Things I'm stoked about.

We're about one month out from the season and beginning of Fall.

That excited me for about a 100 different reasons.

I) I love the fall. Everything about it.
II) The weather starts cooling off
III) College Football
IV) Jackson will be walking soon.
V) Cool Saturdays off w/ Jen
VI) I will soon be getting to experience College Station on gameday.
VII) Waking early and reading outside w/ a cup of coffee and a pipe.
IIX) Leaves changing color
IX) Smack talk w/ Cates, Jay, Plev, and Randon
X) Quiet lazy sleepy Sunday afternoons w/ Jennifer.
XI) I'm hoping that the wet summer translates into a wet Fall
XII) Having people over to watch games
XIII) Labor Day w/ my in-laws
XIV) Hunting!
XV) Suddenly it becomes kosher to be baking awesome things like pecan, apple, and pumpkin pie.
XVI) College Gameday in the mornings
etc...


In the meanwhile here's a list of preconference games that should be interesting.

Week 1
Georgia Tech at Notre Dame
Oklahoma State at Georgia
Kansas State at Auburn
Tennessee at California


Week 2
Miami (FL) at Oklahoma
Oregon at Michigan
TCU at Texas
UTEP at Texas Tech
Virginia Tech at LSU
South Florida at Auburn


Week 3
South Florida at Auburn
Louisville at Kentucky
USC at Nebraska
Florida State at Colorado

Week 4
Texas A&M at Miami (FL)

Well... I said I would do this before the season ends and here we go. We are almost a month out from the season... so it begins.


We'll start w/ tech... Now as much as an A&M as I am... I do have a lot of respect for the Texas teams and will always root for them outside of playing each other. One thing I have a lot of respect for the 3 major teams is because they each are filled w/ Texas born kids and the three coaches continue to recruit Texas.

I like the 3 coaches for various reasons.

Mac is an excellent recruiter.
Fran honestly is a classy respectable guy. I think that situations have painted a different picture... But he is genuinely a nice guy who knows his football.
Mike Leach is the funniest man in sports. Always has something humorous to say and is quick w/ a comeback. Here's a compilation:

Mike on Lubbock
Mike does the weather
Mike being Mike



I say this... because I'm unbiased. really.


so w/out further adieu

The best darn review of TTU.

Well strange year for the pirates in 07...

Beat A&M... lose to Missouri and Colorado???? I don't get it. Very inconsistent. The real problem seemed to lie in the second half.



Harrell had good days and bad ones last year. He definitely improved over the year but was shut down at points by some better defenses. TCU stymied him. A&M shut him down the last half (except for one throw... tons of cred to him on that one. outstanding toss. perfectly placed) Mizzou caused him to flip off his own fans.




Woods is actually the 2nd on the list of returning rushers for the BigXII. I don't think that will be the case this year. Charles, Goodson, Savage (OSU), and Patrick will all probably come out as better backs this year w/ more yards. It's hard when you're in the offense that he's in. It says a lot when your predecessor holds the record for most TD receptions by a RB. The most shocking thing.... is that he's second on the depth chart at this point. Koby Lewis apparently has taken the starting position for now. I'm sure that'll change. If anything.... Leach doesn't put up w/ a lot of crap from his players. Except maybe his QB

O-Line - Only one starter returns... but I've never known tech to have a particularly bad offensive line. You can't run the offense TTU does and not have strong line play.

WR - This is the first year in recent history that there doesn't seem to be a featured receiver. Filani, Hicks, and Johnson are all out of there. But here's the deal. I doesn't matter if there's a superstar at receiver. Leach trains these guys to have good hands and that's what counts. They make their catches. For all of Techs receiving yards... their YAC isn't that impressive. Not saying it's bad... but not impressive. Short quick routes is Leaches key to keeping this offense going. If you can keep quick guys in there w/ good hands... the system continues. Amendola will the one of the more veteran guys to produce. RS Frosh Crabtree is expected to become the star receiver. The real problem is that no matter how great of receivers they get in there... None is going to be noted as a superstar. You're going to be considered a Tech receiver.




Secondary - Hit or miss really... Tech always has a decent Passing defense.... and they should. They pass against the top receiving corps in the nation. SS Garcia should be a 1st or 2nd Team All Big XII. Parker did decent last year w / a 2nd team nod and 50 tackles... pretty good for somebody in the secondary. Really the strongest unit the raiders have overall.

Linebackers and DLine - I group these because this is one of Tech's most inconsistent areas. You can literally run on them all day. Dawson's gone. What's shocking is on the front line average weight is like 250-260. That's not horribly small but there are no 300 lbers. Not that common. I really think run heavy teams will have their way with Tech this year.



Overall.... I just don't know... I mean I can see this team being 10-2... and I could see them ending up 6-6. Tough call. Harrell returning will be huge and I think that will be a deciding factor.

Here's my call:

W SMU - Pretty easy win. SMU is slowly coming back though.

W UTEP - Ugly win. The miners took it to the wire last year. This game intrigues me.... It really seems like it could turn into a good rivalry. UTEP has definitely improved under Mike Price. (For fandoms sake... I'd love for UTEP to win this just to put that little bit of rivalry there)

W RICE- Decent win. Rice has improved along w/ SMU.

L oSU - Okie Lite is very confusing to me.... No consistancy... Lose to Houston and KSU... come back and thump KU. Lose to A&M... come back and dominate north champ Nebraska. Dominate Baylor. Get thwacked by Texas. Barely lose to OU... Win nailbiter against Bama

W Northwestern State - It wouldn't be tech football w/out one Div III team

W ISU - I don't think Chizik has them going quite yet. Give it a year. Brett Meyer and Todd Blythe will upset the D a bit i think.

L TAMU - I think the road isn't going to scare A&M much this year. This is probably Fran's best team since he's been at A&M. The D showed a lot of improvement last year. A&M's Peterson was literally about 3 inches from accidentally deflecting the gamewinner last year. The secondary will be able to shut them down a bit more. I fully expect this one to be a great game. Neither team wins by much

L Mizzu - Mizzu has too much on offense for Tech I think. This one will be close

W Colorado - I just don't think Hawkins has this team going quite yet. Next year would be different

W Baylor - It's Baylor. Let's say it together.... It's Baylor. They lost their QB Bell... who was outstanding. Ziegler's out. Sheldon's Gone... I really think we need to trade the Bears for the Frogs. No offense... but I just don't think Baylor can get very competitive in the Big XII south. I could be wrong though

L Texas- I just don't think this is the year.

W Oklahoma - Am I the only one who isn't that impressed w/ the Sooners this year? Patrick was a good fill in... QB 's unproven. Defense lost a few. Despite making it to the BCS bowl this last year... I don't think they were that superb of a team. I mean it took Texas losing two close games that they shouldn't have for them to get there. And if Fran didn't forget he had JLane on 3rd and goal from the 2 there would have been another loss.


So 8-4. That's my call. Hope that's satisfactory Jay.

Let me start out this post by saying that I do not like to keep up w/ celebrity gossip very much.

I don't like reality or celebrity TV and the only thing you'll catch me watching on E! TV is the True Hollywood story of 24 or some other awesome show or individual.

The only celebrity gossip that I enjoy is stuff like David Beckham coming to America. I hope it does well for the sport here. Also... Posh spice is funny.

Since I sit at a computer all day and look at news I do find out some things unfortunately.
I am sad that Fox News puts that info on it's front page.

This week:




Lindsay Lohan apparently drove drunk and was caught w/ cocaine in her pocket. (This is after a recent stay in rehab. Followed by a DUI right after her 21 birthday. Outstanding.) Then she had the audacity to say the crack IN HER POCKET wasn't hers. Oops my bad... I somehow slipped a couple of oz. of into your pochket in your skin tight pants w/out you noticing. Wow.

How do you go through rehab... turn 21 and decide... I should pick up drinking again. Allsome!!
Remember when she was cute on Parent Trap? Or even maybe a little bit around Mean Girls Simpler times... Simpler times.





Britney apparently had some outburst while having a photo shoot w/ OK! magazine. I don't know too much about the whole thing... but apparently she showed up an hour late to the photo shoot went nuts... fired the whole crew of OK! people, started ranting and raving, promoted her bodyguard "Funk" to be her stylist, started the interview, stopped it in a couple of minutes, ate some chicken for lunch, rubbed the grease from the chicken on her $300 dress that she was borrowing from OK!, let her dog pee on a $7000 gown, ruined a pair Ver-Saw-Chee shoes by spilling something on them, went to the bathroom w/ the door open, and finally walked out. Oh yeah, she and her entourage.... no wait let me change that. Calling them an entourage is an insult to the term and the HBO series. Her and her gang of yahoo yes-men, idiots walked out w/ some of OK!'s clothes. Yes... Britney Spears is now literally a thief. Even more outstanding.

It's a very... very sad day when K-Fed is the better option for parenting.







Next up is Kim Kardashian. You're probably asking... Holy crap who's Karen Kadishgan? Wait was it Kim... I forgot already! You're correct in asking this. Somebody even less worthy of fame than Paris Hilton. At least Paris had a TV show and has acted in something and sang a song. You may recall the surname Kardiscan... because her dad Robert Kardashian was OJ Simpson's defense lawyer in the murder case involving Nicole Brown. Why is she on this list... Apparently a few years ago Kelli had sex w/ some guy named RayJ and let him film it. Wow. Good idea Kali... er Kim. (Who are you again?) Who has sex with somebody and lets them film it? How stupid can you be? And who has sex with somebody named Ray J? Her BFF is Paris Hilton... you would think she could have thought about this.

What's Karla known for recently? She recently made a public appearance at a fund raiser. Sounds decent. She didn't necessarily contribute any funds and can't because she has no job... but she showed up and that's what counts. What was the fund raiser you ask? Oh it was the Nicole Brown Foundation (against family violence.)

Yes.

That's right.

Kami showed up at a fund raiser in memory of a woman that was murdered by one of her father's best friends. Oh yeah.... to boot, her father got him off of that one. I'm still not saying OJ did it... but have some decency to think about the situation. I wonder if even occurred to her this might be a little politically incorrect.







Finally we come to Paris Hilton... who hasn't done anything too recently. But she went to jail... how stupid to you have to be to be sent to jail on those terms. How immature and ridiculous do you have to be to get caught drunk driving, have your license revoked and decide to do it again? I mean... I'd like to know what went on in her mind that time....

"Well... I know I'm not supposed to drink really... and they said i shouldn't drive. i know it's illegal... but maybe they won't see me. I mean I'm not that big of a deal am I? People are out there murdering and raping.... I'm just driving after they took my license away. Drunk. There are worse things in the world right? I think I'll do it. It won't hurt anybody"

Then you got sent to jail.. and you had the audacity to go to an awards show or something a couple of hours before. And you get all made up for your mug shot... be a friggin' normal person show up on time do your time and move on w/ your life. Don't do an interview afterwards about how it changed you. Because it didn't. You still party. You still contribute nothing.

I hate the fact that I know that you exist.




I want a reality show to end all reality shows. I will watch if they put this on. Put these women as well as a few other people I can think of.... in a large estate for the summer. Lock them in there and tell them they can literally do what ever they want on the estate grounds.... but you can't leave... You want drugs... sure we'll have them shipped in. Alcohol? you bet! No rules just happy fun times all day and night. No interference from staff... just do it like Big brother. cameras everywhere.

Within the summer AT LEAST one of them would be dead and the other ones would have left them there to rot. Write that down. That would be good reality TV.

***** Edit: I wish the best for each of these people. I really hope that God calls them from their sin and pulls them from the life they are living. I don't mean to make light of anything that is happening for any of them... but I believe that the state they are in is a result of their actions and their sin.
***** End edit

Tangent and rant over. Sorry.

Maybe I'm being a little harsh. OK, I know I'm being EXTREMELY harsh... But I just wonder what led these people to think the behavior they exhibit is acceptable. If I EVER acted like that my parents would have beat me and my bottom beyond recognition... and rightly so. Just hearing that crap infuriates me.

Jackson is actually doing things to defy what Jen and I want... obviously the kid is 7 months old... he has no clue what he's doing. He just knows he wants to do something and I don't let him or I make him do something he doesn't want. For instance... Sometimes he likes to play when he wakes up in the middle of the night. Not cool. I go in there to flip him back on his stomach to go back to sleep. He'll resist and flop back over and give me a dirty look. Now he doesn't have a clue what a spanking is about... So I don't do that yet. But I do flip him back over time after time. He needs to know that night is when we sleep and day is when we play. He needs to know he can't rip my nose or mouth off when I'm feeding him. I know he doesn't get it.. but after I stop him a few times... he'll get the idea and quit.

You have to let kids know there are consequences for their actions. I question if any of these people above were spanked much if at all. It's obvious that some of these people don't think there are consequences for their actions. What's worse is that people report this trash as if there is something to defend here or as if it's no big thing. Atrocious.

I look at that and I think of some of the people I went to college w/ that drank every night and did drugs... promiscuous sex. I asked several of them a question and found an interesting recurrence. Very few of them were spanked.

That being said.... I have more than a few nonchristian friends in life. Some closer than some christian friends. Even among my nonchristian friends... I find the ones that were spanked and disciplined come out to be better people w/ better decison making skills than my christian friends who didn't get disciplined much...

Sometimes I look at Jackson w/ Jen and we wonder what kind of person will he turn out to be? Will he be an athlete? Will he be a thinker like me? Will he like football? Will he like ballet? Will he want to smoke a pipe like I do? Will he do drugs? Will he love God? Will he turn out homosexual some day? Will he be a jerk? Will he be a good man? Where will he go to school Will he meet a girl? Will I have grandkids? Great Grandkids even? What will he do w/ his life? What kinda of person will he be?

I know Jen and I can't pick and choose what he'll be like... But I want him to know discipline and what it is to be the best person he can be. (Even more than that I want him to know Christ and be a believer of course. But that is in the Lord's hands... not mine.)

I don't want him to be like the people I've mentioned here. I want him to have morals and a conscience. I want him to know right from wrong. I want him to know if he gets caught driving drunk and he's 22 I'm still going to kick his butt because there are consequences to what you do. I want him to know you don't talk back to your parents the way Lohan and Spears do. You treat your parents w/ respect no matter what. You treat all people w/ respect. I want him to know that. Sometimes when I'm in public I see people treating an overworked waitress poorly because they gave the wrong drink to the wrong person. I see someone griping and chewing out a guy at the cash register because somebody else screwed up some pricing when the the guy at the register can't change anything. I don't want him to be like that.


Spank your kids. Live a biblical example in front of them. Ground them. Don't let them talk back to their mother(or father). Teach them how to act and treat people all people with respect. Pray for them and love them.

It's worth it. I'm glad my parents did. And I'm glad my wonderful wife and I have the chance to do it now.

JC.... Living Big.
The Anthology

Haha. I have you finally, you mutt!!!


Foiled again!!! AUGGGHHH!!!


Dad... I don't get it... Why did the mouse run up the clock again???




I get it now. It's similar to the Armenian view on the propitiation of man in a post-millennialism classic dispensation... I'm pickin' up what you're layin' down.

2 of my favoritest things.

Peace.... I'm out.

The ides of summer are upon me.

Another month.... more miles. Here has been my schedule since June 1st:

San Angelo to Brookesmith... oops... replacement switch broke.... my bad
Brookesmith to San Angelo.
San Angelo to Brookesmith... oops wrong switch ordered. their bad.
Brookesmith to San Angelo.
San Angelo to Winters.
Winters to San angelo.
San Angelo to Ozona.
Ozona to Mertzon
Mertzon to San Angelo.
San Angelo to Novice.
Novice to San Angelo.
San Angelo to Sonora.
Sonora to 10 miles outside of Eldorado. (rember that trip to Ozona? Somebody forgot to reset their trip to keep up w/ the gas mileage because his gauge doesn't work. Then he forgot to check adjust for that first forgetfulness. Thanks to SheaPo for the hookup. My bad.)
10 miles outside of Eldorado to San Angelo.
San Angelo back to sonora.
San Angelo to Coleman.
Coleman to Paint Rock.
Paint Rock to San Angelo.
San Angelo to Zephyr.
Zephyr to San Angelo.
San Angelo to Brookesmith. Replacement switch functions works and is G2G. Peace. I'm out.
Brookesmith to San Angelo.
San Angelo to Ozona...
And Ozona back to San Angelo

I'm wiped. I knew my job would require this sort of travel... but i'm tired of the road. My boss has made a lot of these trips with me so I can't complain too much... but this would explain my lack of blogging.






It's been hectic. It seems like at least 2 times a week i'm leaving before my wife and son are awake and not getting home till it's almost time to go to sleep.

Jen does a great job of making my home a home when i do get back though. She's such an awesome mother and wife and I'm lucky to have her to come home to. If I can just convince her that her and football can coexist peacefully all would be well ;)

Some recent events:

My good buddy, Jay Scott made a champtastic return to San Angelo a couple of weeks ago. Good to see the guy. He is enjoying florida but was glad to come back. He and I enjoyed pipes and cigars till about 1 in the morning catching up and talking about old times. Excellent stuff. He's got a girl these days and I'm proud of him.

And he bought me a steak for A&M/Duke's BBall season bet. The bet was that A&M would have a better year than Duke. I am not foolish enough to think this wasn't a fluke. It was. And I fully expect Duke to return to former glory and A&M to move to upper of the pack in big XII play.

We got to go on a mini-vacation last week to Abilene... Not that impressive... but what can you do when you have no vacation days your first year on a job? We had a great time. We ate big... Watched a movie... stayed up late. You know... young crazy newlywed stuff!!

Transformers rocked. FYI. Go see it. Be a little kid again.




The whole time we still missed the little guy. It seemed like everywhere we went we still saw babies and they sounded and looked a lot like Jackson. It was tough on Jen but she braved through it. We definitely enjoyed our time together.

The only rough patch of the vacation was when Jen decided to cut her hair. She has gone quite a while and let the hair get to about the middle of her back. Now. I think my wife is gorgeous no matter how you slice it... but I prefer it short. She looks good when it's like that. So she's walking through the mall and is tempted to go cut it. I play devil's advocate. Do it Do it Do it Do it. She agrees. I'm stoked. We're aiming about shoulder length. go in for the hair cut... Lady cuts it to shoulder length. Jen approves and the girl gets to doing the whole layering thing. By the time it's done we're well above shoulder length by about 3 inches. I'm a fan of the hair... but it definitely was not what Jen asked for. It's taken a bit but she's gotten used to the hair and is cool w/ it for the most part. I think it looks great. And she gets compliments out the wazoo about it.

We went out and ate steaks that night went to bed. Woke up... had breakfast... skipped church.



Yes. Skipped church.
I am now back on the slow boat.
You're shocked... I know. I am too.



We thought about going to Beltway (Chandler's old church) or visiting Southside (Blake's church) but decided to heck w/ it... We're going to the zoo!!! We had a really good time there as well. I haven't been to the Abilene zoo in probably 12 years and forgot about how much cool crap they have there. I made jen walk through the snake house and she did it. Atta girl.

We finally went and picked up some Bueno (If you're a top Taco Bueno exec and are reading this... come back to San Angelo... we miss you. I promise I'll eat there at least once every two weeks.) and Jackson. I could tell he missed us.

Hopefully things will be settling down for me in times coming up.


I'm about to start reading some books again. My saturdays have been packed w/ other things so my chances to read have been slowed considerably. I have one by MacArthur coming up as well as another CS Lewis afterwards.


I hope your all well. And I love you guys... God Bless.