HAPPY BIRTHDAY Sonny and Minde!!!!!!

Let me start by wishing my friend Minde (who probably doesn’t read my blog) a very happy birthday. As you may remember from reading on Our Life, Minde forced her husband (one of Delta’s top up-and-coming young pilots) to help her at the prom (Minde is a teacher… not some weirdo woman who just likes to hang out at proms… at least I’m pretty sure she’s a teacher… you know what, maybe I shouldn’t speak for her). Anyway, rumor has it that her husband (let’s call him Travis) kept complaining and saying he didn’t want to be there and so finally Minde said, “Listen you SOB! The only way you’re getting out of here is if you slice your hand open and have to be rushed to the ER!” One minute later he tried to see if breaking a glass vase could slice his hand (it did)… earning him a Get Out of Prom Free card. We hope he doesn’t try to use this “I cut my hand helping you” excuse to try and get out of doing something nice for Minde today.

Happy Birthday also to my big brother, Sonny. He turns 41 today. One thing Sonny has taught me is that it’s always good to “give back” to the community. This is why I decided a couple of years ago that I would make a list to help a part of the community that really needs it. I, of course, am talking about dumb crooks. Before we get to the list, I want to make it clear that we at I’m just sayin… do not think crime is “cool” and we do not condone criminal behavior. Still, while serving my community on the Grand Jury I had a front row seat to just how stupid some people are. Even if they were to follow my advice, these people were so dumb that I’m sure the police would still catch them (they just might have to work to do it). As Ron White said, you can’t fix stupid. So, here are the…

TEN THINGS I LEARNED ON THE GRAND JURY

• Always work alone

• Never admit you did it. NEVER

• Leave your cell phone at home

• If you have drugs, stay away from schools

• Keep drugs hidden in your trunk

• Know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away and know when to run

• Don’t do your drugs in your car… wait until you get home

• Don’t agree to anything… cops will call your bluff

• Don’t steal from people who know you… it’s too easy for them to identify you

• When fleeing from the cops, make sure you go more than 3 miles into the next jurisdiction

BONUS: Wear a mask, wear gloves, don’t use your ID (honestly people… THINK!)

I trust all of you had a great Easter. I packed up The Wife and the little ones and went to The Lake for a nice relaxing weekend (by the way, a big thanks goes out to my cousin Alan for watching my house and dogs for me). The good news is this really was a relaxing weekend at The Lake and not a work weekend. The bad news is we got there late Thursday night and, as I quickly found out, the “weekend” doesn’t start at The Lake until late Friday afternoon. So there I was, the only child there to help Dad and Jim as they worked on the cabana they are building. As you know, I am not what you would call “skilled labor”. Still, I was told to screw these massive wooden beams together (more on these later) with nothing but a socket wrench and my own strength (so pretty much just a socket wrench). It took roughly 5,000 reps for these screws to go all the way in. I had to do this about 10-12 times. This is part of the reason I haven’t posted any this week (I’m just getting feeling back in my right arm). But that was just part of the job. The other thing I had to do was lift these beams up to Dad and Jim (these are the beams that will support the roof… at least in theory… we’ll see). These beams were solid wood weighed roughly 4 tons. There were some beams that I would have to hold in place while Dad and Jim tried to decide if it was level or straight or slanted the right way. They had a string that they had tied up there that they were using to make sure everything lined up right. So there they were trying to get this 4 ton beam (that I’m still holding) to line up juuuussssttttt right with this stupid little string. I think at one point I yelled “Just move the damn string!”

Here are a few pictures from the weekend:


While others looked for Easter Eggs... Susie was going after Easter Grass




Me and Mary Ruth in the hot tub



The whole family.  The best part of this picture (for me) is that Sonny and I were already sitting in the rocking chairs when it was decided we needed to take a family picture.  We said, "Fine... everyone gather around us"... and they DID!  How great is THAT.  And yes, that is a Piggly Wiggly shirt I am wearing.  Why?  Because I dig The Pig.  For those who want to know... Front Row: Susie, Ansley (NNT), Mary Ruth, Leah (NNT), Meredith (NNT), Allison (S), Austin (S).  Second Row (seated): Dad, Me, Sonny.  Back Row: Mom, The Wife, Daniel, No Name Teri, Brent (NNT), Susan (cousin), Terry (S).  fyi... NNT = in No Name Teri's branch of the tree; S = in Sonny's branch of the tree.

The car ride home was an adventure. If you ever have the chance to take an extended road trip with three children 5 and under, don’t. We got lucky on the way there and had a pretty good ride. Not so much on the way back. Around Orangeburg MR had a meltdown (we didn’t have the Dora movie she wanted to watch). It got bad. Real bad. At one point she was screaming for me to look at her (The Wife was driving at the time) and it caused Susie to start crying for me to look at her. So now both are crying/screaming and Daniel starts to cry so now I’m pissed off. I snap my head around to look back there (intending to yell at them for waking Daniel up), but as soon as I turned around Susie got this big cheesy grin on her face (still with tears in her eyes) and said “DaDa”. She then gave MR a confused look (I guess she thought getting me to turn around was the endgame). I turned back around quickly to keep them from seeing me laugh. When I looked back again, Susie was asleep sucking her fingers. Mary Ruth continued to cry/scream the whole way home. Next time, I’ll remember to bring all of her movies.

I don’t know if this is a true story about what happened to the cult when they tried to protest in Mississippi… but I sure hope it is.

Congrats to the James Island High School Baseball team on their Region Championship.  Good luck in the playoffs.  Go Trojans!

As you know, May is the I’m just sayin… Month of Music. Therefore, I will use each day in May to unveil the I’m just sayin… Top 1,081 Songs of All-Time (not including Religious songs, hard core Hip-Hop songs, and possibly some other genre’s that I just don’t like… or songs I forgot about). Before we get to this list, there is something you have to understand… there is a good chance a song you like is not on the list (yes, even with that many songs on the list I'm sure some good ones were still left off). There is also a good chance that a song you don’t like is on the list. There is also a great chance that you won’t agree with where songs are ranked. This is ok. You are welcome to disagree with this list. I don’t agree with all of it. Even I am shocked that some groups/artists got more songs on the list than others.  I wish I could just have it be the way I want it, but it was a group effort. Everyone here at I’m just sayin… got a vote. We tried our best to a) Not leave any worthy song off the list and b) list these songs in a respectable order. There is a good chance we failed at both (though we hope we did a good job). We probably spent more time on this than we should have… but we’ll do anything for our fans. So check back and be sure to let me know what you think (unless you hate it… if you hate it, keep your thoughts to yourself).

Know Your Medal of Honor Recipients:

Boatswain’s Mate Charles Bradley (US Navy) received his Medal of Honor for his actions during the Civil War on board the USS Louisville. His citation reads:

Served on board the U.S.S. Louisville. Carrying out his duties through the thick of battle and acting as captain of a 9-inch gun, Bradley consistently showed, "Attention to duty, bravery, and coolness in action against the enemy."

Chief Gunner’s Mate George Bradley (US Navy) received his Medal of Honor for his actions during 1914 at Vera Cruz. His citation reads:

For meritorious service under fire on the occasion of the landing of the American naval forces at Vera Cruz in 1914. C.G. Bradley was then attached to the U.S.S. Utah, as a chief gunner's mate, and was in charge of the ammunition party and special details at Vera Cruz.

Sergeant Thomas W. Bradley (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on May 3, 1863 at Chancellorsville, Virginia. His citation reads:

Volunteered in response to a call and alone, in the face of a heavy fire of musketry and canister, went and procured ammunition for the use of his comrades.

HAPPY EASTER!!!!!!!

While Christmas gets more pub, I’m more of an Easter fan myself. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great to celebrate the birth of Jesus… but some people think that’s where the story ends. No, my friends… to celebrate Christmas and forget about Easter is like thinking the game ends at half-time. To forget about Easter is to forget that Jesus died for our sins… but could not be defeated by death. He lives… and that is why I love Easter.

So from all of us at I’m just sayin… to all of you… Happy Easter!

Happy Birthday Leah!!!!!

We at I’m just sayin… would like to wish my niece Leah a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!! My girls love playing with their cousin Leah. I am glad that she lets them play with her. I hope she has a great day!

I still remember the say she was born. I was living on the 4th floor of Richardson (at Winthrop) and when I got back to my room after taking a shower my roommate (Chris) told me my parents had called. I called back and they told me that No Name Teri had her baby! I, naturally, asked all the important questions (height, weight, name). They told me how big she was and that was it. Wait, you didn’t tell me her name, I said. Well… the thing is… No Name Teri hadn’t decided on a name yet. No… she didn’t just find out she was having a baby. Yes, she did have ample time to decide on a name. But I wouldn’t find out the name until a day or so later.

I was thinking about my grandfather (Da) the other day and thought about how one thing people said about him after he died was that “he never met a stranger” (because everyone he met instantly became his friend). I think there is a good chance people will say the same thing about me after I die... so I want to be clear that when they say that about me, it won’t mean the same as when they said it about Da. If someone is talking about me and they say “he never met a stranger” it will be because I don’t like meeting new people. Honestly, I’m not a big fan of “making friends”. That sounds too much like work. The amazing thing is that if I were the kind of guy who “ranked” my friends (haha), you’d most likely see that most (if not all) of my close friends are people I haven’t even known a decade yet. If not for Facebook, then the “oldest” friend of mine that I keep in touch with would be from my time at Winthrop. It would be easy for me to sit here and give you some excuse (like the internet was still just a fad when I graduated from high school) but Dad is still friends with people he knew back before electricity was invented… so that kind of hurts my excuse. So you would think that I don't have a problem meeting people... but I do. Part of my problem with meeting new people is that I have trouble remembering names. True story, I had at least one class with a particular girl at Winthrop every semester I was there (she was also a Business Major who took longer than 4 years to graduate) and I never knew her name. She knew mine. If we bumped into each other around campus she would say “Hey Greg” and sometimes we’d stop and chat… but I never knew her name. I have to admit I was somewhat embarrassed that I couldn’t call her by name. I would just have to say “Hi” or something like that. I hated it. It also happened a lot with my fraternity brothers (especially the younger ones). I wanted to learn all of their names and remember them… but I was only able to learn a few. I kid you not that now when I go back to Winthrop with Jeremy, I stick close to him so I can hear a persons name before I start talking to them. I’m lucky in that a) We, for the most part, had the same friends there; b) Jeremy is better with names than I am; 3) He knows how bad I am with names so he usually helps me out. All of this added to the fact that I am, as The Wife would say, anti-social leads me to hate meeting strangers.

The irony here is that as much as I hate meeting strangers, they always seem to talk to me in public. I don’t know if I have one of those faces that makes people think I want to talk to them or what… but I hate it. I made the mistake one time of wearing a blue polo shirt to Best Buy. THAT was a mistake. People kept coming up to me and asking questions. Ok, so that was my fault… poor planning on my part. That’s fine. The same thing happened when I wore a red polo to Target. Again, my fault. But there was also a day that I went to Best Buy in a t-shirt and shorts and still had people asking me for help. One guy even started to get an attitude because I was walking by without answering him. All I could do was stare at him in disbelief and make a motion with my hands that said (Look at what I’m wearing… I don’t work here, jackass). He then looked at me and laughed and said, “Oh, I guess you don’t work here huh… You just looked like you knew what you were doing”. Well of course I knew what I was doing… I knew when I walked into Best Buy that I was going to look for whatever it was I was looking for at the time. I wasn’t going in there to perform brain surgery. I’ve even had complete strangers talk to me in public bathrooms and I know damn well I don’t have a face that invites people to do that. And I don’t know how things work in the women’s bathroom, but the men’s bathroom is typically a “no talking” zone. Depending on where you are, there may be some talking among friends or something like that… but nothing between strangers. I also once had a guy use the urinal right next to the one I was using even though there were other urinals open and we were the only ones in there. That’s the closest I ever came to hitting a guy without that guy ever saying anything to me. My only thought is that this is what happens when boys are raised without a father.

Know Your Medal of Honor Recipients:

First Sergeant Sanford Bradbury (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on July 3, 1869 at Hell Canyon, Arizona. His citation reads:

Conspicuous gallantry in action.

Landsman Alexander Bradley (US Navy) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on August 7, 1872 on board the USS Wachusett. His citation reads:

On board the U.S.S. Wachusett off Cowes, 7 August 1872. Jumping overboard into a strong tideway, Bradley attempted to save Philip Cassidy, landsman, of the U.S.S. Wabash, from drowning.

Landsman Amos Bradley (US Navy) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on April 24, 1862 on board the USS Varuna. His citation reads:

Served on board the U.S.S. Varuna in one of the most responsible positions, during the attacks on Forts Jackson and St. Philip, and while in action against the rebel ship Morgan, 24 April 1862. Although guns were raking the decks from behind him, Bradley remained steadfast at the wheel throughout the thickest of the fight, continuing at his station and rendering service with the greatest courage until his ship, repeatedly holed and twice rammed by the rebel ship Morgan, was beached and sunk.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Jeremy & KC!!!!!!

We at I’m just sayin... would like to start today by wishing our good friends (and longtime readers) Jeremy and KC a very happy birthday. I won’t get in to how old they are except to say I can only hope to live to be as old as they are. To be fair (to Jeremy) KC is the older one between the two of them (by a few [11] years). I hope they both have a great day.

Ok, if you really want to know how old they are… Larry Bird wore Jeremy’s age on his back when he was playing for the Celtics. Hank Aaron wore KC’s age on his back when he was playing for the Braves. Levon Kirkland also wore KC’s age on his back when he was playing football for Clemson.

Let me tell you why I love the 1972 Olympic Basketball Team. Because after they got cheated, they pretty much said screw you Olympics… we aren’t taking the crappy silver medal. These guys know how to hold a grudge. Listen, I think the silver is fine, if you earn it. I know everyone wants the Gold, but I think if you earn silver then that’s something you should be proud of. But these guys didn’t earn the silver… they earned the gold but got cheated out of it by a bunch of commies. So they said “No” to the silver… and they’ve said “No” every year since. And I hope they keep saying “No”. I think that some have started to change their minds… but it has to be a team decision… and I hope guys like Kenny Davis (who put a clause in his will forbidding his wife, children or descendants from accepting the silver after his death) keep saying no. If USA Basketball had any guts, they would make/buy their own gold medals and give them to the team.

This leads me to a story I heard on the TKS about Doug Collins (who was a player on that team). For those who don’t know, Doug Collins is probably the name Phil Jackson brings up when people say any coach could win a NBA championship with Michael Jordan (because Doug coached MJ and didn’t win the big one). Still, I think he’s a good “basketball guy” who knows his stuff. His son, Chris, played at Duke in the mid ‘90s and, to be honest, I wasn’t really a fan of his. And this was back when I was a Duke fan. I won’t go so far as to say I hated him… I just didn’t like him. Now he’s on the Duke staff and, if he’s even close to the kind of coach his dad is, I’m sure he’ll have a good career. Anyway, to keep this story from getting too long… Chris got a gold medal for work he did with the 2008 US Olympic team (he wasn’t one of coaches or players… but he was on the staff and everyone got a gold medal). When Doug was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, Chris gave him his gold medal. I now like Chris Collins more than I did before, because that was a cool thing to do. So now we just need to find gold medals for the rest of the 1972 team.

So how about Greg Anderson? He has to be leading in the “Friend of the Year(s)” category. This guy has done jail time because he won’t testify against Barry Bonds. Even though just about everyone knows Bonds did steroids, Anderson still won’t testify against him. This is the kind of friend you want (if you’ve done things you don’t want to tell a Grand Jury about).

Know Your Medal of Honor Recipients:

Major Gregory Boyington (US Marine Corps) received his Medal of Honor for his actions from September 12 1943 – January 3, 1944 in the Central Solomons area. His citation reads:

For extraordinary heroism and valiant devotion to duty as commanding officer of Marine Fighting Squadron 214 in action against enemy Japanese forces in the Central Solomons area from 12 September 1943 to 3 January 1944. Consistently outnumbered throughout successive hazardous flights over heavily defended hostile territory, Maj. Boyington struck at the enemy with daring and courageous persistence, leading his squadron into combat with devastating results to Japanese shipping, shore installations, and aerial forces. Resolute in his efforts to inflict crippling damage on the enemy, Maj. Boyington led a formation of 24 fighters over Kahili on 17 October and, persistently circling the airdrome where 60 hostile aircraft were grounded, boldly challenged the Japanese to send up planes. Under his brilliant command, our fighters shot down 20 enemy craft in the ensuing action without the loss of a single ship. A superb airman and determined fighter against overwhelming odds, Maj. Boyington personally destroyed 26 of the many Japanese planes shot down by his squadron and, by his forceful leadership, developed the combat readiness in his command which was a distinctive factor in the Allied aerial achievements in this vitally strategic area.

Sergeant Thomas Boyne (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on May 29, 1879 at Mimbres Mountains, New Mexico. His citation reads:

Bravery in action.

Lieutenant Colonel Henry V. Boynton (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on November 25, 1863 at Missionary Ridge, Tennessee. His citation reads:

Led his regiment in the face of a severe fire of the enemy; was severely wounded.

Life with 3 children

I am asked from time to time how life with 3 kids is. The simple answer to this is: busy. Throughout our time as parents, The Wife and I have had to adjust our ways. When we just had Mary Ruth, we were able to double team her and, from time to time, one of us would guard her while the other rested. I wouldn’t say this was “easy”, but we were able to help each other most of the time. It is my opinion that a parent to child ratio of 2:1 gives the parents the best chance of survival.

Anyway, Susie came along and we had to adjust our defense slightly. With two children we found ourselves running a more straight-up man-to-man defense. Every now and then (if we really needed to) we’d leave one child open to double team the other. The key here (and really for all of the defenses) is communication. You’ve got to keep talking and you have to be ready to switch from guarding one child to guarding the other. We were able to get a feel for our opponents… uh… children, and base our match-ups on our strengths. There was enough of a space between Mary Ruth and Susie that my primary responsibility was guarding Mary Ruth while The Wife was matched-up with Susie. But there were times when it just wasn’t my night and Mary Ruth would just be killing me. That’s when we’d switch off and The Wife would guard MR and I’d take Susie. The same thing would happen on nights when Susie was beating The Wife. Surviving two children is all about talking and being willing to adjust your defense. Heck, some nights we’d switch off just long enough for the person with the “off night” to catch their breath and then we’d switch back. Nights when one of us was away got a little harder since the person left at home would be out numbered… but MR was old enough that we could use the TV to our advantage (think of the TV as being the home crowd at a basketball game).

Now with Daniel we have three. Not only do we have three… but with Susie being 18 months old, she has become the “wildcard” of the Kid Team. Of course, with a new parent to child ratio of 2:3, we definitely can’t play man-to-man anymore (and still guard everyone). We are still adjusting to this new defensive strategy. Right now, I’d say we are playing more of an amoeba defense like UNLV used in the early 1990’s during that two year stretch when they were incredible. It’s kind of an attack zone. We’re trying to be pro-active and cut off problems before they happen. We also play a good bit of Box-And-1 with Jennifer guarding Daniel, leaving me to guard the girls. Then there are times when one of us is gone. I don’t know how it is when I’m gone and The Wife has all three… but I can tell you how it is when she’s gone. When I am home alone with all three, it’s like I’m the lone defender back for a 3 on 1 fast break. In these cases I just do the best I can and wait for help. Mary Ruth is old enough to help us with Susie, but not old enough for us to count on her to always help. Susie is old enough to get away and go off on her own… but not old enough for us to want her to go off on her own. Both girls also want to help with Daniel which can be bad since neither is really “qualified” to help with a baby (hell, I’m still not 100% sure I’m qualified to help with a baby). Communication is still big in this kind of situation because there is often at least one child “open” now and it’s important for us to keep rotating to make sure no child is left unguarded for too long. So there is never any real “resting” going on… at least not for an extended amount of time. Still, I guess we are doing something right since we still have all three.

I think it’s a little harder having all 3 be so close in age… but I don’t really have any experience to compare it to. Who knows, maybe it’s easier. My parents had 3 children (still do, in fact)… but we were spread out (well, I was spread out… the other two were/are close in age). When I was born, Sonny was 8 (he would turn 9 in April) and No Name Teri was 6 (she would turn 7 in May). I know what you’re thinking so before you ask, let me just say: Yes, they were a mistake. But we love them just the same. Anyway, things were different for me growing up than they were for them. For one thing, I got yelled at more. It’s not that I was bad or anything… it’s just that I was the “last” child and by God, Dad wasn’t going to let 3 kids get by without yelling at at least one of them. Sonny never talked, so Dad couldn’t yell at him… and No Name Teri wanted their stuff so bad that Dad was probably scared that if he yelled at her she would “off” them (as the kids have said at some point… not sure if they still say that) so she could have everything. So that just left me to be yelled at. On the flip side, I also had a little more freedom to go out and do what I wanted (though, looking back, I wonder if in fact I did not have more freedom and this misunderstanding on my part is what lead to me being yelled at more. An interesting thought, to be sure, but I think I’m right in that I had more freedom). Why did I have more freedom? Because no matter what stage of my life I was in at the time, my parents had already successfully raised two children past that stage… so they didn’t really have anything to prove to anyone. So what if something happened to poor ol’ Greggy... 2 out of 3 isn’t that bad of a percentage. Heck, in those pre-Facebook days, they probably had friends who they had lost touch with who thought they only had two kids anyway. Shoot, if something were to happen to me, they might even get to retire a little earlier. So I’m pretty sure raising three children the way my parents did (i.e., raise perfect silent Sonny and sweet No Name Teri… wait… and then take out all of their frustrations on me while also letting me roam free) was somewhat easier than how we are raising our three (i.e., all at the same time). (Disclaimer: Parts [up to and possibly including all of the parts] of my summation of how my parents raised their children may or may not be true. It is up to the reader to look at the facts as they know them and decide for themselves what, if any, of what they just read is, indeed, true [either partially or wholly… though I must point out that even I don’t believe all of it and I’m the one that wrote it]. Neither I’m just sayin… nor it’s author can be held responsible for anything that was said that might anger The Parents or No Name Teri because as the author was writing he was picturing Sonny laughing and it was this picturing of Sonny laughing that kept egging the author on to write more and more… so naturally, all anger should be directed at Sonny. He should know better. End of Disclaimer).

Know Your Medal of Honor Recipients:

Captain Thomas J. Box (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on May 14, 1864 at Resaca, Georgia. His citation reads:

Capture of flag of the 38th Alabama Infantry (C.S.A.).

Second Lieutenant George W. G. Boyce, Jr. (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on July 23, 1944 near Afua, New Guinea. His citation reads:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty near Afua, New Guinea, on 23 July 1944. 2d Lt. Boyce's troop, having been ordered to the relief of another unit surrounded by superior enemy forces, moved out, and upon gaining contact with the enemy, the two leading platoons deployed and built up a firing line. 2d Lt. Boyce was ordered to attack with his platoon and make the main effort on the right of the troop. He launched his attack but after a short advance encountered such intense rifle, machinegun, and mortar fire that the forward movement of his platoon was temporarily halted. A shallow depression offered a route of advance and he worked his squad up this avenue of approach in order to close with the enemy. He was promptly met by a volley of hand grenades, 1 falling between himself and the men immediately following. Realizing at once that the explosion would kill or wound several of his men, he promptly threw himself upon the grenade and smothered the blast with his own body. By thus deliberately sacrificing his life to save those of his men, this officer exemplified the highest traditions of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Private Erwin Jay Boydston (US Marine Corps) received his Medal of Honor for his actions from July 21 – August 17, 1900 at Peking, China. His citation reads:

In the presence of the enemy at Peking, China, 21 July to 17 August 1900. Under a heavy fire from the enemy during this period, Boydston assisted in the erection of barricades.

Dear VH1… I’m sorry.

A couple of things before I get to VH1…

Mary Ruth came home Tuesday with strep throat. So I had to take her to the after-hours doctor to get her some meds. Let me take a minute here to say thank you to everyone at that office who noticed that her name is Mary Ruth and called her that (and not just Mary). It let’s me know that it is possible for people in the medical field (who don’t know her) to call her by her correct name. Now if I could just get Walgreens on board with this…

Anyway, I had to keep her home yesterday. The Wife had a work thing that she had to go to, so Mom agreed to come over and watch Daniel (since we were trying to keep MR away from him). The Wife took Susie to Day Care on her way to work, leaving me out in the den with Daniel until Mom could get to our house (MR was back in our room). Mom got to our house a little after 9:00am and by about 9:10am she was on her coffee break. She took her lunch break at about 11:30am and left around 12:30pm. Between her coffee break and her lunch break, she had a number of little breaks where she would direct me in washing clothes and cleaning up the kitchen. All in all, I’m sure it was a nice little break for her to come up and “help” me. Haha, just kidding (about some of that). She was a big help in taking care of Daniel (though she did try to get me to change him… my response, “Nope, you’ve got two boys so I know you know how to change him”) and I had a good time talking to her about her daddy (who died before I was born). I glad she was able to come up and help me (because if she had not come up, I’m sure MR would have given Daniel strep).

If you missed seeing Stephen Colbert sing on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, you need to see it now.

Ok VH1, I have to admit… this list thing isn’t as easy as I thought it would be. Really, the problem is the whole “Hard” rock thing. That one word kind of throws a wrench into things. Still, I think I owe it to my readers to come up with a better list than what VH1 gave them. So, here’s what my Top 20 would look like:

20 Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting - Elton John (not on the VH1 list)

19 Talk Dirty To Me - Poison (this made the VH1 list at 40)

18 18 And Life - Skid Row (this made the VH1 list at 60)

17 Seventeen - Winger (this made the VH1 list at 87)

16 Livin’ On A Prayer - Bon Jovi (this did not make the VH1 list)

15 Pour Some Sugar On Me - Def Leppard (this did not make the VH1 list)

14 Shelter Me - Cinderella (this did not make the VH1 list)

13 Cum On Feel The Noize - Quiet Riot (this made the VH1 list at 41)

12 Whole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin (this made the VH1 list at 3)

11 Highway To Hell - AC/DC (this did not make the VH1 list)

10 Piece of My Heart - Janis Joplin (this did not make the VH1 list)

09 Rock You Like A Hurricane - Scorpions (this made the VH1 list at 18)

08 Rock and Roll All Nite - Kiss (this made the VH1 list at 16)

07 Another Brick In The Wall (Part II) - Pink Floyd (this did not make the VH1 list)

06 Welcome To The Jungle - Guns N’ Roses (this made the VH1 list at 1)

05 Stairway To Heaven - Led Zeppelin (this did not make the VH1 list)

04 Free Bird - Lynyrd Skynyrd (this made the VH1 list at 26)

03 Enter Sandman - Metallica (this made the VH1 list at 5)

02 Won’t Get Fooled Again - The Who (this made the VH1 list at 6)

01 Back In Black - AC/DC (this made the VH1 list at 2)

*For what it’s worth, I almost put Walk This Way by Aerosmith on the list at #7 (it was on the VH1 list at #8), but I didn’t. The reason I didn’t is that I like the version with Run DMC better… In fact, I don’t really like the original version at all. I do like how they sing it now (even without Run DMC)… so I’m conflicted on if it should be on the list or not. If I went with the original version, it wouldn’t make my Top 20… but it would be in the Top 50.

I am going to call a conference of all the staff here at I’m just sayin… and we are going to come up with The Greatest (number to be determined) Songs of All-Time (excluding Religious songs [too hard to compare to other genres], Hard Core Hip-Hop songs [a personal choice], and various genres that I don’t listen to [my list, my songs]). Even with these exclusions, I’m sure my hard working group of employees will be able to come up with a “list to end all lists”. I’m not sure when we will release this list (as I’m not sure when all of our schedules will allow us the time needed to complete this task) but I hope we have it done sooner rather than later. So stay in touch.



Know Your Medal of Honor Recipients:

Staff Sergeant Hammett L. Bowen, Jr. (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions during the Vietnam War in Binh Duong Province, Republic of Vietnam. His citation reads:

S/Sgt. Bowen distinguished himself while serving as a platoon sergeant during combat operations in Binh Duong Province, Republic of Vietnam. S/Sgt. Bowen's platoon was advancing on a reconnaissance mission into enemy controlled terrain when it came under the withering crossfire of small arms and grenades from an enemy ambush force. S/Sgt. Bowen placed heavy suppressive fire on the enemy positions and ordered his men to fall back. As the platoon was moving back, an enemy grenade was thrown amid S/Sgt. Bowen and 3 of his men. Sensing the danger to his comrades, S/Sgt. Bowen shouted a warning to his men and hurled himself on the grenade, absorbing the explosion with his body while saving the lives of his fellow soldiers. S/Sgt. Bowen's extraordinary courage and concern for his men at the cost of his life served as an inspiration to his comrades and are in the highest traditions of the military service and the U.S. Army.

Sergeant Alonzo Bowman (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on August 30, 1881 at Cibicu Creek, Arizona. His citation reads:

Conspicuous and extraordinary bravery in attacking mutinous scouts.

Quartermaster Edward R. Bowman (US Navy) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on January 13-15, 1865 on board the USS Ticonderoga. His citation reads:

On board the U.S.S. Ticonderoga during attacks on Fort Fisher 13 to 15 January 1865. Despite severe wounds sustained during the action Bowman displayed outstanding courage in the performance of duty as his ship maintained its well-placed fire upon the batteries on shore, and thereafter, as she materially lessened the power of guns on the mound which had been turned upon our assaulting columns. During this battle the flag was planted on one of the strongest fortifications possessed by the rebels.

The Royal Wedding, VH1 and death threats

I want to start by thanking my good friends in the royal family for the lovely invite they sent to I’m just sayin… for the “big day” coming up. Unfortunately, I will be unable to attend due to my very strict policy of not flying. I will, of course, still send a gift.

Did you hear that the guy who burned the Koran is getting death threats? I, for one, am shocked (SHOCKED!) that this is happening. I guess I will give him a little credit in that he has said this won’t stop him from doing all of this stuff. He has something he believes in and he’s willing to die for it. That’s fine. Good for him. What we at I’m just sayin… don’t like is the fact that crazies on the “other side” are going to kill other people because of what this guy does. That’s what we have a problem with. So to all the crazies reading our blog, let me first say that we use the term “crazies” will all due respect (and of course, we aren’t talking about you… just the other crazies). Let me also say that I’ve always felt that if someone did something that made you mad enough that you wanted to kill… a good rule of thumb is to start a blog and talk bad about them. I definitely wouldn’t kill complete strangers who had nothing to do with the thing that made me mad.

Speaking of being mad… What’s the deal with the VH1 Top 100 Hard Rock Songs? I have no idea when this list was released (hmm… a quick Google search tells me this was done in late 2008. Oops… guess I’m a little late to this). Anyway… I just saw it the other night. So if you’ve already seen it, sorry. If you haven’t, then Google it. I won’t go through the whole list, but I do want to comment on some things. First, I don’t really know what they consider “hard rock”. To be honest, I find it difficult to label a lot of music. What was once called “Southern Rock” is now “Country”. A lot of “Rock” and “Country” have now merged. I bring this up because some songs on the list are not songs I would consider “Hard Rock”. Specifically, Free Bird is on the list. This is a song that I always thought was “Southern Rock”… but they have it as “Hard Rock”. I say this to let you know that had Free Bird not been on the list, I would not have been upset. However, since it is on the list I must also let you know that whoever put it at #26 should have their ears cut off because they don’t deserve to hear music anymore. If you don’t want to have it at #1, that’s fine. But it’s got to be in the Top 10 (probably Top 5, but at least Top 10) and it HAS to be ranked better than Smells Like Teen Spirit. I’m sorry to all the Nirvana fans out there… I admit I was never a big fan of the group (though I do like some songs from the Foo Fighers). I know Nirvana had a lot of fans and they are credited (by many) to have started “Grunge Rock” (a genre I wasn’t really a fan of), so I can live with their most well known song being on the list. I can even live with it being in the Top 10. I don’t agree with it, but I can live with it. What I cannot live with is that song being at #7 while Free Bird is at #26. Ask any band who has ever asked the crowd what song they want to hear, and I’d be willing to bet a lot of money that 99.999999999% will tell you people yell FREE BIRD! I’d even be willing to bet that a large number of people yell for Free Bird even without being asked by the band what song they want to hear. I seriously doubt anyone yells Smells Like Teen Spirit! That’s really my main beef with this list (and I would have had a different #1). There are some songs not on the list that I would have had there… but with so many songs out there I kind of understand forgetting about some songs (even great songs).

As a treat for my readers, I’ll get the I’m just sayin… staff together tonight to see if we can come up with a Top 100 Hard Rock list of our own.



Know Your Medal of Honor Recipients:

Corporal Samuel Bowden (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on October 5, 1870 at Wichita River, Texas. His citation reads:

Gallantry in pursuit of and fight with Indians.

Corporal Chester B. Bowen (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on September 19, 1864 at Winchester, Virginia. His citation reads:

Capture of flag.

Private Emmer Bowen (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on (unknown) at (unknown). His citation reads:

Gallantry in the charge of the "volunteer storming party."

NPR, Fab 5 and Ronald Reagan

This is a few weeks old, but did you see that the House voted to defund NPR?. It seems the republicans want to stop funding NPR because they say it leans too far to the left. The democrats don’t want to stop funding NPR because… well… it leans to the left. Don’t get me wrong, I like NPR and I don’t want it to go away. The thing is, I don’t think cutting government funding will cause NPR to go away. And if it does go away, then so be it. But really, Fox radio is doing ok without any help from the Feds… so why can’t NPR? They have some good shows and the shows that aren’t good will be replaced by good shows. You can’t tell me a show like Car Talk wouldn’t bring in advertising dollars. This way NPR can lean whichever way it wants to… it’s a win-win for everyone.

So did you happen to see the ESPN documentary thingy on the “Fab 5”? I got to see it the first night it aired and I have to admit… I liked it. I have to be up front with you on a couple of things here. Back then I was a huge Duke basketball fan (I don’t hate Duke now… but I think we all know Winthrop is now my team). The other thing is I wasn’t a fan of the “Fab 5”. In fact, their championship game against UNC in 1993 is really the only time I can remember cheering for UNC in a basketball game. Anyway, this show was interesting. It helps to know that the executive producer of the documentary was Jalen Rose… one of the members of the “Fab 5”. It would seem (from this documentary) that this group of players were “pioneers” with their trash talk, baggy shorts, black shoes and black socks. We also learned from this documentary that the Michigan players hated Christian Laettner, didn’t think Bobby Hurley was good and thought players like Grant Hill (ie, black players) were “Uncle Tom’s”. It was also said that Duke didn’t recruit players like “us” (“us” being the Fab 5 guys). Honestly, it would be hard to watch this thing and not walk away thinking this was an incredible group of players who changed college basketball forever and blah, blah, blah…

Let’s start with the “Uncle Tom” comment… I’m not really going to talk about it except to say that if Grant Hill is an “Uncle Tom” then all people (of all races) should strive to be one. Trust me when I tell you that if Daniel grows up to be like Grant Hill then I will be the first person to pat myself on the back. :) I’ll let you read what Grant Hill had to say about it here and what Thomas Hill had to say about it here. And I do find it a little funny that the guys who were saying a black guy had to “sell-out” to go to Duke were guys who went to…. Michigan. I don’t know how to put this… but… UM ain’t SC State, if you get my meaning. UM is whiter than The Wife after a long cold winter. But enough about that… let’s move on to the next point.

The fact that anyone would want to credit them with bringing trash-talking to basketball is just downright laughable. I don’t know when trash-talking started, but I can tell you it was around before the “Fab 5”. There was trash-talking in the Duke/UNLV game the year before the “Fab 5” got to Michigan. Heck, Larry Bird was a world famous trash-talker and he was in college loooooong before these guys.

Speaking of UNLV… a quick look back at the DVD I have of the 1991 Duke/UNLV game shows that UNLV had baggy shorts and black shoes. The “Fab 5” might have had shorts that were a tad longer… but not much.

As for the black socks, my only comment is who the hell cares.

They hated Laettner… wow… there’s a shocker. What would be news is to find out that someone who played against Laettner liked him. Based on various things I’ve read over the years, I could probably count on one finger the number players who played with or against Laettner back then who liked him (Brian Davis). It was said in a John Feinstein book many years ago that every team needs a motherf***er and for Duke that motherf***er was Laettner. But love him or hate him, the fact is that he did more than all of the “Fab 5” combined.

They didn’t think Bobby Hurley was good. That’s just dumb. Bobby Hurley could very well be one of the greatest point guards in college basketball history. I don’t know if he would be #1 on the list… but I do know he’s at least on the list. He made the list of 50 greatest ACC basketball players of all time. Do you know the guys who have played basketball in the ACC?! He could hit 3’s and he could dish the ball (I don’t know if he still holds it, but he graduated as the all-time assist leader in college basketball). He pretty much carried Duke over Indiana in their 1992 Final Four game. Jalen Rose made it to the championship game his first two years in college… Bobby Hurley made it his first three years. Oh, and Hurley won two of those three. He also put up 20 or more points in 2 of the 3 wins Duke had over the “Fab 5”. There are no stats for how he did in Dukes losses to the “Fab 5” because… well… Duke didn’t lose to them.

As for the “Duke didn’t recruit players like us” comment… that’s just not true. They recruited Chris Webber pretty hard. They didn’t recruit all of the “Fab 5” because, to be brutally honest, not all of the “Fab 5” were good enough to play for Duke.

Here are some things guys like Hurley, Laettner, and Hill did that the “Fab 5” didn’t. They won championships (both conference and national). They talked trash… and backed it up. And they stayed out of trouble… so that all of their wins still count. All of their banners are still hanging. They didn’t have to vacate anything because they did things the right way.

The “Fab 5” thought they were going to “shock the world”… but Duke had already done that in 1991 when they beat the “unbeatable” UNLV Runnin’ Rebels. All the “Fab 5” did was walk away crying.

I’m just sayin… highly recommends the book Rawhide Down: The Near Assassination of Ronald Reagan. It was a very interesting book. For any of you who like politics and history… read this book. I would say about 90% of the book deals with the day of the assassination attempt.

This post is brought to you by E*Trade…


Know Your Medal of Honor Recipients:

Seaman/Gun Captain Thomas Bourne (US Navy) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on April 24, 1862 on the USS Varuna. His citation reads:

Served as captain of a gun on board the U.S.S. Varuna during an attack on Forts Jackson and St. Philip and while under fire and ramming by the rebel ship Morgan, 24 April 1862. During this action at extremely close range while his ship was under furious fire and was twice rammed by the rebel ship Morgan, Bourne remained steadfast at his gun and was instrumental in inflicting damage on the enemy until the Varuna, badly damaged and forced to beach, was finally sunk.

Sergeant Richard Boury (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on (unknown) at (unknown). His citation reads:

Capture of flag.

Private John W. Boutwell (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on April 2, 1865 at Petersburg, Virginia. His citation reads:

Brought off from the picket line, under heavy fire, a comrade who had been shot through both legs.

Picture Day (Part 2)

Mom (Nana), Dad (Da) and Daniel

Daniel meeting his BFF Lucas (yes, Lucas' natural eye color is red... just kidding, I just don't know how to work the photo editing software we have)

Aunt Rebecca and Uncle Jeremy meeting Daniel

Susie kissing Daniel... could have sworn I heard her say "I know it was you, Daniel.  You broke my heart.  You broke my heart"

Mary Ruth kissing Daniel

Me hanging out with my godson Lucas at his party after his baptisim.  I had just given him his first beer right before this picture.  Haha... just kidding... we were drinking the hard stuff.  I'm kidding, of course (maybe)  :)

Picture Day (Part 1)

Daniel Winfield Horres - Doing what he does best... sleeping

One of the nurses had some fun styling his hair

Ready to go home wrapped up in the blanket Miss Meg made for him

Mary Ruth holding her little brother

Susie holding "baby"

Me and Daniel doing what we do best... sleeping

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We at I'm just sayin... would like to take a minute to wish our favorite nurse a very Happy Birthday! I am not kidding when I tell you I came thisclose to dropping her name during our last visit to the "hospital" (read about it here) just to see if it worked there like it does at my favorite Children's Hospital.

We trust that her husband (and longtime I'm just sayin... reader) Danny will read this post in time to buy her a good gift and perhaps take her out to eat tonight. If he does not read this in time to do that, then perhaps he will read it in time to figure out why she is mad at him.

Good luck, Danny... and HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEN!!!!!!