Someone Got Me...Kinda

Okay, so I got called out about this post becaue some moron decided to display a similar scene using the opposing candidate as the main character. You can see the other tasteless display they referred to right here. I'm not defending either instance; they're both pretty disgusting. The main point I was trying to make, but apparently was not able to do, is that this is a trend for liberals. They try to use "art" as a means to express their views in really tacky ways. Don't believe me? Here are a few examples (some are even in video form). It takes real talent to produce works like those.

Here are a couple of those examples just in case you get tired of clicking on links.

Classy, right?

Remember, all comments are always welcome! Please continue to enjoy my blog!

Update on My Golf Game

The new goal that I have set for myself was to beat my brother Ryan, and I got my first opportunity since setting that goal this past weekend. On Saturday morning, both my brothers and I went to Silver King (formerly Bay Oaks) to play the front nine. I had played all 18 the day before and shot an 84, an all-time personal best (par is 70 right now due to course construction). Therefore, my confidence was high heading into the round with my brothers. We were late getting our round started because the course was covered with fog that day. I started out very well that morning, though. After 5 holes, I was only +1 and beating Ryan by one stroke. However, I blew up on the 6th hole and made a quadruple bogey, which put Ryan ahead of me by two strokes after his bogey. I finished with a 45, while Ryan shot a 41 and Reed shot a 48. Thus, I have not accomplished my new goal yet. It will be done, though. Ryan is going down..and soon!!!

Just Some Pictures

Here are some pictures from our trip this past weekend down in Grand Bay...

Hannah playing with the luggage. She thinks suitcases are a lot of fun.

BC playing with Hannah. Sorry about the red eyes!


Reed and Rachael (he cleans up pretty nice)

Me and the wife on the beach after the wedding.

I was told not to post this, but I think she looks pretty nice.

Me and Hannah just chillin'

Me and Donavan being cool dudes!

In case you're wondering, Donavan was not in Grand Bay with us this weekend. He was not kidnapped (although it would be tempting if not for the dirty diapers). We actually stopped in Montgomery on the way back to Nashville to see BC's parents, her sister Jamie, and our cool nephew.

Double Standard?

The liberals are really getting classy now. Check this out. Can you even begin to imagine the outrage if someone had done this with a mannequin depicting B. Hussein Obama? The media would not stop talking about it for years. CNN would probably create an entirely new program aimed at addressing the issue. I guess it's only a "hate crime" when it's directed at certain races or lifestyles, although it seems pretty hateful to want to hang someone.

Really Getting Scary

Wow! I just find it hard to believe that about half the country is going to vote for B. Hussein Obama. He is such a blatant socialist and now there is even more evidence to prove it. Just click the link and listen to what he has to say. He is not even shy about his ideas. I hope you can understand how radical these ideas are.

I wish people would just be honest about their reasons for wanting to vote for him, though. The whole "Change" mantra is really getting old. If you want the government handouts that he will provide, just admit it. If you want to be able to kill innocent babies like he does, just admit it. If you think other people should be responsible for your healthcare, just admit it. If you hate the military, just admit it. Just don't use the same old line about how evil Bush is and how we need this change Obama will bring. I doubt these people have given much thought as to just what this "change" really is.

A few days ago, I tried to have an educated discussion with a few Obama supporters. I used the clever little trick of asking them to name one thing he has ever done to make America a better country...yes, just one. That should be pretty easy since he is a United States Senator. They couldn't do it, though. Can you guess where the conversation then turned? After they sat there dumbfounded for a while, they flew into a tirade about how we need...you guessed it...CHANGE! Boy, that sounds like a plan! Change what? Change when? Change who? If a liberal were to be honest about this plan, they have to see that it is completely absurd. However, that would require a liberal to be honest about their ideas, and that doesn't seem to happen very often. Being honest would lead them to admit that they do want an abundance of welfare, dead babies, government-controlled health systems, and a weak military. Since those ideas don't really go over so well with most Americans, they must be disguised as something positive like tax cuts or... change!

Just an Update

Betty Clair and I are in Grand Bay this weekend for Neely's (cousin) wedding. We left Nashville around five o'clock yesterday and got here around 1:00 a.m. The rehearsal dinner was tonight, and we are scheduled to play golf early tomorrow morning. I'm not sure the golf outing will occur, though. The weather here is horrible. It has been raining extremely hard for the past several hours, and it doesn't appear to be letting up anytime soon. I'll let you know how that plays out later.

On another note, I just finished watching Auburn lose their third consecutive game to West Virginia. It kind of makes me sick to my stomach. Our team is atrocious this year. I have no idea what happened to make them fall this far. There have been some unique and unfortuante circumstances this year, but it's hard to see how previous events could have led to a demise of these proportions. I'll be over it in the morning, but it is definitely pretty frustrating right now.

Update: Just got word that golf has been postponed. That kind of stinks!

Today actually was a really good day overall, regardless of the football game. It was nice to be around the family again. Hannah, our niece, is walking and talking now. She wasn't able to do that when we last saw her which was at our wedding. She's really changed a lot. I also got to hang out with my dog, Leroy. I've really missed him. Betty Clair even had him obeying her commands and fetching sticks for her. He really is an amazing dog. I think even BC started to realize that today. Maybe she'll be okay with him living with us one day!

Still My Favorite

Click here to find out why. Is there really another candidate that more Americans as a group agree with on the issues? At least she has beliefs and opinions that can be said out loud, unlike the skinny, wimpy guy. His ideas have to be masked (eg. welfare being called "tax cuts for the poor").

That is all for now. I have to go to work so I can pay my taxes to help fund stuff like this. Pray for our country!

We Did Our Duty

I got another sticker yesterday (see the picture?). We went down to the Bellevue Community Center and participated in the early voting that is allowed here in Tennessee. I am scheduled to work from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on the real election day, so we utilized this option so that I wouldn't have to take any time off. As you can safely assume, I punched the button for the McCain/Palin ticket. I've come to feel even better about this choice recently. I also reluctantly voted to keep our incumbent Republican Senator Alexander in office. My hesitation was due to his recent vote on the bailout bill (see previous post). I actually met his Democrat opponent, Bob Tuke, at the Vandy-AU game and was able to ask him how he would have voted on the bill. He was unable to give me a straight answer to the question, so I figured it would be safer to keep the Republican in office. Additionally, I voted to get rid of the Democrat U.S. Representative for our district. He also voted to pass the bailout bill and seems to be very weak on security issues. I have done my duties, though, so I still reserve the right to complain about the government (yes, even if my guy wins).

Vote Pro-Life!!!

Thank you, Mr. Gore

Well, it looks like Betty Clair and I will have to spend hundreds of dollars on unnecessary car repairs, again. Thanks to all the hippies and tree-huggers, the state of Tennessee has an emissions test that all automobiles must pass in order to apply for a state license plate. The "Check Engine" light was on in both of our vehicles when we moved here; thus, we automatically fail the aforementioned test. The state completely disregards the fact that both of our automobiles are running perfectly fine and that neither one of them is actually polluting more than any other typical vehicle on the road. The heinous offense we have commited is that we simply allowed that dreaded little orange light to show up on the dashboard. Now we are forced to empty our wallets to change that in a desperate attempt to help save Mother Earth.

A couple of months ago, we has to spend about $800 on my truck alone to get the repairs done to turn my warning light off. Now, it appears that we will have to spend even more to repair Betty Clair's car. The mechanic, seemingly in a regretful manner, simply said, "Welcome to Tennessee." I'm sure he and many others in his profession have seen this circumstance many, many times since this initiative was implemented. Owners of safe, well-running cars and trucks are forced to spend gross amounts of money every year to have minor changes made to their car so this test can be passed and we don't burn up the planet with all our carbon use.

This frustrating dilemma exists due to things like the agenda being pushed by Al Gore and other crooks in his line of work. It is difficult to comprehend how this state program does very much to actually reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere. (It's actually not even a pollutant, but that topic requires another post entirely.) My truck is running exactly the same now as it did before we spent hundred of dollars on it, and I am quite certain that Betty Clair's car will respond the same way. We simply have to spend these exorbitant amounts of money so that Mr. Gore and his cohorts can sleep easier at night since they feel as if they are saving Mother Earth. I don't think he would pretend to care quite as much if his bank account didn't benefit greatly from this cause. However, he certainly makes sure that his own comfort isn't compromised by any of these standards, though, as evidenced by the fact that he leaves his car idling during speeches so that it is nice and cool upon his return. Additionally, his electricity bill at his personal residence here in Nashville shows more electricity usage in a month than the average home does in an entire year. That doesn't seem very eco-friendly to me. How is it that he is able to help impose these silly restrictions on average Americans in hopes of saving the planet, but he is the biggest (again, pun intended) hypocrite around when it comes to his own affairs? Will the mainstream media ever call him out on it? That doesn't seem likely. Now, he is also even calling for acts of civil disobedience as a means to prevent construction of new coal plants. Yes, he is encouraging people to break laws to further his cause. I don't think he would do so himself, though. That would require too much energy, and maybe his excuse is he doesn't want to breathe too hard and pollute the air with all his carbon, which is not the only hot air he expels.

I, for one, believe this whole claim of man-made climate change is the most widely employed scam on the human race ever, so all this trouble of ours makes me particularly furious. Unfortunately, the media has jumped on the bandwagon and Americans seem to blindly listen to anything they are told by people like Katie Couric, George Clooney, or Oprah (more people who fuss about this problem after arrive in private jets or limousines). Hopefully, history will one day look back on this ploy and realize what a shame it was how so many people were duped by this idea. Until then, I guess we just have to suck it up and spend all our money on pointless automobile work that has no impact whatsoever on how hot it is tomorrow.

Barry's Tax Plan...

...is an enormous scam. How can anyone actually believe that he can actually cut taxes for 95% of the country? In no way at all is this possible. The math just doesn't add up. For one thing, a third of working Americans don't even pay taxes. Yes, it's true. Has he even considered this fact? I seriously doubt it. Facts just seem to get in the way of liberal logic. If only 2 out of 3 Americans actually pay taxes, how can you cut them for 95% of us? The reasoning is just blatantly absurd. These tax cuts he's claiming to give to 95% of the country will actually just be a redistribution of wealth since it is taken from the rich and given back to the poor. He has even said so himself. He literally wants to "spread the wealth around" because, in his own words, "it's good for everybody." Is he serious? Taking money from someone to give it to someone else is good for everybody? I'm sure the "rich" guy whose money was taken at a much higher rate so that it can be given to someone who chooses not to work doesn't agree with this statement. This is SOCIALISM! B. Hussein Obama also claims that everyone who makes less than $250,000 has not received any tax breaks. This is just laughable. Again, what about the 1/3 that don't pay ANY taxes? Isn't that a tax break? Well, I guess it's technically not a break since it was never done in the first place. Obama is just plain ignorant when it comes to this topic and it's a shame more Americans can't realize this.
Even if you believe that people who earn more money should pay more in taxes (as if that's very American), there are more facts to be considered. 1) These rich people are the ones who employ you and all of America. When was the last time someone who makes $20,000 gave you a job? As far as I know, it doesn't happen very often. I'm pretty certain that my employer (CVS) makes more than $250,000 a year. How clueless do you have to be to not realize that their increased tax rates will trickle down to me and all my co-workers. With their increased tax burdens, do you think they'll be more or less likely to retain or hire additional employees? It's hard to comprehend how unemployment would be lowered since corporations would ultimately be less likely to hire people. I do understand that there is a considerable amount of greed and corruption in big corporations and they want to keep as much of what they make as they can, but what is so wrong with that? Don't you want to bring home more of your paycheck instead of giving such a big chunk of it back to the government? Why shouldn't these people be allowed to want the same for themselves? 2) This approach also discourages people from trying to make more money and improve their individual situation. If you are going to get taxed more because you earn more, this can simply deter you from even trying to do so. For example, when Ronald Reagan was still working as an actor, he would actually sit out for a portion of each year because any increased earnings he brought home were taxed so high that it wasn't worthwhile to work any longer. But it's not Ronald Reagan who is hurt by this approach, even though he was considered a rich guy; it's all the people who would have had jobs working on his films that lose out (again, the trickle-down effect). How is this not obvious?

While McCain's tax plan is also quite flawed, at least it is not derived from socialism. He will try to cut taxes for everyone...even the evil, rich people. Obama thinks this is unfair. I have several problems with McCain's plan, as in what he plans to do with my tax dollars. Both candidates seem to want to expand governmental control on your life to some extent. It's just frightening how far Obama is willing to take it.

My New Sticker

Here is the picture I promised you last night. Isn't it cool? I actually had to reapply it this morning because I put it on crooked last night. In all my excitement, I just wasn't careful and was did not apply it in a perpendicular manner. For those of you that know me well, you are aware there is no way I am going to drive around Nashville with a poorly placed sticker on my truck. It's a shame my support will all be in vain as John McCain is about as inept a candidate the Republicans could have picked. You never know, though, maybe people will actually start to realize how insane the ideas of B. Hussein Obama really are. We can only "hope" for that "change."

FYI: I also took down my Auburn Pharmacy sticker. It was getting pretty ragged and I was tired of it anyway.

Keeping Things Brief Tonight

I just wanted to express how excited I am right now. After another long 15-hour work day, I came home to find my new bumper stickers that I ordered on Sunday had already arrived. Tomorrow, I will post a picture of the one I just put on my truck. Yes, I put my new sticker on at nearly 11:00. I'm really proud of it. Also, I have plenty of extras if anyone wants one of their own. There are several to choose from. The website I used sends you a variety pack with every order. I know I have at least four more "Sarah Palin for Vice President" and three "McCain/Palin" stickers left. The others seem to just be chosen randomly. My wife doesn't want one on her car. She claims it is because she thinks bumper stickers look tacky (on windows or bumpers). I'm afraid she may just be a communist.

Riding Bikes Today

Today, Betty Clair and I were able to take our bikes out together for the first time. We went for a ride at the park that I mentioned in a previous post. The path we took today totaled about 6 miles, most of which seemed to be uphill. We had a great time, though. There were a few pit stops along the way, but they were simply taken to give us time to enjoy the scenery. It had nothing at all to do with the many steep hills we encountered. Additionally, the contraption I made to carry the bikes worked wonderfully. It was a little cumbersome to put it all together when actually in the truck bed, however, because space was somewhat limited. It did ultimately perform as I had hoped, though.

Betty Clair was also in a cooking mood again tonight. She is starting to get really good at this. She prepared some sort of hamburger/hash brown casserole for dinner. I'm not exactly sure what the name of the dish was, but I do know that it tasted really, really good. We now have a refrigerator full of leftovers from her recent cooking endeavors. But don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about that at all!

Best Choice Out There

Sarah Palin is the only reason I'm going to hold my nose (or use this method) and cast my vote for John McCain this year. Well, it's also a vote against B. Hussein Obama, so I guess that would also be sufficient reason to vote McCain. However, she is the sole reason I can actually feel good about what I'm doing when I punch the ballot next month.

She is the only candidate of the four who I actually agree with on the major issues. She is pro-life and not ashamed of it, pro-gun and actually practices it, and she wants to drill for oil in Alaksa since it will create American jobs and help decrease our need to associate with those dirtbags in the Middle East. Plus, she's much easier on the eyes than any of the other three guys running this year. I know that's shallow, but I can't help it.

Last night, I ordered a "Sarah Palin for Vice President" bumper sticker for my truck. It should be here real soon, and I ordered extra ones just in case anyone wants one of their own. Maybe it sounds silly to only support a vice-presidential candidate, but I can only truly support someone with whom I agree. I said weeks ago that McCain needed to choose a conservative running mate or he would lose any shot he had at winning this election, and now the only time he sees any jump in the polls is when Sarah is given the opportunity to talk and share her views. However, McCain still wants to lean too far to the left despite the evidence that many people in this country would agree with a more conservative approach to government. Maybe he'll get the picture before it's too late and we end up with a socialist, naive, supporter of infanticide as our next president.

The Bike Transporter

Here are some pictures of the gadget I rigged up to use when we travel with the bikes. The bikes are easily attached to the board once the front tires are removed. Then, the whole rig is placed in the bed of my truck. It was more difficult to assemble than I had expected, as I have a very limited supply of tools here in the apartment. The total length of the setup is about 52 inches, and so is the bed of my truck when the toolbox is still in it. I haven't been able to try it out to see if it will fit that way as of yet. It will definitely be close. Wish me luck on that one. Let me know what you think about the setup...good or bad idea?




Now, I am off to play Tiger Woods on the XBox! The wife is at a scrapbooking party, so I am free to do as I please for a little while longer.

Taboo Topic

Auburn just lost to another football team with far less talent. This deeply saddens me. Therefore, I will not be posting about football for a while. This topic has just become too painful recently.

On another note, I have had really good days at work the past two days. The number of disgruntled, snotty customers has been drastically low this weekend. Hopefully, they haven't just been saving it all up for Sunday, since I'll be there again for 8 more hours tomorrow. The wife and I both have Monday off, though. That's a good thing because my feet are really starting to hurt. Both of us bought lunch for our technicians today, which seemed to be greatly appreciated. The girls at my store chose Ruby Tuesday. I had to spend a little bit of money, but sometimes it just feels good to do something nice like that for your fellow workers.

We have some fun plans scheduled for Monday. We plan to take the bikes to this park to go for a little ride. If she allows it, I'd really like to spend some time here, too. Another thing we've been planning to do is see this movie. If you've seen it already, let me know what you thought about it. The previews make it out to be really funny. We'll try to squeeze it in on Monday if we can.

Betty Clair also cooked a very nice meal tonight (and this was after working all day). I came home to the refreshing aroma of spaghetti and garlic bread that filled our quaint, little home. I think she's back in the cooking mode again, so I better not mention any more on fears of jinxing it. If any of you talk to her, though, be sure to encourage these habits. Thank you in advance for your help.

Book Review

This is my latest read. Phil Valentine, the author, is the host of his own talk radio show heard on over 50 stations across the country. The show is based here out of Nashville. I tune in for at least some of the show nearly every day. His new book covers nearly every major topic currently discussed in the political arena, from abortion to immigration and guns to education. He explains the traditional conservative positions on each of these issues and defends these views with logic and reasoning (which drives liberals mad). Each chapter discusses a different topic and are rather brief and easy reads. Overall, it was an entertaining read and I rather enjoyed the book. There were several moments when I found myself laughing out loud as he told stories of liberalism and its effects on the world. He uses various examples and stories to display the validity of conservative thought and bring out the inanity of liberal ideals. The book was less than $20 at Books-A-Million and was well worth the money I spent on it. It also just sometimes feels good to support a local guy (especially if this is what he's promoting). To order online or see other customer reviews, since my first attempt at this is probably pretty insufficient, just click here. Keep cheking in for more!

It Has Arrived

A mere 22 days after it was ordered and paid for, Betty Clair's new bike has arrived. I just got back from going to pick it up. It's a shame that one or both of us will be working the next three days, though, and we won't be able to take the bikes out together. That will have to wait until Monday.


Don't you just love the color scheme she chose for her new toy. It definitely displays her taste. Color seemed to be her main consideration when choosing this bike (and the helmet).

Our problem now is finding a way to transport these things simultaneously. I bought a little gadget they had at the bike shop that bolts down to a block of wood you place in the back of a truck. It looks like it works well in the pictures. Let's just hope I can make it work, too. Ask me about that one later.

*Update: The DOW continued to plunge today, closing below 8,600 for the first time since 2003. Those are some pretty impressive numbers. Didn't Obama and McCain tell us this bailout needed to be passed to prevent this very thing? These guys have the exact same goofy ideas. Man, we've got some real winners to choose from this time around!

Who Cares?

This has to be a joke. Now, Rush Propst is putting down Tommy Tuberville based on his recent decision to fire Tony Franklin. If anyone at all takes this seriously, you need to wake up and realize who is spouting this garbage. Why do we even care what Rush Propst has to say about this? Isn't this the same guy who misled his own teams and his own family for years about his own laundry list of indiscretions? Isn't this the same guy that mysteriously left debt at every sports program (including girl's soccer) at Bryant High School when he left there? There's no telling how much money he ripped off the rich folks in Hoover before his past finally caught up with him there. This guy has no credibility whatsoever. He is definitely one of the least moral men on the face of the earth. But now just because his buddy got fired due to poor performance on the job, we run to this jerk looking for his reaction. WHY? Franklin was not coaching high school football anymore. He wasn't simply running camps to teach the latest trend in offense. Lots of people have a lot at stake at the level where he most recently coached. If Franklin didn't understand that being fired one day was a possibility, then he was very foolish. When you're at the higher levels in any line of work, you naturally have higher expectations put on you. This is the highest level of college football. He promised a lot but was unable to deliver. Whether he had enough time is definitely a debatable point, and Propst may be correct in his opinion there. But, when this moron throws out quotes like, "Why would you want to go there?", he is stepping over the line. It is not his place to push his agenda like that just because Auburn didn't kiss his butt for years like other programs just to get players. Maybe a kid would want to go here because it is a program that doesn't lose scholarships. Maybe it's because we have a coach who doesn't cheat on his wife (i.e. Propst). Maybe it's because our program instills discipline in the players instead of suspending them but then lifting the supspension when it looks like we might lose a game (i.e. D.J. Hall). Maybe it's because we're not one of the national leaders in player arrests (Bama).It is just appalling that a reporter even gave this joke of a coach any time at all to share his opinion on the topic. Do they really have nothing better to do?

Wise Move?

The experiment did not work. I just got done talking to my friend Eric, and he informed me of the coaching changes taking place down in Auburn. Apparently, our offensive coordinator Tony Franklin has just been fired. This news is a bit surprising but not totally unexpected. Our total offense is currently ranked 104th in the nation along with some pretty disgraceful passing statistics. These numbers don't bode too well when you have a widely acclaimed offensive "guru" at the helm. Do I agree with the decision to can the OC? Not completely. While we weren't producing on the field at all, this change doesn't send a very good message to all our potential recruits. It's hard to say where the blame for our lackluster play should be placed. I would guess that it can be shared by many people (players and coaches). There also seemed to be some internal conflicts with the coaching staff that could have lead to this move. Maybe Tuberville didn't let Franklin have total control of the offense and this caused sturggles between the two. Who's to know for sure?

I have no idea what effects this will have on the rest of Auburn's season. Maybe things will improve. It's not as if the offensive production could actually get any worse. Well, we could fall 15 spots in offensive production and be ranked dead last in that category. If you remember, I mentioned in an earlier post that this could be a long season, and it sure seems to be headed that way. Wish us luck.

Cool New Additions and Changes

I just learned how to add a survey to my blog. Do you see it on the right side of the page? I think that is pretty cool stuff. Also, for all of you who have wanted to leave comments but were unable to do so, that has now been corrected. Comments should be able to be posted by anyone who wishes. Anyone who desires should also be able to answer the survey questions posted. I have one survey running right now to test its capabilities. Surveys will generally run for about one week before the question is changed. Enjoy!

Today's Ride

Riding a bike uphill is hard! This is probably an obvious point to everyone reading this. Anyway, I took my new Trek down to Percy Warner Park today and had a pretty hard time getting up the hills. It was a whole lot of fun coming down, though. The trail starts with a pretty steep climb, but the ride down is quite exhilarating. Being able to travel over half of a mile without pedalling once makes for a fun ride. I had to wait until later in the afternoon to take the bike out since the weather here in Nasvhille was a bit dreary for most of the morning. The weather also kept me from being able to work on my golf game earlier today. Even "Joe Scarecrow" had to come inside for the day due to the inclement weather. However, he will be headed back out soon since the rain has ceased.

*Update: the DOW is down over 500 points today. Other numbers: it is down 33.3% from its peak a few months ago. It is below 10,000 points for the first time sine 2004. Man, this bailout sure is working nicely.

The second debate between the presidential candidates is here in Nashville tonight. The town seems to be pretty excited over all this attention. I will actually play a pivotal part of this debate. One of the debate organizers from Belmont University came in my pharmacy yesterday to purchase cough drops for the audience. I made a recommendation to use the CVS brand honey-lemon flavor based on my own personal experience. She followed my advice and purchased two large bags of individually wrapped cough drops with hopes that they will keep members of the audience from creating too much background noise. So, if you tune in to watch tonight and notice no coughing from the audience, you can thank me. In advance, you are welcome.

Well, my natural desire to feed is beginning to kick in, so I need to find some nourishment. Check back soon, my friends.

The Aftermath

Have you noticed what the stock market has been doing since the bailout bill was passed? It seems that Wall Street is scared of all this. Maybe they're afraid that the precedent being set leads to the fact that no institution has to be responsible and accountable for their own actions. I'm no expert, but that doesn't seem to be good for anyone. As a wise woman told me yesterday, "Let the chips fall where they may." It's basically like the spoiled, rich kid that never had any rules or expectations growing up. Now that he's an adult, he has a really hard time understanding that there are consequences for your actions since that's not what he was used to when he was younger. *Update: the DOW is down 52.97 already today.*

I also find it ironic that people seem to be complaining how tough it is to borrow money as a result of this situation. Have they considered the idea that maybe banks are simply just loaning money only to the people who should have qualified in the first place. The people who are now having a hard time getting a loan probably could have gotten one a few years ago, but it seems that some of the banks have learned from their mistakes. No offense to anyone out there, but if you make $20,000 a year, the bank should not give you a loan to buy a $400,000 home. It is not your inalienable right to get that loan. You have to earn that privilege. No bank is obligated to do anything for you. Even if they decide to take a risk and offer you that loan, you should be wise enough to know that you have no way to pay it off and realize that it will ultimately end in catastrophe for you and your family. The excuse of "they tricked me into it" is not valid. You are foolish and gullible if you fall into that trap. Therefore, no person should have any pity for you.

Maybe I'm just a cruel person, but I will never be convinced that you have the RIGHT to a job, your own home, a new car, big screen tv's, or any other luxury. You have to earn these things. Recently, I read about a woman who was complaining that she didn't have enough money to feed her daughter because the bills were so expensive. These included her power, water, and cable bills. Yes, you read that right. She claimed to be barely getting by because the cable bill was too high. Here's a novel idea...cut off the cable! Nickelodeon is not imperative to proper child rearing.

The only real rights laid out to us are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is not anyone else's job to make you happy; you are only given the right to pursue that happiness. If you don't want to go get it for yourself, then you don't deserve it.

A Late Night Post

Last Wednesday, Betty Clair and I replaced our HD cable box with a HD/DVR cable box. Now we will be able to record all the good television shows that come on while we are at work. Actually, the primary reason we increased our entertainment capabilities was to record The Office. Since it airs on Thursdays, and we are at work most Thursdays, this was our only option. I've also been able to use it to rewind and review football plays and to record King of the Hill.

This week is our "bad" work week. I work on Monday and Friday, while BC works on Tuesday and Thursday. We both have Wednesday off, but that is our only real time off together the entire week. This happens every third week. Other than that, our schedules are pretty similar. I'm still not sure if that is a blessing or a burden, though. I'll get back to you on that one later.

I'm going to try to make it down to the driving range tomorrow to get some practice in for the Butt-Whipping of Ryan coming later this month. He has no idea what is in store for him. I'll also be holding out hope that BC's bike comes in tomorrow. If so, we'll definitely be headed to a trail somewhere so I can spend the day showing her the cool and stupid things I can do with my bike. If it doesn't come in, it will be almost a whole week before we get another opportunity to ride together.

Well, I'm going to go to sleep now and recover from another 15-hour day. Check back here tomorrow to see what's going on!

Boy, Was I Wrong

As most of you probably know by now, the Auburn game didn't exactly go as I had planned. I am actually already over it, althought some of you may not believe that. Hopefully, we can figure out something in the coming week to help our offense get it together. If not, we are in for a long season that will, at best, end in a 7-5 record. The Georgia Bulldogs and the almighty Crimson Tide (who I think has already claimed this year's national championship) will beat us with considerable ease to end this miserable season.

We did, however, get to enjoy the company of several of our friends this weekend. It's fun to see how the lives of all the other newlyweds are going, too. This morning, we were able to get up and eat breakfast at the Pancake Pantry. This place had some pretty good pancakes, but they were still nowhere close to rivaling those of the famous Jeff Westbrook. Those are still the best ones I've ever had the pleasure of eating, and I doubt they will ever be beat.

Today is Game Day

Saturdays in the Fall are great! ESPN GameDay came to Nashville this morning for the Auburn-Vandy game, but we didn't get up in time to make it down there. We have several friends who stayed with us last night, and a couple more are on the way. All the girls are getting ready, so it will still be a while before we get to head to town. We're going to try to scalp some tickets for the game while we're there. Hopefully, we can find something rather affordable. If not, we'll probably just come back home to use the big screen and watch it or go to a restaurant in town. My prediction for the game is that Auburn will win 31-10. That may seem bold, but I'm feeling pretty confident in my team today. The new offensive changes should be beneficial, and our defense is usually pretty dependable. On GameDay, Corso picked us to win, but Kenny Chesney (who was given Kirk Herbstreit's pick) said he thought Vandy would win the game. I think he was just trying to make friends, though. Corso repeatedly informed him that he didn't know anything about football. Well, I guess I'll go put on my orange t-shirt now because we'll probably be leaving pretty soon. War Eagle!!!

My Woman's Homemaking Skills

If you read my earlier posts, you already know that Betty Clair was in a cooking mood earlier in the week. Today, she was in a decorating mood. Check out the pictures of her talents. She's been planning this for a long time.

Details of Vote Results

Tennessee representatives and their votes...

Yeas
Steve Ira Cohen (D)
Jim Cooper (D)
Bart Gordon (D)
John S. Tanner (D)
Zach Wamp (R)

Neas
Marsha Blackburn (R)
David Davis (R)
Lincoln Davis (D)
John J. Duncan, Jr. (R)

Additionally, both Senators Alexander and Corker voted yea on the bill.

For the Alabama residents who love my site...

Both Senator Jeff Sessions and Richard Shelby love America enough that they voted nea on the bill. The Alabama representatives, however, performed rather poorly as a group.

Yeas
Spencer Bachus (R)
Jo Bonner (R)
Bud Cramer, Jr. (D)
Arthur Davis (D)
Terry Everett (R)
Mike Rogers (R)

Neas
Robert B. Aderholt (R)

To sum it all up, Tennessee has better people in the House, but Alabama has better men in the Senate.

If you want to see the votes of all members of Congress, I included links below...

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2008/roll681.xml

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=2&vote=00213

Seriously?

The bailout plan just passed in its second round at the House. Congress is such a joke. This title of representative is so ironic that it makes me sick to my stomach. Poll after poll has shown that the majority of Americans oppose passage of this financial bailout, yet our "leaders" feel they know what is best for you, even more than you know yourself. Could they be any more condescending?
I now feel that I should deserve a bailout for all my poor decisions as well. For example, the other day we bought some bread but failed to notice the expiration date was only one day away. Therefore, our bread was growing mold before very much of it was consumed. Shouldn't Congress send me $1.79 so that I can recover from this financial disaster? That seems to be the way they feel America should be run. Just because someone else's financial problems involve larger numbers does not mean they are more deserving of government handouts than my family is.
Another update: The DOW is now plunging immediately after the bill was passed.
Today is just a sad day so far. At least last night was fun, since I got to listen to Sarah Palin blow Joe Biden out of the water.

My New Toy

Here are a couple pictures of my newest toy. We checked at the bike shop today to see if BC's had come in, but we found out it had just been ordered yesterday. They said it should be here early next week, though. We're keeping our fingers crossed on that one since it was over two weeks ago when we actually made the purchase. I suppose that's just part of it. We're now heading off to scout the area around Vanderbilt's campus as we make plans for the weekend. Hopefully, we can find a cool sports grill or something within walking distance of the stadium. We've got a few friends coming up on Friday, so Betty Clair won't be stuck watching me as I watch the TV all day on Saturday. I'm not really sure what else she expects of me on Saturdays, though.

Commercial Jingles

Is it just me, or are the freecreditreport.com commercials absolutely hilarious? The songs are pretty catchy, and I pride myself on the fact that I know all the words to nearly every one of them. www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mvcfO3yVjQ That's probably just because I'm a bit of a dork. I'm still debating on whether I like the Sonic commercials more, though. www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mtvvDQidGM&feature=related Maybe I'm stretching on this next one, but I actually like the Geico caveman commercials, as well. The ones with the gecko are pretty lame, but the performances by the cavemen are utterly superb. www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwWfU18boOI Your opinions are welcome.