Is anybody out there?

Life... i am no longer going to try and explain why i've not been blogging every time i finally get back to it.  I will just do my best to do it more often.  And now, on to my typical ramblings...

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What good year for Carolina Panther Football!  The 2013 pre-season, i liked what i had been seeing  and reading about the Panthers Defense, but the Offense continued to worry me.  The o-line showed troubles opening running lanes, and the receivers seemed to have trouble pulling the ball in, except for Steve Smith of course - but the Panthers have been a one-trick-pony in that are for far too long.  Steve Smith is a warrior, but until they can bring in more consistent receivers, the passing game is always going to be just not good enough.  Then, around October there was a players meeting, and i forget now who did the talking, Jordan Gross i believe, but they turned things around.  After going 1-3 in the first four weeks, the Panthers finished the NFC South champions and a 12-5 overall record.  They lost to a very physical San Francisco 49ers team.  I knew that the Panthers were in trouble in the first quarter when the Panthers players had 3(!) personal foul penalties, one of which gave the 49ers a crucial 1st down.  I could ramble on and on, in more detail than i care to think about, but i was not very hopeful for a post season in August, and i was pleased to see them make it into January.  My goal for the team in the 2014, a 9-7 season.  I would just like to see two, back to back, winning seasons at this point. :)  Oh, and they had best lock Steve Smith in for the rest of his football career.

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2013 was supposed to be "The Year of Shadowrun".  There was supposed to be a flurry of releases, on multiple company fronts.  The only two that were actually released, that i know of was the PnP 5th edition, and a computer game called Shadowrun: Returns.  As things are likely to do in the corporate world, drek happens.  There are at least two table top versions of the game.  One is a "gang sized" miniatures version, and a card game.  These have been delayed for play testing reasons, etc.  However, i am really happy to hear that the card version is ready to move to the production side of things.  Shadowrun: Crossfire.  The one i am looking forward to the most is, Shadowrun: Online.  It will be an MMO, with a changing story line as it goes by.  The characters will have an influence over what happens as the story changes.  I have shifted my story writing to follow more of the Cyberpunk-ish themes of Shadowrun... so far... i have... maybe, four characters, i will be following.  Not even sure of the what/when/where. 8)  A really good interview with Jan Wagner can be found at "The Arcology Podcast". Jan talks about cross platform, simultaneous, game play with both friends, and available Chummers.  Seriously, this last one looks, and sounds, the coolest of all.  Online will be released in Beta (with monthly updates mentioned in the podcast linked above) late 2014Q1 (late March).

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I have heard comments similar to, "If there is a God, why is there so much suffering in the world?", and i can understand where such a person is coming from.  Why, because i was once focused totally on myself, and believing that my opinions were the only correct ones too.  However, i have found that human beings are hard pressed to seriously consider things from any other point of view, other than their own.  I propose that, just maybe, God is doing what humans so desperately want Him to do.  To let us try and earn His good graces, to try and do it on our own, and that is where the suffering truly comes from.  He has provided a way, He has shown, and provided, us a way through His Son, He has even taken the time to write it down, and yet, the one thing we truly do not want to believe is... the human heart is NOT naturally good.  We do not inherently seek out the good of others - especially when it conflicts with our own wants and desires.  I am not discounting those who help their fellow man out, but there is almost always a limit.  A line that will not be crossed.  Why, because no one likes to be thought of as a pushover.  From individuals that feel the need to have some personal wish fulfilled or want to get tended to, to nations that want to exert influence in the world.  Pride will invariably, at some point, exert itself, and God has told us what will happen to us because of our pride.  He also does occasionally do something about it - hello, the Flood (Genesis 6-9), or Sodom and Gamorrah? (Genesis 19)  He has also promised that He will be dealing with the entire world, and their transgressions against Him, and each other (which is, in turn, a transgression against Him), in His own time.  However, if one chooses to not accept His time and place for such things, than they will most likely find themselves placed alongside Satan and his fellow angles who wanted to be like God and rebelled.

Video compilation

After wrapping up the month of November, and taking the time to remember the things to be thankful for in my life i wanted to resurrect this blog - sort of.  I mean, since it is not an actually living being, it never really dies.  Well... at least not in this world... but obviously in the world of TRON it would be derezzed eventually.
 

Well, over the course of time i had saved a few videos i absolutely found fun and wanted to share them somehow.  Well, sure, Facebook is the normal way to go, but hey, i never claimed to be normal, so, i thought, why not share them here.

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The first one i want to share is an NFL Play60 promo.  I first saw it while watching the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins play on Thanksgiving Day.  First, as any regular reader of this blog knows, i am a fan of the Carolina Panthers, and this one features Cam Newton, their 'prodigal quarterback'.  In his first year he set all kind of rookie records.  I was able to see him break 4 records last year, in person:

• First rookie quarterback to throw for 4,000 yards in a season.
• Most total touchdowns by a rookie NFL player: 35 (21 pass, 14 rush).
• Most rushing yards by a rookie quarterback: 706
• Most rushing touchdowns in a single season by a quarterback: 14

As well as a few Panther Franchise Records:

• Longest offensive scoring play (91) to Brandon LaFell, December 24, 2011 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
• And longest Quarterback scramble for a touchdown (49)

I am liking that he is growing a sense of humor. He just seems to be growing into a really nice young man. A well rounded team leader, on and off the field.  I completely agree that a Rookie, and even a second year player - even one as talented as Cam is - should not be a team captain.  There are just too many other things on their shoulders to take on that role and responsibilities.  Let them mature and grow as a football player, and let them learn from the veterans around the locker room.

Anyway, i love this commercial.  It has a great message about kids eating right and exercising, along with a great tongue in cheek humor.  I am snickering even as i type this and think about the video.

The kid is priceless.

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The next one a friend shared.  I really laughed hard enough to have ice tea come out my nose when i first saw it.  It's just so NOT me and my family in style, but in content it was spot on.

There are so many times as a parent, and you are up to your eyebrows in insanity and you just snap.  There is nothing even remotely funny...not until you can put some distance of time between the present and the event.  There are quite a few things that happened around my 'dojo' that i was truly peeved... but now, it brings a smile to my face, and a laugh with the family.  The key is, don't take things too seriously.  Be honest with yourself, that you are not perfect -- and then just learn from the mistakes, and enjoy life.

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The last video in this blog entry for todayis titled, "How Bad do You Want IT!".  It is straight up a motivational deal.  There are some people that think i am like this, that i drive and drive and drive, but the truth is, there are a lot of times i take my eyes of the prize and look at the 'storm' that is surrounding me.

In one of my 'Being thankful' blog posts, i mentioned how i ran on my High School's Cross Country team two years in a row, and both years the team went to the state championships, and both years i dropped off the team - just stopped showing up to practices and everything.  Fortunately for the team, i was not one of the top runners, and this really didn't impact their performance at the finals (if memory serves they one both years).  This was not the only time i had done something like this.  In the sixth grade i had the role in a class play, and i think i was pretty good, but on the day of the play, i refused to go on.  The teacher had to get the understudy.  In many ways... i feel like i let everyone down, over and over again.  I see this video, and i want to charge right out and never let anyone down again, but i know i can't go about it that way.  But, what this video does, partnered with the grace of God i experience everyday, gives me incredible motivation to pick myself up.  To begin again, to do what i can, then get up the next day and do it again, and when i trip and fall - to get up and get on again. 

Right now, i am not there mentally... but one has to have an objective to aim for.  In driving you do not stare at the road right in front of the vehicle, you look up the road so you can anticipate the corrections needed.  When i was taught to perform land navigation in the Army, i was taught to not stare at the compass, but to use the compass to get a direction and then to look out and find an objective along that line, and then aim and head towards that objective - all the while navigating the obstacles of the terrain as needed.  I am working on this, but i have formed a saying that helps at times. 

"If you aim at nothing, you will hit it everytime."

There is, i believe, something in each of us, that want to make a difference, to make our mark in some way, but unless we actually get up and do something... we will fulfill that saying above.

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."  ~ Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt ~ "Citizenship in a Republic," Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910 

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Well, that is all i have for today.  If so inclined, please pray for me as i too strive to "take no days off", all the while, keeping a proper balance in my life with my relationship with God, with my family, and with my career.  Thank you for reading.

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Being thankful, Day #26

Looking back over a lot of 'Being Thankful' entries, there is not a lot of substance to them.  In truth, there is little anyone can really take through life.  Each breath is a gift, everything else is a bonus.  Enjoy what you have, no matter what it is, but you should also be willing to let it go in a moments notice if the need was great enough.  Do not sacrifice the essential, for the trivial.  "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." (Jim Elliot)  So, a quick note that, while i am truly thankful for each of the things i have posted, they are not all of the same importance to me.

Today, i am thankful for the Carolina Panthers.  My mother was, and my father is, a huge Washington Redskins fan.  My first memories of American Football was of the Washington Redskins.  I grew up with the likes of Sonny Jergensen, Sam Huff, Art Monk, Joe Gibbs, and many other names that escape me right now.  My mother was IN to watching the Redskins, and it sometimes got pretty intense.

(AP Photo/Bob Leverone) *

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/11/11/3659041/panthers-vs-broncos-111112.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy

  My dad is a much more subdued observer of the games, but when they lose, you can see it affect him some.  Well, around when i got married i came to the realization that the only reason i was a Redskins fan was that my parents were fans, and i was pretty much only a half hearted one.  Well, when the NFL announced the expansion of two new teams, i decided right there and then, that i would follow which ever team ended up in the NFC, for no other reason than the Redskins were in the NFC, and the AFC were just a bunch of pretenders anyway. (joke btw)  I didn't even know the cities that would be given a team, or even what the potential team names would be, but when Charlotte was awarded the team for the NFC, and the team name was the Panthers (basically a melanistic color variant of any of several species of larger cat) - man, it just fit.  I still remember the quizzical looks, and my father not understanding, but i was determined to 'make them my own' - insofar as me claiming a team to be a fan of.

That first season, my father took me to the first meeting between the Washington Redskins and the Carolina Panthers.  The 'Skins still played at RFK then, it was Christmas Eve, 1995.  My dad scored seats just a few rows up in the endzone!  The Panthers lost that game 17-20.  I didn't have any Panthers gear except an old fashion pennant like deal.  But each time the Panthers scored i waved and shook it, and i was fortunate enough to see each score in the endzone right in front of me.  I still have the ticket stub.  It was cold, it was loud, but my dad took me, on Christmas eve, to see his son's favorite team play against his favorite team.  It was pretty cool, and will always be a great memory of mine.

* Picture used from the Charlotte Observer's website; Carolina Panthers' Jonathan Stewart (28) runs as Denver Broncos' Mike Adams (20) pursues during the first quarter of an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012. (AP Photo/Bob Leverone) - used without permission

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/11/11/3659041/panthers-vs-broncos-111112.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy

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Despite my statements to the contrary... this blog has fallen into disuse... that has not been intentional.  I am in a new season of life.  I changed my position at work, the kids are growing older so there are changes there.  Both Thing 1, and Thing 3 are on soccer teams, and Thing 2 we continue to grow with and learn from.  All the while my Beloved and i continue to grow together.  Life never seems to slow down... and my own father says that it just speeds up!  *sigh*  But i don't want it to speed up.  Well, since it has been a 'coons age since my last update, i guess i will just bring things up to date about me...

Let's see - Soccer, or futbol as it is known elsewhere in the world, takes up a lot of my time.  DS1 plays for his High School team and my DD3 plays on a traveling team.  They both love to play, but it is a serious commitment to their parents in getting them to and from practices and games.  Well, not as much for the H.S. level, but the traveling team has 3 practices a week, and some times games on both days of a weekend.  One thing i have noticed is that both of them are not... a part of the "in" clique of their teams, or in school.  I am OK with that personally, but sometimes i worry about them.  I guess that stems from my own experiences at their age.

The driving all over God's creation has been a big contributor to less free time, which directly impacts my writing time.  Not just blog writing, but my short stories as well.  While i have written a few chapters, i am not near as prolific as i used to be, obviously.  I have been able to keep up with some reading though.  I am still in the middle of about 4 different books though.  I finally finished the "Path of the Eldar" series.  Very well done.  I enjoyed each and every page, and i read just this morning that Gav Thorpe is looking in to an Audio book as well.  Very cool.

I am not sure if i mentioned this in the few blog posts i had late last year, and (much) earlier this year, but i am a fan of Cam Newton.  He came on strong last year and set all kind of NFL rookie records, etc.  This year he has struggled some, but i think that is somewhat normal.  He is finding his niche within the game and still feel he will settle in to be the best quarterback the Carolina Panthers have ever had.  Only time will tell.  Despite a 6-10 record last year, and what very well could be worse this season, i think the team is on the right track overall.  Basically, i have been a fan of the Panthers since the league announced the franchise being awarded to Charlotte, i have stayed with the team through a 1-15 season... and i will stay with them through these trying times as well. A side note/observation - no team named after a predatory cat (Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars) has ever won the Super Bowl.  As a matter of fact, only two of them have ever played in the Super Bowl (the Bengals and Panthers), so, while i will remain a die hard Carolina Panthers fan - i will now be rooting for each and everyone of the Big Cat teams!  Unless they are playing the Panthers that is.

With the plethora of time i have, i restarted fallout 3 with a brand new character.  I can't stand not finishing things, and i hate starting things in the middle, so... I am also going to try and journal my 'journey'.  Why?  Well, i really like the game, even after having it for four years now, and i like to write.

Since i last blogged dear reader, i have found two new TV shows that i like, and an "old" one i have finally discovered.  The "old" one is 'The Big Bang Theory'.  I have several people tell me that they couldn't believe i was not already watching it.  But, i did give it a try once and i found it too in my face regarding things about boys and girls "hooking up".  Maybe i am just getting calloused to it, but i really enjoy it now.  I especially like how Stuart is becoming a regular on the show this season.  The two new shows are 'Arrow' on The CW, and 'Revolution' on NBC.  'Arrow' because it is based on the DC Comics character, the Green Arrow.  'Revolution', well, because it was a post-apocalyptic scenario where the power goes out all across the world.  Both of these shows are less than ten episodes on, but i am interested enough to record them and watch them as i can... usually in 10-15 minute intervals.  I am like them both quite a bit.

OK, i am not sure if these are decent updates or not, but it's what i've got for now.  Oh, and i'd like to thank Tulip for her help in making new banners for my blogs.  The one here has been around for a while, but there is a new one for the Fallout 3 blog.  8)  I am slowly trying to spruce things up.

May this find each of you enjoying God's perfect peace and grace as you read this.  No matter how disjointed it comes across.

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Am i white with black stripes, or am i black with white stripes?

First, i apologize for not being  as diligent in writing for my blog of late.  To be honest i think there are times when i just do it for the comments, or some form of acknowledgement of what i do, when the truth is... i don't really reach all that many people.  That's OK.  I just need to learn to get back to writing for why i got in to blogging in the first place, and that was to write for myself, to work out various thoughts, etc.

I really like my Tilley hat, an LTM6 Airflo.  I love hats in general, and i have lost count as to how many hats i have at home.  I try not to buy them (them and bags, like backpacks, etc.), but... my beloved once told me that i didn't need any hats, but i HAD to have one... i just wanted one she liked.  I searched, and searched but i could not find one she wouldn't make some sort of comment on.  Then i saw a Tlley on someone's head while at Hershey Park and i knew that would be my last "had to have" hat.   I hate to say this... but i didn't buy it until my beloved went into the hospital for her gallbladder that i called Tilley's up and ordered my hat.  It's been over two years now... and she still makes the occasional comment, but i tell her, "oh, that hat plays".  In the end, she knows that it is not going to go away, and i have not bought a new hat since.  Tilley has an excellent customer satisfaction policy, and they make a quality product.  I recently thought i lost my hat, and i searched for it for a few weeks.  Finally i call Tilley's back up and it was within the 2 year 'lost warranty'.  I was able to replace my hat for 50% off the listed price.  Then i found my hat... so i sold it to a friend for the price i bought it for.  However, if there are ever any manufacturer defects - EVER - they replace it for free.  This hat is light, keeps the sun out of my eyes, keeps the rain off of my glasses, it is water resistant, it breaths to help me keep the head cool in summer and just enough in to keep it warm in winter.  I wear this hat practically everywhere, i REALLY like this hat.

I finally made the "pilgrimage" to the lair of the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium.  A friend of the wife of an old Army buddy lives in Charlotte and are PSL owners with season tickets.  The game was on Christmas Eve, and they were going out of town to spend time with family during the holidays.  Having never seen a live game there, i jumped at the chance.  Originally it was just going to be me and a friend but he wisely decided not to go when his wife said, "your choice" hahaha.  In the end i took my whole family on a mini-vacation.  It was over a 7 hour trip each way.  We drove down on Thursday night (arriving at 0300... ouch), and i then went to the stadium to take an all too brief tour.  That afternoon we relaxed at the pool and then went to a dinner featured in Guy Fieri's show, 'Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives".  The food was pretty good, but the desserts were fantastic!  Saturday DS1 and i went to the game.  Now, let me say, i prefer to watch the game on TV.  I like the commentary, i enjoy the replays and i really enjoy being able to see the plays "closer up", but there is something to be said for going to the occasional game to be seen live.  The crowd, the food (even though a second mortgage is often needed just for lunch), the sites and sounds.  I won't use the word magical, but it is a little special.  The game was very enjoyable, especially for a Panthers fan - they won 48-16, i was able to see Cam Newton break Payton Manning's Rookie season passing record (on a 7 yard out to Brandon LaFell), the franchise record for a passing TD from scrimmage (91 yards, also to LaFell), and a 49 yard run for a TD where Cam Newton pulled a defender the last 8 yards.  It was a good day all around.  After we then made the trek home on Christmas Day.  I had a great time. 

I read a really good article in the NY Times online recently.  I originally read it via The Autism Society of America on Facebook.  It was titled Navigating Love and Autism (1).  I have been married for over 19 years now, to an incredible woman.  Like any marriage she drives me nuts at times, but i also know that i have no clue as to what i would do if she was not in my life on a daily basis.  It was not until DS2 was diagnosed with Asperger's, and all that my beloved did to better his life and learn about what would be best for him, that she got a better glimpse into her husband.  It took me a little longer.  This article was good for me, to see - at least a little bit - what she goes through when she interacts with me.  I try and change.  I try and do things the "normal" way... and yet it is a constant struggle. I have to consciously think about offering someone a drink when then come to my home, to look people in the eye when talking to them, to not interrupt someone to make a correction or to change the subject off of something i don't find interesting - or to even just "make conversation", to ask questions in a conversation and many, many more things.  It was a good article because it challenged me to look outside of myself. Something my beloved helps me with every day.  But i was also discouraged by it.  I just don't "get" so many things.  Despite my best efforts i get flabbergasted at being asked a question.  She will often ask me, "what do you mean"?  Despite my best efforts... i cannot fathom what i meant beyond what i actually said.  I fail her in so many ways... i fail to show her comfort, to consider her feelings (or the feelings of others), and so many other ways... it actually bothers me.  For thirty plus years i was the normal one... everyone else was wrong.  Then... i learned... i was the "odd" one.  I was the one that the Sesame Street Characters sung about way back when.

There are still times when i feel like, "why don't 'you' people get it!?!  It is so obvious!"  In any event... i encourage those who want some insight into the Autistic world, this is a very good article. 

 

(1) By AMY HARMON, Published: December 26, 2011

Are you ready for some FOOTBALL!!! and other ramblins

After a miserable 2-14 season by the Carolina Panthers, i will not allow my hopes to get all that high in regards to the 2011 NFL season. I was not one of the fans or media types all hyped about Cam Newton starting week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals, but i have to admit, i was impressed with his performance the past four weekends.  Still, one game - one season - does not make it to the Hall of Fame.  Still, if the Panthers can keep him healthy, and the coaches keep up good game plans and adapt... there very well could be an exciting future for the Panthers.  I have this year's schedule at my work area and i publicly listed my hopes for this season.  I am predicting 4-12, i will be happy with 6-10, amazed with  8-8 , and ecstatically happy with a 9-7 or better season.  Here is to hope, which springs eternal.

Speaking of the Panthers, my all time favorite player for the Panthers, John Kasay, signed a deal with the New Orleans Saints to fill in for their injured place kicker.  This has in no way diminished my opinions of this man as a Carolina Panther player.  The Panthers made a business decision when they released him, and Kasay made a business decision to continue to support his family through a talent that God has provided him with.  I still hope to make the trip should the Panthers do the right thing and honor him.  It is unlikely that the Saints will keep him once their regular kicker is healthy again, so...  I will not be burning my John Kasay jersey anytime soon.  Not like i wanted to do to any Julius Peppers jersey i saw.

Ok - any seasoned listener of Pandora probably already knows about this but the other day i accidentally clicked the "Quick Mix" channel.  It mixes all of your channels together randomly!  How awesome is that!  LOL  I really like that it moves through the various genres and plays a selection and then moves on.  Really cool.  I am enjoying this mostly while i am out exercising. Which reminds me... i like both RunKeeper and CardioTrainer as apps on my Android phone.  RunKeeper has the edge for me with an elevation tracker as well.  In all, i've lost about 6 pounds since starting to exercise at the beginning of summer with a few "set backs" in regards to aches and pains, but so far i've been keeping up with at least 3 times a week of getting out for an hour or more each time.

Have you ever had a song just bust out in your head?  Meaning, you see/hear/smell/read/whatever something and some song just pops into your mind? It happens to me a lot, and it's weird.  And it can drive some people crazy because i like to sing and/or whistle whatever the song is.  I once asked a musically gifted friend if she thought we would learn how to play musical instruments in heaven, and she said that she believed i would get that chance.  \o/  I just lack the time and discipline to do it (so far) on this side of heaven.

I've been struggling to write lately.  I go round and round about what to write but then nothing.  One stumbling block is my ability to access my older, unpublished, work and then edit or add to it.   I have a plethora of little notebooks lying around.  The intent was to add notes about a story line or character now and again and then access it when i am ready to put finger to keyboard.  But now... all my thoughts are jumbled and hard to pick up any one thread.  A friend once suggested to just set a goal for 100 words a day.  I am going to give that a try.  8)  Fortunately blogging counts, so this has given me a start for this month.

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A sad time for me as a Carolina Panthers fan - and the usual ramblings

It finally happened... the Carolina Panthers released John Kasay, my all time favorite player for the Panthers.   I am at the age now where i am really noticing these kinds of things.  Football player careers are short, and a 16 year stint with the Panthers is very long time in the world of the NFL.And yet... i am very sad that this day has come for John Kasay.  When i asked for a Carolina Panthers jersey, i was specific that i wanted the number 4, with John Kasay's name on the back.  The man is simply a class act.  Scott Fowler at the Charlotte Observer has done a couple of really nice articles, but i will add my agreement with his sentiments here.  John Kasay was pretty consistent.  With the exception of the year he tore his ACL (while making a tackle on a kick return no less), he was almost automatic.  Whenever he made a game winning field goal he always deflected the praise to his teammates for getting him in the position to kick the score, and when he missed - and especially after the bad kickoff in the SB against the Patriots he always took it upon himself, that he was the one who let his teammates down.  At the end of the day it is a team sport, and it always is a team effort.  But John Kasay left his mark outside the locker room as well, being a vital part of his community, and never shied away from his faith in Christ.  He will be missed, and by more than just myself.  I hope the Panthers add him to their "Hall of Honor".  I would love to make a trip down to the game when they do this - or even just for the ceremony if they do it in the off season.  I wish more professional athletes were as humble and upright as John Kasay.

With that segue, sort of, in additional to Caleb Campbell being on the Detroit Lions roster, the Lions have invited Collen Mooney to camp.  Caleb Campbell is #53 and a Linebacker.  He played safety for Army "in the day", but was moved up to be a speedy linebacker.  Last year Caleb spent most of his time on the practice squad, but did make it up to the #53 man roster a time or two.  Collin Mooney was a Fullback for Army and currently has the single season rushing record for them.  The Lions had 2 Fullbacks on the roster, but only ever suited one - one article i said that the Lions may try and see how he does as a "Power" Running back.  While i am still not sure of either man's chances of making the final 53 man roster, or even the practice squads this year, i am still very glad to see West Point being represented in the NFL.  It doesn't hurt that both of them a Artillerymen either.    So... i will be watching both men, and if they both make the roster... i just might have to get some kind of Lions paraphernalia.    Go ARMY!

I am going to make it official... i am aligning myself with the American National Tea Party.  I have grown to despise the cross-aisle finger pointing and bickering.  I am tired of the laws of the land not applying to those who are supposed to "represent" us.  I am tired of the very people that are supposed to express the point of view of their constituency not "getting it", and i am especially tired of this nation getting deeper and deeper into debt every year.  There are some exceptions, and i am not pointing the finger at either of the two main political parties.  Over 11% of the annual budget is interest.  Just interest, not principle of the load, just the interest.  I have heard it put this way:

"If the US Government was a family, they would be making $58,000 a year, they spend $75,000 a year, and are $327,000 in credit card debt. They are currently proposing BIG spending cuts to reduce their spending to $72,000 a year. These are the actual proportions of the federal budget and debt, reduced to a level that we can understand." ~ Dave Ramsey

It is just not sustainable.  If i ran my house this way, i would be in bankruptcy and out on the street.  Those who represent us need to grow a set of _____ and put on their big girl panties and make some really hard decisions.  They need to tread carefully of course, but their eyes shouldn't wander to places like Social Security, Medicare, or the retirement "entitlement" those who have retired after 20+ years of service to this country.  Those programs are people - generally - from the lower income brackets who have put their time in, who have busted their tails all their lives.  There are plenty of other areas that could be scrutinized and pinched.  No plan is going to make everyone happy, and every plan is going to make somebody mad, but this country is heading down into a hole that is inescapable if we are not careful.  And before anyone goes off spouting that the Tea Party is a bunch of bigots, do some research to see just who makes up the rank and file of this political party's supporters.  I think our country is past due for a couple of more political parties with influence beyond the Democrats and the Republicans. Checks and balances.  Since the Tea Party is predominantly conservative, i feel that a subset of the Democratic liberal would be apropos. 

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