Farewell New England

This time next week, we will be on the road headed back to Texas! Jennifer and I greatly enjoyed our time here in the North East and will really miss it. We take with us numerous memories that are encapsulated in this blog, so instead of boring you all with a long recap, I decided to make a video with some of the pictures taken over the last 2 1/2 years.




For those who wonder about the song choice and how it relates to Boston, the reason for it can be found in an old blog...if you really want to know.

"Wuv...Sweet Wuv"

Awww, Clinton and Obama are totally BFF! They sooooo showed up in Unity, NH today to promote not only unity, but PDA! OMG can't you totally see them taking this country in a new direction?? And they soooo totally matched!

...Sigh...

Get used to it. We'll be seeing these two together at least until November and longer if she is VP. The first question that came into my head while watching the news was "did they plan out their outfits together?" Obama sported a white dress shirt (sleeves rolled up for that casual, man-of-the-people, outdoor look) with light blue tie while lady Clinton wore a light blue lady suit. I can picture that coversation in my head.

Ring Ring

"Hello?"

"Hey Hil, it Barack!"

"Oh hi Bar Bar! What's up my brother?"

"Not much, just flipping through the newest Tiger Beat magazine. You?"

"Just chopping your head off pictures in Newsweek....JK!"

"Oh Hil, you so crazy! Listen, I was wondering what you're going to wear to Unity, NH tomorrow?"

"Oh my gosh! I bought the cutest little outfit!"

"It isn't another one of those lady jump suits is it?"

"Actually it is, but listen! This one is different! It's light blue!"

"Oh sweet! I have the perfect tie to go with that! We can totally be twinkies!"

"hehe!"

...Sigh...

Honestly, it was awkward to watch them on stage as "united friends". You know they hate one another. I figure when he kissed her cheek she was thinking "You disgust me...you should be kissing my butt, not me kissing yours." And when the crowd chanted her name instead of his, you can imagine that he was seething.

Again, get used to it because I have the feeling we are going to see a LOT more Barack and Clinton Variety Hours.

Notes for the not in the know:
BFF = best friends forever
PDA - public displays of affection
OMG = oh my gosh
JK = just kidding
VP = vice president

Dobson versus Obama

Dr. James Dobson dissected a 2006 speech by Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama on his daily radio show today. In the speech Obama discussed some of his religious views and its role in government. He also compared Dr. Dobson to Rev. Al Sharpton.

To hear Tuesday's broadcast, click here.

Maria Sue Chapman Memorial Service - News Coverage

Since almost every day people visit my blog (through a search) looking for video from Marie Chapman's funeral service, I decided to do some digging and post the news footage. This isn't meant in a morbid way. As I stated a while back, the service was a beautiful event celebrating the life (and new life) of this young little girl.

BEAT L.A. !!!!

I am currently relaxing in our basement. I have my very healthy cheese dip, Fritos Scoops and Coke surrounding me (and Jacob's monitor) and I am enjoying game 6 of the NBA Finals.

I have been able to enjoy the last few years of the NBA Finals as my favorite team, the San Antonio Spurs, have won a handful of titles. Like some people, I could care less about sports if my team is not involved. Sometimes I could care less to watch even when they are. When the playoffs roll around though and teams I love are in, I am engrossed.

I wrote a blog shortly after moving out here about teams I enjoy, but here is a review:

NFL - 49ers & Colts for favorites followed by the Texans, Jets, Lions and a few others.

MLB - Astros & Red Sox for faves and that is all.

NHL - Dallas Stars for fave and the Colorado Avalanche

NCAA - Texas A&M for fave, TCU , Penn State and a few others...but mostly A&M is all I'll keep up with.

NBA - San Antonio Spurs & Celtics for fave and the Rockets and Mavs taking up 2nd and 3rd.

We'll focus on the NBA right now. I am sure many reading this will assume that the only reason the Celtics are on my list is because they are in the finals. Not so. I think basketball was the only sport I played competitively (go R.A.'s!) and so as a child Larry Bird stuck out to me for obvious reasons. I remember an old computer game a friend had that was Bird vs. Magic. For those who don't know, Bird played on the Celtics. Technically they were the first NBA team I knew. Living near Houston though, the Rockets replaced them. After moving out here though, I went to a Celts game and they sucked, but I really enjoyed it. Much like the Red Sox, it was easy to get swept up in fan nation. Some of you may wonder why I did not list the Patriots in the above list. I will get to that in a moment. There are teams that fall into my favorite categories too simply because of a player. For example, Jerry Rice (49ers WR) is my second favorite all time player. When he was traded to the Oakland Raiders, I developed some interest in the team only because he was there. After he left, they fell back into my least favorite category. Kevin Garnet is one of those players. I think he is a great player and kept up with him on the Timberwolves. He was one of those players, like Reggie Miller, who you wanted to see win it all. When he was traded to the Celts, it peeked my interest in the team that much more.

This NBA Finals is especially enjoyable though because I despise the L.A. Lakers with a passion. There are certain teams I loath. The reason for these dark feelings generally falls into one of three categories: 1) arrogant coach 2) cocky, self-centered, arrogant player 0r 3) they consistently spank my team. The Lakers fall into the first two of these. I don't like Phil Jackson or Kobe Bryant. I will quickly give props where it is due even for those I don't like. Jackson is a good coach and Kobe is a good player. Jackson seems to think he is perfect though and everyone falls all over Kobe for no reason. Wasn't he accused of raping a girl? No biggie, he bought his wife a huge diamond and everyone was thrilled. What a great fella. Much like Tom Brady. Sports Illustrated named him "God" in an editorial because of how wonderful he is. Yeah, I like to worship those who get a woman pregnant who he is no longer dating. He is awesome. Oh and the Patriots cheat. No problem. They are undefeated! Ummm they didn't win the Super Bowl so they are not undefeated...sigh...sorry, I still get worked up over that team.

I digress. My least favorite teams are:

NFL - New England Patriots tops the list (for all three reasons) followed by a rotation of other teams like the St. Louis Rams (used to be reason #1 and #3).

MLB - N.Y. Yankees. "Yankees suck". Nuff said.

NHL - ummm, don't care enough to have one. I'll say Ontario just because I know they have a team.

NCAA - T.U. (Texas University). Friggin' tea sippers.

NBA - Lakers, Nets and Suns.

So there it is. I am no longer sure what the point of this blog was. Maybe to mark the occasion of Game 6 which the Celts are leading 53-35 right now with a minute left in the 2nd. Though I will not get excited yet. The Lakers had a 21 point lead in game 4 and the Celts came back to win. Maybe I wanted to make the case that I am not a bandwagon fan (for instance, I rooted for the Giants in the Super Bowl, but they are not one of my faves...though I like Eli Manning). Either way, it is just a fun blog that only three people I personally know will read (props to Jen, Dad and Bryan).

For now, it is half time (58 to 35 baby!) and I need to reheat my dip and get another Coke...and some Tums for dessert.

Nash out.

*Final score : Celtics 131 Lakers 92

Huckabee Reporting

Associated Press - June 13, 2008 12:23 PM ET
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Mike Huckabee is bringing his political expertise to Fox News Channel.

"The former Republican governor of Arkansas who ran for president this year will be a political commentator.

Bill Shine, the senior vice president of programming for FNC, calls Huckabee "a great addition" to the cable network's election coverage.

In a statement released by his daughter, Huckabee says he hopes to bring a "unique perspective from inside the dragon's belly," and to try to speak for millions of Americans who feel their voices are not being heard.

Huckabee is an ordained Baptist preacher who's been mentioned as a potential running mate for John McCain. Huckabee has formed a political action committee to raise money for McCain and other Republicans."

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Robert's Mix Post

Since I haven't posted a personal blog in over a month, this will be a mix of everything. It's long so I reccomend taking it in parts. So strap in and try and keep up!

I overheard one of those "what the heck..." comments at Target this week. A lady and her little boy walked by a woman in a wheelchair. The woman in the chair had a cup holder with a drink attached to her chair. The lady said to her boy (and this is a direct quote...I said it over and over to myself for this very moment), "She has a cup holder. It must be nice to ride around with that on. Sure would make my life easier." She wasn't far away from the woman in the wheelchair when she said it either. Now I will give the benefit of a doubt here and assume it was said without thinking, but sheeeeesh.

Over the past few weeks, I reacquainted myself with one of my all-time favorite shows, Arrested Development. This was one of the numerous FOX shows that was canceled before its time (3 seasons). This show won numerous awards and was a quick and smart comedy that would have you laughing through out. For whatever reason, the powers-that-be at FOX didn't advertise it well and even its most faithful viewers had a tough time knowing when to tune in. Anyway, Target had the first two seasons on sale for 9.99 the last few weeks (strangely season 3, which was a short season, was still 20.00), so I enjoyed watching them again.

While I am on the topic of FOX shows, have you seen the preview for Fringe? This Lost like drama will air in the fall and looks really interesting, but I can't decide if I will tune in. As stated above, FOX has a knack for cutting shows mid-way through the season (Reunion anyone) which leaves you wondering what would have happened. FOX also has a knack for keeping cruddy shows like Stacked which had Pamela Anderson as its lead. Go figure.

Speaking of entertainment, I saw the newest installment of Indiana Jones last week and LOVED IT. I'll go out on a limb and say it was my favorite of the four. This seems to be one of those movies that people either loved or hated. I can see why some were disappointed with it, but (without giving anything away) if you take the time period in which the story takes place, it really makes sense. As with all Jones flicks, there was plenty of comedy, action, and silly stunts. A lot of great references to the past 3 films too (I love continuity).

So that was the first of many summer movies I am hoping to see. That list includes in no particular order:
1. Prince Caspian
2. Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull
3. The Dark Knight
4. Iron Man (v)
5. The Incredible Hulk (v)
6. The Happening
7. Get Smart
8. Hancock
9. Step Brothers (v)
10. Tropic Thunder (v)
11. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (JOKING!)
(v) = I can wait for it on video

Since graduating in December, I have finally had the chance to catch up on some reading. My parents bought me a great book titled Playing for Pizza by John Grisham. This is a great story about a third string QB who can only find work in Italy. I am not a Grisham fan, for no other reason than I'm just not into legal stories, but this was a fun read. Part of the enjoyment came from learning about Italy. Lots of references about the countryside, food and some history too.

I finished up Ted Dekker's Lost Books series as well, which ties nicely into his Circle Trilogy and Project Showdown series. I can't wait till this fall when Sinner is released so I can see how it all plays out. I also read Adam by Dekker which I highly recommend. Great stuff that will keep you up at night.

My eyes aren't doing all the reading though. I listen to books on CD while feeding Jacob at night. I recently finished Dan Brown's Angels & Demons. This came out before The Da Vinci Code but still features the same lead character. It is an interesting FICTIONAL tale involving the Vatican and the ancient sect known as the Illuminati. A good read. As with Da Vinci, the story has a lot of cool locations an gives some good history and interesting facts on the papacy. The rest is just made up. Something to keep in mind when reading fiction.

Right now I am working on Twilight by Stephanie Myers. I believe it is a young adult book, but is still very good. There is a vampire in it and I always enjoy a good vampire story. The best though is The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. Pretty accurate as far as a fictional story can be.

My friend introduced me to a great site recently called Book Mooch. This free site connects you with people all over the world and allows you to find books for free. Here is how it works: after you sign up you begin listing books you own that you don't mind getting rid of. This gives you 1/10th of a point. When someone request one of your listed books, you get a full point. With these points you can mooch books off other people. You don't pay anything for them, you only pay to mail off the books others want which is cheap if you do it as media mail (I mailed 9 last week for $20...most of that was because I sent one to Finland which you don't have to do international if you don't want). If you can't find a book you want, you add it to your wish list and you will receive an email when someone does add it. Pretty cool. I have gotten rid of a load of books that I have been unable to sell on Amazon.

While mailing said books, I encountered a very rude postal worker. I placed the package going to Finland on the counter and she tossed at back at me and said (with a tone) that I forgot my return address and then was confused at to why I didn't know to fill out a customs type something. Then she quite visibly rolled her eyes and sighed when I placed the remaining packages on the table. You know, I understand that it must be a tough job. Yet I don't think its right that those in tough jobs are rude to others. You chose the job. I had to mail packages...sorry, but there is no reason to be rude towards me for it. Stamping my packages is your job. I also get that people have bad days, so maybe that's all it was.

The NBA Finals are under way and the Celtics lead 2-1 (best of 7). I guarantee that it will go to game 6 or 7. I have always felt that playoff series are fixed. Think about it. The longer the series goes the more money the players, coaches, teams, organization and networks make. I'm not quite sure how they work it out, but it makes sense. Might be something like, "Okay Boston wins at home, Lakers take 2 at home and then you both can duke it out." If anyone saw the game last night, it was a pathetic show by the Celtics. It was like watching first graders shooting...or players missing shots on purpose. Especially in a series featuring the Celtics and Lakers. That is a money maker. Plus, in recent years the NBA Finals has not been pulling in the viewers. A series like this is good for everyone.

Finally, there has been a heat wave in New England this week. Last time I looked around 2 pm yesterday it was 98 degrees with a heat index of 105. Very warm for this time of year and insanely humid. Anyway, the news stations were reporting school closings due to the heat as well as cooling centers. I found this interesting. Here, things shut down when it reaches 100 outside. In TX things shut down when it begins to sleet. As my sister said, "Can't we meet in the somewhere in the middle?"



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