Suns Open Season Tomorrow
Following a successful preseason (6-2), the Phoenix Suns are anxious to tip off the 2005-06 schedule Tuesday night when they host the Dallas Mavericks (8:30 p.m., TNT) at America West Arena. The Home Depot Home Opener will mark the first time the teams have met up since the Conference Semifinals, in which the Suns eliminated the Mavs to advance to the Western Conference Finals.
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I cannot wait to watch the opening game on the new widescreen LCD TV on the brand new couch being delivered today. The couch has four fucking Lay-Z-Boy recliners built into it!!! With the Digital Video Recorder and NBA League Pass, I seem to be primed for an NBA overdose!
Monday, October 31, 2005
Saturday, October 29, 2005
In the blink of an eye...
This afternoon, around 1:30, I heard a quick street bike in the neighborhood. I was out in the backyard working on the sprinkler system but stopped to listen. I heard it go thru gears 1-3 pretty quickly so it was probably going somewhere between 50 and 75 miles per hour. I then heard thump, thump, thud, scritch, crash!!!
I dropped everything and ran out, with phone dialing 911, to see what I could do to assist. Unfortunately, the rider and his blue Triumph were obliterated. The rider had been thrown 15 feet or so hitting a tree with his un-helmeted head. The top of his skull was torn off and grey matter was on the rocks to his side. Though I was on with the emergency operator, it was no longer a rush to get to this crash victim. He was already gone.
His father, an ER nurse, ran down and hollered for his boys to go get their mom. He was also in understanding that there was nothing to be done for him. Mom came down wailing for her son in grief. At that point, police had arrived and asked all non-witnesses to leave the area and began to tape it off.
Keep the wheels side down...if you can.
Scott
I dropped everything and ran out, with phone dialing 911, to see what I could do to assist. Unfortunately, the rider and his blue Triumph were obliterated. The rider had been thrown 15 feet or so hitting a tree with his un-helmeted head. The top of his skull was torn off and grey matter was on the rocks to his side. Though I was on with the emergency operator, it was no longer a rush to get to this crash victim. He was already gone.
His father, an ER nurse, ran down and hollered for his boys to go get their mom. He was also in understanding that there was nothing to be done for him. Mom came down wailing for her son in grief. At that point, police had arrived and asked all non-witnesses to leave the area and began to tape it off.
I went back and grabbed a camera for documentation purposes but was told by the police that they would have to take my camera as evidence if I shot any photos. I walked away clean. Then the cops went about their business and I took a couple of shots. Here they are, none of the man who lost his life today, just a couple of shots of what was left of the bike from a couple houses away.
What happened was, the man hit a speed bump about 100 feet to the left of the bike in the picture while still accellerating. The bike caught a little bit of air when going over the speed bump and it did not get back to the ground and in control before he hit the curb. The front tire went sideways, sliding along the curb, and threw the rider into a tree. The forks and front tire stayed near the rider. The bike then flew to the spot above which is about 40 yards from the tree. The man was dead upon impact, I am quite sure.
Until today, I wanted more than anything to get a motorcycle again. As of right now, I could not see myself taking a risk like that. A long life with Heather and the kids is much more important than tearing up the streets with those crotch rockets that I loved to ride. I think that I am just a little shaken up by hearing someone die in my quiet neighborhood today on a bike.
(A Happy Memory)
Keep the wheels side down...if you can.
Scott
Nothing is Easy
Here is a lyric to a classic Jethro Tull song that helps me put things into perspective...
"Nothing Is Easy"
Nothing is easy. Though time gets you worrying my friend, it's o.k.
Just take your life easy and stop all that hurrying, be happy my way.
When tension starts mounting and you've lost count of the pennies you've missed, just try hard and see why they're not worrying me, they're last on my list. Nothing's easy.
Nothing is easy, you'll find that the squeeze won't turn out so bad.
Your fingers may freeze, worse things happen at sea, there's good times to be had.
So if you're alone and you're down to the bone, just give us a play. You'll smile in a while and discover that I'll get you happy my way
--nothing's easy.
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Civil Disobedience
Rosa Parks, whose refusal to give up her bus seat to a white man sparked the modern civil rights movement, died Monday evening at 92 years of age.
50 years ago in 1955, things were a little different than they are now. It seems to be much further away than 50 years. I am glad of the progress we are making and glad for this womans strength.
Back then, Jim Crow laws in place required separation of the races in buses, restaurants, and public accomodations throughout the South, while legally sanctioned racial discrimination kept blacks out of many jobs and neighborhoods in the North.
Thanks to Rosa and her act of defiance, America is full of Americans, not Coloreds and Whites.
My hat goes off to Rosa and her cause. God Bless America!
Sunday, October 23, 2005
Go Notre Dame!
SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Charlie Weis doesn’t usually let anyone else call plays on offense. He made an exception for 10-year-old Montana Mazurkiewicz.
The Notre Dame coach met last week with Montana, who had been told by doctors weeks earlier that there was nothing more they could do to stop the spread of his inoperable brain tumor.
“He was a big Notre Dame fan in general, but football especially,” said his mother, Cathy Mazurkiewicz.
Weis showed up at the Mazurkiewicz home in Mishawaka, just east of South Bend, and talked with Montana about his tumor and about Weis’ 10-year-old daughter, Hannah, who has global development delay, a rare disorder similar to autism.
He told Montana about some pranks he played on Joe Montana — whom Montana was named after — while they were roommates at Notre Dame.
“I gave him a chance to hammer me on the Michigan State loss, which he did very well. He reminded me of my son,” said Weis, whose son, Charlie Jr., is 12 years old. Weis said the meeting was touching.
“He told me about his love for Notre Dame football and how he just wanted to make it through this game this week,” Weis said. “He just wanted to be able to live through this game because he knew he wasn’t going to live very much longer.”
As Weis talked to the boy, Cathy Mazurkiewicz rubbed her son’s shoulder trying to ease his pain. Weis said he could tell the boy was trying not to show he was in pain.
His mother told Montana, who had just become paralyzed from the waist down a day earlier because of the tumor, to toss her a football Weis had given him. Montana tried to throw the football, put could barely lift it. So Weis climbed into the reclining chair with him and helped him complete the pass to his mother.
Before leaving, Weis signed the football.
“He wrote, ‘Live for today for tomorrow is always another day,'"
Mazurkiewicz said.
“He told him: ‘You can’t worry about tomorrow. Just live today for everything it has and everything you can appreciate,” she said. “He said: ‘If you’re (in pain) today you might not necessarily be in pain tomorrow, or it might be worse. But there’s always another day.”
Weis asked Montana if there was something he could do for him. He agreed to let Montana call the first play against Washington on Saturday.
He called “pass right.”
Montana never got to see the play. He died Friday at his home.
Weis heard about the death and called Mazurkiewicz on Friday night to assure her he would still call Montana’s play.
“He said, ‘This game is for Montana, and the play still stands,”’ she said.
Weis said he told the team about the visit. He said it wasn’t a “Win one for the Gipper” speech, because he doesn’t believe in using individuals as inspiration. He just wanted the team to know people like Montana are out there.
“That they represent a lot of people that they don’t even realize they’re representing,” Weis said.
When the Irish started on their own 1-yard-line following a fumble recovery, Mazurkiewicz wasn’t sure Notre Dame would be able to throw a pass. Weis was concerned about that, too. So was quarterback Brady. “He said what are we going to do?” Weis said. “I said we have no choice. We’re throwing it to the right.”
Weis called a play where most of the Irish went left, Quinn ran right and looked for tight end Anthony Fasano on the right.
Mazurkiewicz watched with her family.
“I just closed my eyes. I thought, ‘There’s no way he’s going to be able to make that pass. Not from where they’re at. He’s going to get sacked and Washington’s going to get two points,”’ she said.
Fasano caught the pass and leapt over a defender for a 13-yard gain.
“It’s almost like Montana was willing him to beat that defender and take it to the house,” Weis said.
Mazurkiewicz was happy.
“It was an amazing play. Montana would have been very pleased. I was very pleased,” she said. “I was just so overwhelmed. I couldn’t watch much more.”
Weis called her again after the game, a 36-17 victory by the 13th-ranked Fighting Irish, and said he had a game ball signed by the team that he wanted to bring to the family on Sunday.
“He’s a very neat man. Very compassionate,” she said. “I just thanked him for using that play, no matter the circumstances.”
The Notre Dame coach met last week with Montana, who had been told by doctors weeks earlier that there was nothing more they could do to stop the spread of his inoperable brain tumor.
“He was a big Notre Dame fan in general, but football especially,” said his mother, Cathy Mazurkiewicz.
Weis showed up at the Mazurkiewicz home in Mishawaka, just east of South Bend, and talked with Montana about his tumor and about Weis’ 10-year-old daughter, Hannah, who has global development delay, a rare disorder similar to autism.
He told Montana about some pranks he played on Joe Montana — whom Montana was named after — while they were roommates at Notre Dame.
“I gave him a chance to hammer me on the Michigan State loss, which he did very well. He reminded me of my son,” said Weis, whose son, Charlie Jr., is 12 years old. Weis said the meeting was touching.
“He told me about his love for Notre Dame football and how he just wanted to make it through this game this week,” Weis said. “He just wanted to be able to live through this game because he knew he wasn’t going to live very much longer.”
As Weis talked to the boy, Cathy Mazurkiewicz rubbed her son’s shoulder trying to ease his pain. Weis said he could tell the boy was trying not to show he was in pain.
His mother told Montana, who had just become paralyzed from the waist down a day earlier because of the tumor, to toss her a football Weis had given him. Montana tried to throw the football, put could barely lift it. So Weis climbed into the reclining chair with him and helped him complete the pass to his mother.
Before leaving, Weis signed the football.
“He wrote, ‘Live for today for tomorrow is always another day,'"
Mazurkiewicz said.
“He told him: ‘You can’t worry about tomorrow. Just live today for everything it has and everything you can appreciate,” she said. “He said: ‘If you’re (in pain) today you might not necessarily be in pain tomorrow, or it might be worse. But there’s always another day.”
Weis asked Montana if there was something he could do for him. He agreed to let Montana call the first play against Washington on Saturday.
He called “pass right.”
Montana never got to see the play. He died Friday at his home.
Weis heard about the death and called Mazurkiewicz on Friday night to assure her he would still call Montana’s play.
“He said, ‘This game is for Montana, and the play still stands,”’ she said.
Weis said he told the team about the visit. He said it wasn’t a “Win one for the Gipper” speech, because he doesn’t believe in using individuals as inspiration. He just wanted the team to know people like Montana are out there.
“That they represent a lot of people that they don’t even realize they’re representing,” Weis said.
When the Irish started on their own 1-yard-line following a fumble recovery, Mazurkiewicz wasn’t sure Notre Dame would be able to throw a pass. Weis was concerned about that, too. So was quarterback Brady. “He said what are we going to do?” Weis said. “I said we have no choice. We’re throwing it to the right.”
Weis called a play where most of the Irish went left, Quinn ran right and looked for tight end Anthony Fasano on the right.
Mazurkiewicz watched with her family.
“I just closed my eyes. I thought, ‘There’s no way he’s going to be able to make that pass. Not from where they’re at. He’s going to get sacked and Washington’s going to get two points,”’ she said.
Fasano caught the pass and leapt over a defender for a 13-yard gain.
“It’s almost like Montana was willing him to beat that defender and take it to the house,” Weis said.
Mazurkiewicz was happy.
“It was an amazing play. Montana would have been very pleased. I was very pleased,” she said. “I was just so overwhelmed. I couldn’t watch much more.”
Weis called her again after the game, a 36-17 victory by the 13th-ranked Fighting Irish, and said he had a game ball signed by the team that he wanted to bring to the family on Sunday.
“He’s a very neat man. Very compassionate,” she said. “I just thanked him for using that play, no matter the circumstances.”
Thursday, October 20, 2005
He looks a little too happy...
HOUSTON - Rep. Tom DeLay turned himself Thursday in at the Harris County sheriff’s bonding office, where he was photographed, fingerprinted and released on bond on state conspiracy and money laundering charges.
Two grand juries have charged DeLay and two political associates in an alleged scheme to violate state election law by funneling corporate donations to candidates for the Texas Legislature. State law prohibits use of corporate donations to finance state campaigns, although the money can be used for administrative expenses.
The indictments charge that a DeLay-founded Texas political committee sent corporate donations to the Republican National Committee in Washington, and the national party sent funds back to the state for 2002 campaigns.
DeLay’s Republican fundraising in 2002 had major political consequences, allowing the GOP to take control of the Texas Legislature. The Legislature then redrew congressional boundaries according to a DeLay-inspired plan, took command of the state's U.S. House delegation and helped the GOP retain its House majority.
I guess that is why he looks so happy. He still thinks that he is untouchable... We will see how it comes out.
Saturday, October 01, 2005
Let 'em eat cake!
I had to share a link to another blog. It is slightly disturbing but not at all suprising to hear... Reminds me of a quote of Marie Antoinette.
(Click the title to go to the blog...)
(Click the title to go to the blog...)
or here is the article click free:
Published: September 05, 2005 NEW YORK
Accompanying her husband, former President George H.W.Bush, on a tour of hurricane relief centers in Houston, Barbara Bush said today, referring to the poor who had lost everything back home and evacuated, "This is working very well for them." The former First Lady's remarks were aired this evening on American Public Media's "Marketplace" program.
She was part of a group in Houston today at the Astrodome that included her husband and former President Bill Clinton, who were chosen by her son, the current president, to head fundraising efforts for the recovery. Sen. Hilary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama were also present.
In a segment at the top of the show on the surge of evacuees to the Texas city, Barbara Bush said: "Almost everyone I’ve talked to says we're going to move to Houston." Then she added: "What I’m hearing which is sort of scary is they all want to stay in Texas. Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality." "And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this--this (she chuckles slightly) is working very well for them."
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