My pastor came up to us after worship yesterday. He, being a Chicago Bears fan, told us that (*cue the harps and bright light*) an Angel of the Lord came to him last night in a dream. That angel told him to comfort my family with the knowledge that, while the NFC Championship game pitting Da Bears against the New Orleans Saints (America’s and God’s team) would be disappointing for Saints fans, God wants us to know He has greater plans for the His Team. We shared a good laugh because he didn’t really have an angel appear to him; we were just fans of opposing teams trash talking. But, the more I thought about it, the more I see how he is right.
For the first time in the history of the Saints franchise, I believe they have something they never had before – a future. They’ve had a few winning seasons, a few playoff games, but never before have they had the opportunity they have before them now. Right now, this team has the chance to become a modern-NFL dynasty. And, truthfully, that’s better than a one-time Super Bowl trip for the city of New Orleans. Ask Tampa Bay, Atlanta or Carolina, how they feel about their Super Bowl trips and the next season(s). What have they done since their Super Bowl trips? Nothing.
In today’s NFL, a dynasty cannot be defined as it was in the past – multiple Super Bowls in a row. Gone is the dominance of the Steelers in the 70s, 49ers in the 80s, Cowboys in the 90s. Today, a dynasty is better defined as getting to the Conference Championships consistently, winning most of them to get the the Super Bowl and winning it. For example, the Patriots are a modern-day NFL dynasty. The only dynasty the Saints have had is the Ain’ts Dynasty. But, with their youth, heart and fire, they have the opportunity to become a true dynasty for the first time in history. Isn't that what the Katrina-ravaged city needs more? A dynasty brings more to the New Orleans economy than a one time trip. Plus, being a perennial winner brings more hope than say a perennial loser. I mean, did you feel hopeful last year when the Saints ended their season 3-13? I'm betting nope.
While many saw the Bears dominate the Saints, I saw something different. I saw a team that for the first time in it’s history play to win rather than play to control the margin of loss. I saw a team of youth learn valuable lessons that only come with experience. I saw a coach make decisions to help give his team a chance to win and challenged them to do so. I have never seen a Saints team play with the heart and determination I saw this season. Regardless of what the scoreboard said, the Saints kept fighting. And, that’s what makes this team different than any other team in its franchise history.
So, Saints fans, while your heart aches this morning, take comfort in the future. This team is poised to do wonderous things for the city. They no longer are the Ain’ts. We don’t have to wear paper bags on our heads. We have a truly blessed team. This is only the beginning.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Marty Balled
Ever since the Chargers lost to the Patriots, there's been talk of San Diego firing it's head coach, Marty Schottenheimer. The man has over 200 wins over his career, but has a lousy record in the playoffs - something like 5 - 12. So, he's gotten a bad rap for not being able to win the big one. He's never won a Super Bowl. But, does that make him a bad coach? Or at least bad enough to be fired?
His team had the best record in the NFL this season. His #1 player is the league MVP. The Chargers lost two games by a total of 6 points to AFC Playoff teams. His team ended the Colts 2005 undefeated season. They've gone 43-22 since he took over, won the division twice and made the playoffs twice.
But, he didn't get to or even win the Super Bowl, so he should be fired. Sorry, I don't get that. Here's my theory why: Consistantly winning teams make more money than teams that win the Super Bowl one year and flop the next.
Examine the case of Tampa Bay head coached by Tony Dungy (now of the Colts). From 1996 - 2001, he built a killer defense, went 48-42, had 3 winning seasons, won the old Central divison once, and made the playoffs 4 out of 6 years. They even almost made it to the Super Bowl. The next year they did and won it... under a new coach. The 2002 Bucs - the team that Tony built - took home the trophy under new head coach Jon "Chucky" Gruden and have since done squat. We'll never know, but there isn't much doubt that Coach Dungy would have won that Super Bowl had he been allowed to continue with the success he built.
As evidenced when he was hired to coach the Indianapolis Colts and continued being successful. The Colts may not have one the big one or have a good playoff record. But, they have been consistant winners with Coach Dungy at the helm. Since 2002, the Colt have won the divison four out of five years, made the playoffs every year and amassed an incredible 60-20 record. A consistant winner. Who do you think made more money from 2002-2006? I'm betting on the Colts.
Now, take a look at Bill Cowher. He's been head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers for 15 years, since 1992, retiring at the end of this season. In that time, he posted a 143-80 record, won the divison title 9 times, made the playoff every year but 3, made it to the Superbowl twice and won it once. Only three seasons were losting seasons - 6-10 at worst. If that's not consistant winning, I don't know what is.
When a guy has that much success, you don't fire him. The bottom line for NFL teams is to make money. Is Marty making money for San Diego? You bet. I don't see how they fire him. From a business point of view, it would be stupid.
His team had the best record in the NFL this season. His #1 player is the league MVP. The Chargers lost two games by a total of 6 points to AFC Playoff teams. His team ended the Colts 2005 undefeated season. They've gone 43-22 since he took over, won the division twice and made the playoffs twice.
But, he didn't get to or even win the Super Bowl, so he should be fired. Sorry, I don't get that. Here's my theory why: Consistantly winning teams make more money than teams that win the Super Bowl one year and flop the next.
Examine the case of Tampa Bay head coached by Tony Dungy (now of the Colts). From 1996 - 2001, he built a killer defense, went 48-42, had 3 winning seasons, won the old Central divison once, and made the playoffs 4 out of 6 years. They even almost made it to the Super Bowl. The next year they did and won it... under a new coach. The 2002 Bucs - the team that Tony built - took home the trophy under new head coach Jon "Chucky" Gruden and have since done squat. We'll never know, but there isn't much doubt that Coach Dungy would have won that Super Bowl had he been allowed to continue with the success he built.
As evidenced when he was hired to coach the Indianapolis Colts and continued being successful. The Colts may not have one the big one or have a good playoff record. But, they have been consistant winners with Coach Dungy at the helm. Since 2002, the Colt have won the divison four out of five years, made the playoffs every year and amassed an incredible 60-20 record. A consistant winner. Who do you think made more money from 2002-2006? I'm betting on the Colts.
Now, take a look at Bill Cowher. He's been head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers for 15 years, since 1992, retiring at the end of this season. In that time, he posted a 143-80 record, won the divison title 9 times, made the playoff every year but 3, made it to the Superbowl twice and won it once. Only three seasons were losting seasons - 6-10 at worst. If that's not consistant winning, I don't know what is.
When a guy has that much success, you don't fire him. The bottom line for NFL teams is to make money. Is Marty making money for San Diego? You bet. I don't see how they fire him. From a business point of view, it would be stupid.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Christmas Post
I know, I know, this post is a little late, but as you'll see it's with good reason. First of all, I hope you had a Merry Christmas.
We've had a pretty good year, I must say. We finally bought a house and a new computer too. I'm honestly not sure which was more important... The computer was THAT bad. We did a whole bunch of theatre and pretty much decided we needed a long break from it. I performed in "Into the Woods" and helped produce "Cinderella" and a show called "Nuts." The wife did costumes for close to a bajillion shows and was nominated for two Encore awards (local community theatre awards). She even was onstage in "Nuts" playing a court reporter. Sounds small, but she's onstage the whole time typing. It wasn't easy on her body. All the sewing she does has started taking a toll on her body. She's got constant shoulder, back and neck pains that the doctor basically said is caused by the sewing. So, we're taking a rest from theatre 'cuz we really need the rest.
The Kid... well... he's tall... 5' 4" and is close to passing his mother. He's pretty much decided what he wants to be when he grows up... a professional wrestler. Which as much as I love pro-wresting, I'm not sure if I'm OK with. But, he's 13, so I think we have plenty of time to talk him out of it.
Speaking of the Kid, his surgery was yesterday... It couldn't have gone better. He's fine, at home, not in pain and is relaxing as much as a bored 13 year old can.
Here's the back story on the surgery since many of you don't know: Back in early September, he was experiencing pain in his right hip to the point where it was difficult to walk. We saw a bruise and a knot the size of an egg under it. So, we took him to the doctor and she wasn't sure what it was and sent us to have it x-rayed. She told us that the x-ray showed there was a 5mm long metal foreign object in his hip.
Huh? Wha? was exactly how we responded. We had no idea how or when he was punctured by some metal foreign object. It's still a bit of a mystery. She referred us to a Orthopedist and upon closer examination of the x-rays, we determined the metal object was a sewing needle. You can clearly see the eye and the point in the x-ray. They give him medicine to clear up the infection - that's what was causing the pain. After the meds, he was pain free. The needle didn't bother him at all. In fact, the Orthopedist said it's likely he could leave it in for life and it wouldn't bother him at all. Of course, that's not the best idea, so yesterday, we had him remove it.
The doctor informed us that getting the needle out would literally be like finding a needle in a haystack. He wouldn't know how difficult it would be until he was inside. It was possible he'd have to make an incision in the Kid's leg muscle to find it and that would have meant physical therapy. The Kid was prepped and was in surgery for 11am. They gave him a local and put him under, too. The doctor was finished by 11:45am. He was able to get the needle out without cutting any muscles, just by moving them around. We were home by 1:30pm.
My son has a very high tolerance for pain. The doctor gave him a prescription for vicodin and he has stated numerous time he doesn't need it. He is in no pain. Yeah, a three inch incision on the hip he sleeps on and no pain. I'm somewhat afraid that his high-pain tolerance is actually a good trait for a professional wrestler to have...
We have the needle now. The Kid wanted to keep it. Upon further examination, Tricia has determined that the needle is a smocking needle. Just when you thought the needle-in-the-hip story couldn't get weirder... Wifey hasn't smocked since we've lived in New Orleans... That's five years. It's possible that this needle was in there at least that long... Here's a picture of the needle to give you an idea of the size...
So, that's been our year... Now, we're waiting on the service guy to give us hot water. The water heater died on Christnas Eve evening. Who ya gonna call on a Sunday, much less Christmas?? He came yesterday and replaced the heating element, but it's still not working. They're coming back tomorrow. It's been below freezing here in the mornings and not much warmer during the day. Sponge baths are still quite unpleasant. We're very close to bathing in the hot tub.
Anyway, despite the trauma of chilly sponge baths, we have a lot to be thankful for and feel truly blessed to have what we do. Here's to the new year, may we all continue to be blessed!
We've had a pretty good year, I must say. We finally bought a house and a new computer too. I'm honestly not sure which was more important... The computer was THAT bad. We did a whole bunch of theatre and pretty much decided we needed a long break from it. I performed in "Into the Woods" and helped produce "Cinderella" and a show called "Nuts." The wife did costumes for close to a bajillion shows and was nominated for two Encore awards (local community theatre awards). She even was onstage in "Nuts" playing a court reporter. Sounds small, but she's onstage the whole time typing. It wasn't easy on her body. All the sewing she does has started taking a toll on her body. She's got constant shoulder, back and neck pains that the doctor basically said is caused by the sewing. So, we're taking a rest from theatre 'cuz we really need the rest.
The Kid... well... he's tall... 5' 4" and is close to passing his mother. He's pretty much decided what he wants to be when he grows up... a professional wrestler. Which as much as I love pro-wresting, I'm not sure if I'm OK with. But, he's 13, so I think we have plenty of time to talk him out of it.
Speaking of the Kid, his surgery was yesterday... It couldn't have gone better. He's fine, at home, not in pain and is relaxing as much as a bored 13 year old can.
Here's the back story on the surgery since many of you don't know: Back in early September, he was experiencing pain in his right hip to the point where it was difficult to walk. We saw a bruise and a knot the size of an egg under it. So, we took him to the doctor and she wasn't sure what it was and sent us to have it x-rayed. She told us that the x-ray showed there was a 5mm long metal foreign object in his hip.
Huh? Wha? was exactly how we responded. We had no idea how or when he was punctured by some metal foreign object. It's still a bit of a mystery. She referred us to a Orthopedist and upon closer examination of the x-rays, we determined the metal object was a sewing needle. You can clearly see the eye and the point in the x-ray. They give him medicine to clear up the infection - that's what was causing the pain. After the meds, he was pain free. The needle didn't bother him at all. In fact, the Orthopedist said it's likely he could leave it in for life and it wouldn't bother him at all. Of course, that's not the best idea, so yesterday, we had him remove it.
The doctor informed us that getting the needle out would literally be like finding a needle in a haystack. He wouldn't know how difficult it would be until he was inside. It was possible he'd have to make an incision in the Kid's leg muscle to find it and that would have meant physical therapy. The Kid was prepped and was in surgery for 11am. They gave him a local and put him under, too. The doctor was finished by 11:45am. He was able to get the needle out without cutting any muscles, just by moving them around. We were home by 1:30pm.
My son has a very high tolerance for pain. The doctor gave him a prescription for vicodin and he has stated numerous time he doesn't need it. He is in no pain. Yeah, a three inch incision on the hip he sleeps on and no pain. I'm somewhat afraid that his high-pain tolerance is actually a good trait for a professional wrestler to have...
We have the needle now. The Kid wanted to keep it. Upon further examination, Tricia has determined that the needle is a smocking needle. Just when you thought the needle-in-the-hip story couldn't get weirder... Wifey hasn't smocked since we've lived in New Orleans... That's five years. It's possible that this needle was in there at least that long... Here's a picture of the needle to give you an idea of the size...
So, that's been our year... Now, we're waiting on the service guy to give us hot water. The water heater died on Christnas Eve evening. Who ya gonna call on a Sunday, much less Christmas?? He came yesterday and replaced the heating element, but it's still not working. They're coming back tomorrow. It's been below freezing here in the mornings and not much warmer during the day. Sponge baths are still quite unpleasant. We're very close to bathing in the hot tub.
Anyway, despite the trauma of chilly sponge baths, we have a lot to be thankful for and feel truly blessed to have what we do. Here's to the new year, may we all continue to be blessed!
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Dude, Where's My Card?
Daddy's finally got a new computer.
Daddy would be me. Dude, I got a Dell. But, Daddy's not completely happy about it. It was supposed to come with a firewire 1394 IEEE card. 'Cause half the point of the new computer was so Daddy could do some video editing at home. But, no card means no way to digitize footage.
All is not lost however. Dell's customer service was gone by the time I realized it was missing. So, I am planning to call them soon. There is an expansion slot for it, so one way or another Daddy's gettin' that card.
The bonus is that we're no longer on dialup. That's right, we've been on dial up for a long frickin' time. As soon as AT&T turns switch on, we'll be high-speed. WHHEEEEEE! Of course, that means we don't have the internet for a few days. The only good access I have is at work and that's really not a good option. We can check email from our phones... some of the time. So, if you're trying to contact us this week, have patience.
I need to figure out what stuff on the old computer we want to keep. Pictures and stuff like that. I'll probably just transfer that stuff to a zip drive for store. Yeah, a zip drive. That's how only that computer is. It runs Win98... really slowly. The sound card finally gave out a few months ago. We've raised that computer from the dead so many times...
Well, Daddy's gotta call Dell...
Update: Daddy's gotta get a "low profile" PCI card or a Firewire/USB adaptor cable. My thin box is too small for Dell's regular sized PCI cards. Saw the card on ebay for a total of $20 (that's including shipping). So, I don't think it's gonna be a big deal for me to get that card... Maybe Santa will leave one in my stocking... And no internet at home until December 15th.
Daddy would be me. Dude, I got a Dell. But, Daddy's not completely happy about it. It was supposed to come with a firewire 1394 IEEE card. 'Cause half the point of the new computer was so Daddy could do some video editing at home. But, no card means no way to digitize footage.
All is not lost however. Dell's customer service was gone by the time I realized it was missing. So, I am planning to call them soon. There is an expansion slot for it, so one way or another Daddy's gettin' that card.
The bonus is that we're no longer on dialup. That's right, we've been on dial up for a long frickin' time. As soon as AT&T turns switch on, we'll be high-speed. WHHEEEEEE! Of course, that means we don't have the internet for a few days. The only good access I have is at work and that's really not a good option. We can check email from our phones... some of the time. So, if you're trying to contact us this week, have patience.
I need to figure out what stuff on the old computer we want to keep. Pictures and stuff like that. I'll probably just transfer that stuff to a zip drive for store. Yeah, a zip drive. That's how only that computer is. It runs Win98... really slowly. The sound card finally gave out a few months ago. We've raised that computer from the dead so many times...
Well, Daddy's gotta call Dell...
Update: Daddy's gotta get a "low profile" PCI card or a Firewire/USB adaptor cable. My thin box is too small for Dell's regular sized PCI cards. Saw the card on ebay for a total of $20 (that's including shipping). So, I don't think it's gonna be a big deal for me to get that card... Maybe Santa will leave one in my stocking... And no internet at home until December 15th.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Mom Should Be Proud
My score on The Commonly Confused Words Test:
English Genius
You scored 85% Beginner, 100% Intermediate, 80% Advanced, and 86% Expert!
You did so extremely well, even I can't find a word to describe your excellence! You have the uncommon intelligence necessary to understand things that most people don't. You have an extensive vocabulary, and you're not afraid to use it properly! Way to go!
Thank you so much for taking my test. I hope you enjoyed it!
For the complete Answer Key, visit: http://shortredhead78.blogspot.com
Link: The Commonly Confused Words Test
(OkCupid Free Online Dating)
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