The Wife and Kids

To some guys, it's just an excuse. "No, I can't go to Old Chicago's. Gotta get home to the wife and kids." Not me. I like being around my wife and kids. It's not always smooth sailing. The kids do things I really wish they wouldn't. My wife decides to do things I'd rather not do. But you know what? I'd rather be with them then somewhere else wishing they were with me. So, tonight, we're going to a hymn sing together and just enjoy being with each other and the Lord!

Raising Cash for Uganda

I'm going on a missions trip with my church to Uganda. One of my responsibilities is to raise the funds I need for the trip. Asking people to help is not an issue. In fact, I've sent out a letter to many people already. The issue is followup. How do I increase the number of people who give and how do I remind people at a later time without offending anyone?

Election Coverage?

I will add my voice to the many who believe that John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin was genius! She's as good as any at delivering a prepared speech. The difference is, she's made actual governing decisions. What? She only did it for 2 years? Well, yeah. That still dwarfs the 0 years of experience by Obama. And for the past year Obama's been out campaigning while Palin's been governing!

More later.

NBC's Coverage of the Olympics

What's up with NBC? Their studio coverage has been horrible! No mic for Bella Karolyi on the first night of sport coverage? Bob Costas has to hold his mic? Huge echo on the set with Jim Lampley? Cris Collinsworth providing analysis of Women's Swimming? Collinsworth's first question to Dara Torres: Can you honestly tell us that you don't use performance enhancing drugs? Are you kidding? How long has NBC known they were providing coverage of the Beijing Games? NBC locked up the rights to 2008 in 1995 and knew it was in Beijing in 2001! Seriously, you can't get a lav mic purchased in 13 years and prepared in 7 years? NBC, get your act together. With so many events tape delayed, or worse different start times depending on whether or not you live in the East and Central time zones or the Mountain and Pacific time zones, NBC can ill-afford to drive viewers away with sloppy production quality.

Vindication

I watched the All-Star game last night, not so much because I wanted to see the All-Stars (most coming from teams with huge fanbases, but because Clint Hurdle was the manager. Clint earned the honor by managing the Colorado Rockies to their first World Series last year.

So why is it "vindication"? The American League beat the National League in 15 innings by a score of 4 to 3. The American League has won 12 straight. Where's the vindication?

Last fall the Rockies finished the year with the best fielding percentage EVER! Not one of their players earned a Gold Glove. Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki led all rookies in 9 offensive categories and finished 2nd or 3rd in 8 others. Yet he loses the Rookie of the Year award to Ryan Braun of Milwaukee, who had a great first half of the season, but faded, along with the Brewers, in the 2nd half. Todd Helton ends the season with a .999 fielding percentage and doesn't win the Gold Glove? Clint Hurdle leads the Rockies to the World Series when his team is picked to finish 4th or 5th in their division? Okay, enough griping.

I watched the All-Star Game to see how Hurdle manages, Matt Holliday plays and Aaron Cook pitches. I was not disappointed. AL manager Terry Francona ran out of position players in the 10th, while Hurdle saved a starting pitcher. That proved crucial when the game went into extra innings. Matt Holliday hit a home run in the fifth inning for the first score of the game and Aaron Cook should have won the MVP for the brilliant pitching in a 10th inning that saw 2 errors in a row by NL 2nd baseman Dan Uggla. Bases loaded, nobody out and Cook gets three ground balls to escape the inning. Same brilliance in the 11th.

The Rockies' players performed well on the national stage, and though they didn't win or get any awards, today I feel vindicated!

I'm Back

It's been a month since I've posted anything and it's been a busy month. A little camping trip, starting a Sunday School class, VBS and life. Don't have much time today, but wanted to direct you to my nephew's blog for some insight on Gay Marriage in California.

The Season is Over

Tonight was Justin's last game! His Little League team (the Phillies) finished the year 5-4-3 - a good double play and not a bad record for 7-9 year olds! Team party this weekend at Sky Sox game!

They're Closer!!!

Just saw that In-N-Out has opened a store in Washington City, UT!!! That's just north of St. George, in the Southwest corner of Utah. It's only 611 miles from Colorado Springs. 11 short hours! It's just a matter of time!

Operation Chaos

Was Rush crazy to start this? As a conservative, I can not stand the thought of a Clinton holding political office. NEVER, EVER, EVER vote for a Clinton. But I have to say, it is working. We've seen a lot of skeletons come out of Obama's closet and Hillary's looking like she's too stupid to get out (to the tune of nearly 8 million of her own money!) or too arrogant to realize that someone else could win. In either case, the next six months should be interesting.

Of Sod and Facebook

The yard is finished! We brought in (and spread) 14 tons of topsoil on Saturday and yesterday we installed 1500 square feet of sod! More on that in a future post. In the meantime, we had our Youth Pastor over on Friday and he was trying to convince us to sign up on Facebook. What do you think?

Colorado, Oklahoma, Rhode Island

I've known Paul since he was 11. His parents are some of our dearest friends, as evidenced by the fact that we visited them when they moved from Colorado to Oklahoma and then Rhode Island. And now I want to introduce you to one of Paul's great gifts. Check out Paul's incredible talent as a photographer.

National Radio Hall of Fame

The National Radio Hall of Fame is conducting its voting for this years class. If you would like to participate, simply go here and register. It's simple and free. In addition to a few famous people, I noticed others I have heard in Los Angeles and Colorado Springs. Thanks for your participation.

It's Just a Little Felony

For 34 years, Susan LeFevre lived a lie. According to a Foxnews.com AP report, LeFevre walked away from prison after only serving one year of her 10 to 20 year prison sentence. That's the felony. She was tracked down recently, living under an assumed name in San Diego county. The quote from her husband explains a lot about how the victim mentality is so prevalent in our society. "Our family is threatened to be destroyed by something that happened to her as a 19-year-old teenager 34 years ago in Michigan." It "happened to her"? Not only did she commit a crime, it was serious enough to warrant a 10 to 20 year sentence! On top of that, she didn't serve her time! Sadly, her husband (Alan Walsh) and their children will suffer significant consequences of her choices - to commit crimes and try to hide that from her spouse. It makes you wonder how they got married without Mr. Walsh having a conversation with her parents.

Tulowitzki Pulls Up Lame

In a demoralizing turn of events, the Colorado Rockies lost ROY candidate Troy Tulowitzki to a groin injury. He'll be out for an unspecified amount of time. In a strange twist of fate, the Rockies actually won the game 3-2 over the Giants because of Tulo's replacement. 2nd baseman Clint Barmes moved to Shortstop for Tulo. 3rd baseman Garret Atkins moved to 2nd base and backup catcher Chris Ianetta moved to 3rd. 15 minutes later, Ianetta hits a homerun in his first at bat and later hit a double and scored the winning run on a balk! Could this be the beginning of a turnaround for the Rocks? And while I'm on the subject of sports - don't forget to vote for your Rockies All-Stars! Go to MLB.com to vote! Go Rocks!

Ethanol - The Bad and the Ugly

While I don't know a ton about Ethanol (except that they stick it in my gas during the winter and it drives the price up as they change the mix at the refinery), I've read a couple of good blog pieces on this. One at boundless.org and one at cameronmoore.com.

What'll You Have?

When you go to In-N-Out for lunch what do you order? When I was younger I always ordered a Double-Double Animal Style, Fries and a Dr Pepper. Now I just get a Cheeseburger Animal Style, Crispy Fries and a Dr Pepper. How about you?

The Future is Now

Yesterday I had the priviledge of teaching our church's College Sunday School class. What a great group of kids. They were fun, but respectful. Justin took on a leadership role with this substitute in the room. And they played along well with my jokes (which is sometimes hard to do because sometimes I'm just not funny). Yet, when I asked serious questions, they replied with thoughtful responses. I'm really proud of those kids. And I thank them for the opportunity to minister to them. They certainly ministered to me.

Harder Than It Seems

Putting in sprinklers is tough. People these days are using Poly pipe, which flexes a little and allows you to run a more direct route with your water lines. It's great if you're putting your sprinklers in when it's 90 outside. The plastic is softer and you can put the connectors in easily. However, when it's 60 in the shade, the plastic is rock solid. Someday they'll come up with a way to fix that. In the meantime, I'll be doing as much as I can during my lunch hour.

Cheez-It Stix

I'm sitting here with a box of Cheez-It Stix. I've just seen them recently and picked some up when they went on sale at King Soopers. What made Sunshine want to produce such a product? Has the market for regular, square Cheez-It's dried up? Are they doing it just to have something new out there? It looks to me like they just cut the square in half and put the ends together. Maybe it's for the children.

The Downfall of American Business, Part 2

The Followup:

Delta decided not to call me (not surprised). I did get an email first thing in the morning that first addressed my issue, then suddenly transformed into a form letter. Very disappointing.

So I took another shot. I called Delta again on Friday at lunchtime. This time I got a lady who spoke English quite well, with a touch of an accent. I asked where she was located. Cincinatti! Excellent! Her accent was from London, so I was comforted by the fact that she was raised on English, albeit the King's English. I explained my difficulty in getting anywhere online, trying to book my tickets and she explained that two of my vouchers were from cancelled flights (a snow day in Atlanta in January) and that those would have to be booked over the phone, but the price of our other tickets would be cheaper if we booked them online! She then proceeded to wait on the phone for 10 to 15 minutes while I booked my kids tickets! When I was done she booked my wife's ticket and my ticket, being sure to place us in the same or adjoining rows with our kids!

The downfall of American Business is when the company makes wholesale decisions without regard to how their constituents feel. But what will save them is the individual efforts of extrordinary employees who go beyond the call of duty because it's the right thing to do!

The Downfall of American Business

When does American business fail? Some of it may be their inability to compete with foreign markets. It may be their reliance on the goodwill of the American consumer. Tonight, it was their inability to deliver quality customer service.

Last July my family and I were voluntarily bumped from a Delta Airlines flight in Denver. It was the mystical confluence of a full flight, temperatures that exceeded 95 degrees and a runway elevation nearly a mile high! Delta had a fly a plane with empty seats to be within safe flight margins. They were offering a credit worth $400.00 each (there's six of us) and a later flight. We jumped at the chance! Then we moved! One of the rules is that you have to use the the vouchers within 1 year.

We're talking about going to Disneyland in October, so I called Delta tonight to find out if the one year rule was to the time of booking or the time of the actual flight. It seemed like a simple question, worthy of 2 or 3 minutes of my time. I couldn't have been more wrong. I'm not sure where the gentleman I spoke with was physically located, but he was definitely from India. I explained the situation and asked my question. Not bad. 3 minutes gone. He asks for a reservation code. I look around, wondering why my question required a reservation code. I finally found one and gave it to him. He puts me on hold. A few minutes later he comes back on (the wait doesn't bother me - I'm watching the Avs). He explains to me that the code I gave him was from a voucher that had been used on a flight that got cancelled in January and was good until the following January. That's great, but it doesn't answer my question. I explain that I have a total of six of these vouchers with various amounts of money on them. So he asks for a different code and I give it to him. More Avs action. He comes back on and says I have 400 dollars of credit on that one. Yeah, I know! What I want to know is, can I book the ticket now for travel in October, which is after the one year mark? Hold. He comes back. He asks for a credit card number! Are you kidding? I just need to know if I can do this! I ask to talk to his supervisor. He wants to know why. Why? Because you don't understand English and I'm asking a simple question! Ok, he says. Hold. The Avs have just scored two goals in the 3rd period at Minnesota! I don't really care. Someone picks up...please, please speak English as your first language...it's the same guy! He proceeds to tell me that what I want to do is fine. Excuse me? You just spent the last 26 minutes trying to figure out what I wanted and when I want to talk to your supervisor you suddenly understand the questions I've been asking? I'm not an idiot! I'm furious!

I decide to go online to log my complaint. But I need to have my SkyMiles number. Don't have it. I need to call the special number for SkyMiles members to get it. I can do this. It's specifically for their frequent flyers. The young lady that answers the phone did a good job, although it was obvious English was not her first language. I file my complaint and ask that a representative call me between 9 and noon MDT tomorrow. We'll see how that goes.

NAB 2008

Today, Lynette and I got back from Las Vegas! We had a great time. This was the 4th time I've attended NAB, but the first time I took my spouse. What a difference. Mom stayed in Colorado with the kids while we got some time away. Oh yeah, I worked as well. Heard from some very successful New Media guys and was able to glean some very good info that I can use at Focus on the Family. I hope to use some of this info on The Boundless Show, one of the podcasts I produce at Focus. You can find it at iTunes and www.boundless.org. I'll post pictures later.

What's the Deal With Dentists?

It's Friday morning and our youngest has a cavity. We knew this a week and a half ago, and had an appointment for her on this past Tuesday. Unfortunately, she got sick Monday night and we had to cancel. The next appointment available was next Thursday. Yesterday she started complaining about her tooth hurting and she ended up not eating much dinner. She'll starve before next Thursday, so we decided to call the dentist today to get her in as an emergency. They're closed. So we called their partner's office. They're closed too. So we called our old dentist. They're closed too! Hello! The rest of us work 5 or 6 days a week, and dental issues don't just happen Monday through Thursday!

Makes me want to grind my teeth.

The National League Champions!

Tomorrow's the big day! Home opener for the Colorado Rockies! They get to raise their much deserved National League Pennant and remind everyone that in 2007, they were the best in the National League.

Sadly, they were not recognized by the national media or Rawlings for their efforts. Not one of their talented starters was awarded a Gold Glove, even though they set the MLB record for fielding percentage! Tulo did not receive the Rookie of the Year award, even though he contributed greatly to a winning team. Matt Holliday did not receive the MVP award even though he was at the top of the league in most offensive categories. And no coach of the year for Hurdle!

I guess the revenge will come in July when Hurdle names replacements for the injured All-Stars!

Don't Blame God For Your Feelings

I admit it. I watch American Idol. I'm man enough to stand by that statement. I don't watch it religiously, but we TiVo it and if there's enough time, I watch it. Generally speaking, it doesn't get real interesting until the final 8 or so. However, the last couple of nights there were two interesting stories. On Tuesday night a young lady auditioned just 2 days after her father died! And she changed songs at the audition! She performed extremely well, even without the added emotional baggage of her father's passing. She was a unanimous selection to go to Hollywood and Simon told her that her father would have been proud. After she left Simon turns to Paula and Randy and says, "Would you have been able to do that? I wouldn't". It was the most humane I've seen Simon treat someone. And she didn't make excuses prior to going in.

On the other hand, there was a girl tonight who stated quite matter of factly that the Holy Spirit told her to audition! Why do people do that? Do they not think that the producers are going to mock them with their own words? I mean, she was terrible and you knew she would be the moment she brought the Holy Spirit into the picture. If she had been a great singer, the producers would never have used the clip of her claiming divine intervention. Instead the reverse happens and it's entirely her fault.

Is God involved in our lives? Absolutely! But too often - I mean way too often - people confuse their wants and hopes for God's direction. Yes, God uses our desires to accomplish His will, but it's not a truism. Never confuse God using our dreams for our dreams dictating God's will. Our hopes and dreams are ours, and like us they are fallible. God is not.

Because you should never blame God for your feelings.

Time for a Humidifier

Today we're having a humidifier installed! This is very exciting for us. For those who come from a more humid climate, this thought could be completely foreign. A humidifier adds humidity to the air being blown into your house from the furnace. When you don't have a humidifier (especially in Colorado) the air is so dry that every time you touch anything with metal in it, you get a small static shock. While the shock is small, it does hurt. Imagine every time you turn on a light you get shocked. And it's not just metal. It's other people. We have 6 in our house. That's twice the shocking fun of your average household!

My lips are chapped, my wife's hands are dry and cracked, and the current humidity here in Colorado Springs is 51%, but with the temperature and the wind both at 22, that's almost no moisture sitting in the air! I'm not complaining, mind you. I'll take no humidity and clean air, no congestion and a great church with great friends over what we had in Virginia. Our only friends there want to move here! And our only other friends on the East Coast we met in Colorado Springs and they liked it here too (although the unnamed wife would prefer San Antonio or Houston - Go Figure!). Still, it's definitely time for a humidifier.

Bush League

I'll admit up front that I'm not a Patriots fan. I almost didn't watch the Super Bowl because they stood a pretty good chance of winning it, and that would have been too much. Why don't I like the Patriots? Good question. Is it Tom Brady? Kind of cocky, but you need to be a little cocky to play at the professional level. No - I don't think that's it. Is it Randy Moss? Don't like him much at all, but I don't think that's it either. How 'bout that new kid, Welker? Don't know much about him, but he looks like a fantastic receiver. Nope. It's not an individual player. No, I think it's the coach. Bill Belichick. He has the worst attitude of any coach I've ever seen, and that includes Parcells. Belichick despises the public and I think the feeling is mutual. So why is this post called "Bush League". Because of spygate? Or spygate 2? Partly. Some of it has to do with his challenge to the non-call penalty for 12 men on the field (since when can you challenge a uncalled penalty and why hasn't anybody asked for a challenge on an uncalled pass interference?)? All of those are valid reasons, but I think this one trumps them all.

With one second left on the clock, Belichick ignores everyone and runs over to the Giants' sideline to "congratulate" Tom Coughlin. Oops! Talk about lack of situational awareness. Okay, okay. Let's give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he thought there was still time on the clock (although if it hadn't been a 4th down play, I'm sure he would have been arguing that there were 3 seconds left). When Belichick finally makes it to Coughlin, referee extrodinaire Mike Carey is there to tell Belichick that there's still time left on the clock! So, dutifully, Belichick heads back to the sideline to let the Super Bowl finish its full sixty minutes (just like every other football game). WHOA! No, Belichick heads through his sideline and heads to the lockeroom! BUSH LEAGUE!!!! What a terrible display of childish and boorish behavior! And the cherry on the top? In the post-game interview on Fox (loser's lockeroom is always a drag) not once does Belichick say that the Giants had a good game, or they were the better team or any number of other cliches that sports figures use at times like these.

He wasn't repentant after spygate, and he acted childish after his Super Bowl loss. That's why I don't like the Patriots. Because Belichick is Bush League.

Addendum: If I were commish for a day, I would suspend Belicheck his Super Bowl Bonus plus 1 game for leaving the field early. You'll remember that the Pats were stripped of their first round draft choice next year for their cheating in the game versus the Jets. That would be selection 31 overall. I found out today that they had previously acquired San Francisco's first round pick in a trade. Guess where the Patriots draft? Number 7 overall! Losing the 31st pick wasn't that much of a penalty when they are able to pick up a top notch player via trade! And if the "Spygate II" rumors are proven to be true, I have a recommendation for the league. Strip the Pats of their title versus the Rams, and suspend Belichick for 5 years - or go the Pete Rose route and ban him for life!

Life is Precious

A lot of news hitting the homefront today. Lynette's nephew and his wife are at the hospital having their first child! Cameron and Ashley have been there since sometime yesterday evening. Concurrently, Lynette's cousin George is also in the hospital. Unfortunately it's because he had a brain aneurysm last night. He survived the first surgery, with another one to follow next week. Sadly, at this point, his daughter is getting married next Saturday. :-( Not sure how all of that will be working out. And finally, today my oldest heads off to middle school camp! Yes, I have a Jr. Higher!!!!! Praise God for the moments we have with those we love...they're gone all too soon.

Purple Mountains Majesty

We've just moved back to Colorado after a 17 month "exile" in our nation's capital. The pace here is slower. Not slow. Slower. What does slower mean? I grew up in Southern California. The pace there is pretty quick. The pace in DC is insane! It was hard on me and terrible on the family. So needless to say, I'm thrilled to be back in the West. Now if I could just get In-N-Out to expand to the Rockies!