The Miracle Kids did it again. The A.U. Trojans just won their final regular season game. Beating the number two team in overtime 85-81. They finish with a 500 record and I couldn't be prouder of them if they had won it all. It's been six years since they finished better.

Next up for them is the first round of playoffs against Queens University in Charlotte.
Way to go Guys...Great year.

The Girls thumped the Royals tonight 81-53. This is the team that came closest to beating us when we faced them earlier there. In that game we blew a 30 point, but were able hang on and get the victory by 1 point. TONIGHT was a different story as we showed them why we are now number two in the region and ranked # 14 in the NATION. The girls several games ago clinched the championship.

Next girls game = Playoff at home Monday night.

This is the 60th day of the year. It's flying past so fast. I still have trouble writing 2007 on things. There are only 306 days left in 2008. Only 300 day until Christmas.


Today is Leap Day.

There are strange events tied to this day. And several interesting births

I missed it by ONE WEEK myself. Wouldn't that have been cool.

Here are some facts:

• 1504 - Christopher Columbus uses his knowledge of a lunar eclipse that night to convince Native Americans to provide him with supplies.
• 1892 - St. Petersburg, Florida incorporated.
• 1916 - Child labor: In South Carolina, the minimum working age for factory, mill, and mine workers is raised from twelve to fourteen years old.
• 1960 - Family Circus cartoon makes its debut.
• 1972 - Hank Aaron becomes the first player in the history of Major League Baseball to sign a $200,000 contract.
• 1996 - A Peruvian Boeing 737 crashes in the Andes, killing 123 people.
• 2004 - Jean-Bertrand Aristide resigns as President of Haiti following popular rebel uprising.

Famous Births

• 1468 - Pope Paul III (d. 1549)
• 1692 - John Byrom, English poet (d. 1763)
• 1904 - Jimmy Dorsey, American bandleader (d. 1957)
• 1916 - Dinah Shore, American singer (d. 1994)
• 1920 - Howard Nemerov, American poet (d. 1991)
• 1924 - Carlos Humberto Romero, President of El Salvador
• 1936 - Jack Lousma, astronaut
• 1944 - Dennis Farina, American actor
• 1947 - Ian Anderson, British musician, Jethro Tull
  
• 1960 - Tony Robbins, American motivational speaker
• 1972 - Dave Williams, American singer (Drowning Pool) (d. 2002)
• 1976 - Ja Rule, American rapper and actor
• 1980 - Chris Conley, American musician

Today is an "extra day" a gift......Don't waste it.

I know five people who are sick today. The paper says there are two types of flu going around so chances are you or someone in your family will get it.

Doctors offer these tips

1. Get plenty of rest.

2. Drink plenty of fluids.



Sounds like good advice for every Friday to me.

NAP TIME

My face was melted off !!!

I just got home from a rehearsal for Lee McDerment's live concert debut of his new cd

" A MatchLight in the Dark".

It is music is fantastic. A serious cut above. This cd is gonna ROCK !!!

The debut concert will be awesome.

It's on Friday night, March 7th at my church.

Be There!


Lee is our Worship leader at NewSpring. And his talent is amazing. He is sold out on fire for Jesus.
Remember cd release concert is next Friday at NewSpring. Tickets are still available and are $15.

Remember with each ticket you get a free cd. Now That is a deal and a half for sure

Here is a link for details CLICK HERE

Singles Alert :

Tomorrow is Leap Day.

Legend has it that marriage-minded gals can propose to their boyfriends on February 29. And the guys must accept.

The exact origin is somewhat vague. But because February 29th, "leap day" is an unusual event, a lot of folklore and superstition are associated with it. According to folk tradition, on Leap years day women could propose marriage to men. On "The Ladies' Privilege " day the man either had to accept the proposal or pay the refused woman a substantial fee for turning her down. This was later accepted in English Common Law around 1288 by decree by Queen Margaret of Scotland. Not only that but the man risked bad fortune to themselves.

In the U.S. we have the similar Sadie Hawkins Day, where "women can pursue men". It was originated from Al Capp cartoon strip Li'l Abner. No official day is set but most agree it falls on the Saturday closest to November 9. I remember going to a high school dance in honor of that event.

Just remember today is a day where odd events may occur.


What are you planning for this “extra day.” ?

Here are a dozen ideas.

1. Learn one song on the piano. You know you took lessons as a kid. You have always wanted to and it will make you look really cool while hanging out.

2. Make something cool out of paper. Origami skills will come in handy when you baby sit.

3. Ride a horse. I mean, when’s the last time you rode a horse?

4. Read a book.

5. Organize your pictures. You’ve put it off long enough.

6. Make your own personalized T-shirt.

7. Grill up the biggest steak you can find.

8. Memorize the lyrics to “Stairway to Heaven” ..no wait you've already done that.

9. Go for a walk … in that woods but bundle up it's cold.

10. Call your mom and talk she'll love you for it.

11. Take your significant other shopping for no reason.

12. Visit old friends.

Do you have a presence on Facebook? That is do you have a Facebook page?

If you said yes you are not alone. There are over 64 million Facebook users.

I joined a year or two ago and made a Facebook page. I also have a page on Twitter, BlogSpot, MySpace, Ringo and several other sites.

This all started in effort to find my friends from high school and to gather reunion info. It worked, and I am now in contact with a 15-20 old friends.

Facebook I am told is all the rage now.

One of the things I like is the messaging ability. It's like super e-mail but limited to friends.

So I messaged Kevin and while I was waiting his reply I did a name search with my first and last name. I got back 246 people on face book with my name.

WE RULE

Wonder how many of you are members ?

And who shares your name?

There's no need to fear ... Underdog is here.
I watched this again last night.

You should see it

Awesome !!

Speed of Lightning...Roar of Thunder

Previous Underdog Post

I was in Greenville again last night for another pilot safety seminar. This one returned us to the Greenville Tech campus. Mark Grady was the moderator. He is a pilot, instructor, former TV broadcast personality and a world class speaker. I alway enjoy and learn from his programs

Last night's topic was

The top 5 mistakes pilots make.

One of the reasons I try to attend all of these class is that statistics show pilots who attend classes and trainings regularly make up to 83% better judgement calls. And fewer mistakes. That's solely based on training. I may never be the best pilot in the world. But I am trying to be the safest.

So How safe is flying?

• Automobiles kill around 40,000 people
• Motorcycles around 4500
• Bicycles 2500
• Boating 1230
• Planes less than 500

So why are we afraid to fly but jump in the car without using our seat belt? Or ride a motorcycle without a helmet?

Somehow my clock has gotten screwed-up

Last night I spent most of the night memorizing the ceiling. Eyes wide open.

This morning I can hardly hold my head up. All I want is a nap.

I think I need to chew some coffee beans.


On second thought. In elementary school we used to put our heads down on our desk and take a nap.

Let's bring back napping at your desk

Maybe I should try that.

Then afterwards we can bring back eating gram crackers milk.

Good Idea

ZZZZZzzzzz !

Saturday Basketball once again. Kristie and I missed Ashley's early morning game. But we were ready for the final Saturday home games at A.U.

The girls game we weren't really concerned about. Pfeiffer had a 7-11 record and are 7th in the conference. Still they played tough earlier in the season. The guys were another story. Pfeiffer is 15-3 and only a half game from first place.

We were right about the girls. It was never close. I just hope the last couple easy wins doesn't cause our girls to become lazy in the tournament. The Lady Trojans took control right away and walked their way to a win. 85-59. The good part I guess is the entire bench again got a lot of playing time.

Last time the boys met at Pfeiffer they almost pulled off an upset win. We were hoping to finish that at home. Last time it was a two point loss for the guys. But this time the Eagles had a new strategy. Almost every fourth play the substituted not one or two players but all five. And that went on the whole game. I had no idea they were that deep. Our guys played very hard and kept up most of the first period, but eventually Pfeiffer's plan wore us down and they pulled away to a 25 point lead at the half.

Our gutsy guys came out in the second half, caught-up and actually took the lead, though only by two points. However once again the rotation of players kept the Eagles fresh and our guys finally fell behind again near the end. It was a great effort but they came up short. Hopefully they can win the final regular game at home next week.

LOCAL "Dumb Crook" News

This, actually happened in my city. Isn't it great how sometimes reality is more funny than fiction?

Story set-up

A local man who already had one brush with law found himself in compounded trouble. This past June he was arrested after being seen riding a stolen scooter. When deputies tried to stop him he abandoned the motor bike and fled. The officers caught him in a foot chase he was arrested for the bike and also charged with having two bags of methamphetamines. $1991 was also seized from the suspect and held as evidence.


Here is the "Dumb Crook" part


This week the man drove to the Sheriff’s Office, went inside and demanded the $1,991 be returned. The officials refused and the man left. As he walked outside an officer noticed him get behind the wheel of a bright red Saab convertible. Why was that important? You see the Saab had been reported stolen just the evening before. So deputies once again had to be fleet of foot as they rushed to catch him. Indeed he was driving the car with “a screwdriver into the ignition switch”. So he was arrested again, this time for stealing the car. He was also charged with driving on a suspended license and with a tag violation.

Let's sum this up.

1. Arrested for stealing a scooter
2. Fleeing arrest
3. Possession of a large quantity of drugs


THEN

1. He steals a flashy car
2. Drives to the police and argues about his money
3. Gets in his "HOT" car and tries once again to flee.


Only in Anderson do you drive a stolen car to the Sheriff's Office and argue, then make demands.

Bright Bulb this one

Our Lady Trojans from Anderson University clinched the confrence title and moved up a spot in the USA Today / ESPN Poll rankings. They are now number 15 nationally. Way to go Ladies.

Here is the poll rankings:

Rank	Institution - First Place Votes
1.	Delta State University (Miss.) - 24
2.	Seattle Pacific University (Wash.)
3.	University of North Dakota
4.	University Of South Dakota - 1
5.	Concordia University, St. Paul (Minn.)
T6.	Drury University (Mo.)
T6.	Holy Family University (Penn.)
8.	Fort Lewis College (Colo.)
9.	Indiana University of Pennsylvania
10.	University of West Georgia
11.	University Of Alaska Anchorage
12.	Arkansas Tech University
13.	Stonehill College (Mass.)
14.	Valdosta State University (Ga.)
15.	Anderson University (S.C.)
16.	West Texas A&M University
17.	Washburn University (Kan.)
18.	Emporia State University (Kan.)
19.	Hillsdale College (Mich.)
20.	Franklin Pierce University (N.H.)
21.	California State University, Chico
22.	Tusculum College (Tenn.)
23.	Francis Marion University (S.C.)
24.	California State Unviersity, San Bernardino
25.	Fairmont State University (W. Va.)

Sink the Fleet.

That was the order of the night. There is a huge rivalry

between Anderson University and Erskine College. Anderson swept the basketball games at home now we traveled to Due West to try to do it again.

We usually get a nice turn out of our fans since Erskine is close. There was enough interest this year to charter a bus. So we all piled on for a free ride and to cheer on our Trojans.

In the women’s game the nationally ranked Lady Trojans were expected to win quickly and win big. They did. With a dominating 79-55 victory. Anderson never trailed and all the girls got time on the court. The win assures A.U. the first place and a top spot in the playoff, with two games yet to go.

In the guys game the team knew they’d have to work hard to clinch another win. In the first half they looked like they were going to run away with it and at the half the score was a convincing 33-16.

The second half was a different story. The Flying Fleet used full court pressure and amazing three-point shooting to get back into the game. They were helped by a series of what I feel were very bad calls by the referees. But that is a part of the game. The Fleet tied up the game after a big foul and three points from the free throw line. Then it was Anderson’s chance with 26 seconds left Nayte Russell saved the day with an incredible drive, weaving through they lane for two points. With just 3 seconds to go Erskine who had been scoring three’s all night had the inbound ball tipped and recovered by Stephen Cobb squeaking out the victory 61-59.

The sweep keeps Beville Cup competition completely in Anderson's control. With a so far perfect score of 14 to nothing. If our top ranked Tennis team wins at least one of their two games with them (a likely hood) then A.U. is mathematically assured the repeat win, and there is still a third of the year remaining.

I just love this stuff.

This was in todays paper

Sleep center to conduct open house

Looks like I get a second chance

Don't forget the Eclipse tonight.

Obama Surges Ahead

I love spy stories. James Bond in particular. I am a fanatic about 007.

One of the greatest things to happen to the franchise was the re-boot with the movie “Casino Royale”. In my opinion bringing Bond back closer to reality was the right move. Though I was nervous when he was announced as the 6^th actor to play the secret agent, I loved Daniel Craig as a young brash James Bond.

For the first time in James Bond film history the next film is going to be a direct continuation of the story line in “Casino Royale”. “Quantum Of Solace” literally picks up five minutes later and features a number of returning characters. “M”, “ Mathis”, Felix Leiter” and introduces a few new ones. “ Mr. Greene”, played by the great Mathieu Amalric, “Camille” played by Olga Kurylenko , “General Medrano” played by Joaquin Cosio.

----- SPOILER ALERT------

A plot outline follows

After falling in love with and then being betrayed by Vesper ( who had no choice ) 007 has to fight the urge to make it personal. The interrogation of “Mr. White” (Jesper Christensen) makes it clear the organization behind the events of “Casino Royale” is far more complex and dangerous than anyone had imagined.

Links to a bank account in Haiti brings Bond together with Camille who is running her own vendetta. Camille then leads Bond straight to Dominic Greene, who turns out to be a major force within the mysterious organization.

Globe hopping the world, chasing leads Bond learns that Greene, is trying to take control of one of the world’s most important natural resources. In a deal with the exiled General Medrano, Greene promises an overthrow an existing regime giving the General control of the Latin American country in exchange for a seemingly barren piece of land.

As Bond tries to uncover the truth he allies with old friends to keep one step ahead of the CIA, the terrorists and even M, while unraveling Greene’s sinister plan and stop his organization. Treachery, murder and deceit abound.

-----END SPOILER -----

The film is scheduled for release Nov 7^th 261 days and counting.

Can you tell I am excited?

Well it's Official:

Pilot/Adventurer Steve Fossett has been declared dead by the Cook County Circuit Court.

The declaration had been pursued by Steve’s wife Peggy, in order to resolve the legal status of his estate.

And so it ends..…after five months of searching by literally thousands of people. The search was one of the largest in history, covering over 20,000 square miles of rugged terrain. The search turned-up 18 previous accident sites ranging up seventy years old. All had gone down in the same general area without recovery.

As you remember, Fossett had gone on a routine flight in Nevada using a friend's

Decathlon, a small two seat plane. The flight was to look over locations for an attempt to break the land-speed record.

Fossett had an amazing life and held many world records. He was the first person to circle the globe solo in a balloon.

He also set world records by being the first to fly a plane around the world solo without refueling. That flight took 67 hours and covered 23000 miles.

His friend, Sir Richard Branson, noted that "Steve's lived his life to the full, and he hasn't wasted a minute of his life... Everything he's done, he's taken a calculated risk with."

Fossett had been inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame this July a few months before his fateful flight.

Deep Thoughts # 6

# Why is a carrot more orange than an orange?

# Why is it that when a door is open, it's ajar, but when a jar is open, it's not a door?

# Tell a man that there are 400 billion stars and he'll believe you.
but Tell him a bench has wet paint and he has to touch it.

# Why do we put suits in a garment bag and put garments in a suitcase?

The Haven of Rest, a local mission organization, holds a benefit fund raising southern gospel sing every year at Whitefield Baptist Church. One of the top groups in America is the award winning trio Greater Vision. They team up with local group Total Praise for the event. I’ve know the guys in Greater Vision for years and I assure you they are as good as it gets and totally sincere about their support of this cause.

We had a great time and enjoyed a good show. My only complaint was I did not get my usual front row seat. Boo Hiss!!! Guess I will have to try harder next year.

Haven of Rest is a worthy mission to support and I know the people who work there and know of the results they get in changing lives. “From Prison to Seminary” is an example of their story. You should check it out

Bud Moon once again was the M.C. and did a good job. I hope to see him again in a couple weeks at Senior Follies.

I did not get to travel with them but I did get a cockpit tour.

We had a beautiful visitor at the airport tonight. An Embraer EMB 145XR operated by Express Jet. N12175 s/n 14500878 for my friends who care.

It was operating a basketball charter for the Clemson Tigers team. I didn’t get to fly with them, but my friend and fellow home groupie Ben did. Through his radio station connection with the team. I am jealous. However I since I was hanging around the airport anyway I did get to meet his crew and they graciously let me tour the plane while we waited the arrival of the team. Maybe next time it’ll be my turn. BTW flight time was 43 minutes.

There will be a full moon on the night of February 20^th. What makes that special? Well there also will be a lunar eclipse that night. The moon will pass through the Earth's shadow and should be visible across all of the United States and Canada. Plus there is the added bonus views of nearby planet Saturn and the bright blue tinted star, Regulus.

This is too funny:

Police are looking for a scorched suspect after finding a hacksaw embedded in an 11,000 volt power cable Saturday night. The would-be copper thief also left his lit blow torch at the scene, and is expected to have smoking, spiky haired and is not exactly the brightest bulb in the socket. "At the very least putting the hacksaw through the cable would have created an almighty bang and the line would have burned for quite a few seconds, showering them with molten copper... We can only assume they left in a great hurry”, said Phil Wilson of the power company

I saw a story in the paper this morning that made me sad and a little mad. The headline asked, “Is Obama the liberal Reagan? “

To quote the flannel wearing side kick Al from the TV show Home Improvement,

“I don’t think so, Tim “.

No matter how many reasonable seeming advisors that may surround him, he will never be a Reagan. People knew what they were getting when they voted for Reagan. With Obama..who knows?

Sorry Barack, I am going to be sick now.

Friends don’t let friends vote foolishly.

TRIP UPDATE:

I had to cancel our flight to Indiana yesterday. The weather there was bad. Rain, freezing rain and snow. Between 5 and 6 inches during the times I would have arrived and my planned departure. Freezing rain and snow...No Thanks ... We'll try again later on.

Washington Post

Clinton, Obama Face Off in Crucial Primaries

Key primary elections are in play Tuesday for US Senator Hillary Clinton and her rival for the Democratic Party presidential nomination


My take :

Kristie and her friends hold a regular monthly get together. On occasion they let the guys and sometimes the kids attend. Tonight we all celebrated Teresa’s youngest son Andrew’s birthday. He turned 13. Andrew had specifically requested the Chinese Buffet and had requested I come.

We did some serious damage to a LOT of food. Had a large chocolate iced cookie and drank several gallons of sweet tea. Why is it that Chinese Restaurants always have good sweet tea?

Happy Birthday Andrew

Since I don’t blog as much on weekends.

Here is my "Weekend Update".

Our weekends always seem to fill with activities. This time of year it’s basketball.

Ashley had a game at the “Y” late this morning. We got there early and watched the really little kids play. Right after the 4 year olds finished the Monk arrived with her entourage. Grand parents, Great Grandparents, Mom, Dad, and little brother Blake who recently turned 6 months. Counting Kris and I she had about half the stands full. The kids are fun and yes they won.

We hurried off to A.U. for the next games and got inside with seconds to spare. Janet, and Kevo came down after her tennis match, and they actually beat us there. Thankfully we left their names at the ticket office.

Kevin and men’s team member number 22, Jonathan Mattox were on the Oconee High team a couple years ago. It's fun to see him play. Tonight we saw another example of the small world we live in. The assistant coach of the St Andrews lady’s team had been their assistant coach at Oconee. Janet and Kevo had seen him just the night before. He was visiting ( recruiting maybe? ) as the team Kevin now helps coach won their championship game.

The A.U. guys are earning a nickname in the local press. They were dubbed the Comeback Kids as they once again pulled off an amazing rally from 19 points behind with seven minutes

to go. And won by 14 points, 84 to 70. Go A.U.

The Lady Trojans playing the second game rolled to an easy victory over the rebuilding Knights 78 to 51 but honestly the game was never near that close. Most of the A.U. starters only played less than half the game.

Ashley got to dance with the Trojan dancers. Several of them say she did better than they did. Blake grabbed my nose and growled most of the second half.

Prior to the games Kristie and I enjoyed grilled hamburgers. Our volunteer fire department had a sale going on plates with homemade cakes galore. But we were getting hungry.

After the game Janet and Kevin stayed a while at the house and we held a “post game “ tailgate party complete with chicken, chips and string cheese. Then we watched a movie.

I filled in on camera Sunday night at church had a great time working with old friends from the blue team.

Oh best of all. We baptized 152 people this weekend. Ain’t God great?