Blizzard in Bama

Well, maybe not a blizzard by the standards of those areas that frequently see snow, but this is our first snow accummulation since 1993. This is the first time I have seen it snow all day since 1972. We have about 4" on the ground and it is still falling. Nothing compared to what some people see annually, but for us it is a "when hell freezes over" kind of scenario considering we are only about 2 1/2 hours from the sandy beaches of the Gulf of Mexico.

I like to go park in a grocery store parking lot when snow is in the forecast and people-watch. All of the milk and bread in this small town was probably purchased last night. It's like they forget that it will be 40 the next day and the snow will melt.

Give us southerners an ice covered road and our Nascar minds take over as we go try it out. My wife and I just got back from taking a tour of the town, and every road we traveled had tire tracks and ruts down its side and several yards had tire tracks. Many people have "spun out" in our town today, and the racing season hasn't quite started yet.

I was there...

What a game. I have attended many Alabama football games over the years, but never one against Tennessee. I was determined to go to this one, paid dearly for the tickets, and never sat down once I got there. We got our money's worth as this one went down to the wire. It was a stressful end to a stressful week.

A few co-workers and I flew out of Atlanta the previous Monday morning to Indianapolis. We drove from there to Waterloo, IN, to work for a couple of days. From there, we drove to El Paso, IL, to work for a day, and then flew from Bloomington. IL, back to Atlanta on Friday.

I got home around 7:15 pm Friday and was in bed before 8. Slept like crazy, had a few dreams and when I woke from one dream it was only 9:20pm. I went back to sleep, dreamed again, and when I woke this time it was 11:30pm. I got out of bed, read a few articles about the next day's games, and got back in bed at 1:30 am. At 6:00 am, my wife and I climbed out of bed, got showers, and drove 4 hours to Tuscaloosa to watch Alabama and Tennessee play.

We got back home at 11:00 pm and I spent the next two days catching up on my sleep!

Roll Tide!

It's That Time Again.....

Isn't it great that football season is here again? It kind of tip-toed in on me this season as I have been busy with some personal things and did not give football much thought during the summer.

I usually look forward to the Thursday night game...the Kickoff Classic as they used to call it.....but even with ESPN's doubleheader, the games were a little more than boring this week. It seems today's schedules are a little boring, too, with only a few good match ups. Still, a day of boring football games is better than an exciting day at work (or shopping with my wife).

Football season is here, folks! We just need a new recipe for the grill and a storm brewing in the Gulf to make it official.

Hi folks! My wife and daughter are at the beach for a few days this week and my son and I are left working and fending for ourselves. No problem, they needed the break and so did we.

So I am just sitting here waiting on my goodnight call; wondering what is going to happen to the University of Alabama due to the book violation, how NASCAR will survive without CAR in their name (maybe they will change it to NAS HORSE), and anticipating the day that GM stands for Government Motors. Other than that, there is not much going on in my little corner of the world.

I haven't painted a picture in awhile, which is disappointing because I had a lot of momentum in selling them on ebay. I sold 12 paintings last year on ebay, which is not bad for a hobby and for someone who really is not artistic. I also work about 55 hours a week, so it is a miracle that I actually averaged one a month. I do have a canvas on my easel that has the beginnings of a sky on it, but that is as far as I got. If I could just get motivated, I think this one will be pretty cool if I can only create it the way I see it in my head. I got the idea for the painting while at our church revival several months ago, which I must admit is not the place where I usually get ideas. They usual come from watching people, daydreaming, and spending time outdoors. I am painting the sermon and that is all that I will say about it for now. I like to add a little twist to my paintings and things I write, and if this goes as planned and visualized, one will have to look at it for a few minutes to realize the complete story that is in this painting. How funny it would be if a person liked the painting on first glance on ebay, got in a bidding war with someone - driving the price up, won the painting, hung it on the wall, and then one day had a visitor say, "Cool religious painting." Especially if they were not a believer.

I am going to try to get this site cranked up a little and make it interesting, so please bookmark it and come back later. In a few months, we will be talking football and I would really appreciate your participation. I love football. Anybody who knows anything at all about me knows that I love football. College football. I love college football. Did I say that already?

So I was sitting in the doctor's office today...

waiting for my turn to help make the doctor a little wealthier, when the Inauguration began. It was one of those deals where I rushed to the 10am appointment only to spend a couple of hours waiting in the lobby. After being called to the examination room, I spent another hour waiting there. When the doctor arrived, it only took him about 3.5 minutes to say that he could not help me and then he referred me to another doctor. The soonest available appointment is a month away. "What a waste of time," you may be thinking.

However, I benefited from waiting in the lobby and watching the Inauguration. Sometimes I get so busy in the hustle and bustle of work that I forget about some of the special things that we as Americans get to enjoy and probably take for granted. There are special perks to being an American, afterall, so it is quite easy to take them for granted.

Aretha Franklin was singing a song and the camera zoomed in on our American flag. The red, white, and blue waved so freely in the strong, gusting winds that it was almost as if it was smiling. It was, indeed, free. Next, the camera panned out to the millions of people standing together on the White House grounds taking in the moment.

When we see media clips on the news from Iraq, Iran, and other countries, you almost always see people running from building to building with a firearm in their hands. You almost always see some form of destruction among the buildings in the background of these scenes. In America, you almost always see people smiling, talking, divided on certain issues, but nonetheless, together.

You see the green grass under our feet instead of the clay and dirt. You see the beautiful blue skies instead of smoke-filled ones. You see a land of the proud and of the free.

I was reminded today, while sitting in the doctor's office complaining of the time that I was losing, that many people have lost their lives so that we could have what we received today. I became proud all over again today to be an American. Not because of the history that was being made, but because of the opportunities. Americans have the opportunity to run for office if they choose and to vote, without fear for their life, for whomever they choose. We can openly discuss our different views and are not imprisoned for it.

While some of us are complaining about things occuring in our country, others are swimming or rowing across the Gulf of Mexico and walking across the desert to get here. What a great place it must be for those to be willing to put forth such physical effort..to leave their families and homeland.

May God bless America, and may He use each and everyone of us to make it a better place.

Bama Riding High....

For now. No doubt that Alabama has made it farther than anyone ever imagined. After watching Florida, Texas Tech, and a couple of others, Alabama is not the #1 team in the country. I expected them to have another season like last year, but with maybe 8 wins. However, they have survived and managed to win 10 and as a fan, I am now hoping for more. I am pretty sure that it is going to be one of those deals where they begin to get so close that you finally start to believe that maybe there is a chance. That is how it was in 1992.

They squeaked by in every game and managed to go to the National Championship game against a Miami team that had been hammering everyone. Nobody gave Bama a chance in that game, and in the end it was Bama that did the hammering.

I do not think that will be the case this year. I expect to see Florida and Oklahoma/ Texas Tech in the Big Game. Obviously, I would like to be wrong about that, but I must first be realistic.

I will be in T-town Saturday to watch them play Mississippi State. The last Bama game I went to was against this same team and I left disappointed. I hope the outcome is different this time.

Texas Tech 42, Texas 28

Okay...laugh if you want. I am going on record now and saying that Texas Tech will knock off Texas next weekend. I am not too sure about the scores, but I think it will be high scoring since both teams have high performance offenses. I think TT's offense is a little more explosive, so I am predicting them to win by 10-14 points.

I may be wrong on this as I thought Oklahoma State would beat them. Texas certainly knew that the Cowboys were there. I think Texas Tech has an awesome football team and will be surprised if they do not pull off the upset.