as such. Being that I am new father it just seemed fitting as this is the central theme of who I am right now. Number two, I love the movie The Godfather.

Thanks to everyone who has read, commented, answered questions, and given advice along the way. You guys rock!
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Think twice before you drink five cups of coffee in one morning. Especially when you’ve become accustomed to one or two cups a day. Trust me! Read more!

Big Brother 6 contestant Kaysar gets the boot, and like I called it Howie wins the HOH competition. This week promises to be full of funny moments as Howie takes the reigns as HOH.

Big Brother revealed the newest twist in their sixth season last night. All of the houseguests who have been voted off are now eligible to be voted back in, by YOU. That’s right America’s Choice on who goes back into the house. You can vote for Kaysar here.

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I just realized that it is Thursday and that means that tonight either Kaysar or Janelle will be leaving BB6. My how time does fly. I guess I got caught up in the fact that practice is starting today. Oh yeah, and it is raining. We sure do need the rain. Maybe it will cool things down around here. Read more!

Circa Bellum posted two great letters that are worth a read. Some planes fly real low early one morning. Then some jerk writes the air force base about it. The way that the Lt. Col. responded to his letter is spot on. I love the structure of the response. Read it here.

Jim Traber has some thoughts about the upcoming season. Opinions on the Sooners and the Cowgirls.

Christian Games anyone?

Now I must get some work done. Read more!

It is officially here. The start of the 2005 football season, and it couldn't come any sooner for me. This also means that today is the start of the long awaited battle for the starting quarterback position at OU. Who will emerge as the starting quarterback for the Sooners? I think that Rhett Bomar will be a great player in his time, but I have to give my nod to the experience that Paul Thompson brings to the table. I think that Paul will provide the type of leadership that can only come from the experience that he has. The rumor mill is grinding on the fact that the third player in the race, Tommy Grady will be transferring after two-a-days. Grady is a great player in his own right, but it will be hard for him to compete with Bomar and Thompson.

This from Soonersports

The ability level is so high among the three that any could likely step in and play well. The question mark lies in experience and leadership. Grady and Thompson have seen only late-game duty, while Bomar, one of the nation’s top-rated prospects in 2003, has yet to take a college snap.

Let me know who you think will win the job.
out...
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Sad News...

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- A toddler girl suffered two gunshot wounds from Los Angeles police -- one of them blowing out most of her brain -- during officers' standoff with her father last month, an autopsy report concluded.

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Was Jimmy Hendrix gay?

Nickie Goomba has an interesting cartoon.

Huge Toronto plane crash and everyone survives.

Oil Prices are skyrocketing. Crap!

40 hours has a cool piece on the new show Meet Mister Mom.

Sooner football practice starts Thursday. Season Previews Read more!

So while I was on vacation Big Brother 6 took the turn that I was hoping it would. Mr. Meathead aka Cappy aka Eric had the tables turned on him and was sent packing. This development created a split down the middle of the house which has made for some juicy drama in the house this week. Revenge and strategy all mixed up with a thriller of a veto competition. All said, Kaysar and Janelle end up on the block facing eviction Thursday night. I think Kaysar hits the door and I hope that my boy Howie wins HOH.

Check out all the recaps here.

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Some of the better players I drafted...
Drew Brees
Randy Moss
Reggie Wayne
Ronnie Brown
Dallas Clark
The draft was decent considering the fact that there were 20 teams involved. I am pretty weak at Running Back.


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Palmeiro Busted

As a rule I don't typically comment on things that I'm not polished up on. Today I am breaking that rule. (steps up onto soap box) Let’s take baseball for instance. I hate baseball. I don’t really know why I hate it, but I do. Maybe I have never been able to get over the fact that when my baseball interest was peeking at the age of 14 the players and owners decided that they couldn’t quite get along. Or just maybe it is because it is now acceptable for All-Star games end in a tie. That’s comparable to kissing you sister. Or maybe it is because all of these knuckle-headed steroid addicts can’t admit that they were wrong. At least Jose Canseco has come out and said that he did use. Whatever, I vote that baseball be banned. I would rather watch golf or tiddlywinks than give any of my time or money to baseball. This is a sad scenario considering how much interest I used to have in the game. I know that all sports have their problems, but I am just tired of the way that baseball thinks they can get around all of the rules. Give me a physical break! (steps down from the soapbox)

out…

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This rocks!

In the movie Minority Report, Tom Cruise plays a detective who uses computer system that gets input from psychics to predict murders before they happen. The film is based on science fiction writer Philip K. Dick's remarkable 1956 short story of the same name. Now, real-life detectives are using computers to predict crimes before they happen.

Minority Report has always been a fovorite of mine this sort of thing is just plain cool.

Thanks to Sploid

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Although vulgar and rude at times Chef Gordon Ramsay stole the show on the summers hit reality show “Hell’s Kitchen”. Tonight was the last episode of the inaugural season, the show was a humdinger. Two hours may have been a bit too long. However, the episode was entertaining none-the-less. It was interesting to watch how the contestants interacted with the old contestants who were brought back to work for them. I have been rooting for Michael all season and was thrilled to see him win it all. I know I could never work in a kitchen like that, but I love to cook so I found the show intriguing. I like the shows twist on so-called food shows. It was a break from the typical FOX summer reality shows like “Eden” or “Temptation Island” or “Joe Millionaire”. I do anticipate that there will be another season, and I will be there ready to take pleasure in more of Ramsay’s chastising of the aspiring chefs. Read more!

As mentioned before I spent hours and hours a few weeks ago putting up a swing set for Maddie. She absolutely loves to play on it. I think she brought us her shoes about fifteen times this weekend wanting for us to take her outside and play on it. I have to admit she is somewhat spoiled. On at least 13 of those 15 occurrences we did submit and take her outside. We are well trained parents you know. I sure did miss her as I was out of town last weekend. She was sick while I was gone too, so all the more reason to spoil her this weekend.

Many more Pictures after the jump!

This one is my personal favorite!

Life can't get much better than this...

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It seems like every time I take a Vacation it leaves me asking myself the same basic question. Why do I live in Oklahoma? I mean come on now NO Mountains and NO Ocean... WHY ME! Oh well, I guess that’s life. Oklahoma does have its advantages, like Sooner Football and some pretty good fishing and hunting.

The Colorado Trip was memorable and relaxing; we left on a Friday afternoon spent that night in the RV at a truck stop in Walsenburg, CO.

Saturday: After running the RV out of oil and being stalled on the side of the road for at least an hour, we did finally arrive at the Alvarado campgrounds around noon on Saturday. We set camp and headed back into town to get the RV looked at which took up the rest of our Saturday... bummer.

Read more stories and pictures after the Jump.


Sunday: Sunday was a true day of rest. We didn't do much just relax and finish setting up camp to get ready for the rest of the group to roll in that evening. We did take some trail rides on the four-wheeler and the dirt bike up into the mountains. It is beautiful up there. The rest of the group did get in at about 11:30 Sunday night.

Monday: Monday morning was time for a show now that the rest of the group was there that meant that we had another vehicle that we were able to use so we went into town and took a good shower. The best $5 I spent all week. The rest of the day was more of the same relaxing playing a little hearts, kicking it by the campfire, and eating way too much.



Tuesday: Tuesday was by far the most exciting day for me on the trip. We went white water rafting on the Arkansas River through the Royal Gorge. The first thing we had to do was pick up one last member of the group at the airport then it was off to the Gorge to do some sightseeing. That is where I took these pictures. Echo Canyon Adventures was our Guide service, and they did a great job. I have been rafting there before, but only we only did the Big Horn Sheep Canyon which is the kiddie run with only class 1 and 2 rapids. The Royal Gorge was running at 1200 cubic feet per second that day. The rapids were all class 3 and 4. The Gorge gave me everything I wanted. I didn’t fall out, but there was one time when the water came up to the middle of my chest and I thought I was going down. We had a great guide who was very knowledgeable and made the ride interesting. I have to admit I was a little sore after it was over, but it was well worth it. We had BBQ that night and I gave devotion by the fire.

Wednesday: Horseback riding for the group, which I was completely uninterested in! So we shuttled the two groups that were going back and forth to town when it wasn’t their turn. Had fun looking around town, bought gifts for the wife and Maddie. We ate some delicious Ice Cream in downtown Westcliffe. I had Mint Chocolate Chip to be exact. Hobo dinners and a good devotion by the fire that night.

Thursday: Break camp and on the road by 10:00 am. After some short setbacks due to car trouble we rolled into the city around 10:30 that night. It was an excellent trip as always, the boys all had a good time, and everyone made it through safe and sound.

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The Buick Open was interesting to say the least. Vijay Singh pulled it out, as Tiger Woods was making an impressive comeback attempt on Sunday. It was great fun to watch and hope for miracles from Tiger, but it was just too little too late. Two weeks to the PGA Championship, the last major of the year. Can Tiger make it three for the year? I guess we will see.

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