Winter...

Yesterday there was frost on the ground. Our electric blanket has been used twice this week. The mornings and evenings are getting dark. Even though I'm still wearing a short sleave shirt to work with no jacket the season has changed. Let the long winter stretch begin as my depression sets in...

Politics 3

I think the old adage that if the economy is good the incumbent party wins and if the economy is bad the opposing party wins is about to play out.

I get at least one email a day from a concerned friend passing along a detailed account of why it is party X's fault we are in this economic mess. Of course one day its from a Republican friend and the next its from a Democratic friend. Some things just don't change.

Maybe I will vote this week to get the drama over with. I still have yet to decide. Barr is looking pretty good at this point...

Stuff...

- The Bosox went down in the 7th game. Nobody took their eyes off of them until that final out was done because those guys prove over and over again how scrappy they are. Funny how a few years ago the Red Sox were everyone's favorite underdog (besides the Cubs) and now they are the dynasty winning machine. So overnight the world has become Ray's fans. Its a great story, I'm on board.

- Fall is here :-( And looming is the worst day of the year for me. We shall not speak of the day when the clock hands move in the middle of the night 1 hour.

- The wife and I are secretly lamenting our age. It seems to be that point when you realize everything really has changed and you are on the other side of it. I recently had 2 great aunts die. One from my Dad's side, one from my Mom's side. Both of these were the last of their generation in our family. So my Mom pointed out that now they have moved up into that oldest generation slot and therefore I have moved up in the order as well! doh!

- My answer to polotics and a bad ecomony is sports. Give me college football, MLB and NFL so I can ignore the problems of the world!

- It's time to retire the traditional Elvis mask I wear on Holloween. I need something new, going to have to make a mask run.

- The Texas State Fair has come and gone again and I didn't make it, again :-(

- I'm not going to miss the King Tut exhibit

- Happy Monday.

Baseball

You got to love playoff baseball. Last night's Red Sox come back was amazing and exciting! Within two innings to go from being down 7-0 and winning 7-8 was incredible! The bad part is I wish both teams could win. Not sure Bosox have it to come back all the way this time though.

Looking forward to some more games like this.

More Politics

Things are heating up. We were discussing this the other day.

Person 1: "I vote straight regardless of what the name is. It doesn't matter who the actual person is and I'd never vote any other way." This person went on to say almost everyone is this way and that its rare for people to vote based on the person and to not follow a strict party line.

I have to admit I do see this behavior from the majority of the people. I guess I'm in the minority. Although I have been registered with one party all my voting life on every election I decide based on the information I have on the person running and party is just part of the equation.

Person 2: "I'm not registered to vote and have never been registered to vote. I have no opinion and just don't want to be a part of it."

I can see a lot of people opting for this as well. The alternative is to seek opinion of others and that usually goes down the path of there is only one right choice...

Politics

I'm pretty a-political but had to comment on this. Yesterday I was behind a car that had two bumper stickers on it. The first was "Protect America, Nobama" and the second was just "NO" with the O being the Obama logo.

So this person took the time to adhere two bumper stickers to their car for what they were against. Yet they did not bother to add any sticker to endorse who they were FOR!

That's politics in a nutshell....

Back from Austin

It was good times and a plethora of live music. We festivaled all day and then went to an after show each night. Austin is the live music capital of the world so its only fitting that it have such a festival. Much like New Orleans' Jazz Fest its a community event instead of just a concert production.

We got to see a lot of great bands including the unknowns to the well known. The varieties in the line up keep things interesting all the time. And the intimate after shows were a nice addition to the festival this year (that's Jakob Dylan in the picture).

Thanks Austin!

ACL Festival

Thursday I'm off to the Austin City Limits Festival for 3 days of live music! I guess I need to go look at the line up and see who is playing...(!)

STRIKE!


His second game pitching was much better then the first. Good improvement He had a fair number of strikes and really stayed in control! Way to go son, we are very proud!

Live Music

Last Friday I ventured to the Granda and caught a great Umphrey's McGree show. They were fantastic and really put on a great show.

IKE Cometh

(As seen from the International Space Station)

Another massive storm in the gulf, this time Texas will take the hit. Hopefully everyone gets out that is told to. The kids are reporting that strong wind and rain started in Baton Rouge this morning.

Twin Towers

I'll never forget that feeling.... vulnerable, exposed...

Proud Dad Alert

Saturday was the opening game for Fall Little League. The son has a new team this time around so things are going to be different. He has also been going to the baseball gym all summer to improve his skills including pitching training. Pitching is something he has never attempted before.

In preparation for the first game the coach tells him that he is pitching first! He pitched the first inning and even threw a few strikes. I was very proud just to see him take it on, to get up there and go for it! It was a great moment!

Gustav Pounds Baton Rouge

We arrived Friday night in New Roads. The girls came in later that night. The next day we all had a great day on the river. The weather was perfect. But this was the calm before the storm.

All day the news was consumed by Gustav. Fortunately, the storm never slowed down over the Gulf so Cat 3 was all it could muster. But this meant the storm was coming in earlier. Instead of Tuesday it would hit Monday. LSU's football game kick off was moved up on Saturday from 5pm to 10am, the earliest kick-off in school history. The Contraflow plan was moved up from 6:30AM Sunday to 4:00AM. My cousin spent the day putting everything away and trimming tree limbs. He was hoping it was for precaution that would not be needed.

South Louisiana seem to mobilize Saturday night. My coworker left Thibideaux Saturday at 7:30pm on HWY 90 with his family. Thidideaux was in the direct path of the storm. It took him 12 hours to get to Shreveport (normally about 4 hours). The girls left to return to LSU Saturday night before the Contraflow began.

We decided to leave Sunday morning. At 7:45am we headed north on LA1 avoiding HWY 190 and I-49 south of Alex. LA1 was deserted so we made easy time. Joined I-49 North at Alex and all seemed light. But about 50 miles up the road traffic stopped. It would remain thick the entire trip back to Dallas. Mostly moving at the speed limit but with bunches that would slow down and stop occasionally. Almost all Louisiana plates getting out.

Spent Monday watching CNN. Not much was reported on the Baton Rouge area. But it took a beating. Lots of wind, not as much rain. Worse for this area then Katrina or Rita was. The power went out around noon. I got text messages from the girls into the late evening but its been silence since.

Now waiting for the day after damage reports. Although Gustav was no Katrina it was still a very scary storm. Thank goodness for all the preparation this time.

Into the Eye...

It's Labor Day weekend so we are doing the traditional road trip to Louisiana. This year we get to visit two daughters that are in residence at LSU. Daughter #2 is a senior. In her first week as a freshmen in 2005 Katrina hit! Welcome to Louisiana. Now Daughter #3 is a freshman and Gustav is heading straight for Louisiana to welcome her. Hopefully things will be far less mayhem then the devistation that Katrina brought.

We will get in late tonight. The govenor has order New Orleans to evacuate Saturday. Gustav is due to arrive Tuesday. So we maybe leaving early to avoid storm and traffic.

fit... wii fit!After hearing about the wii fit for so long I finally decided to get one. The boy says its fun and I know it can't end up as a clothes hanger collecting dust in the corner.

Well getting one proved quite the challenge. You can't just buy these things, they are harder to get than the wii itself. I had to employ serious technology to get one. I found a wii stock tracker page and set it up to send me a text message whenever it found one on line. The first few days I kept missing getting one. One would pop up and then be gone in seconds. But finally I scored one from Toys R Us!!

The Wii Fit arrived a few days later and I was committed. I found out rather quickly this thing was serious! And how out of shape I was :-( First time up I take the body test and it gives me my wii fit age.... 49. Ouch, even the family winced.

But me and my personal wii fit trainer have been at it for 6 days now. He keeps telling me to keep working at it, one day I'll be in shape but only if I excercise everyday.

The truth is I'm enjoying it. It's a fun way to approach excercise. It's easy to do. Whether it works or not its got to beat sitting on the couch.

Game Time!

Today the little widget thingy on this page for LSU football changed indicating this week's game! College football is here and I'm excited. LSU goes into the season with uncertainty at the quaterback position like many other SEC schools are facing. Unfortunately the loss of Perrileaux now reflects on what just could have been a much more certain repeat trip to the BCS. But none of that matters once ball is kicked off on Saturday.

My Morning JacketRock and Roll brother called Saturday to invite me to his work. My Morning Jacket was playing at the Pladium and he knew I liked them. So I headed down to the Palladium and hung out with the bro at the sound board. Very cool since the place was jammed packed. And since he is the sound man the best seat in the house is where the sound man's ears are!!

The band was great! This was a stronger set than what I had seem them do a few years ago. I really enjoyed the full 3 hours. I was really amazed by the light show, tons of lights. Erika Badu made an appearance and sang one of the songs in the encore.

Love live music, thanks bro!

The King



I was thinking that night about Elvis
Day that he died, day that he died
I was thinking that night about Elvis
Day that he died, day that he died
Just a country boy that combed his hair
And put on a shirt his mother made and went on the air
And he shook it like a chorus girl
And he shook it like a Harlem queen
He shook it like a midnight rambler,
baby,
Like you never seen

- Gillian Welch, Elvis Presley Blues

Well she drew out all her money from the Southern Trust
And put her little boy on the Greyhound Bus
Leaving Memphis with a guitar in his hand
With a one way ticket to the Promised Land
Hey little girl with the red dress on
There's party tonight down in Memphis down
I'll be going down there if you need a ride
The man on the radio says Elvis Presley's died

- Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Bye Bye


Aug 16, 1977. RIP Elvis.

Nest is emptier...

Kid #3 left for college on Sunday. She drove by herself to Baton Rouge. And we are left a bit emptier. She will be fine...

But we are loosing critical mass. Down to only 2 kids in the house. One of them is a high school senior so she is rarely seen. Thus leaving the house feeling very empty. Kind of one of those things when I was a younger parent and heard about that I just didn't get. Empty nest? Woo Whoo!! But then when it starts to happen you get it...