Life in the Suburban Jungle

Just Had to Share This One

Credit to Mark Reilly at ESPN for this one. Enjoy!

They played the oddest game in high school football history last month down in Grapevine, Texas.

It was Grapevine Faith vs. Gainesville State School and everything about it was upside down. For instance, when Gainesville came out to take the field, the Faith fans made a 40-yard spirit line for them to run through.

Did you hear that? The other team's fans?

They even made a banner for players to crash through at the end. It said, "Go Tornadoes!" Which is also weird, because Faith is the Lions.

"I WOULDN'T EXPECT ANOTHER PARENT TO TELL SOMEBODY TO HIT THEIR KIDS. BUT THEY WANTED US TO!"

It was rivers running uphill and cats petting dogs. More than 200 Faith fans sat on the Gainesville side and kept cheering the Gainesville players on—by name.

"I never in my life thought I'd hear people cheering for us to hit their kids," recalls Gainesville's QB and middle linebacker, Isaiah. "I wouldn't expect another parent to tell somebody to hit their kids. But they wanted us to!"

And even though Faith walloped them 33-14, the Gainesville kids were so happy that after the game they gave head coach Mark Williams a sideline squirt-bottle shower like he'd just won state. Gotta be the first Gatorade bath in history for an 0-9 coach.

But then you saw the 12 uniformed officers escorting the 14 Gainesville players off the field and two and two started to make four. They lined the players up in groups of five—handcuffs ready in their back pockets—and marched them to the team bus. That's because Gainesville is a maximum-security correctional facility 75 miles north of Dallas. Every game it plays is on the road.

Read the entire article HERE.

Wild Dunes - Isle of Palms Beach Renourishment

Here is the latest news from Wild Dunes as it relates to the beach renourishment project:

We have Bulldozers, heavy equipment, pipe and personnel on the beach NOW & will start pumping sand soon

2008 Beach Restoration Project

PROJECT SUMMARY

The northeastern end of the Isle of Palms has been enduring a severe erosion crisis as a shoal attaches to that section of the island. If the current episode continues unabated, structures could be threatened. In order to protect the public safety and to ensure that the beaches remain healthy, the City has undertaken a beach nourishment project scheduled to occur in the spring and summer of 2008. The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (SCDHEC OCRM) has issued the City a permit that stipulates "up to 885,000 cubic yards of sand will be dredged from four offshore borrow sites and pumped via hydraulic pipeline to renourish 13,785 linear feet of beach." This project will restore the dry sand beach, control the erosion and include the removal of all sandbags currently placed in the erosion area.

ANSWERS TO PROJECT QUESTIONS

When will the project start?
Soon, but the exact start date is still undecided as the final steps are taken in the preparation and permitting process. Weeks Marine, the company that will perform construction, has mobilized their equipment. Any day now, beach goers may notice equipment on the beach.

When will the project end?
July 31, 2008.

Where will the project start and end?
The beach to be restored runs from

53rd Avenue

to Dewees Inlet. The project map (coming soon) shows that sand will be placed in three major areas called Reach A, Reach B and Reach C. Where the project starts and ends exactly, including where construction occurs on any specific day, depends on several variables including weather conditions and the potential presence of sea turtles.

What about the sea turtles th! at ne st on the Isle of Palms?
The City has been working closely with all appropriate local, state and federal agencies to ensure maximum protection for sea turtles. The permits issued by the agencies allowing construction to occur include clear guidelines to protect sea turtles. Every night and every morning, turtle monitors will walk the construction area looking for turtles and their tracks, and if one is found, the appropriate steps will be taken to protect the turtle and its nest.

Will the project run all day and night?
Yes. The project will run 24 hours per day and 7 days per week, even on Memorial Day and July 4th. The goal is to complete the project as soon as possible, so unless inclement weather forces a delay, construction will continue all the time.

What will construction be like?
Beach restoration is a large project that involves an off-shore dredger, large pipeline and heavy equipment and truck! s. Vi sitors and residents in close proximity to the project can expect to see this large equipment and hear noise. At night, lights will illuminate the beach so construction can continue. These disruptions will be temporary as the project moves down the beach.

Will the beach be closed?
The beach to be restored is approximately 9,200 feet long, but only a section of the beach will be under active construction on any given day. The section under construction will be clearly marked and closed to visitors. The rest of the beach will be open as usual. Also, the construction will be progressive, meaning it will move along the beach during construction.

Will the project affect boaters?
Boaters needs to be aware that pipeline, marked with buoys, will be submerged in the waters around the project.

What about the sandbags?
By the end of the project, all the sandbags will be removed from the beach.

What will the beach be like with the project is completed?
The goal of the project is to restore a dry sand beach.

Live to Tell

I was recently invited to travel with Hope International to Rwanda and was quite embarrassed at my lack of knowledge about the  country and their history (especially the genocide in 1994). In my research I came across this book and was completely blown away by it. I cannot fathom what this lady went through any more than I can fathom that fact that basically the entire world stood by and let this happen. Where was I for that matter? The following is from the synopsis of her book:

Immaculee Ilibagiza grew up in a country she loved, surrounded by a family she cherished. But in 1994 her idyllic world was ripped apart as Rwanda descended into a bloody genocide. Immaculee’s family was brutally murdered during a killing spree that lasted three months and claimed the lives of nearly a million Rwandans.

Incredibly, Immaculee survived the slaughter. For 91 days, she and seven other women huddled silently together in the cramped bathroom of a local pastor while hundreds of machete-wielding killers hunted for them.

It was during those endless hours of unspeakable terror that Immaculee discovered the power of prayer, eventually shedding her fear of death and forging a profound and lasting relationship with God. She emerged from her bathroom hideout having discovered the meaning of truly unconditional love—a love so strong she was able seek out and forgive her family’s killers.
The triumphant story of this remarkable young woman’s journey through the darkness of genocide will inspire anyone whose life has been touched by fear, suffering, and loss.

The Last Lecture

I caught some of this last night and was pretty touched by this story.  I will read his book. This is from his site on the book:

A lot of professors give talks titled “The Last Lecture.” Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. And while they speak, audiences can’t help but mull the same question: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy?

When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn’t have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave—“Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams”—wasn’t about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because “time is all you have…and you may find one day that you have less than you think”). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living.

In this book, Randy Pausch has combined the humor, inspiration and intelligence that made his lecture such a phenomenon and given it an indelible form. It is a book that will be shared for generations to come.

For more information visit http://www.lastlecture.com

Wild Dunes Review

We received a very nice review from some of our guests at the Wild Dunes condo recently:

Review Title: 33124 - "This condo more than met our expectations"

Review Rating: 5

Our group of 3 couples thoroughly enjoyed the beachfront condo and we all thought it was an exceptional value for the cost. The unit was very nicely furnished and had all the comforts of home. It was clean and the rental process, instructions, key pickup and checkout all went smoothly. Access to Wild Dunes was simple and we found many interesting sites and restraunts in the area. The weather was good during our stay and the ocean temps were still fine for swimming. We were interested and surprised by the extent of beach erosion along some parts of Isle of Palms but it did not affect nor detract from our vacation. We all agreed to another get-together in the area in the not too distant future.

For more informationabout renting this condo click the photo on the sidebar.

Take a Breath!

I have been asked a number of times why I have not been blogging regularly and quite frankly simply have not had the time. Several months ago I sat down with a pad of paper and laid out some 6 month goals as described best in Tim Ferris's Four Hour Workweek, a book that I have blogged about previously. Here's how that planning session turned out:

HAVING
1. Set-up a personal assistant/ virtual assistant
2. completely outfit our downstairs basement as a game room with big screen TV, pool table, etc
3. find a mentor and become one

BEING
1. in shape physically
2. learn to tap dance
3. learn and understand more about the Bible

DOING
1. go on a long weekend camping trip with the family
2. go on a mission exploration trip
3. develop a "muse" and get up and running

As I review this list after 6 months I realize how the only way to complete all these is to only work 4 hours per week!! Pretty aggressive list!  And I did not come close to completing them all.  More on that tomorrow...

Pepsi, Coke Rivalry Becomes Physical

INDIANA COUNTY, Pa. -- Pepsi or Coke? The battle continues. State police in Indiana, Pa., are investigating after a Pepsi employee allegedly assaulted a Coca-Cola employee while making a delivery at a Wal-Mart in White Township on Oct. 1. A According to police, Robert Koscho, 48, of Ebensburg, and the Pepsi employee, David Paulina, 42, of Clymer, were bickering back and forth while making their deliveries at the Oakland Avenue store. Police said the two are also accused of trying to run each other over with pallets full of soda bottles. As Koscho left the store, police said, Paulina called him over and punched him three times in the face, breaking Koscho's nose and giving him a black eye. "As the victim left the store, the suspect came over and got into a physical confrontation with him and struck him a few times," said Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Jeanne Martin. "He hit him in the face, gave him a black eye and broke his nose." A Coca-Cola representative told WTAE Channel 4 Action News that the fight started over shelf space in the aisles of the store. Shelf position is very important for product sales, and the competition for prime space can be fierce, according to Gary Baum, who owns Cook's Market in Greensburg. "Most places have to pay premium prices for each linear foot of shelf space, especially when you get to the frozen food, beverages, cigarette companies," Baum said. Pepsi said they have fired Paulina over the incident, saying they don't tolerate violence in the workplace. At this time, police continue to investigate the incident.

from Pittsburgh News  I always wondered if this every really happened...

300 - The Workout

My trainer started me on this training program last week and I must say that it is totally kicking my butt! It is the same workout that the actors used to get in shape for the movie 300, and also is the number of reps that you perform during each workout.  Here is how it breaks down:

25 pull-ups

50 deadlifts at 135 pounds

50 push-ups

50 box jumps with a 24-inch box

50 "floor wipers" (a core and shoulders exercise at 135 pounds)

50 "clean and press" at 36 pounds (a weight-lifting exercise)

25 more pull-ups -- for a total of 300 reps

There is not any scheduled rest between exercises - though you may need it!

For an article on the movie and the workout click HERE.

Miller & Coors join forces in the US

This shouldn't have any real effect on my business, but it is pretty interesting: Molson Coors, SABMiller Combine U.S. Ops

Tuesday, 09 October 2007

NEW YORK: The makers of Coors and Miller Lite plan to combine their U.S. brewing operations in an effort to compete better against industry leader Anheuser-Busch. The joint venture announced Tuesday will be known as MillerCoors and will have responsibility for selling brands including Miller Lite, Miller Genuine Draft, Coors, Coors Light and Molson Canadian in the U.S. Anheuser-Busch Cos. accounts for about half of the U.S. market with brands such as Budweiser, Michelob and Bud Light.

For complete article click HERE.

This One Really Got to Me

I ran across this story today and thought about how great our trip out there was this past summer.  I can't imagine the pain this family must be experiencing right now...

4-year-old girl dies after falling off edge of Grand Canyon

By The Associated Press

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. — A 4-year-old girl was killed Tuesday when she slipped off the edge of the Grand Canyon and fell several hundred feet.

The girl’s father immediately scrambled down the cliffs and started CPR with the help of a park ranger who rappelled into the canyon, National Park Service spokeswoman Maureen Oltrogge said.

The child’s body was 400 to 500 feet below the rim, Oltrogge said. The area where she fell is a combination of sheer drops of 30 to 50 feet, then slopes leading to more drop-offs.