Connecting with Old Friends

Too many ways to connect with people these days. I am inspired that my old college roommate, Zuke, found my wife on Facebook. And, who knew that he blogs pretty regularly. When you get stationed overseas you get lots of opportunities to see things and he is clearly taking advantage of the opportunity.

I just finished a Dassault Systemes conference and met up with a bunch of people that I have worked with for the past 8 years. Always good to catch up with people. Some of my friends there have been customers that I have worked with for almost that whole time.

It is also about good relationships with people that will endure.

Out on the Water

With Nannie and Pop out on Lake Marion, a perfect day to be on the water.

Ready for the Water

She is all cleaned up and ready for the water in '09. If you see us on Lake Marion or on the rivers or harbor around Charleston, give us a wave.

Some Alabama Jokes

In front of National Signing Day for football recruits, here is a list that I saw at blog.al.com today:

YOU KNOW YOU'RE AN ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE FAN WHEN.....
1. You let your 14-year-old daughter smoke at the dinner table in front of her kids.
2. The Blue Book value of your truck goes up and down depending on how much gas is in it.
3. You've been married three times and still have the same in-laws.
4. You think a woman who is "out of your league" bowls on a different night.
5. You wonder how service stations keep their rest-rooms so clean.
6. Someone in your family died right after saying, "Hey, y'all, watch this."
7. You think Dom Perignon is a Mafia leader.
8. Your wife's hairdo was once ruined by a ceiling fan.
9. Your junior prom offered day care.
10. You think the last words of the "Star-Spangled Banner" are "Gentlemen, start your engines."
11. You lit a match in the bathroom and your house exploded right off its wheels.
12. The Halloween pumpkin on your porch has more teeth than your spouse.
13. You have to go outside to get something from the fridge.
14. One of your kids was born on a pool table.
15. You need one more hole punched in your card to get a freebie at the House of Tattoos.
16. You can't get married to your sweetheart because there's a law against it.

And a joke:

A first grade teacher explains to her class that she is an Alabama fan. She asks her students to raise their hands if they are Alabama fans too. Not really knowing what an Alabama fan was, but wanting to be liked by their teacher, their hands fly into the air.

There is, however, one exception. A little girl named Jane has not gone along with the crowd. The teacher asks her why she has decided to be different. "Because I'm not an Alabama fan" she reports. "Then, " asks the teacher, "what are you?" "I'm a proud Auburn Fan" the girl said! The teacher is a little perturbed now, her face slightly red.

She asks Jane, "Why are you an Auburn Fan?" "Well, my Dad and Mom are Auburn fans, so I'm an Auburn fan, too, " she responds. The teacher is angry now. "That's no reason, " she says loudly. "What if your Mom was a moron, and your dad was an idiot. What would you be then?" Jane smiles and says, "Then we'd be Alabama fans"

Presidential Inauguration 2009

History is unfolding. We thought about going, but too much trouble to get there and be there, plus I am supposed to be working today. Our kids may not quite understand the history yet, but in many years they may remember what they were doing today. Our kids happen to have a school vacation today for a teacher workday.

What Obama's presidency shows that America is making it to the promised land dreamed by MLK. Obama shows that you can achieve the top and not let "the man" keep you down. No more excuses; the obstacles may still be there, but they can be overcome.

The excitement now is the hope that he brings to turn the country in a different direction that leads to more peace and more justice.

Thoughts of the night

I enjoyed my flight back home last night. On a typical Thursday night, the airport and flights are crowded because all of us idiots traveling for business have convinced ourselves that being home on Friday makes traveling 4 days ok. As usual, rain moves through the NY area for an hour in the afternoon and backed up most flights out of Newark. Then, you have a lot of uninformed, holiday travelers that are not accustomed to things and get frustrated. Like the gate agent is hiding planes and making people wait for their flight for fun so they can watch people get upset...

Landing about an hour and a half late, I was ready to be home. But, traffic still slows things down. Except for one guy zigzagging in and out of traffic. After midnight, do you really need to have the bluetooth in your ear? Then, he almost causes an accident slamming the brakes in the left lane to cut in front of me to make a right turn. At midnight... Are we that sad that we can't slow down enough at midnight to take out the ear piece and not be racing to be first...

New Blog Look

I was checking out a few blogs to pass the time in a hotel room one working night in NJ and I came across the pyzam site. The orange of the Auburn orange-and-blue needed a change, and this look also describes us well. We swap between an Auburn flag and a US flag on the front of our house depending on our mood. During football season, the Auburn flag stays out there more often. I do not like to leave the US flag out at night, because we do not shine a light on it.