Clarification

So when I said I wanted to bring back the fanny pack, I meant that I want at least 65% of the US population to start using fanny packs. Once that 65% makes fanny packs stylish again, I will strongly consider wearing a fanny pack. Once the "fanny pack wearing" population achieves 80% of the entire U.S. population - documented or not - I will wear a fanny pack. My freakin' sweet leather fanny pack that has sat on the bench since 7th grade.

Remember, this is a strong contrast to the "Crocs Craze." I wore Waldies, the company that Crocs bought out, long before Crocs became cool to wear. I will take credit for that "Craze," as Crocs became mad popular about 5 or 6 months after I bought my Waldies. For the record, Waldies are exactly the same as Crocs, except without the strap.

On a sad note, the right arrow button on my ibook is acting up. I have to press it down very hard to make it work.

On a happier note, my right tricep is getting pretty toned because of the added pressure I have to give to the right arrow button.

I don't like the weather anymore...

It is curious that on Monday of this week I was wearing flip flops and the temperature was about 80. Yesterday I awoke to a snow covered windshield and sub-freezing temps. Today it wasn't snowing, but it was about 40 most of the day.

That's all. I just wish the weather would make up it's mind here in Utah.

Oh, and I'm thinking of bringing fanny packs back. Who's with me?

I am serious. I still have a really nice one I got in7th grade but never got the occasion to wear, as they went out of style shortly after I had my "Jr. High Plan" established.

My "Jr. High plan" involved a mirror for my locker, fashionable jogging suits, and my fanny pack fully stocked with pens, pencils, first aid kit, lunch money, and various other things purchased at Big Lots. I was so cool...

For the record, the "plan" didn't pan out because of the fanny packs oddly going out of style over the summer and someone asking me why I wore my pajamas to school one day when I was wearing my "fashionable" jogging suit.

So let's bring 'em back!

Ramblings

So, I've said a few times that I will update more regularly here soon. Obviously that's a lie. I think I will shoot for once a week. That seems like a good goal...Though, remember that in the past I have shot for every few days...

Onto some ramblings:

~ I don't think it is humanly possible to pick a worse bracket than I did this year...at least Vandy did great! Too bad I didn't have them in the Sweet Sixteen. Oh, and again, the SEC rocks. Florida better not upset me...or the 39 million other SEC diehards. I totally just made that number up.

~ When I was young I would flip my pillow at least 4 times a night to get to the "cooler" side. I can't remember the last time I have flipped my pillow? Is there an age where you stop wanting a "cooler" side of the pillow? I don't believe that I like warm pillows now, but it is no longer a priority for me to flip it anymore.

~ I was prescribed a new inhaler for my asthma - one with steroids. I have upped my work out plan just in case it is those kind of steroids. One of the more distressing aspects of this new inhaler is that I have to use it twice a day, whether I feel I need to or not. Also, I have to wash my mouth out after every use, as failing to do so might cause me to get a yeast infection in my mouth.

Now I have heard of yeast infections - never had one, not sure guys can have them - but I am quite sure that you don't want one in your mouth. I wash my mouth out twice after every use. Once with bleach.

~ There are few things more stressful than getting dollar coins and then trying to get rid of them. I felt the need to ask every store/restaurant where I spent one if they accepted them. I, for one, no longer accept them as currency.

~ Onto a couple of shout outs - one to my new friend Laura MD. I put MD not because she is a doctor, but from Maryland. We have a lot of similarities, well, other than the fact that I weigh 2.5 times more than her and am a foot taller. Other than that we are like twins. I bet you couldn't pick me out in a line-up if we were both in the room.

~ The next one to THIS IRISH FARMER who is supposedly going to write a book series that will replace the Harry Potter series. This is coming just at the right time for me, as I was a little worried that after the 7th Harry Potter book comes out in July, my life would continue without the great anticipation of the next seven hundred page children's book for 2 years. This is compounded because I just read from a credible source that Harry dies within the first 10 pages of the next book. Actually, i just made that up. I hope I caused a couple of you to get mad at me for that.

~ I have had a recent revelation that I am no longer the supreme athlete I once was. This realization came when I went with several friends to play touch football a couple of weekends ago. There were about 14 of us playing, and I could only successfully cover 3 people. Mind you that there were 4 girls playing, and one of the people I could cover was a guy. What happened? I used to be everywhere. 3 time flag football champion in college. 7 time little league baseball all-star. All-Region football player in high school. Winner of HORSE against 2 members of the Lady Cougars (Jr. High here in Salt Lake) basketball team. We'll just sum up all of these great credentials as "World Class Athlete."

If anything positive comes out of this realization it is that I will never make myself look like an idiot on Pros vs. Joes. Though, I am pretty sure I could beat Dominique Wilkins in a basketball game to 21 or keep Mia Hamm from scoring a goal. Yeah right. What are these Joes thinking when they go on this show? And they are usually cocky! I would cry. I just hope that I could be a productive member of my little brother's coach pitch team.

Airport Observations

Here are some of my discoveries that were made in the airport on my recent trip to New Jersey...

~ You can arrive at the airport too early. And by too early I mean before the airline is even open for check-in. I had to wait thirty minutes just to let me check in. Then another 2 hours to board. Long morning...

~ The airport workers get really pissed off when they think you are trying to sneak gels and liquids on the plane. I usually check my baggage so I didn't think about having my dop kit in my carry on luggage. So, when the guy asked if I had any liquids or gels I said no...

I got taken into a special room because of all of my gels and such...many of which were taken because they were too big. They didn't believe that I accidentally lied. Jerks. On the bright side I got to keep my shaving cream, which ran out while I was in NJ. Mind you, it ran out after I had half of my face lathered...

~ Tolietries are expensive to replace in the airport.

~ The airport has vacuums that you can ride...like a riding lawn mower, except a vacuum. I think that is awesome. I almost asked if I could try...

~ There were two soldiers on their way to Iraq on my fligth from SLC to Atlanta. Both of them had brought their family to the airport. One of them was about 45 or so, so he had with him his 5 or 6 kids (it is Utah...), his wife, a woman I supposed was his sister, and his parents. It was quite sad to see them all cry when he was boarding, not knowing if they would ever see him again.

The second soldier was a kid who looked like he was still in high school, though I'm sure he was a recent graduate. He had with him his sister, mom, dad, and grandmother. They arrived to the gate around the same time as I did, so i was able to watch one of his family member's excuse his or herself, go to the restroom, and come back with red eyes. The mom did this several times in the course of the 2 hour wait to board. The young soldier had a stare that never left his face. At first I thought the stare was that "10 mile stare" I had heard soldiers have - where they are recreating images of war in their head, like a living nightmare. I later found out (by eavesdropping) that he had yet to go to Iraq. His stare could have been borne from fear or realization.

I couldn't help but get a little misty watching these two scenes. I was some merely an idle witness who is unsure about the war that they are being thrust into - one for the first time, the other a seasoned veteran, but neither certain to return. I hope they can both return safely to their family. Sooner rather than later.

~ On the plane on my return home I was mentioning these two soldiers to the friendly man with whom I was sharing a seat. He mentioned to me that his brother had been killed about a year ago in Iraq, and that his cousin had returned home safely but was not the same. He mentioned that his cousin used to be a really outgoing guy, but now he rarely spoke to anyone. He said that his Aunt and Uncle had to make him eat, shower, and do other things that most able-bodied adults have done since their childhood. Things that he used to do on his own. He even mentioned that occasionally his cousin would break in to tyrannical shouting episodes followed by moments of sheer terror and hours of tears.

It seems to me that every casualty of this war will not be written about in the newspapers' soldier death tolls. Not all of the casualties will have the luxury of being killed.

My soul hurts when I think of a troop surge. My heart cries when I think of the families, soldiers, and civilians who are suffering because of this war. I long for peace.

Wrap-up

I got back last night from a Volunteers Exploring Vocation discernment event at Princeton Theological Seminary. It was a great event...lots of time to think, lots of thought provoking discussion, and a lot of really awesome volunteers throughout the country whom I had the opportunity to meet and hang out with.

I see a couple different posts explaining things that went on there, but for now...

I have two sports writers who I read very regularly - Espn Page 2's Bill Simmons and CBS Sportsline SPIN's Clay Travis. Both of them do a mailbag type of column every so often and respond to writers comments/questions. I have probably sent Bill Simmons 10 emails, thinking he might choose mine to respond to. However, I think he gets hundreds of emails daily and the chance of your email being one of the 30 or so her replies to each month is slim.

So, when Clay Travis started his weekly mailbag a couple months ago I assumed my chances would be better as he did it more often and probably has a much smaller readership (not to say he is a less interesting writer, but Simmons has been around a while and is very good/well known). I had not written until this week when Clay had posted a column about his experiences taking a Wonderlic test (a test that NFL hopefuls take at the combine to test their intelligence). He scored a 29 out of a possible 50. Mind you that he is an attorney, so this was quite distressing to him.

I did a little research and found that a former QB named Quincy Carter - a horrible player and moron who was kicked off of the team for using cocaine - scored a 30. I couldn't resist sending this in to add to Clay Travis' embarassment.

While I was in Princeton Clay replied to my message saying that he replied to it in his mailbag column. You can see it HERE. It is the last letter on the second page of the column.