Disclaimer

If you do not know me (I mean, really know me) then there is something you need to understand before you read this blog: I value the truth above everything else... except a good laugh. A good laugh will almost always beat the truth as far as I’m concerned. Everything you read on this blog will be true, somewhat true, or something I made up in an effort to get a laugh. Sometimes I will go on a rant that I don’t really mean (or only kind of mean). Sometimes I will mean what I write only to completely change my mind a year, month, or day later. Such is life. By reading this blog you agree not to get offended by anything I write (or, at the very least, you agree not to tell me or anyone else that you are offended). It is worth noting that my employer does not endorse my blog (or even read it, to tell you the truth). The Wife also does not endorse my blog (though she will read it from time to time). I am not paid to write this... it’s just my way of giving back to the community. I have, and will, touch on a wide range of subjects and will give my opinion on these subjects. Again, most of what I say is for laughs but every now and then I will say what I really think and feel (see my views on Westboro Baptist Cult). How will you know when I’m serious and when I’m trying to get a laugh? You’ll know. And if you don’t know, well... maybe this isn’t the best thing for you to be reading. So, sit back, read and enjoy. Leave comments if you want and don’t be afraid to publicly follow me.



Friday, March 24, 2017

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANIEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'd like to take a minute to wish Daniel a VERY HAPPY 6th Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I would say I can't believe he's 6 years old, but his talking no-stop since Christmas about his 6th birthday has kind of gotten me used to the idea of him being 6.  I know I sometimes give him a hard time, but he really is a sweet boy who just wants everyone to laugh and for his older siblings to love him... sounds familiar.  Maybe The Wife is right and he really is like me (just with hair).  Time will tell...

Anyway, I hope he knows how much I love him and how much he means to our family.  And I hope this is his best birthday yet...

Thursday, March 23, 2017

RIP Maverick

There has been a joke in the I’m just sayin… offices for a while now that Maverick’s breath died a few years ago, his body just hasn’t caught up yet. Well, yesterday his body caught up. I know I should be posting something about Teresa Lynn’s brain surgery (which, I noticed I haven’t been calling it that because “brain surgery” somehow sounds scarier to me than “surgery to have a tumor removed from her brain”), but today I have to talk about Maverick. Maybe tomorrow or the next day I’ll talk about Teresa Lynn (spoiler alert: it will probably be the next day… because tomorrow is Daniel’s birthday, something he has reminded me of since Christmas).

I’m not really sure what I can say about Maverick that I haven’t already said on here. I could probably write a book about him, but honestly, if I had time for that I’d write a book about me, or Mom (side note: I remember listening to the speech Richard Nixon gave to the White House staff before leaving office and one of the things he said was “Nobody ever wrote a book about my mother”… and right then I thought, I’m going to write a book about my mother. To date, this has not happened). Anyway, I will try to touch on some of the highlights, if you will, of what has been the life of a great dog.

The Wife and I got Maverick in the summer of 2004 from the Charleston Animal Society (back then I think they were still the John Ancrum SPCA). At the time, The Wife really wanted to have a baby and things just weren’t working out for us in that department… so she decided we needed a puppy (after all, she said, Lucy is lonely and needs a friend to play with while we’re at work). Looking back on it now, this may be the moment (getting Maverick) when Lucy started to turn on The Wife. Anyway, Lucy and Maverick would go on to have a love/hate relationship. As for Maverick, the day we went looking to adopt, The Wife saw him and fell in love. It was raining and he went and curled up in her lap and she knew she wanted him. My best guess is he is a daschund/spaniel mix… we’ve always called him the Shaquille O’Neal of daschunds. The people at the SPCA had named him “Flash”, but like you, we thought that name was stupid and changed it to Maverick (which, if you must know, was my nickname my senior year of high school).

Shortly after we brought him home (like within a week) there was what I like to call an “incident”. I was in bed sleeping and The Wife was ready for me to wake up, so she put Maverick on the bed. He then walked up my body, stood on my chest with his front paws on my shoulders, put his nose right up to mine and… coughed in my face. I can’t say I was a fan of his early on.

There was also the night I fell asleep with Maverick licking my forehead… only to wake up to find out HE had fallen asleep mid-lick and was drooling on my face.

He would dig holes in our backyard for Lucy to lie down in (to cool off). He would also lick Lucy’s ear until it was soggy (he was a strange dog).

He belonged to The Wife until late 2005 when we brought Mary Ruth home. From that moment on, he followed me.

I honestly can’t remember how many rats he killed in our old backyard, but I know it was over 10. At some point, he decided it was his job to protect our house… and once he decided that, no rat or lizard was safe. He was also the dog who watched my back while I killed the snake that had bitten Scooby.

Until very late in his life, he loved to sing with me. Our favorite song was Me and My Shadow, but he was probably most famous for the videos on this blog of him singing Happy Birthday to my loved ones.

The hardest part of having a pet is saying goodbye, but it’s one of those things that has to happen. Maverick was the last family dog to have known Dach (my childhood dog). Dach, for what it’s worth, hated Maverick. Of course, Dach was old and Maverick was just a young punk of a dog back then. Perhaps one day, if I’m lucky, I’ll get to see Dach, Lucy and Maverick again. Until that day, I’ll thank God for the time He gave me with Maverick and for the memories The Wife, The Kids and I will share of this great dog.

Below are some pics of Maverick (in no real order)...

I wouldn't have guessed it, but Maverick and Gertrude were pretty good friends.

Protecting our house

Maverick and Lucy

He's never been a big fan of The Kids... but he did seem to take to Daniel a little faster than he did the others.

You should have seen the other guy...

Our "Moses" picture of Maverick... looking into the "promised land" of the farm.

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

The Picks of March...

It's March which means it is time to pick some college basketball games!  I forget how many years we've done this, but I feel like it's been a few (at least).  Anyway, last night I sat The Wife and The Kids down and we each picked games.  We did this for the NCAA Tournament and the NIT.  I also picked games in the Women's NCAA Tournament (but didn't have anyone else in the family pick... because we'd already spent enough time picking games).  Below are our picks... may the best man/woman/child win...


Daniel's NCAA Picks

My NCAA Picks
The Wife's NCAA Picks
Mary Ruth's NCAA Picks
Susie's NCAA Picks

Daniel's NIT Picks

My NIT Picks

The Wife's NIT Picks

Mary Ruth's NIT Picks
Susie's NIT Picks

My picks for the WBB NCAA Tournament