I wonder...

...why on unseasonably warm days, one likes to roll down the windows, mash the gas, and turn up the tunes while driving?

There is something about days like today that makes me do all of the above. Do you have similar inclinations?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Isn't this interesting...

NASCAR "diehards" don't like the idea of Japanese manufacturer Toyota entering Cup racing because they are foreign. But it seems (from the excerpt below) that the Camry is the only Cup model that is fabricated in the US.

From an article on espn.com
Ironically, there will be only one Nextel Cup car on the track next year whose showroom version is actually manufactured on U.S. soil. The Ford Fusion is assembled in Mexico, while the Chevrolet Monte Carlo and the Dodge Charger are built in Canada. In fact, Dodge is owned and operated by foreign manufacturer Daimler-Chrysler, a German company. The Camry, the model Toyota will race in 2007, is made in Kentucky, by American hands in factories run on U.S. soil. Despite being based in Japan, Toyota has found a way to tear down cultural barriers and define itself within the American psyche, blurring the line between domestic and foreign cars.

No More Goody's

Another piece of NASCAR history bites the dust...

Goody's out, Tylenol in..with NASCAR: Goody's Headache Powders, a staple in NASCAR since 1977, will be replaced by Tylenol next season as the sport's official pain reliever. It's yet another break the stock car racing series is making from its longtime, but regional, partners. Goody's plans to stay involved with Petty Enterprises and continue its relationship with Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, where Goody's sponsored a Busch Series race this season. The agreement also provides promotional opportunities around all the NASCAR tracks and gives Tylenol exclusive-rights deals with the International Speedway Corporation and Dover International Speedway.

Pics from the 30th Birthday Party

Chrissy really did a great job putting this party together, as you can see from these pics...

The front porch tailgate party.

The memory/picture table.

The breakfast nook.

The living room.

The entry hallway. We blew up 200+ balloons!

The chocolate fondue fountain and the sweet football field cake!

A couple more cake pictures. Chrissy made the cake!

24.5

Had another doctor's appointment this morning...Chrissy and Cletus are 24 weeks, 3 days along. We are on the downhill now!!!

All still looks great according to the doctors. Heart beat was 140 this morning.

Thanks for the thoughts and prayers!

It's too EARLY!!!

This weekend, a radio station in Charlotte was having a preview weekend of all Christmas music. What the $&*#?????

When is it OK for stations to start their 100% Christmas music rotations?

I think December 1 is ok for 24-7 Christmas music.

I can see maybe the weekend after Thanksgiving (to get all the shoppers in the mood), but they should go back to regular music on Monday.

I found this humorous

Happy Halloween!!!

Happy Birthday LOML

Happy Birthday most beautiful, loveable, wonderful, and kind wife in the whole wide world!

I love you!?!?!?!?!?!?

Happy 60th Birthday Pops!

Beautiful Pictures

And now, the long awaited premiere of Cletus...the first pictures :-)

Here is a side body profile.


What do you think...is Cletus blowing a kiss, or going to suck a thumb?


Here is a map of Italy. I mean a leg and foot.


Here is a 3-D pic of the face, which is in the middle of the picture. It is hard to make out, but the left eye, nose, lips, and left ear can be seen.

World Premiere of Cletus This Week

This morning, Chrissy and I (and Cletus) went to the doctor for an ultrasound. It was pretty cool and exciting. Cletus was moving a lot...saw the hands and arms moving...looked like it was sucking its thumb or blowing us kisses. Also kicked its leg a little. With all that movement, I think it may be an athlete, or it was getting its morning workout in. The heartbeat this morning was 145 beats/minute. The doctor said everything looks great from the measurements and organs, which is a blessing. The due date is still March 2, 2007. I will post the world premiere pictures sometime this week.

Action Shot

I got to work on the chain crew for last night's Temple-Clemson game in Charlotte. Even though the game was not competitive, It was still a good time.

Cletus Update

Well, Cletus saw the doc again today. Came through with flying colors...the heartbeat was 141 beats per minute, and sounded strong. Cletus is growing too.

Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers.

First 1-zee

What should Cletus's first 1-zee be? I vote for the one on the right!

Top Ten Things Never Before Said By A NASCAR Driver

10. Kasey Kahne: "Anyone know how to drive a stick?"
9. Jeff Gordon: "Does this gas taste funny to you?"
8. Jeff Burton: "I don't care much for country music or beer"
7. Mark Martin: "Switch the 'r' and 'c' in 'racing' and you get 'caring'"
6. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: "Wow, Letterman looks so young in person"
5. Denny Hamlin: "You're looking at a guy who can drive 500 miles without taking a leak"
4. Kyle Busch: "A truly great driver doesn't mind asking for directions, am I right, ladies?"
3. Kevin Harvick: "It would be nice if the guys in the pits occasionally surprised me with a piece of carrot cake or something"
2. Jimmie Johnson: "The Nextel Cup is great, but what I'm really excited for is Late Show Ventriloquist Week"
1. Matt Kenseth: "If you think I'm fast in my car, you should see me in the bedroom"

Hoya Paranoia in NASCAR

Brendan Gaughan will be racing this sweet truck at New Hampshire this weekend...

Proverbs 22:6

“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”

This resonated in me.

Agassi

Andre Agassi is one of my favorite athletes of all time. Definitely my favorite tennis player. He is currently playing in his last tournament, and is keeping the thrills coming, winning a 5-set match over the 8 seed last night. Whether or not he wins another match, he is the epitome of dignity, integrity, and professionalism.
An excerpt from a July 17 Sport Illustrated article about him...

Andre was showing Robin Williams and members of Earth, Wind & Fire the academy that he built in the middle of the most destitute neighborhood in Las Vegas. It's a charter school, mostly poor black kids. He was explaining why learning levels here had made leaps so striking that the academy's middle school was the only one among 328 public schools in its county that's received an "exemplary" rating.
He took us to the room where Cirque du Soleil performers taught the kids acrobatics. Past the art class where a French painter who trained with Picasso taught them the use of color and space. He led us into a kindergarten class where, like a five-year-old himself, he burst forward so eagerly to tell everyone about the academy's innovations that he knocked over half of an edifice of blocks that the class had built, then dropped to his knees in such haste and remorse to rebuild it that he knocked over the rest.
You followed him down the gleaming hallways, thinking, Man, he got it, he really got the big picture, and wondering what the world would be like if a couple of superstars in each city did this. But his annual fund-raising gala for the school was scheduled for that weekend, and he was too busy to sit and explain how he got here.

Congrats Andre, on a great career, and for setting a great example!