Who gave that chick a gym membership?

So I got jumped today, by my wife. It was an un-provoked (unless owning her at frogger constitutes as provoking) attack that was swift and merciless. Highlights from today's match include:

"Dog, you smell."
"Yeah, it's part of my strategy."

"You see, right then you were like a space ship and I was the moon. You launched at me and I just slingshot you right around. And then the moon fell on you."

Fear not, I fought off and neutralized the assassin. No amount of Oakridge Bootcamp will ever make her strong enough to take the title of wrestling champ in this house!

Comfort found in Bixby

Former President George W. Bush, speaking today at Ground Zero in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, quoted the words of another president who sought to console a Massachusetts mother after she suffered another unspeakable tragedy.

Bush, who was president on Sept. 11, 2001, said Abraham Lincoln “understood the cost of sacrifice, and reached out to console those in sorrow as best he could” in his November 1864 letter to Lydia Bixby.

A widow living in Boston, Bixby had lost five sons who fought for the Union in the Civil War, some in battle, some afterward.

Lincoln wrote the letter at the request of then-Governor John Andrew, namesake of Andrew Square in South Boston.

“I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom,” Lincoln wrote in the one passage quoted by Bush.

The remark was preceded by another moving passage. One that captures the mans desire to lift the grief of a woman surrounded in loss, yet recognizes his inability to do so.

“I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save,” Lincoln wrote.

Things I wish I wrote.

You can see that "there is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow (of death) again and again before we reach the mountain tops of our desires.

"Dangers and difficulties have not deterred us in the past, they will not frighten us now. But we must be prepared for them like men in business who do not waste energy in vain talk and idle action. The way of preparation (for action) lies in our rooting out all impurity and indiscipline from our organisation and making it the bright and shining instrument that will cleave its way to freedom."

- Nelson Mandela, "No easy road to freedom." September 21, 1953.

Fresh Start

Tonight I haven't been able to sleep; most of this week, even. I am having a do-you-like-who-are crisis, and if I am losing sleep, you can guess the answers I am getting.

In efforts to become someone I would rather be, I have created an action-item list;I my game plan to a cooler me strategy:

Who do I want to be?

1. A practical and spiritual force & protecter of my family.
2. Loved and cherished by my wife.
3. A sought-after leader.

What do I want to change?

1. My thoughts. I am a grown man, it is time to stop thinking like an adolescent.
2. Clean words. Its time to elevate my vocabulary to a higher level of intelligence.
3. Control my emotions. Learn to bridle the raw emotion that makes me unique without choking out my passion.

* I want my actions to reflect how I feel inside -- I need to be true to myself.

It is my hope that writing this in a public semi-public setting will help solidify my move to make a change. Its time be something better than what I have been. It is time for a fresh start and a new beginning. I don't need to find myself, I just need to be myself.

Short of Perez

This is an excellent article highlighting the true character of a man. Its obvious that everyone makes mistakes, expecting people to not screw up is ridiculous. However, expecting people to react like Pat Perez is exactly what this world needs:

Article by Shane Bacon
http://sports.yahoo.com/golf/blog/devil_ball_golf/post/Pat-Perez-disses-young-fan-immediately-does-the?urn=golf-wp4519

There isn't really any reason why Pat Perez is one of my favorite golfers on tour. He's fiery on the golf course, and doesn't mind showing his emotions, which can range from great to mad to happy to downright explosive in a matter of seconds. A year ago at the Waste Management Open, Perez opened with a great 65, and when asked how he felt about his chances, he told everyone he didn't like them, saying he never really enjoyed the golf course and didn't think it suited him very well. It's that stuff that people in the media appreciate, because it's honesty, and that isn't always what comes from players.
So when Perez stormed off on Sunday at the Reno-Tahoe Open after finishing in second place, missing three putts within 10 feet on the last three holes to lose by a shot to Scott Piercy, you figured his blood would be boiling, but little did he know that the cameras were following.
Perez walked under a spectator rope, and as one kid offered up a ball for him to sign, Pat just kept walking, and cameras caught the boy crying (video has since been taken down by YouTube). What did Perez do once he realized what happened? He took to Twitter, offering up a sincere apology to the boy, saying, "Yeah. Was a d**k move. I apologize for my actions. Had a lot of emotions going yesterday when I got done. Unprofessional."

And now what is he doing? Something even better.

"Everyone. Someone please help me find that kid!! Got something big for him. Thanks. Start the search in Reno"

So, if anyone has any idea about who that kid was, fire Pat a tweet at @patperezgolf and let's see if we can't help out a little golf fan and make Perez sleep a little bit better tonight.
It's nice when a bad situation gets turned into something good in a matter of a few hours, and hopefully the boy gets his autograph and we can find out just what Perez has in store for him.

My temper has got me into enough trouble in life. My mistakes are many and the people I have hurt are now getting club jackets. I try to be the best person I can, but I fall short. But now I know how to be better.

I want to be like Pat Perez when I grow up.

You are what's wrong with the world

In response to the an article posted by the Associated Press on yahoo sports (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-rangers-fandeath), a Yahoo! member who goes by Thursday N posted this:

Must have been one lousy fireman if he couldn't even keep his balance in a baseball stadium. Imagine him trying to hold onto a kid in a burning building. Good riddance. The people of Brownwood are probably sleeping better, knowing this clown isn't "protecting" them.

Oh, and Hamilton, the drinks are on me!!!

What is wrong with you? Is your piddling ego so incredibly fragile that you have to mock a dead man's memory to feel good about yourself? Or do you need the attention? Do you need the world to know that Thursday N exists and has an opinion, and the only way your narcissistic, cretinous little mind could come up with was to mock a man's death. You are what's wrong with the world.

Oh, and to the first person that kicks this guy's ass senseless, drinks are on me.

This isn't supposed to happen at the ballpark

David Brown wrote what must have been an incredibly difficult piece this morning. I don't think he could keep the emotion out of his words if he had tried. The following was posted at 1:50 AM EDT, this morning:

This kind of thing isn't supposed to happen at the ballpark.

But it has.

A man attending a Texas Rangers game with his young son died after falling out of the left-field stands and about 20 feet to the ground Thursday night.

He was trying to catch a ball flipped into the stands by Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton(notes) but apparently lost his balance and fell head-first in a space between the 14-foot outfield fence and the grandstand near the Oakland Athletics bullpen.
"We had a very tragic accident tonight and one of our fans lost their life reaching over the rail trying to get a ball," team president Nolan Ryan said. "As an organization, and as our team members and our staff, we're very heavy-hearted about this, and our thoughts and prayers go out to the family."
The Brownwood (Texas) Bulletin identified the man as Shannon Stone, a lieutenant in that town's fire department and a fireman for 18 years.

The accident happened in the second inning after Oakland's Conor Jackson(notes) hit a foul ball that bounced back onto the field.
Horrifying TV replays from the Oakland broadcast show Stone positioning himself to catch Hamilton's throw, then tumbling over a railing as his young son watched. A man next to Stone tried to hold onto him, but couldn't.
It's the second fatal fall at a major league ballpark this season. In May, a fan at Coors Field fell down a stairwell and died. Also, last July at Rangers Ballpark, a fan fell 30 feet from the second deck of seats while trying to catch a foul ball and suffered a fractured skull and sprained ankle.

Ryan said Hamilton and the rest of the club were made aware of what happened.

"We spoke to the ballclub, they understood what has happened and we spoke to Josh," Ryan said. "I think as any of us would be, Josh is very distraught over this, as the entire team is."

What must be going through the mind of not only the boy, but also Hamilton? Obviously, what happened wasn't his fault but it would only be human nature to feel guilty. And, as most fans realize, Hamilton is quite human.
The other players were taking it hard as well:

Athletics reliever Brad Ziegler(notes) was in tears after the game when he found out the man had died.

"They had him on a stretcher. He said, 'Please check on my son. My son was up there by himself.' The people who carried him out reassured him. 'Sir, we'll get your son, we'll make sure he's OK,"' Ziegler said. "He had his arms swinging. He talked and was conscious. We assumed he was okay. But when you find out he's not, it's just tough."

This has to be the saddest possible event at a baseball game. A man goes to a ballgame with his son — it's the ultimate American experience — and he dies trying to catch a ball. It's hard to comprehend.

As for the need to raise the railings, or not throw balls into the stands ... that's the crazy part. How many thousands of games happen where nobody gets hurt, and now this?

Video of the fall probably can be found elsewhere on the Internet, but be advised: It is profoundly upsetting.

Maybe more cogent thoughts will come to me in the morning.


My thoughts go out to those affected by this tragedy. My wish is that everyone is.