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myThoughts

Another LA Riots?

I’m here on vacation, waiting on my wife and kids to get up and I came across this article that has me concerned.  Its a political piece written by Pat Buchanan that asks the question “And if Obama Loses?”  Do you remember the LA Riots?  If you are over the age of twenty, I’m sure you do.  The post I read this morning didn’t go so far as to connect the two events in any way, but I wonder if we could be in for a dangerous November Tuesday.

If Obama wins, I worry for the country.  I like that he is concerned for many of the same issues I am concerned with, but I disagree with him on every single action plan he has suggested to solve those issues.  He also lacks the experience.  I know there are many that argue that experience is not an issue, however if you were inventing your money in a major cooperation, and they were voting on a new CEO that lacked the experience to do that job, you might consider selling… The nation is much more important that my stocks and I want a President with the life experiences to help guild him through the job.  The real danger, however, in Obama isn’t that he lacks the experience needed to be president but, in my opinion, that he lacks the wisdom to know it

But back to Buchana’s question, what if Obama loses?  Will there be riots?  I seems like a rediculous question to ask – but I couldn’t believe the riots in LA back in 1992, and I’ve seen riots in Ohio over a football game – “we lost the game, that means I can get with a few hundred of my friends, turn over cars and set houses on fire!”

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=28277

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myThoughts

Is that his real name?

I’m not a baseball fan, but my wife is – or at least was when we got married.  Her favorite teams are the cubs and the red sox.  When I was offered discount tickets through my job to a diamond backs game hosting the cubs – I knew it was a good idea to pick them up.  Stephanie asked our friends to watch the kids, which they agreed without hesitation, and we were off.

To be honest, most baseball games are just too slow for me – but last night was different.  First, the stadium was packed – with cubs fans.  So many that chants like “Let’s Go D-Backs” were drowned out by “Let’s God Cubbies!”  and during the seventh inning stretch, when we all sing “take me out to the ball game” – the cub fans were much louder than d-back fans.  “Root, Root, Root for the D-Backs” was again changed to “cubbies”.  The score at the end of the game looked more like a football score than a baseball game – 10-6 cubs.  Now, while I do wish the D-Backs had won – going home with a happy wife was worth the loose.

Among the highlights – a grand slam home run, ice cream in a waffle bowl for $6, and my wife hi-fiving strangers.  But a personal favorite for me was finding out there is a player on the cubs team with this for a last name: Fukudome.

I have no idea how he pronouces it, but I know how I read it…

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myThoughts

The First Ascent of Mt Everest – When I met my wife

The Day I met my wife: There she was – sitting in the far corner booth being the center of attention for more than one of the guys at the table.

Allow me to set the scene; After church services, there were so many bible college students that headed for half price appetizers at Applebee’s that we would often ask for the smoking section knowing that we would fill it up and leave no room for smokers in the restraunt.  And even then, the people not from our church or college were often approached with the gospel at some point in the evening.  Even with the college’s “don’t go out to eat unless you have enough money to tip well” policy, I’m sure the local staff hated Wednesday and Sunday nights; we didn’t drink, we only ordered off the half price menu, and we stayed until 15 minutes before curfew and start demanding the check get there in a hurry so we wouldn’t be late.  A 20% tip on a $6 meal won’t put your kids through college.

I was only 18, a freshman in Bible College, over 500 miles away from home, trying to fit in this new world of mine.  To be honest, I’m not even sure I knew who I was exactly; so in a way I was meeting myself as much as I was meeting anyone else.  I was rather unpopular in high school, even though I played football and Track and Field, and was in the top 25% of my class scholatically.  But here, I had a clean slate.  No one knew me from high school here and it was a chance to invent myself as anything I wanted to be.  I chose a funny all the time, overbearing occasionally, always social, usually outgoing, obnoxious at times, and spiritual deep at times personality.

Back to the scene, I happen to be one of the guys making Stephanie the center of my attention.  I couldn’t tell you who else was at the table other than ‘the competition’ – two guys both spending quite a bit of their time with Stephanie.  One of the two guys was obviously making her feel uncomfortable.  The other guy was looking more and more like the hero saving her from the first guy.  I was on the side lines; I felt she was out of my league.  A conversation with the hero made me believe they had been dating for a while anyway – which wasn’t true, but I didn’t know any better.  Over the next year, she dated the hero (who turned out to be a zero – forgive the cliche’).  We did become great friends, spending a lot of time at a momument between the boys and girls dorms.  It would be another two years before we were married – but well worth the wait!

Look for these Moments in future posts for the series:

  • The Day I got married
  • The Day my Mother Died
  • The Day my Father-in-Law Died
  • The Day I interviewed with American Express