So I'm at the office, waiting on an e-mail, in a holding pattern. The Aces have just won Game 2 of a doubleheader, and I'm waiting on an e-mail from their sports information director in order to update my story for the Web. Yes, I know all of you are very intrigued.
Tonight was interesting. The two new Louisiana Tech coaches came down to Alexandria for a Cenla event, and I got to go cover it. Fun times anything I can do something Tech-related. I'd met Kerry Rupp, the new men's basketball coach, but tonight was my first experience with Derek Dooley, the new football coach. I must say I was totally impressed. I'm not sure if it will translate to wins on the field, but the man means business.
Speaking of wins on the field ... NCAA 08 is out for the PS3. At first glance, I didn't like it. Jury's still out, too. I don't like the complete format changes, controller changes, etc. It feels like a completely different game than the one I've played for more than a decade. However, it does have some redeeming qualities -- like a more in-depth recruiting system, which really excites me, and the Campus Legend mode is pretty fun, too. I've only had it for 3 days now, and I'm not trying to make any rush judgments, so I'll get back to you after I've done more playing.
It's been a good week for me. Elizabeth and I (somehow, someway) arrived back home safely after a week at church camp where we served as chaperones. For the most part, it was a good trip. I got to spend some time with the kids -- some of my favorites and some of the ones I didn't know very well at all -- and we had a good time visiting the beach and Universal Studios. I'm not saying I want to jump back on board to do it all over again next week, but it was a meaningful experience. I hope the kids feel the same way.
After arriving home on Sunday and sleeping the better part of the next two days away (hey, 14 hours in a Mustang isn't easy!), I awoke refreshed and not ready to go back to work. But alas, it must be done. But not before I got to spend some time with a few friends.
The Commonground Band (or the cgb) is in town (Pineville) this week to play Cross Camp. The CGB and I go way back, like to my freshman year at Tech, when the band started. Common Ground was a weekly interdenomenational service at Louisiana Tech that was a major part of my life while I was in college. And I became somewhat of a groupie, if you will, while I was at Tech.
Any way, Elizabeth and I went to the nightly service at Cross Camp, being held at Louisiana College, on Monday and I picked up some CGB merchandise, including the band's new CD, Fire and Glory. The CD is the band's seventh, but only its second original CD -- and first since my sophomore year at Tech, in 2002. So it's been five years since the band released any original material, and I was nearly starved to listen.
While the CD isn't quite as long as I'd like -- there are only 11 tracks, if you take out the 30-second intro track, and I would have preferred a few more -- but the work is exceptional. Honestly, I truly believe this band is as good as some of the mainstream worship bands on the scene today. Admittedly, I'm biased. But I truly believe that. These guys are special musicians, and I really enjoy their music.
On Tuesday, I had the chance to go to lunch with Brent Hammett, the cgb's drummer and an old high school and college buddy of mine from Ruston. Since I've moved down to Alexandria and Brent and his wife Cassie have moved to Shreveport, we haven't been in contact much over the past several months. So it was great to sit and talk awhile, catch up with how our lives are going and discuss future plans. And the Raising Cane's wasn't too shabby either!
There's more, plenty more, to be said, but it will have to wait until another time. For now, I'm back off to work, and then to the PS3 for a little NCAA 08!
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Friday, July 06, 2007
Headed to not-so-sunny Florida
So, it's Friday night, about 8:40 p.m., which means in a little more than 48 hours I'll be pulling out of the parking lot at Donahue Family Church in Pineville, on my way to sunny Florida. Anything's gotta be better than the miserable rain we've having in Cenla, right?
Except I can't get away from the rain! A quick glance at the 10-day forecast on weather.com shows thunderstorms predicting every day we're in Bradenton, Fla. Every day. When we head to Universal Studios next Saturday, yep more rain -- 60 percent chance. How about on Sunday, when we're arriving back home? You guessed it, rain's gone!
But honestly, I'm not going to Florida for the sun, although I figured it'd be a nice perk. Elizabeth and I are chaperoning a group of around 60 teenagers going to a Global Youth Ministry camp in Bradenton, at the Christian Retreat Center. We'll spend five days (more like three full days and two half days) at camp, which I'm told is going to be pretty laid back for the chaperones. I'll be able to participate in worship and interact with the kids throughout the day, although most of my chaperoning duties will come making sure the three junior-high munchkins assigned to my room behave and go to sleep each night. It's cool, though, because I know two of the kids in my room and have been told the third kid won't give me any problems.
After the week at camp, we'll depart Friday at lunch to go to the beach, where we'll be met by rain. Yay! Doesn't matter. I won't let rain, rain on my parade, or vacation, whatever. It's been awhile since I've been in the ocean -- OK, so it's technically the Gulf of Mexico, but let's not be picky -- so I'll have a blast no matter what.
After the beach, we'll drive a couple of hours to Orlando, where we'll spend all day Saturday at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure. Well, everyone else will spend all day there, while Elizabeth and I have a special treat up our sleeves. We've paid a little extra money to upgrade our park pass into a two-park pass, so we'll be able to visit both Islands of Adventure, as well as the original Universal Studios right down the street.
Just being honest, I'm doing this for my wife. Elizabeth loves Curious George, and there's a CG exhibit at the original Universal Studios, where she'll hopefully get to "meet" the curious little creature, take a picture with him, peruse the store for souvenirs, etc. But there are also several rides at the original Universal Studios that I'm looking forward to trying out. The only time I've been to Orlando, when I was in fourth grade, oh so long ago, I remember going to the original Universal Studios (back then, the only Universal Studios as Islands of Adventure didn't open until 1999). I had a fun time and believe I've had a fun time again this trip.
Anyway, I write this blog to let everyone know that I'll be a little out of touch next week. While we're chaperoning a church trip, this is essentially vacation for Elizabeth and me, and I plan to treat it accordingly. I'll be available in emergency situations, but I'm also not planning to be glued to my cell phone. I won't have computer access and might not even get to read a paper for a week (gasp!). But, you know what? I'll have a blast getting away from Cenla, away from the office, away from the worries of everyday life. It's vacation time, and we're going to live it up!
Except I can't get away from the rain! A quick glance at the 10-day forecast on weather.com shows thunderstorms predicting every day we're in Bradenton, Fla. Every day. When we head to Universal Studios next Saturday, yep more rain -- 60 percent chance. How about on Sunday, when we're arriving back home? You guessed it, rain's gone!
But honestly, I'm not going to Florida for the sun, although I figured it'd be a nice perk. Elizabeth and I are chaperoning a group of around 60 teenagers going to a Global Youth Ministry camp in Bradenton, at the Christian Retreat Center. We'll spend five days (more like three full days and two half days) at camp, which I'm told is going to be pretty laid back for the chaperones. I'll be able to participate in worship and interact with the kids throughout the day, although most of my chaperoning duties will come making sure the three junior-high munchkins assigned to my room behave and go to sleep each night. It's cool, though, because I know two of the kids in my room and have been told the third kid won't give me any problems.
After the week at camp, we'll depart Friday at lunch to go to the beach, where we'll be met by rain. Yay! Doesn't matter. I won't let rain, rain on my parade, or vacation, whatever. It's been awhile since I've been in the ocean -- OK, so it's technically the Gulf of Mexico, but let's not be picky -- so I'll have a blast no matter what.
After the beach, we'll drive a couple of hours to Orlando, where we'll spend all day Saturday at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure. Well, everyone else will spend all day there, while Elizabeth and I have a special treat up our sleeves. We've paid a little extra money to upgrade our park pass into a two-park pass, so we'll be able to visit both Islands of Adventure, as well as the original Universal Studios right down the street.
Just being honest, I'm doing this for my wife. Elizabeth loves Curious George, and there's a CG exhibit at the original Universal Studios, where she'll hopefully get to "meet" the curious little creature, take a picture with him, peruse the store for souvenirs, etc. But there are also several rides at the original Universal Studios that I'm looking forward to trying out. The only time I've been to Orlando, when I was in fourth grade, oh so long ago, I remember going to the original Universal Studios (back then, the only Universal Studios as Islands of Adventure didn't open until 1999). I had a fun time and believe I've had a fun time again this trip.
Anyway, I write this blog to let everyone know that I'll be a little out of touch next week. While we're chaperoning a church trip, this is essentially vacation for Elizabeth and me, and I plan to treat it accordingly. I'll be available in emergency situations, but I'm also not planning to be glued to my cell phone. I won't have computer access and might not even get to read a paper for a week (gasp!). But, you know what? I'll have a blast getting away from Cenla, away from the office, away from the worries of everyday life. It's vacation time, and we're going to live it up!
Friday, June 29, 2007
Grading the NBA Draft
Here's something you don't see everyday -- sports on my Strictly Sports blog. Wow! Tonight was the 2007 NBA Draft, which I watched from the first pick to the last while at work. Below is my team-by-team analysis:
Atlanta Hawks -- Al Horford (No. 3), Acie Law IV (No. 11)
Analysis: The Hawks had two lottery selections and had been mentioned in trade talks trying to land Amare Stoudemire from Phoenix. Instead, they kept the picks and chose Horford, a power forward from Florida, and Law, a point guard from Texas A&M. I like both of these picks. At first glance, I didn't like the Horford pick, because they passed up another point guard in Mike Conley Jr. Instead, they got the point guard they really liked in Law. Some analysts are concerned he's not a pure point guard, but I really like him and think he's more polished and ready to contribute compared to Conley. For a franchise that has made quite a few boneheaded moves on draft day in recent years, this was a good night for the Hawks.
Boston Celtics -- Jeff Green (No. 5), Gabe Pruitt (No. 32)
Analysis: After saying he wasn't trading the No. 5 pick, Celtics GM Danny Ainge then went out and traded the No. 5 pick. It's actually a good move for the Celtics, who get an established star in SG Ray Allen from Seattle (along with the rights to 35th pick Glen Davis) to pair with Paul Pierce. It may not be a great long-term move, as both Allen and Pierce are aging, but it gives Boston a solid backcourt with great experience and helps this team become a competitor in the East. Pruitt is a first-round talent who slipped to the second round, but he makes this roster and contributes next season.
Charlotte Bobcats -- Brandan Wright (No. 8), Jared Dudley (No. 22)
Analysis: Brandan Wright learned one thing on draft night -- don't call out Michael Jordan. After saying His Airness "didn't want any" of Wright on the court, Jordan proved him correct by trading Wright to Golden State for Jason Richardson. It's not a great move for the Bobcats, as Wright has a lot of potential, but Richardson gives them a 20-plus point scorer and someone to build the team around. Charlotte has a lot of good young players, and Richardson could become the glue-guy that helps Charlotte begin competing in the East. Dudley was the ACC Player of the Year, but at 6-7, 225 pounds, he's a classic NBA tweener. He gives a lot of energy and plays hard, and because of that, he'll probably make the rotation -- but he isn't going to be a star in the NBA.
Chicago Bulls -- Joakim Noah (No. 9), Aaron Gray (No. 49), JamesOn Curry (No. 51)
Analysis: Noah has been praised for the better part of two seasons for being the backbone on Florida's back-to-back title-winning teams. He's intense. He's tenacious. He plays with a lot of energy and heart. But how is he any different from Tyrus Thomas, a top five pick the Bulls traded for on draft day last year? He's not. Not that the Bulls have any need positions, but I don't see Noah as an upgrade on this roster. Gray is a big 7-0 center, and Curry is an undersized two-guard. Both of them will have a hard time making the Bulls' roster.
Cleveland Cavaliers -- No picks
Analysis: Incomplete. The Cavs may have made the NBA Finals this past season, but they do have a lot of holes that need to be filled around LeBron James. Unfortunately for them, those needs will have to be addressed through free agency.
Dallas Mavericks -- Nick Fazekas (No. 34), Renaldas Seibutus (No. 50), Milovan Rakovic (No. 60)
Analysis: The Mavs didn't have a first-round pick, and the chances any of these three make the roster is slim. Fazekas was a great college player, who I had the chance to see personally on a couple of occasions since he played at Nevada, which plays against Louisiana Tech in the WAC. Fazekas is a great shooter, tough competitor and a solid rebounder -- but he's not very athletic, has slow feet and will have a tough time making the transition to the NBA. The other two players are foreigners who will likely continue to play overseas for at least another couple of seasons.
Denver Nuggets -- No picks.
Analysis: Again, it's tough to analyze something that's not there. But Nuggets fans need to remember their draft came during the season when they traded for Allen Iverson. It didn't work out that well for them last year, but with an offseason to work on chemistry between Iverson and Carmelo Anthony, the Nuggest could become a player in 2007-08.
Detroit Pistons -- Rodney Stuckey (No. 15), Arron Afflalo (No. 27), Sammy Mejia (No. 57)
Analysis: Joe Dumars has always been willing to step outside the box -- but this far outside? The Pistons point guard, Chauncey Billups, has opted to test free agency. Their two best players are SG Richard Hamilton and SF Tayshaun Prince. So what does Detroit do? Drafts three wing players. Stuckey is a small-school guy from Eastern Washington who's a dynamic scorer on that level. Afflalo was a great three-year player at UCLA, while Mejia is a hard-nosed player from DePaul. On the surface, I like all three of these guys. Where the problem comes is when all three of them are drafted by the same team, which happens to have two All-Stars on the wing.
Golden State Warriors -- Marco Bellineli (No. 18), Jermareo Davidson (No. 36), Stephane Lasme (No. 46)
Analysis: As mentioned before, the Warriors traded SG Jason Richardson to Charlotte for the No. 8 pick, Brandan Wright from North Carolina. Wright is a 6-10 forward who loves to run the floor and can finish in transition, which means he'll fit in well with the Warriors, who run a wide-open offense. Bellineli, who comes from Italy, is one of the best shooters in the world. Since Golden State shoots more 3s than any other team, he'll also fit in well. Expect Bellineli to challenge immediately for the starting SG spot vacated by Richardson's departure. Davidson was sent to Charlotte as part of the Richardson trade, while Lasme is an undersized (6-7) power forward who can block shots but might not make the roster. With Wright and Bellineli, the Warriors picked up two contributors.
Houston Rockets -- Aaron Brooks (No. 26), Brad Newley (No. 54)
Analysis: Brooks is a strange pick here, as most people didn't expect him to go in the first round. He was a good college point guard at Oregon, but he's very small for NBA standards at just 6-0, maybe even 5-11. He's not a pure scorer and doesn't shoot the ball all that well. He should have a tough time seeing playing time next year, especially since the Rockets just acquired PG Mike James. Newly, a SG from Australia, is an athletic slasher who might stay 'down under' a little longer to continue developing. The Rockets also traded for the rights of Purdue power forward Carl Landry, taken 31st overall by Seattle.
Indiana Pacers -- No picks.
Analysis: If anybody needed to make a move on draft day, it was Indiana. A team desperately in need of a makeover, the Pacers could have moved PF Jermaine O'Neal for a high pick or several picks and began the rebuilding process. The Pacers did send a 2009 second-round pick to Miami for Stanko Barac, but the big center likely will remain in Europe for at least another year.
Los Angeles Clippers -- Al Thornton (No. 14), Jared Jordan (No. 45)
Analysis: I really, really like the Thornton pick. Thornton can play both forward positions and is a great competitor. I'm surprised he fell all the way to 14. Most mock drafts had him going in the top 10. Thornton should get the chance to play a lot in L.A. and may compete for Rookie of the Year honors. Jordan is an intriguing pick in the second round, a point guard from Marist. At 6-2 -- and white -- many scouts believe he has the chance to be the next Steve Nash. His basketball IQ keeps him several steps ahead of the rest of the game. I think Jordan will make the Clippers roster and contribute in a couple of seasons.
Los Angeles Lakers -- Javaris Crittenton (No. 19), Sun Yue (No. 40), Marc Gasol (No. 48)
Analysis: Crittenton is a big, physical point guard from Georgia Tech, who at 6-5, will become a solid player in the NBA. He spent just one season at Ga. Tech and may not be ready to step in immediately for the Lakers, but it's a good choice for them. He could be their point guard of the future. Yue is a 6-9 PG from China, but he'll have to make the transition to the wing in the NBA. Gasol is a 7-footer from Spain who is the younger brother of Memphis' Pau Gasol. Marc probably will stay in Spain for a couple of years as he continues to develop.
Memphis Grizzlies -- Mike Conley Jr. (No. 4)
Analysis: Conley could become the third-best pick in this draft. The freshman from Ohio State must prove himself without big Greg Oden, who he's played with since the duo were 12. But Conley's quickness, savvy and basketball IQ have him projected as one of the next great point guards in the NBA. He played just one season of college ball, so he might have a slower learning curve in the NBA. But the Grizz needed a PG, and Conley will be expected to play from Day 1.
Miami Heat -- Jason Smith (No. 20), Stanko Barac (No. 39)
Analysis: Two picks, two trades. The Heat sent Smith to Philadelphia for Daequan Cook, selected 21st, and a 2009 second-round pick. They sent Barac to Indiana for a 2009 second-round pick. So the Heat came away with Cook, a 6-5 SG who is very talented, but very raw. I like Cook -- a lot. Think he's a great prospect, but I have to wonder why the Heat would want him, considering their superstar Dwyane Wade also is a SG. Cook might not be expected to play much as a rookie, but I look for him to become a big-time player shortly.
Milwaukee Bucks -- Yi Jianlian (No. 6), Ramon Sessions (No. 56)
Analysis: I really like the Yi pick at No. 6, as I feel he's the third-best prospect in the draft. At 6-11, the Chinese big man isn't Yao Ming. He's far more superior athletically, and is more of a Kevin Garnett/Dirk Nowitzki kind of player who can step away from the basket, shoot and put the ball on the floor. He's also a very explosive athlete who can finish around the rim. There are some questions about whether he'll play for the Bucks, as he wanted to play in a city that has a big Asian population -- like Los Angeles. But the Bucks made the right move picking the best available player. Sessions is a solid point guard who knows how to get to the basket and dish. He should make that roster and fight for playing time. A very good draft for a building franchise.
Minnesota Timberwolves -- Corey Brewer (No. 7), Chris Richard (No. 41)
Analysis: Two Florida guys who are winners. Brewer, one of three Gators taken in the top nine picks, might be the best of the bunch. He's a long, athletic player at 6-8 who was the best defender in the draft. He also has all the potential to continue to develop offensively into an all-around superstar. Should the Timberwolves keep Kevin Garnett, he's going to enjoy playing with Brewer. Richard came off the bench for the Gators, and may not make this roster, but he's a big, rugged player who will give intense minutes when called upon.
New Jersey Nets -- Sean Williams (No. 17)
Analysis: The old adage is "high risk, high reward," and that's certainly the case with Williams, who was kicked out of school at Boston College in January. He's a long player at 6-11 who is a tremendous shot-blocker and finisher in the paint. His potential is that of a lottery pick, but he also brings a great deal of baggage that could have him out of the league shortly.
New Orleans Hornets -- Julian Wright (No. 13), Adam Haluska (No. 43)
Analysis: Personally, I'm not a big Julian Wright fan. But the Hornets are thrilled. Coach Byron Scott could not have thought Wright would fall all the way to 13. Wright is a 6-9 SF from Kansas who does everything well. He runs the floor. He finishes in transition. He plays defense. He's a good shooter. A good passer. I wouldn't be surprised if Wright steps right in at SF and takes over the starting role for the departing Desmond Mason. Haluska is a good athlete and shooter from Iowa, but he'll have to work very hard to make the team.
New York Knicks -- Wilson Chandler (No. 23)
Analysis: Knicks fans don't care what Chandler does, although he could turn into a solid contributor along the mold of last year's first-round pick, Renaldo Balkman. No, the story of the draft came via a trade with Portland. The Knicks picked up PF Zach Randolph, Portland's leading scorer last year who is a 25/10 guy and an All-Star in the East. New York also got rid of one of its big contracts, sending Steve Francis out West. The Knicks did have to part with Channing Frye, an athletic PF who was the 8th pick two years ago. Also heading to New York are Dan Dickau and Fred J0nes. This is a step in the right direction for Isiah Thomas and the Knicks. Randolph can become a superstar in the East.
Orlando Magic -- Reyshawn Terry (No. 44)
Analysis: You don't expect too much from second-round picks, but Terry might be a surprise in Orlando. He has all the tools to be successful, even though he didn't have a great career at North Carolina. The 6-8 small forward is a very good value here. The Magic traded their other second-round pick, No. 54, to Houston, which selected Brad Newley.
Philadelphia 76ers -- Thaddeus Young (No. 12), Daequan Cook (No. 21), Petteri Koponen (No. 30), Kyrylo Fesenko (No. 38)
Analysis: The 76ers, like many teams, went with freshmen with their first two picks -- the SF Young from Ga. Tech and the SG Cook from Ohio State. They then dealt Cook to Miami for PF Jason Smith of Colorado State. Personally, I think they traded the wrong guy. I think Cook has a better upside and will become a better pro than Young. Philly also dealt Koponen to Portland for the rights to the 42nd pick, Derrick Byars. Byars was a solid player at Vanderbilt who could make the 76ers roster. And Fesenko is a steal in the second round from Ukraine. He'll continue to play overseas but the 7-1 20-year-old could surface in Philly as a force down the road.
Phoenix Suns -- Rudy Fernandez (No. 24), Alando Tucker (No. 29), D.J. Strawberry (No. 59)
Analysis: For the fourth straight year, the Suns sold or traded its first-round pick, sending Fernandez to Portland for money. It's like the Suns don't want to get any better. Seriously, it's ridiculous. I like the Tucker pick, though. He's a combo SG/SF player who has tons of leadership, played at a high level for four years at Wisconsin and will fit in nicely in Phoenix's system. I really like that pick. Strawberry, a 6-5 combo guard, is a good player but not a great one and probably won't make the Suns roster.
Portland TrailBlazers -- Greg Oden (No. 1), Josh McRoberts (No. 37), Derrick Byars (No. 42), Taurean Green (No. 52), Demetris Nichols (No. 53)
Analysis: Portland could have stopped after Oden and had the best draft of all the teams. Enough can't be said about Oden, the 7-foot center who is now the cornerstone of the franchise. But the Blazers didn't stop there, as they continue to rebuild their team. They traded Randolph, who is the last link to the "JailBlazers" teams of old, and got a solid backup PF/C in Channing Frye to play behind Oden and last year's first-round pick LaMarcus Aldridge. The Blazers also bought Rudy Fernandez from the Suns, traded Byars for Koponen, giving them two solid foreign players. Green was Florida's leading scorer last year, while Nichols was Syracuse's best player. And McRoberts, a supremely talented big man from Duke, is comfortable playing beside Oden, as the two are former AAU teammates. Portland has done a tremendous job the past two years of rebuilding their roster and will become a team to be reckoned with over the next decade.
Sacramento Kings -- Spencer Hawes (No. 10)
Analysis: Any time you can get a potential franchise center at No. 10, you take him -- and the Kings did just that. Hawes is a 7-foot-1 center from Washington who spent just one year with the Huskies. He has a bevy of low post moves and is a good rebounder. There are questions about his athleticism, but as he continues to get bigger and grow into his body, he'll continue to improve as a player. Hawes is going to be a great center in the NBA.
San Antonio Spurs -- Tiago Splitter (No. 28), Marcus Williams (No. 33), Giorgos Printezis (No. 58)
Analysis: Honestly, what do the NBA champs need? Splitter is an enigma, as he's been in and out of the draft pool the past couple of years, and could have been a potential lottery pick in the past. Instead, the Spurs plucked him at No. 28. They've had great success in the past with foreign players, and Splitter is the next in a long line. He's a 6-11 power forward who will fit in nicely with Fabricio Oberto and Francisco Elson alongside Tim Duncan. Williams is a very talented small forward from Arizona who could play on a number of teams. He'll have a tough time playing for the Spurs though. Printezis is a tough-nosed SF from Greece who will continue to develop over there for a couple of years.
Seattle SuperSonics -- Kevin Durant (No. 2), Carl Landry (No. 31), Glen Davis (No. 35)
Analysis: Like the Blazers, Seattle could have stopped after the selection of Durant and called it a successful day. But the Sonics were movers on this day. They shipped franchise player Ray Allen and Davis to Boston for the No. 5 pick, Jeff Green, Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West. Which means Durant is now the face of the franchise. The Sonics knew they couldn't keep both Allen and free agent Rashard Lewis, so they're hanging their hat on being able to re-sign Lewis. I'm not sure what I think about the strategy of having Durant, Lewis and Green -- who are all basically 6-9/6-10 small forwards -- but it does give the Sonics some options. They also sold Landry for a later second-round draft pick. Durant and Green will get chances to play early and often.
Toronto Raptors -- No picks.
Analysis: The Raptors are an up-and-coming young team, and it would have been nice for them to have a pick to add to their roster. Instead, they'll have to try to improve through free agency.
Utah Jazz -- Morris Almond (No. 25), Herbert Hill (No. 55)
Analysis: Jerry Sloan doesn't expect much from his rookies, preferring to let them sit and learn for a year. With rising superstar Deron Williams at PG and All-Star Carlos Boozer at PF, the Jazz could use some shooters to help open things up. Almond fits the bill as perhaps the best shooter in the draft. He should get some chances to play early, as SG is the Jazz's only weakness. Hill, a PF from Providence, is a good value pick late in the second round and could become the third second-round pick in two years to make the Jazz roster.
Washington Wizards -- Nick Young (No. 16), Dominic McGuire (No. 47)
Analysis: Young is a great, great value at No. 16. He's a lottery pick, possibly a top 10 pick, and Wizards were very content to pluck him with the 16th pick. At 6-foot-6, Young can play both wing positions and will make a nice complimentary piece to Wizards superstar Gilbert Arenas. Young doesn't need a ton of shots to be successful, which is good, because playing with Arenas he's not going to get many. McGuire, a 6-9 SF from Fresno State, is an intriguing prospect who plays defense, rebounds and blocks shots. He doesn't, however, play very good offense. Nonetheless, he has a good shot to make Washington's roster.
Atlanta Hawks -- Al Horford (No. 3), Acie Law IV (No. 11)
Analysis: The Hawks had two lottery selections and had been mentioned in trade talks trying to land Amare Stoudemire from Phoenix. Instead, they kept the picks and chose Horford, a power forward from Florida, and Law, a point guard from Texas A&M. I like both of these picks. At first glance, I didn't like the Horford pick, because they passed up another point guard in Mike Conley Jr. Instead, they got the point guard they really liked in Law. Some analysts are concerned he's not a pure point guard, but I really like him and think he's more polished and ready to contribute compared to Conley. For a franchise that has made quite a few boneheaded moves on draft day in recent years, this was a good night for the Hawks.
Boston Celtics -- Jeff Green (No. 5), Gabe Pruitt (No. 32)
Analysis: After saying he wasn't trading the No. 5 pick, Celtics GM Danny Ainge then went out and traded the No. 5 pick. It's actually a good move for the Celtics, who get an established star in SG Ray Allen from Seattle (along with the rights to 35th pick Glen Davis) to pair with Paul Pierce. It may not be a great long-term move, as both Allen and Pierce are aging, but it gives Boston a solid backcourt with great experience and helps this team become a competitor in the East. Pruitt is a first-round talent who slipped to the second round, but he makes this roster and contributes next season.
Charlotte Bobcats -- Brandan Wright (No. 8), Jared Dudley (No. 22)
Analysis: Brandan Wright learned one thing on draft night -- don't call out Michael Jordan. After saying His Airness "didn't want any" of Wright on the court, Jordan proved him correct by trading Wright to Golden State for Jason Richardson. It's not a great move for the Bobcats, as Wright has a lot of potential, but Richardson gives them a 20-plus point scorer and someone to build the team around. Charlotte has a lot of good young players, and Richardson could become the glue-guy that helps Charlotte begin competing in the East. Dudley was the ACC Player of the Year, but at 6-7, 225 pounds, he's a classic NBA tweener. He gives a lot of energy and plays hard, and because of that, he'll probably make the rotation -- but he isn't going to be a star in the NBA.
Chicago Bulls -- Joakim Noah (No. 9), Aaron Gray (No. 49), JamesOn Curry (No. 51)
Analysis: Noah has been praised for the better part of two seasons for being the backbone on Florida's back-to-back title-winning teams. He's intense. He's tenacious. He plays with a lot of energy and heart. But how is he any different from Tyrus Thomas, a top five pick the Bulls traded for on draft day last year? He's not. Not that the Bulls have any need positions, but I don't see Noah as an upgrade on this roster. Gray is a big 7-0 center, and Curry is an undersized two-guard. Both of them will have a hard time making the Bulls' roster.
Cleveland Cavaliers -- No picks
Analysis: Incomplete. The Cavs may have made the NBA Finals this past season, but they do have a lot of holes that need to be filled around LeBron James. Unfortunately for them, those needs will have to be addressed through free agency.
Dallas Mavericks -- Nick Fazekas (No. 34), Renaldas Seibutus (No. 50), Milovan Rakovic (No. 60)
Analysis: The Mavs didn't have a first-round pick, and the chances any of these three make the roster is slim. Fazekas was a great college player, who I had the chance to see personally on a couple of occasions since he played at Nevada, which plays against Louisiana Tech in the WAC. Fazekas is a great shooter, tough competitor and a solid rebounder -- but he's not very athletic, has slow feet and will have a tough time making the transition to the NBA. The other two players are foreigners who will likely continue to play overseas for at least another couple of seasons.
Denver Nuggets -- No picks.
Analysis: Again, it's tough to analyze something that's not there. But Nuggets fans need to remember their draft came during the season when they traded for Allen Iverson. It didn't work out that well for them last year, but with an offseason to work on chemistry between Iverson and Carmelo Anthony, the Nuggest could become a player in 2007-08.
Detroit Pistons -- Rodney Stuckey (No. 15), Arron Afflalo (No. 27), Sammy Mejia (No. 57)
Analysis: Joe Dumars has always been willing to step outside the box -- but this far outside? The Pistons point guard, Chauncey Billups, has opted to test free agency. Their two best players are SG Richard Hamilton and SF Tayshaun Prince. So what does Detroit do? Drafts three wing players. Stuckey is a small-school guy from Eastern Washington who's a dynamic scorer on that level. Afflalo was a great three-year player at UCLA, while Mejia is a hard-nosed player from DePaul. On the surface, I like all three of these guys. Where the problem comes is when all three of them are drafted by the same team, which happens to have two All-Stars on the wing.
Golden State Warriors -- Marco Bellineli (No. 18), Jermareo Davidson (No. 36), Stephane Lasme (No. 46)
Analysis: As mentioned before, the Warriors traded SG Jason Richardson to Charlotte for the No. 8 pick, Brandan Wright from North Carolina. Wright is a 6-10 forward who loves to run the floor and can finish in transition, which means he'll fit in well with the Warriors, who run a wide-open offense. Bellineli, who comes from Italy, is one of the best shooters in the world. Since Golden State shoots more 3s than any other team, he'll also fit in well. Expect Bellineli to challenge immediately for the starting SG spot vacated by Richardson's departure. Davidson was sent to Charlotte as part of the Richardson trade, while Lasme is an undersized (6-7) power forward who can block shots but might not make the roster. With Wright and Bellineli, the Warriors picked up two contributors.
Houston Rockets -- Aaron Brooks (No. 26), Brad Newley (No. 54)
Analysis: Brooks is a strange pick here, as most people didn't expect him to go in the first round. He was a good college point guard at Oregon, but he's very small for NBA standards at just 6-0, maybe even 5-11. He's not a pure scorer and doesn't shoot the ball all that well. He should have a tough time seeing playing time next year, especially since the Rockets just acquired PG Mike James. Newly, a SG from Australia, is an athletic slasher who might stay 'down under' a little longer to continue developing. The Rockets also traded for the rights of Purdue power forward Carl Landry, taken 31st overall by Seattle.
Indiana Pacers -- No picks.
Analysis: If anybody needed to make a move on draft day, it was Indiana. A team desperately in need of a makeover, the Pacers could have moved PF Jermaine O'Neal for a high pick or several picks and began the rebuilding process. The Pacers did send a 2009 second-round pick to Miami for Stanko Barac, but the big center likely will remain in Europe for at least another year.
Los Angeles Clippers -- Al Thornton (No. 14), Jared Jordan (No. 45)
Analysis: I really, really like the Thornton pick. Thornton can play both forward positions and is a great competitor. I'm surprised he fell all the way to 14. Most mock drafts had him going in the top 10. Thornton should get the chance to play a lot in L.A. and may compete for Rookie of the Year honors. Jordan is an intriguing pick in the second round, a point guard from Marist. At 6-2 -- and white -- many scouts believe he has the chance to be the next Steve Nash. His basketball IQ keeps him several steps ahead of the rest of the game. I think Jordan will make the Clippers roster and contribute in a couple of seasons.
Los Angeles Lakers -- Javaris Crittenton (No. 19), Sun Yue (No. 40), Marc Gasol (No. 48)
Analysis: Crittenton is a big, physical point guard from Georgia Tech, who at 6-5, will become a solid player in the NBA. He spent just one season at Ga. Tech and may not be ready to step in immediately for the Lakers, but it's a good choice for them. He could be their point guard of the future. Yue is a 6-9 PG from China, but he'll have to make the transition to the wing in the NBA. Gasol is a 7-footer from Spain who is the younger brother of Memphis' Pau Gasol. Marc probably will stay in Spain for a couple of years as he continues to develop.
Memphis Grizzlies -- Mike Conley Jr. (No. 4)
Analysis: Conley could become the third-best pick in this draft. The freshman from Ohio State must prove himself without big Greg Oden, who he's played with since the duo were 12. But Conley's quickness, savvy and basketball IQ have him projected as one of the next great point guards in the NBA. He played just one season of college ball, so he might have a slower learning curve in the NBA. But the Grizz needed a PG, and Conley will be expected to play from Day 1.
Miami Heat -- Jason Smith (No. 20), Stanko Barac (No. 39)
Analysis: Two picks, two trades. The Heat sent Smith to Philadelphia for Daequan Cook, selected 21st, and a 2009 second-round pick. They sent Barac to Indiana for a 2009 second-round pick. So the Heat came away with Cook, a 6-5 SG who is very talented, but very raw. I like Cook -- a lot. Think he's a great prospect, but I have to wonder why the Heat would want him, considering their superstar Dwyane Wade also is a SG. Cook might not be expected to play much as a rookie, but I look for him to become a big-time player shortly.
Milwaukee Bucks -- Yi Jianlian (No. 6), Ramon Sessions (No. 56)
Analysis: I really like the Yi pick at No. 6, as I feel he's the third-best prospect in the draft. At 6-11, the Chinese big man isn't Yao Ming. He's far more superior athletically, and is more of a Kevin Garnett/Dirk Nowitzki kind of player who can step away from the basket, shoot and put the ball on the floor. He's also a very explosive athlete who can finish around the rim. There are some questions about whether he'll play for the Bucks, as he wanted to play in a city that has a big Asian population -- like Los Angeles. But the Bucks made the right move picking the best available player. Sessions is a solid point guard who knows how to get to the basket and dish. He should make that roster and fight for playing time. A very good draft for a building franchise.
Minnesota Timberwolves -- Corey Brewer (No. 7), Chris Richard (No. 41)
Analysis: Two Florida guys who are winners. Brewer, one of three Gators taken in the top nine picks, might be the best of the bunch. He's a long, athletic player at 6-8 who was the best defender in the draft. He also has all the potential to continue to develop offensively into an all-around superstar. Should the Timberwolves keep Kevin Garnett, he's going to enjoy playing with Brewer. Richard came off the bench for the Gators, and may not make this roster, but he's a big, rugged player who will give intense minutes when called upon.
New Jersey Nets -- Sean Williams (No. 17)
Analysis: The old adage is "high risk, high reward," and that's certainly the case with Williams, who was kicked out of school at Boston College in January. He's a long player at 6-11 who is a tremendous shot-blocker and finisher in the paint. His potential is that of a lottery pick, but he also brings a great deal of baggage that could have him out of the league shortly.
New Orleans Hornets -- Julian Wright (No. 13), Adam Haluska (No. 43)
Analysis: Personally, I'm not a big Julian Wright fan. But the Hornets are thrilled. Coach Byron Scott could not have thought Wright would fall all the way to 13. Wright is a 6-9 SF from Kansas who does everything well. He runs the floor. He finishes in transition. He plays defense. He's a good shooter. A good passer. I wouldn't be surprised if Wright steps right in at SF and takes over the starting role for the departing Desmond Mason. Haluska is a good athlete and shooter from Iowa, but he'll have to work very hard to make the team.
New York Knicks -- Wilson Chandler (No. 23)
Analysis: Knicks fans don't care what Chandler does, although he could turn into a solid contributor along the mold of last year's first-round pick, Renaldo Balkman. No, the story of the draft came via a trade with Portland. The Knicks picked up PF Zach Randolph, Portland's leading scorer last year who is a 25/10 guy and an All-Star in the East. New York also got rid of one of its big contracts, sending Steve Francis out West. The Knicks did have to part with Channing Frye, an athletic PF who was the 8th pick two years ago. Also heading to New York are Dan Dickau and Fred J0nes. This is a step in the right direction for Isiah Thomas and the Knicks. Randolph can become a superstar in the East.
Orlando Magic -- Reyshawn Terry (No. 44)
Analysis: You don't expect too much from second-round picks, but Terry might be a surprise in Orlando. He has all the tools to be successful, even though he didn't have a great career at North Carolina. The 6-8 small forward is a very good value here. The Magic traded their other second-round pick, No. 54, to Houston, which selected Brad Newley.
Philadelphia 76ers -- Thaddeus Young (No. 12), Daequan Cook (No. 21), Petteri Koponen (No. 30), Kyrylo Fesenko (No. 38)
Analysis: The 76ers, like many teams, went with freshmen with their first two picks -- the SF Young from Ga. Tech and the SG Cook from Ohio State. They then dealt Cook to Miami for PF Jason Smith of Colorado State. Personally, I think they traded the wrong guy. I think Cook has a better upside and will become a better pro than Young. Philly also dealt Koponen to Portland for the rights to the 42nd pick, Derrick Byars. Byars was a solid player at Vanderbilt who could make the 76ers roster. And Fesenko is a steal in the second round from Ukraine. He'll continue to play overseas but the 7-1 20-year-old could surface in Philly as a force down the road.
Phoenix Suns -- Rudy Fernandez (No. 24), Alando Tucker (No. 29), D.J. Strawberry (No. 59)
Analysis: For the fourth straight year, the Suns sold or traded its first-round pick, sending Fernandez to Portland for money. It's like the Suns don't want to get any better. Seriously, it's ridiculous. I like the Tucker pick, though. He's a combo SG/SF player who has tons of leadership, played at a high level for four years at Wisconsin and will fit in nicely in Phoenix's system. I really like that pick. Strawberry, a 6-5 combo guard, is a good player but not a great one and probably won't make the Suns roster.
Portland TrailBlazers -- Greg Oden (No. 1), Josh McRoberts (No. 37), Derrick Byars (No. 42), Taurean Green (No. 52), Demetris Nichols (No. 53)
Analysis: Portland could have stopped after Oden and had the best draft of all the teams. Enough can't be said about Oden, the 7-foot center who is now the cornerstone of the franchise. But the Blazers didn't stop there, as they continue to rebuild their team. They traded Randolph, who is the last link to the "JailBlazers" teams of old, and got a solid backup PF/C in Channing Frye to play behind Oden and last year's first-round pick LaMarcus Aldridge. The Blazers also bought Rudy Fernandez from the Suns, traded Byars for Koponen, giving them two solid foreign players. Green was Florida's leading scorer last year, while Nichols was Syracuse's best player. And McRoberts, a supremely talented big man from Duke, is comfortable playing beside Oden, as the two are former AAU teammates. Portland has done a tremendous job the past two years of rebuilding their roster and will become a team to be reckoned with over the next decade.
Sacramento Kings -- Spencer Hawes (No. 10)
Analysis: Any time you can get a potential franchise center at No. 10, you take him -- and the Kings did just that. Hawes is a 7-foot-1 center from Washington who spent just one year with the Huskies. He has a bevy of low post moves and is a good rebounder. There are questions about his athleticism, but as he continues to get bigger and grow into his body, he'll continue to improve as a player. Hawes is going to be a great center in the NBA.
San Antonio Spurs -- Tiago Splitter (No. 28), Marcus Williams (No. 33), Giorgos Printezis (No. 58)
Analysis: Honestly, what do the NBA champs need? Splitter is an enigma, as he's been in and out of the draft pool the past couple of years, and could have been a potential lottery pick in the past. Instead, the Spurs plucked him at No. 28. They've had great success in the past with foreign players, and Splitter is the next in a long line. He's a 6-11 power forward who will fit in nicely with Fabricio Oberto and Francisco Elson alongside Tim Duncan. Williams is a very talented small forward from Arizona who could play on a number of teams. He'll have a tough time playing for the Spurs though. Printezis is a tough-nosed SF from Greece who will continue to develop over there for a couple of years.
Seattle SuperSonics -- Kevin Durant (No. 2), Carl Landry (No. 31), Glen Davis (No. 35)
Analysis: Like the Blazers, Seattle could have stopped after the selection of Durant and called it a successful day. But the Sonics were movers on this day. They shipped franchise player Ray Allen and Davis to Boston for the No. 5 pick, Jeff Green, Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West. Which means Durant is now the face of the franchise. The Sonics knew they couldn't keep both Allen and free agent Rashard Lewis, so they're hanging their hat on being able to re-sign Lewis. I'm not sure what I think about the strategy of having Durant, Lewis and Green -- who are all basically 6-9/6-10 small forwards -- but it does give the Sonics some options. They also sold Landry for a later second-round draft pick. Durant and Green will get chances to play early and often.
Toronto Raptors -- No picks.
Analysis: The Raptors are an up-and-coming young team, and it would have been nice for them to have a pick to add to their roster. Instead, they'll have to try to improve through free agency.
Utah Jazz -- Morris Almond (No. 25), Herbert Hill (No. 55)
Analysis: Jerry Sloan doesn't expect much from his rookies, preferring to let them sit and learn for a year. With rising superstar Deron Williams at PG and All-Star Carlos Boozer at PF, the Jazz could use some shooters to help open things up. Almond fits the bill as perhaps the best shooter in the draft. He should get some chances to play early, as SG is the Jazz's only weakness. Hill, a PF from Providence, is a good value pick late in the second round and could become the third second-round pick in two years to make the Jazz roster.
Washington Wizards -- Nick Young (No. 16), Dominic McGuire (No. 47)
Analysis: Young is a great, great value at No. 16. He's a lottery pick, possibly a top 10 pick, and Wizards were very content to pluck him with the 16th pick. At 6-foot-6, Young can play both wing positions and will make a nice complimentary piece to Wizards superstar Gilbert Arenas. Young doesn't need a ton of shots to be successful, which is good, because playing with Arenas he's not going to get many. McGuire, a 6-9 SF from Fresno State, is an intriguing prospect who plays defense, rebounds and blocks shots. He doesn't, however, play very good offense. Nonetheless, he has a good shot to make Washington's roster.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Working through moodiness
For those of you who might have tried to reach me today, or for those I might have had some contact with today, I apologize that I've been short and moody. Today wasn't exactly what I'd consider a good day, and it's probably going to take a little time for me to get over it.
Was told today that, pretty much, the Shreveport deal is a no-go. For details I can't really go into on the business side of things, The Times can't hire me, or anybody, to fill their position. And nobody really knows when they'll be able to.
The whole situation frustrates me, as I'm sure some of you know. It's been about a month since I applied for that job. And it's just drug on and on and on. It really frustrated me that this couldn't have been taken care of sooner, and now it appears like it won't be taken care of.
It really disappoints me that I can't get my wife back to north Louisiana so she can work with her brother. I think it would have been a great opportunity for both of them, and it really saddens me that I couldn't make it happen.
But now I just move on. I'm here in Cenla for however long, and I'll make the best of it. I really wasn't looking to leave, but I did get my heart set of going to Shreveport and getting back to north Louisiana. I'm disappointed. But it's not the end of the world. I have a good job here and a good life. Although I am depressed right now.
There are some other things going on in my life, too, that are of some concern to me. It's nothing I'm ready to go into detail here on the blog, but a big announcement was made at church this Sunday that sort of frightens me and concerns me. The direction of the church, and what I'm looking for from my church, aren't lining up. I have some major praying, thinking and decisions to make. I love my kids. They are a lot of fun. But I haven't had the time that I want to put into it. And now with this announcement, I feel further away than I have since I walked in the door. I don't know if I can give the church what it needs, or if the church can give me what I need. This partly adds to my depression today.
I hope for the best, and I surely don't want to lose my kids. But I've been drained lately, and I haven't felt like I can give what I need to give. And if I can't give what I feel like I should give, I don't feel like I should be a part of it. That's my nature. I don't want to drag anyone down, and I feel like I've been doing. Again, I have a lot to pray about. Please add me to your lists.
Was told today that, pretty much, the Shreveport deal is a no-go. For details I can't really go into on the business side of things, The Times can't hire me, or anybody, to fill their position. And nobody really knows when they'll be able to.
The whole situation frustrates me, as I'm sure some of you know. It's been about a month since I applied for that job. And it's just drug on and on and on. It really frustrated me that this couldn't have been taken care of sooner, and now it appears like it won't be taken care of.
It really disappoints me that I can't get my wife back to north Louisiana so she can work with her brother. I think it would have been a great opportunity for both of them, and it really saddens me that I couldn't make it happen.
But now I just move on. I'm here in Cenla for however long, and I'll make the best of it. I really wasn't looking to leave, but I did get my heart set of going to Shreveport and getting back to north Louisiana. I'm disappointed. But it's not the end of the world. I have a good job here and a good life. Although I am depressed right now.
There are some other things going on in my life, too, that are of some concern to me. It's nothing I'm ready to go into detail here on the blog, but a big announcement was made at church this Sunday that sort of frightens me and concerns me. The direction of the church, and what I'm looking for from my church, aren't lining up. I have some major praying, thinking and decisions to make. I love my kids. They are a lot of fun. But I haven't had the time that I want to put into it. And now with this announcement, I feel further away than I have since I walked in the door. I don't know if I can give the church what it needs, or if the church can give me what I need. This partly adds to my depression today.
I hope for the best, and I surely don't want to lose my kids. But I've been drained lately, and I haven't felt like I can give what I need to give. And if I can't give what I feel like I should give, I don't feel like I should be a part of it. That's my nature. I don't want to drag anyone down, and I feel like I've been doing. Again, I have a lot to pray about. Please add me to your lists.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Blonde Moment
So Elizabeth and I weren't really doing too much on our day off today. Got up late, as usual. Grabbed a little lunch. Went to check out some mattresses, as the one we have now is giving both our backs some problems.
We really were just spending some quality time together. We went to the mall and did some looking (and some buying, but that's another story). Then, as we were heading out, Elizabeth mentioned something about my needing a haircut.
Just a little background. I don't particularly like to get my hair cut. I like to keep it longer, just because with my thousand cowlicks, it's easier to maintain when it's that length, rather than shorter. But Elizabeth prefers shorter.
Anyway, I've been wanting a change for a while. Been wanting to add a little color to my life. So I said what the heck ... let's get some highlights. I haven't colored my hair in two years, when Elizabeth and I went all out at a day spa in Boston on our honeymoon. So I get there, run through some books, pick out a style and color I'd like and sit down in a chair.The picture I thought I'd shown had light brown/auburn highlights. Apparently, the stylist thought they were blonde. It wasn't until she called me blondie when she was about to shampoo my hair that I figured out what was going on. I had blonde highlights. Now, I actually like the way it turned out, but it is going to take a little time to get used to having blonde in my hair!
Meanwhile, as I'm in the chair, Elizabeth brings a picture from a style book over and asks me if I liked it. It was cute, and short. While Elizabeth likes to keep her hair long, I think she's really pretty with short hair. So I said, 'Go for it!' Another little story -- when Elizabeth and I first met and started dating, she had blonde highlights. So I like it when she gets her hair colored.Anyway, that's how our day off turned into a blonde makeover!!!
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Short, sweet and to the point
I could go on and on and on about my current four-day hiatus from work, which regretfully ends when I return to the office tomorrow afternoon. But I won't. I'll keep it short.
Elizabeth and I were planning to take off to Atlanta, but it just didn't fit in the budget. I was saddened, but undaunted. Instead, we just relaxed around the house, for the most part. Except for Monday.
On Monday, we trekked up north to Ruston. I love going back home and seeing old friends. I try to get to Ruston as much as I can. Anyway, I promised short, and I'm breaking said promise. Now to the point.
We had lunch with a couple of old friends, Kyle and Judith, at Monjuni's. Good food. Good conversation. Love Kyle and Judith. Then we ran by the bank (CTB) where Elizabeth used to work. She got a chance to spend some time with former co-workers, while I ran off down the road and visited with Smoothie King owner Bradley Walker, who I've known since I was 5 or something. Again, just good to see and old face and chat. When I arrived back to the bank, I had a chance to talk with Dave Anderson, whom I've known since I was a freshman in high school, when he nicknamed me "Arnold Palmer" for leaving his track team to play golf at Ruston High. Anyway, we chatted for 20 minutes or so, just catching up.
After leaving the bank, Elizabeth and I ran out to her brother Jason's house, where we watched a little Nascar (ha!) and visited, both friendly and business. For those of you wondering, I still haven't heard anything from Shreveport. Everything is good on Elizabeth and Jason's end, but I'm just waiting to hear back from Shreveport to see if we can take the next step. I hate lack of progress, but I'll keep you informed.
The only sad part about our trip was the lack of little boys, as both Caleb and Seth (Jason's two sons) were at daycare and we didn't get to see them. Sad times, because those little boys are fun!
After spending a few hours with Jason, he ran off to chat with a lawyer about getting his business started, while Elizabeth and I went over to visit with the Ferrels, a family I've known for nearly 20 years. As always is the case with the Ferrels, no matter who's home, it was good conversation and a good time. Michelle, one of my little girls, who aren't so little anymore, (there's a whole other blog that I might post about memories on this one) wasn't home, but her twin sister Ashley was. As was their mother, Sherri, and her two grandbabies, Aiden and Brenton. Those boys are tons of fun! Was saddened to hear her oldest daughter has gotten herself in quite a bit of trouble, but I'll just pray for her safety and guidance in turning her life around. All and all, that was a fun time, as always.
After leaving the Ferrels, Elizabeth and I had supper with a couple of college friends, Alan and Misti. Well, Alan is a lot more than a college friend. He was one of the first friends I had when I moved back to Ruston in seventh grade, and one of my groomsmen, as well. Anyway, Alan and Misti just moved back to Ruston from Houston, and we got to have supper with them at Chili's. It was the first time we'd seen them since we went down to Houston around October. Great times. I really enjoy being around those two, and having supper with them made me realize how much I've missed spending time with them over the past couple of years. Now they're just two hours away, and I'm hoping we'll be able to catch up much more often.
All in all, it was a great trip. Even got myself a couple of handfuls of those wonderful Ruston peaches. Yummy! Can't wait to scarf those down!
I'm sorry, everyone. I promised short, but I'm coming to realize I just don't do short. It's going to be very challenging when I begin blogging for work next week -- since my blogs are supposed to be 10 paragraphs or less. That's going to be tough! LOL.
Until later -- Bret
Elizabeth and I were planning to take off to Atlanta, but it just didn't fit in the budget. I was saddened, but undaunted. Instead, we just relaxed around the house, for the most part. Except for Monday.
On Monday, we trekked up north to Ruston. I love going back home and seeing old friends. I try to get to Ruston as much as I can. Anyway, I promised short, and I'm breaking said promise. Now to the point.
We had lunch with a couple of old friends, Kyle and Judith, at Monjuni's. Good food. Good conversation. Love Kyle and Judith. Then we ran by the bank (CTB) where Elizabeth used to work. She got a chance to spend some time with former co-workers, while I ran off down the road and visited with Smoothie King owner Bradley Walker, who I've known since I was 5 or something. Again, just good to see and old face and chat. When I arrived back to the bank, I had a chance to talk with Dave Anderson, whom I've known since I was a freshman in high school, when he nicknamed me "Arnold Palmer" for leaving his track team to play golf at Ruston High. Anyway, we chatted for 20 minutes or so, just catching up.
After leaving the bank, Elizabeth and I ran out to her brother Jason's house, where we watched a little Nascar (ha!) and visited, both friendly and business. For those of you wondering, I still haven't heard anything from Shreveport. Everything is good on Elizabeth and Jason's end, but I'm just waiting to hear back from Shreveport to see if we can take the next step. I hate lack of progress, but I'll keep you informed.
The only sad part about our trip was the lack of little boys, as both Caleb and Seth (Jason's two sons) were at daycare and we didn't get to see them. Sad times, because those little boys are fun!
After spending a few hours with Jason, he ran off to chat with a lawyer about getting his business started, while Elizabeth and I went over to visit with the Ferrels, a family I've known for nearly 20 years. As always is the case with the Ferrels, no matter who's home, it was good conversation and a good time. Michelle, one of my little girls, who aren't so little anymore, (there's a whole other blog that I might post about memories on this one) wasn't home, but her twin sister Ashley was. As was their mother, Sherri, and her two grandbabies, Aiden and Brenton. Those boys are tons of fun! Was saddened to hear her oldest daughter has gotten herself in quite a bit of trouble, but I'll just pray for her safety and guidance in turning her life around. All and all, that was a fun time, as always.
After leaving the Ferrels, Elizabeth and I had supper with a couple of college friends, Alan and Misti. Well, Alan is a lot more than a college friend. He was one of the first friends I had when I moved back to Ruston in seventh grade, and one of my groomsmen, as well. Anyway, Alan and Misti just moved back to Ruston from Houston, and we got to have supper with them at Chili's. It was the first time we'd seen them since we went down to Houston around October. Great times. I really enjoy being around those two, and having supper with them made me realize how much I've missed spending time with them over the past couple of years. Now they're just two hours away, and I'm hoping we'll be able to catch up much more often.
All in all, it was a great trip. Even got myself a couple of handfuls of those wonderful Ruston peaches. Yummy! Can't wait to scarf those down!
I'm sorry, everyone. I promised short, but I'm coming to realize I just don't do short. It's going to be very challenging when I begin blogging for work next week -- since my blogs are supposed to be 10 paragraphs or less. That's going to be tough! LOL.
Until later -- Bret
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Here's an update ...
Well, for some of you, this is an update. For others, this might be the first you're hearing of this. If that's the case, I apologize. It's not like I'm trying to hide this from anyone. In fact, I've been more open about this than I have anything else in my career. It's just that I've been really busy and actually haven't talked to many people lately.
So what's this big news that I've kept so hush-hush? We might be moving -- again. Not like staying in Cenla moving, but actually leaving Cenla moving.
I know. I know. We just moved here. We bought a house. I like my job. All positive things. So why am I looking to leave? Well, like many things in life, it's complicated.
There's an opportunity in Shreveport at The Times that is essentially what I'm doing now -- prep sports -- but would be a little less pressure and a little less work. It wouldn't be an assistant editor position, which means I'd be working 40 hours a week. There are many benefits to this -- spending more time with Elizabeth, not wearing myself out, having more time to spend relaxing, etc.
In and of itself, this job wouldn't interest me. While there are some good benefits to taking the job, I'm not exactly looking to leave Alexandria. I've known about this job for awhile, and it didn't intrigue me enough on its own.
So what changed? It's a family deal. My brother-in-law is opening his own physical therapy business, and he approached Elizabeth about being his business manager. While she loves her job, her background is in business, and I think it would be a great opportunity for her. Needless to say, I believe it's something we should at least consider.
So we're considering. And still considering. Right now, we're just in a holding pattern. After officially applying for the job in Shreveport, I was told the managing editor would get with me this week. Since I hadn't heard from him, I sent him an e-mail today, and he told me it'd be next week before he could review my clips and get back with me. So we're waiting ...
Like I've told the few people I have been able to talk to about this, I'll keep people informed during this whole process. I'm not looking to hide anything -- from my family, from my friends or from my employers. All of this is on the up-and-up.
My biggest problem is a lack of patience. Honestly, there are benefits to either one of these jobs. I'd be happy either way. I just want an answer. I want to move forward. If we're going to Shreveport (or Minden or Homer or wherever we end up), I want to get started on that as soon as possible. If we're staying in Cenla, I want to give my all to that. So sitting and waiting isn't my best ability. But that's what I'm doing. When I hear something, you'll hear something.
So what's this big news that I've kept so hush-hush? We might be moving -- again. Not like staying in Cenla moving, but actually leaving Cenla moving.
I know. I know. We just moved here. We bought a house. I like my job. All positive things. So why am I looking to leave? Well, like many things in life, it's complicated.
There's an opportunity in Shreveport at The Times that is essentially what I'm doing now -- prep sports -- but would be a little less pressure and a little less work. It wouldn't be an assistant editor position, which means I'd be working 40 hours a week. There are many benefits to this -- spending more time with Elizabeth, not wearing myself out, having more time to spend relaxing, etc.
In and of itself, this job wouldn't interest me. While there are some good benefits to taking the job, I'm not exactly looking to leave Alexandria. I've known about this job for awhile, and it didn't intrigue me enough on its own.
So what changed? It's a family deal. My brother-in-law is opening his own physical therapy business, and he approached Elizabeth about being his business manager. While she loves her job, her background is in business, and I think it would be a great opportunity for her. Needless to say, I believe it's something we should at least consider.
So we're considering. And still considering. Right now, we're just in a holding pattern. After officially applying for the job in Shreveport, I was told the managing editor would get with me this week. Since I hadn't heard from him, I sent him an e-mail today, and he told me it'd be next week before he could review my clips and get back with me. So we're waiting ...
Like I've told the few people I have been able to talk to about this, I'll keep people informed during this whole process. I'm not looking to hide anything -- from my family, from my friends or from my employers. All of this is on the up-and-up.
My biggest problem is a lack of patience. Honestly, there are benefits to either one of these jobs. I'd be happy either way. I just want an answer. I want to move forward. If we're going to Shreveport (or Minden or Homer or wherever we end up), I want to get started on that as soon as possible. If we're staying in Cenla, I want to give my all to that. So sitting and waiting isn't my best ability. But that's what I'm doing. When I hear something, you'll hear something.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Digitally creative
For some reason, my bosses at work signed me up for a digital photo training class at LSU-Alexandria. It's basically a beginning photo class, one of many continuing education classes workers at The Town Talk "get" to take due to some grant money the paper has.
Unlike the other training classes I've taken, this one is actually pretty fun because 1) I actually have an interest in photography, even if I don't have a great eye for it; and 2) because I'm not stuck at a computer in the class. We actually get out and shoot some photos.
The only problem with the class is it starts at 8 a.m. (I have my last of three classes Thursday morning), and since it's 3:15 a.m. as I type right now, you guys can tell that I'm a night owl (hey, I work at night!).
But after the last class, we were given a "homework" assignment to get 12 photographs that we've taken in order to make homemade cards. So I dug through some of my old digital photos that I've shot and picked out 12 that I thought were good photos or had good stories or good memories associated with them. I'd like to run through them with you guys and share the stories, because it was fun for me to go back into the past.
1) The scene is a picture of a sailboat and a skyline in June in Boston. It's a picture from a boat tour that Elizabeth and I took on our honeymoon in Boston in June 2005. I just think it was a neat picture, and it was an absolutely beautiful day.
2) This picture I didn't actually take, but I had it on my computer and absolutely had to use it. It's a picture of my wife taken by her mother for our "engagement" pictures out by the gazebo at her parents' house. The thing that is so striking about the photo is that Elizabeth is laughing. First of all, it's like pulling teeth to get Elizabeth to take a picture. She normally runs away or simply hides her face. Point blank, she doesn't like to be photographed, but she submitted for the engagement photos. I don't recall exactly what was going on off-camera when this photo was shot, but Elizabeth was laughing at something -- probably some silly thing that I did!
3) This third photo is very striking to me. It was taken last October when I went to New York City with my brother-in-law, Jason. We went down to Ground Zero and stood out in the rain. While I was there, I snapped a photo of the big void that is left where the twin towers used to stand. One day, and it's not supposed to take very long, there will be a memorial standing the same height as the tallest tower.
4) The fourth photo is of a lighthouse in Maine on our honeymoon. When Elizabeth and I went up to the Northeast, we visited several lighthouses. And this is my favorite photo of all the lighthouses I shot. It's also the photo Elizabeth has on her MySpace page.
5) My boy, Ryan Moats. I had the pleasure of spending Draft Day 2005 in Dallas at Moats' house. While there, I took several pictures of the party. In one of them, I captured Ryan in a fairly artsy photo (especially for me, who's not very artsy at all). It's a shot of him standing by the fireplace in his mom's living room, and he's framed by the bricks and rocks of the fireplace. This photo is now the one on my MySpace page.
6) Peyton Manning. J-E-T-S! Jets, Jets, Jets! Another shot from my October trip to New York, when Jason and I went to Yankee Stadium and then to watch the Colts and the Jets play. I took a photo of Peyton under center from the stands, and I'm actually surprised how well it turned out. Jason and I were by no means in the nosebleeds, and we actually had some pretty good seats, but I didn't think I'd be able to get nearly as good of a photo as I was able to get.
7) The Green Monster. Yes, I like sports. A lot of these photos have to do with sports in some way, shape or form. So sue me. This one is a photo of Fenway Park's famed Green Monster, the left field fence at the park. This photo was taken from the press box on our tour of the park. Sadly, the Red Sox were out of town during our honeymoon, and we didn't get to see a game. But we did take a tour. And not only did I get this shot of the Green Monster, Elizabeth also took a photo of me atop the Monster. That had been on my MySpace page.
8) Another photo at Fenway. This one is of Elizabeth and me down on the field level. The Green Monster can be seen in the background. I didn't actually take this photo, since I'm in the picture. We asked a kind stranger to shoot us. Not great quality, but a good memory.
9) One of the funniest photos I have, it's of Misti Walker, a friend from college and the wife of one of my best friends, Alan Walker. This photo was taken at "Alan's Pad" -- his so-called bachelor pad out in the woods behind his dad's house when we were in college. It captures Misti's personality to a "T" (her nickname), as she has a football in one arm and strikes the Heisman pose. Absolutely hilarious when it happened, and still funny to think about!
10) Another photo of Ryan Moats at his Draft Day party. This one is of Ryan on his cell phone as he receives a call from the Philadelphia Eagles, telling him they are about to take him in the third round of the draft. It had been a long, frustrating day for Ryan, as he wasn't selected until after 9 p.m. But once he got the call from the Eagles, all of his frustrations slipped away, and he was elated to know he would get the chance to play in the NFL.
11) Certainly not the best photo I've taken in terms of quality, but it's a shot of the New York skyline on my way back into the city after the Jets game back in October. It was a beautiful day, even if the picture doesn't best represent the striking beauty of the sky.
12) Last but not least, a random picture of a sunset. I honestly do not remember where or when this photo was taken. I just had my camera with me -- it may have been when I was looking at houses after moving to Alexandria -- and saw an opportunity to catch a pretty orange sky. So I shot it, and I really like the photo.
Anyway, I was happy to get a chance to go through some old photos thanks to this homework assignment. I like the idea of recording memories, and digital photos have made that so much easier these days. You can shoot as many as you want, delete the ones you don't like and save them. Then if you want to make a print, it's fairly easy to save it to a desk and run up to Wal-Mart, which is what I did for this assignment. I hope you've enjoyed my trip down memory lane, as well.
Anyway, I was happy to get a chance to go through some old photos thanks to this homework assignment. I like the idea of recording memories, and digital photos have made that so much easier these days. You can shoot as many as you want, delete the ones you don't like and save them. Then if you want to make a print, it's fairly easy to save it to a desk and run up to Wal-Mart, which is what I did for this assignment. I hope you've enjoyed my trip down memory lane, as well.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Memoirs from a Deathbed
Believe it or not, despite the fact that I've been working constantly and sleeping half the day away, I've had a chance lately to do a lot of thinking. And one of the things that got me thinking was a new CD that I bought from perhaps my favorite band, Relient K.
I want to share with you guys the final song on the album, an epic, 11-minute confession of a man dying from cancer and looking back on his life from his deathbed. I'll provide the lyrics in black font, with my own thoughts in blue.
DEATHBED
I can smell the death on the sheets
Covering me
I can't believe
This is the end
But this is my deathbed
I lie here alone
If I close my eyes tonight
I know I'll be home
Sometimes in our lives we can feel so alone, so attached from the world that goes on all around us. But this was a man who was utterly alone, on his deathbed with nobody to care for him. What a depressing thought -- to be all alone and dying. But even when we're alone, we're not alone. God is there with us, and even when things are at their worst, we have the promise of eternity waiting for us when He calls us home.
The year was 1941
I was 8 years old and far too young
To know that the stories
Of battle and glory
Was a tale a kind moher made up for her son
You see, Dad was a traveling preacher
Teaching the words of The Teacher
But Mother had sworn
He went off to the war
And died there with honor somewhere on a beach there
But he left once to never return
Which taught me that I should unlearn
Whatever I thought a father should be
I abandoned that thought like he abandoned me
The man was 8 years old in 1941 -- meaning he was born in 1933. In 2007, as he's on his deathbed, he's 66 years old looking back at his life. While I haven't lived nearly 66 years, there are times I think back to things in my past that have shaped me into what I am today. In this case, his father -- a Christian man, a traveling preacher -- abandoned him and his mother all alone. At such an early age, he had to grow up and become a man. I can relate here. While I never once felt abandoned, for the most part of my childhood it was just me and Mom. We bounced around, went through a couple of husbands, but it was us. I had to grow up. Mom hd to sacrifice. It shaped me into the man I would become.
By '47 I was fourteen
I'd acquired a taste for liquor and nicotine
I smoked until I threw up
Yet I still lit 'em up for 30 more years
Like a machine
So right there you have it
That one filthy habit
Is what got me where I am today
At 14 years old, abandoned by his father, this man had begun going down a path that would lead to his destruction. Liquor and nicotine -- the latter of which would lead to a cancer that would riddle his bones and put him on his deathbed, looking back on his life. We make choices. Every day we make choices. Some good. Some bad. None of us are perfect. But we live with our choices. They shape us. They define us. At 14, this man made a choice that would effect the rest of his life. I hope I haven't made decisions that will lead to my destruction someday.
I can smell the death on the sheets
Covering me
I can't believe
This is the end
I can hear those sad memories
Still haunting me
So many things
I'd do again
But this is my deathbed
I lie here alone
If I close my eyes tonight
I know I'll be home
A little twist on the chorus. As he lays in his bed, all alone, on his deathbed, he's haunted about sad memories from the past -- about the abandonment he faced when his father left, about the filthy smoking habit that would lead to the cancer that's killing me. Man, all these decisions haunt him in his last days. There are so many things he'd do all over. I look back at all the stupid mistakes that I've made in my life, and how I wish I could have a chance to do things all over again. But we don't get that opportunity. We live. We learn. We move on. We make mistakes, ask for forgiveness and try to live to the best of our abilities. Unfortunately, in life, there are no mulligans.
Got married on my 21st
Eight months before my wife would give birth
It's easier to be sure you love someone
When her father inquires with the barrel of a gun
The union was far from harmonious
No two people could have been more alone than us
The years would go by and she'd love someone else
And I'd realize I hadn't been loved yet myself
While at 14, he began smoking. At 21, he impregnated his wife and had a shotgun wedding. Again choices that define us. I guess it would be pretty easy to know you love someone when her father is threatening your life. You man up and take the consequences of your action. But can you imagine how tough it would be knowing that you're 21 years old, about to be a father and getting into a marriage that neither one of you wants to be in. Your families obviously aren't happy with your decisions, and you are forced to try to make things right. But they aren't right. The marriage is doomed from the start. She'd move on and give her heart to someone else -- without ever giving it to you at the start.
From there it's your typical spiel
If life was a highway I was drunk at the wheel
I was helping the loose ends all fall apart
Yeah I swear I was destined to fail and fail from the start
I bowled about six times a week
The bottle of Beam kept the memories from me
Our marriage had taken a 7-10 split
And along with my pride, the ex-wife took the kids
And things kept getting worse. Without love, a fatherless young boy became a father who in his own way abandoned his children. Is going life through the motions a life worth living? This man just went through the motions -- he was drunk at the wheel of the highway of life. In a way, he feels sorry for himself. He feels as if his life was set up from the get-go destined for failure. He's beaten down. He's broken. Can things get any worse? Probably, but in his head there's no way it's going to get any better.
I was so scared of Jesus
But he sought me out
Like the cancer in my lungs
That's killing me now
And I've given up hope
On the days I have left
But I cling to the hope
On my life in the next
But just when we get up hope, our hero swoops in. The hope for the hopeless. When we're running scared, when we're hiding from life, Jesus is there, seeking us out, trying to save us. Just like the cancer in this man's lungs, seeking to spread its way throughout his body, Christ sought to take over his life. As he lays in his bed, alone, dying, there's no hope left in this life. But there's hope in eternity. There's hope that the pain, the loneliness, the helplessness, everything will be gone -- and all that's left is a perfect life in heaven.
Then Jesus showed up
Said "Before we go up
I thought we might reminisce
See one night in your life
When you turned out the lights
You asked for and prayed for my forgiveness"
Now it's time. Jesus shows up. As the man takes his final breath, he closes his eyes to see The Father and The Son. It's time for eternity. But before, Jesus says let's take a trip down memory lane. Surely, this isn't what the old man wants to do. After all, he's just been taking trips down memory lane. The thoughts were depressing. His life wasn't exactly fulfilling. But Jesus brings good memories -- a memory about a broken man, alone in the dark, crying out for forgiveness. And that's all it takes -- a heart that comes, pure and broken, with the understanding that we cannot save ourselves. It just takes a heart in search of a hero and a savior.
You cried wolf
The tears, they soaked your fur
The blood dripped from your fangs
You said, "What have I done?"
You loved that lamb
With every sinful bone
And there you wept alone
Your heart was so contrite
You said "Jesus, please forgive me of my crimes
Sanctify this withered heart of mine
Stay with me until my life is through
And on that day, please take me home with you"
This is perhaps my favorite part of the whole song. I've grown up in church and heard many metaphors about the life of Christ. I've heard all about the pure lamb of Christ -- the sacrifice that was made for us to have eternal life. But I've never before heard us compared to a wolf. But that's what we are. We are the wolf who sought out and sacrificed the pure lamb. We're the ones with the blood on our fangs. And we're the ones who should be crying over the punishment that we caused the only perfect person to ever walk this earth. But that's the good news. That was the plan. Jesus did it willingly. He went to the Cross for us and allowed us to dig our fangs into his brittle bones. The crown of thorns, all the whips, the broken bones, the beatings that Jesus took -- all of that was our fangs digging into him and devouring the perfect lamb. And that sacrifice was wondeful, but it was useless unless we come with a contrite heart, pouring out our withered hearts, begging for forgiveness and asking our savior to take us home with him.
I can smell the death on the sheets
Covering me
I can't believe
This is the end
I can hear you whisper to me
It's time to leave
You'll never be
Lonely again
But this was my deathbed
I died there alone
When I closed my eyes tonight
You carried me home
Again, another twist on the chorus. Jesus came to take the old man home and simply whispered in his ear that he had nothing more to worry about. Never again would he be lonely. Never again would he feel the pain of the human emotions that we deal with every day. No, he was on his way to heaven. Carried home by our hero.
(Voice of Jesus)
I am the way
Follow me and take my hand
And I am the truth
Embrace me and you'll understand
I am the life
Through me you'll live again
For I am love
I am love
I am love
And then to close the song we get the voice of Jesus, pleading out to his children. Just like the gospels say, he is the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father but through him. He's the way, all we have to do is take his hand and follow. He's the truth. If we embrace it, we'll understand. And he is the life. Through him, we can live again. We can have the gift of eternal life. But most importantly, he is love. That love is what saves us. That love is what led to the ultimate sacrifice.
I hope one day I am not in the position that this old man was put in. I hope I'm not alone on my deathbed, with no family, no loved ones, basically living a useless life. I don't want to look back on my life with any regrets. I want to live life to its fullest. But no matter what, no matter how my life turns out, the twists, turns and tribulations that are sure to come in the future, I know I have the love of my savior. I know my future is written in the Book of Life. That gives me the ultimate comfort to know that I can live my life and at the end of the day know that I'm going home!
I want to share with you guys the final song on the album, an epic, 11-minute confession of a man dying from cancer and looking back on his life from his deathbed. I'll provide the lyrics in black font, with my own thoughts in blue.
DEATHBED
I can smell the death on the sheets
Covering me
I can't believe
This is the end
But this is my deathbed
I lie here alone
If I close my eyes tonight
I know I'll be home
Sometimes in our lives we can feel so alone, so attached from the world that goes on all around us. But this was a man who was utterly alone, on his deathbed with nobody to care for him. What a depressing thought -- to be all alone and dying. But even when we're alone, we're not alone. God is there with us, and even when things are at their worst, we have the promise of eternity waiting for us when He calls us home.
The year was 1941
I was 8 years old and far too young
To know that the stories
Of battle and glory
Was a tale a kind moher made up for her son
You see, Dad was a traveling preacher
Teaching the words of The Teacher
But Mother had sworn
He went off to the war
And died there with honor somewhere on a beach there
But he left once to never return
Which taught me that I should unlearn
Whatever I thought a father should be
I abandoned that thought like he abandoned me
The man was 8 years old in 1941 -- meaning he was born in 1933. In 2007, as he's on his deathbed, he's 66 years old looking back at his life. While I haven't lived nearly 66 years, there are times I think back to things in my past that have shaped me into what I am today. In this case, his father -- a Christian man, a traveling preacher -- abandoned him and his mother all alone. At such an early age, he had to grow up and become a man. I can relate here. While I never once felt abandoned, for the most part of my childhood it was just me and Mom. We bounced around, went through a couple of husbands, but it was us. I had to grow up. Mom hd to sacrifice. It shaped me into the man I would become.
By '47 I was fourteen
I'd acquired a taste for liquor and nicotine
I smoked until I threw up
Yet I still lit 'em up for 30 more years
Like a machine
So right there you have it
That one filthy habit
Is what got me where I am today
At 14 years old, abandoned by his father, this man had begun going down a path that would lead to his destruction. Liquor and nicotine -- the latter of which would lead to a cancer that would riddle his bones and put him on his deathbed, looking back on his life. We make choices. Every day we make choices. Some good. Some bad. None of us are perfect. But we live with our choices. They shape us. They define us. At 14, this man made a choice that would effect the rest of his life. I hope I haven't made decisions that will lead to my destruction someday.
I can smell the death on the sheets
Covering me
I can't believe
This is the end
I can hear those sad memories
Still haunting me
So many things
I'd do again
But this is my deathbed
I lie here alone
If I close my eyes tonight
I know I'll be home
A little twist on the chorus. As he lays in his bed, all alone, on his deathbed, he's haunted about sad memories from the past -- about the abandonment he faced when his father left, about the filthy smoking habit that would lead to the cancer that's killing me. Man, all these decisions haunt him in his last days. There are so many things he'd do all over. I look back at all the stupid mistakes that I've made in my life, and how I wish I could have a chance to do things all over again. But we don't get that opportunity. We live. We learn. We move on. We make mistakes, ask for forgiveness and try to live to the best of our abilities. Unfortunately, in life, there are no mulligans.
Got married on my 21st
Eight months before my wife would give birth
It's easier to be sure you love someone
When her father inquires with the barrel of a gun
The union was far from harmonious
No two people could have been more alone than us
The years would go by and she'd love someone else
And I'd realize I hadn't been loved yet myself
While at 14, he began smoking. At 21, he impregnated his wife and had a shotgun wedding. Again choices that define us. I guess it would be pretty easy to know you love someone when her father is threatening your life. You man up and take the consequences of your action. But can you imagine how tough it would be knowing that you're 21 years old, about to be a father and getting into a marriage that neither one of you wants to be in. Your families obviously aren't happy with your decisions, and you are forced to try to make things right. But they aren't right. The marriage is doomed from the start. She'd move on and give her heart to someone else -- without ever giving it to you at the start.
From there it's your typical spiel
If life was a highway I was drunk at the wheel
I was helping the loose ends all fall apart
Yeah I swear I was destined to fail and fail from the start
I bowled about six times a week
The bottle of Beam kept the memories from me
Our marriage had taken a 7-10 split
And along with my pride, the ex-wife took the kids
And things kept getting worse. Without love, a fatherless young boy became a father who in his own way abandoned his children. Is going life through the motions a life worth living? This man just went through the motions -- he was drunk at the wheel of the highway of life. In a way, he feels sorry for himself. He feels as if his life was set up from the get-go destined for failure. He's beaten down. He's broken. Can things get any worse? Probably, but in his head there's no way it's going to get any better.
I was so scared of Jesus
But he sought me out
Like the cancer in my lungs
That's killing me now
And I've given up hope
On the days I have left
But I cling to the hope
On my life in the next
But just when we get up hope, our hero swoops in. The hope for the hopeless. When we're running scared, when we're hiding from life, Jesus is there, seeking us out, trying to save us. Just like the cancer in this man's lungs, seeking to spread its way throughout his body, Christ sought to take over his life. As he lays in his bed, alone, dying, there's no hope left in this life. But there's hope in eternity. There's hope that the pain, the loneliness, the helplessness, everything will be gone -- and all that's left is a perfect life in heaven.
Then Jesus showed up
Said "Before we go up
I thought we might reminisce
See one night in your life
When you turned out the lights
You asked for and prayed for my forgiveness"
Now it's time. Jesus shows up. As the man takes his final breath, he closes his eyes to see The Father and The Son. It's time for eternity. But before, Jesus says let's take a trip down memory lane. Surely, this isn't what the old man wants to do. After all, he's just been taking trips down memory lane. The thoughts were depressing. His life wasn't exactly fulfilling. But Jesus brings good memories -- a memory about a broken man, alone in the dark, crying out for forgiveness. And that's all it takes -- a heart that comes, pure and broken, with the understanding that we cannot save ourselves. It just takes a heart in search of a hero and a savior.
You cried wolf
The tears, they soaked your fur
The blood dripped from your fangs
You said, "What have I done?"
You loved that lamb
With every sinful bone
And there you wept alone
Your heart was so contrite
You said "Jesus, please forgive me of my crimes
Sanctify this withered heart of mine
Stay with me until my life is through
And on that day, please take me home with you"
This is perhaps my favorite part of the whole song. I've grown up in church and heard many metaphors about the life of Christ. I've heard all about the pure lamb of Christ -- the sacrifice that was made for us to have eternal life. But I've never before heard us compared to a wolf. But that's what we are. We are the wolf who sought out and sacrificed the pure lamb. We're the ones with the blood on our fangs. And we're the ones who should be crying over the punishment that we caused the only perfect person to ever walk this earth. But that's the good news. That was the plan. Jesus did it willingly. He went to the Cross for us and allowed us to dig our fangs into his brittle bones. The crown of thorns, all the whips, the broken bones, the beatings that Jesus took -- all of that was our fangs digging into him and devouring the perfect lamb. And that sacrifice was wondeful, but it was useless unless we come with a contrite heart, pouring out our withered hearts, begging for forgiveness and asking our savior to take us home with him.
I can smell the death on the sheets
Covering me
I can't believe
This is the end
I can hear you whisper to me
It's time to leave
You'll never be
Lonely again
But this was my deathbed
I died there alone
When I closed my eyes tonight
You carried me home
Again, another twist on the chorus. Jesus came to take the old man home and simply whispered in his ear that he had nothing more to worry about. Never again would he be lonely. Never again would he feel the pain of the human emotions that we deal with every day. No, he was on his way to heaven. Carried home by our hero.
(Voice of Jesus)
I am the way
Follow me and take my hand
And I am the truth
Embrace me and you'll understand
I am the life
Through me you'll live again
For I am love
I am love
I am love
And then to close the song we get the voice of Jesus, pleading out to his children. Just like the gospels say, he is the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father but through him. He's the way, all we have to do is take his hand and follow. He's the truth. If we embrace it, we'll understand. And he is the life. Through him, we can live again. We can have the gift of eternal life. But most importantly, he is love. That love is what saves us. That love is what led to the ultimate sacrifice.
I hope one day I am not in the position that this old man was put in. I hope I'm not alone on my deathbed, with no family, no loved ones, basically living a useless life. I don't want to look back on my life with any regrets. I want to live life to its fullest. But no matter what, no matter how my life turns out, the twists, turns and tribulations that are sure to come in the future, I know I have the love of my savior. I know my future is written in the Book of Life. That gives me the ultimate comfort to know that I can live my life and at the end of the day know that I'm going home!
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Can I relax now
Oh how I wish it were just "Strictly Sports" ... (for those of you reading on MySpace, I also post a blog on Blogger that I entitle "Strictly Sports")
This week has been far from strictly anything.
I'm sitting at my desk at 10 a.m. Saturday morning, an hour until I meet Patrick Johnson, our prep writer, to head down to Lafayette to cover the semifinals of the boys basketball playoffs. And for the first time all week, I feel I finally have time to relax.
I just received my final mug shot for our All-Cenla boys and girls soccer teams, which will run in Sunday's paper. 22 photos. I was responsible for tracking them down. And boy did I have some problems. I thought, by going to the schools and trying to get yearbook pictures, that I was doing it the right way. Wrong!
Don't get me wrong -- some schools were very helpful. They gave me hard copies of yearbook prints or e-mailed it over to me. One school had already shipped off its yearbook pictures, but the ROTC department e-mailed me photos from school IDs. But others weren't nearly as helpful.
Going into yesterday -- mind you, with a graphic designer wanting to finish this big, full-page project up as soon as possible -- I still needed 10 or 11 mug shots. So I started tracking down parents and athletes. Some parents were able to e-mail me photos, and I am terribly gracious for that. Other athletes took time out of their busy schedules for me to shoot photos of them -- three Pineville athletes met me at the school at 7 p.m. last night, after I twice asked, and received confirmation, that I would receive yearbook photos via e-mail.
Coming into today -- after being in the office for a full eight hours yesterday on my "day off" -- I lacked just two photos, or so I thought. I got in touch with one parent, who said she had e-mailed me on Thursday -- an e-mail I had accidentally deleted. No problem. I hit restore and it was safe. That left one more, so I contacted him and asked him I could meet him to shoot a photo. He lives in Colfax, so he said he'd e-mail me. Three photos later and I'm done. Relax.
If that were only the story of my week. Here's where we get to the non-sports part of my job this week. Every year, The Town Talk puts out "parish profiles" every year on the 13 (now 11) parishes that we cover. For some reason -- and despite many protests -- I drew Catahoula Parish. For the record, so you guys won't think I'm just complaining, I'm the only one of our "content editors" (read people in charge of assigning and editing stories) that received one of these assignments. Yes, I write. I enjoy it. But I have many other responsibilities around here that a normal reporter doesn't have, which made this assignment very difficult for me.
First, I had to create time to drive to Catahoula Parish and gather the extensive information necessary to get the project done -- history of the parish, lots of interesting tidbits about its beginning, biggest scoundrels, well-known residents, etc. It was a lot of fun, but very time-consuming. Since I moved over to sports, I haven't had the time -- with prep playoffs going on right in the middle of when this needed to be done, and the fact that I'm the editor on duty every night that I'm not out covering a game.
So we created a day -- Tuesday -- for me to essentially take off to Catahoula Parish and not work in the office. So I left at 7 a.m. Tuesday morning to go to Catahoula Parish -- Harrisonburg, Jonesville and Sicily Island. I spent most of my day there and got back to Alexandria at 6 p.m. and started writing, finishing up at about midnight. Then I e-mailed my stuff to the office and came up here to put all of my stories into the system. That was a long day -- and I haven't been the same since.
I'm trying not to complain too loudly, because I did enjoy the assignment and learn a lot, but it was very inconvenient for me to have to shun the rest of my duties in order to do this parish profile.
Anyway, I could ramble on and on and on about my week, but I'll close on this note. Thursday was my birthday. I'm 25. A quarter of a century. I've thought about doing some type of retrospective, but as you can tell, I haven't really had time. Hopefully, I'll get some soon. But it won't be today or tomorrow. I'm leaving in 15 minutes to go to Lafayette, where I'll be until about midnight, before driving back to Alexandria, getting up to teach Sunday school and immediately leaving to go back to Lafayette to cover another semifinal game tomorrow.
This is my life. Pray for my wife.
This week has been far from strictly anything.
I'm sitting at my desk at 10 a.m. Saturday morning, an hour until I meet Patrick Johnson, our prep writer, to head down to Lafayette to cover the semifinals of the boys basketball playoffs. And for the first time all week, I feel I finally have time to relax.
I just received my final mug shot for our All-Cenla boys and girls soccer teams, which will run in Sunday's paper. 22 photos. I was responsible for tracking them down. And boy did I have some problems. I thought, by going to the schools and trying to get yearbook pictures, that I was doing it the right way. Wrong!
Don't get me wrong -- some schools were very helpful. They gave me hard copies of yearbook prints or e-mailed it over to me. One school had already shipped off its yearbook pictures, but the ROTC department e-mailed me photos from school IDs. But others weren't nearly as helpful.
Going into yesterday -- mind you, with a graphic designer wanting to finish this big, full-page project up as soon as possible -- I still needed 10 or 11 mug shots. So I started tracking down parents and athletes. Some parents were able to e-mail me photos, and I am terribly gracious for that. Other athletes took time out of their busy schedules for me to shoot photos of them -- three Pineville athletes met me at the school at 7 p.m. last night, after I twice asked, and received confirmation, that I would receive yearbook photos via e-mail.
Coming into today -- after being in the office for a full eight hours yesterday on my "day off" -- I lacked just two photos, or so I thought. I got in touch with one parent, who said she had e-mailed me on Thursday -- an e-mail I had accidentally deleted. No problem. I hit restore and it was safe. That left one more, so I contacted him and asked him I could meet him to shoot a photo. He lives in Colfax, so he said he'd e-mail me. Three photos later and I'm done. Relax.
If that were only the story of my week. Here's where we get to the non-sports part of my job this week. Every year, The Town Talk puts out "parish profiles" every year on the 13 (now 11) parishes that we cover. For some reason -- and despite many protests -- I drew Catahoula Parish. For the record, so you guys won't think I'm just complaining, I'm the only one of our "content editors" (read people in charge of assigning and editing stories) that received one of these assignments. Yes, I write. I enjoy it. But I have many other responsibilities around here that a normal reporter doesn't have, which made this assignment very difficult for me.
First, I had to create time to drive to Catahoula Parish and gather the extensive information necessary to get the project done -- history of the parish, lots of interesting tidbits about its beginning, biggest scoundrels, well-known residents, etc. It was a lot of fun, but very time-consuming. Since I moved over to sports, I haven't had the time -- with prep playoffs going on right in the middle of when this needed to be done, and the fact that I'm the editor on duty every night that I'm not out covering a game.
So we created a day -- Tuesday -- for me to essentially take off to Catahoula Parish and not work in the office. So I left at 7 a.m. Tuesday morning to go to Catahoula Parish -- Harrisonburg, Jonesville and Sicily Island. I spent most of my day there and got back to Alexandria at 6 p.m. and started writing, finishing up at about midnight. Then I e-mailed my stuff to the office and came up here to put all of my stories into the system. That was a long day -- and I haven't been the same since.
I'm trying not to complain too loudly, because I did enjoy the assignment and learn a lot, but it was very inconvenient for me to have to shun the rest of my duties in order to do this parish profile.
Anyway, I could ramble on and on and on about my week, but I'll close on this note. Thursday was my birthday. I'm 25. A quarter of a century. I've thought about doing some type of retrospective, but as you can tell, I haven't really had time. Hopefully, I'll get some soon. But it won't be today or tomorrow. I'm leaving in 15 minutes to go to Lafayette, where I'll be until about midnight, before driving back to Alexandria, getting up to teach Sunday school and immediately leaving to go back to Lafayette to cover another semifinal game tomorrow.
This is my life. Pray for my wife.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
He's alive!!!
HAMMOND -- So I'm sitting courtside at the University Center on the campus of Southeastern Louisiana University just before 1 p.m., at work but not yet at work, and I'm the first media member to arrive today.
I will cover two games today, out of a total of five in our coverage area, as part of the Ladies Top 28 semifinals. Depending on the outcome of tonight's late game, I could also be back here on Saturday to cover one or two finals contests.
This is the type of work I enjoy. I like being on the road. There's something of a thrill that comes with it. But I'm also tired. And I've got a long day ahead of me. But it's already been a long week.
After traveling to and from Monroe on my day off Monday for a doctor's appointment, I arrived home just in time to be called into the office for a crisis. The LHSAA and the state's newspapers got into a verbal war over the use of photographs and who owned the rights, which caused the newspapers to boycott the first two nights of the tournament. Late Tuesday night, the LHSAA caved on the issue and allowed the newspapers to retain the rights to all of the photos they shot.
Well, after working for three hours or so on my day -- which really made my wife happy, let me tell you -- I came home exhausted. Then yesterday was exhilirating, traveling 45 minutes to Montgomery watch Montgomery beat up on Vermilion Catholic in the second round of the boys 1A playoffs.
Was in the office until after 2 a.m. thanks to some computer problems which caused me to lose the feature story I had done on Montgomery's boys for later in the week. After taking care of some bills and chores around the house, I crashed for about 2-3 hours before getting up early this morning to drive down to Hammond.
Such is the life of a sports writer during playoff time. After this weekend, we've got the next two weekends of the boys Top 28, and then basketball season -- at least on the prep level -- is done and in the books.
By then, I'm sure, I'll be basketballed out. I've got a quarterfinal boys game to cover Friday night -- where, I'm not sure yet -- then most likely will be back on the road early Saturday heading back down here to Hammond. The next two weekends I'll be back and forth from Lafayette most likely, as I'm sure Peabody and Zwolle will advance to the finals in their respective classes.
Anyway, it's good to finally write again. I'm about to get settled in a long, fun day of girls basketball. These are the best teams in the state, and it should make for competitive basketball.
I will cover two games today, out of a total of five in our coverage area, as part of the Ladies Top 28 semifinals. Depending on the outcome of tonight's late game, I could also be back here on Saturday to cover one or two finals contests.
This is the type of work I enjoy. I like being on the road. There's something of a thrill that comes with it. But I'm also tired. And I've got a long day ahead of me. But it's already been a long week.
After traveling to and from Monroe on my day off Monday for a doctor's appointment, I arrived home just in time to be called into the office for a crisis. The LHSAA and the state's newspapers got into a verbal war over the use of photographs and who owned the rights, which caused the newspapers to boycott the first two nights of the tournament. Late Tuesday night, the LHSAA caved on the issue and allowed the newspapers to retain the rights to all of the photos they shot.
Well, after working for three hours or so on my day -- which really made my wife happy, let me tell you -- I came home exhausted. Then yesterday was exhilirating, traveling 45 minutes to Montgomery watch Montgomery beat up on Vermilion Catholic in the second round of the boys 1A playoffs.
Was in the office until after 2 a.m. thanks to some computer problems which caused me to lose the feature story I had done on Montgomery's boys for later in the week. After taking care of some bills and chores around the house, I crashed for about 2-3 hours before getting up early this morning to drive down to Hammond.
Such is the life of a sports writer during playoff time. After this weekend, we've got the next two weekends of the boys Top 28, and then basketball season -- at least on the prep level -- is done and in the books.
By then, I'm sure, I'll be basketballed out. I've got a quarterfinal boys game to cover Friday night -- where, I'm not sure yet -- then most likely will be back on the road early Saturday heading back down here to Hammond. The next two weekends I'll be back and forth from Lafayette most likely, as I'm sure Peabody and Zwolle will advance to the finals in their respective classes.
Anyway, it's good to finally write again. I'm about to get settled in a long, fun day of girls basketball. These are the best teams in the state, and it should make for competitive basketball.
Monday, January 15, 2007
Going back home
Although today was technically the second Monday in a row that Elizabeth and I have had off together, it was the first two-day weekend we've had together since beginning our new jobs. In honor of that milestone, we did what we do best -- hit the road for a little getaway.
The destination? Our old home, Ruston. I called up my best man Kyle over the weekend to see if he and his wife, Judith, could me us for lunch. We chose an old staple of Ruston cuisine, The Dawghouse, which makes quite possibly the best burger in town.
The Dawghouse, I must say, didn't disappoint with my burger. Very good. And the cheese fries were magnificent, as always. Elizabeth had been craving some cheese fries. It was neat, pulling up to The Dawghouse, where we hadn't been since we left Ruston eight months ago. The exterior had received a face lift (Tech blue, my favorite color, of course), while the interior had been remodeled as well.
After spending about an hour or so at the restaurant, Elizabeth and I followed Kyle back to his house and hung out for awhile. We did what guys do -- talk some sports, play a few video games, hang out with the chihauhau -- you know, that kinda stuff.
Eventually, Kyle kicked us out of his place because he had to get on the road -- headed to Bossier City for Monday's night live television showing of WWE's Monday Night Raw. Yes, I admit, I used to watch wrestling. In high school, I watched religiously -- both WCW and the then-WWF. Kyle and I were die-hards. As we got into college and matured a little bit (although, asking our wives, that maturity level is still debatable), we both got away from watching wrestling. But Kyle had a chance to go with some buddies and he jumped at it. After all, we're both still kids at heart -- and wrestling was a big part of our childhood. As much as I hate to admit it, I've actually watched a little bit recently myself. Not much, but certainly more than I did my entire college life.
Anyway, after Kyle took off, Elizabeth and I went to visit a family that's near and dear to my heart -- the Ferrels. Let's just say, we go way back. My mother and Sherri Ferrel have been friends for years, and I've known Sherri's kids forever. Casey, the oldest, is three years younger than me, while the twin girls (Ashley and Michelle, "my little girls") are juniors in high school.
When we were younger (like when I was in junior high and high school), we lived near one another, and it became a tradition for me to go over to the Ferrels to play in the snow whenever we got a day off from school because of bad weather. I have some great memories with playing with those girls, who literally were like sisters to me.
It's funny because I recently, as in last week, caught up with Casey and Michelle through MySpace, and Sunday night, Michelle left me a message asking when I was coming up to visit. I was tempted to give her a call and let her know we planned to come into town on Monday, but decided against it and showed up unannouced.
Talk about a wonderful time. The four Ferrel women, along with myself and Elizabeth, sat around in their living room and reminisced about old times, as well as catching up on new ones. It's amazing that my little girls, who I've literally known since they were born, are now 17-year-old juniors in high school. To put that in perspective, some of my friends from church are 17-year-old juniors. Strange.
After spending, I guess, an hour or two with the Ferrels, Elizabeth and I caught up with my boy Binni Keleta for a few minutes before hitting the road back home. I'd hoped to go to Monroe to catch a Ruston High soccer game (Binni's the coach), but the game was canceled due to bad weather. But the 'Cats have a home game in two weeks, so we'll try to make it back up there then, when they face off against district rival West Monroe.
All in all, it was a great trip home. Even though it was short, and honestly that's the way I prefer my trips to Ruston, it's always good to see old friends and visit. There's a ton of other people I wish I could have seen while I was in town, but time simply doesn't allow for that. The good news is there will be time for plenty more trips home in the future.
The destination? Our old home, Ruston. I called up my best man Kyle over the weekend to see if he and his wife, Judith, could me us for lunch. We chose an old staple of Ruston cuisine, The Dawghouse, which makes quite possibly the best burger in town.
The Dawghouse, I must say, didn't disappoint with my burger. Very good. And the cheese fries were magnificent, as always. Elizabeth had been craving some cheese fries. It was neat, pulling up to The Dawghouse, where we hadn't been since we left Ruston eight months ago. The exterior had received a face lift (Tech blue, my favorite color, of course), while the interior had been remodeled as well.
After spending about an hour or so at the restaurant, Elizabeth and I followed Kyle back to his house and hung out for awhile. We did what guys do -- talk some sports, play a few video games, hang out with the chihauhau -- you know, that kinda stuff.
Eventually, Kyle kicked us out of his place because he had to get on the road -- headed to Bossier City for Monday's night live television showing of WWE's Monday Night Raw. Yes, I admit, I used to watch wrestling. In high school, I watched religiously -- both WCW and the then-WWF. Kyle and I were die-hards. As we got into college and matured a little bit (although, asking our wives, that maturity level is still debatable), we both got away from watching wrestling. But Kyle had a chance to go with some buddies and he jumped at it. After all, we're both still kids at heart -- and wrestling was a big part of our childhood. As much as I hate to admit it, I've actually watched a little bit recently myself. Not much, but certainly more than I did my entire college life.
Anyway, after Kyle took off, Elizabeth and I went to visit a family that's near and dear to my heart -- the Ferrels. Let's just say, we go way back. My mother and Sherri Ferrel have been friends for years, and I've known Sherri's kids forever. Casey, the oldest, is three years younger than me, while the twin girls (Ashley and Michelle, "my little girls") are juniors in high school.
When we were younger (like when I was in junior high and high school), we lived near one another, and it became a tradition for me to go over to the Ferrels to play in the snow whenever we got a day off from school because of bad weather. I have some great memories with playing with those girls, who literally were like sisters to me.
It's funny because I recently, as in last week, caught up with Casey and Michelle through MySpace, and Sunday night, Michelle left me a message asking when I was coming up to visit. I was tempted to give her a call and let her know we planned to come into town on Monday, but decided against it and showed up unannouced.
Talk about a wonderful time. The four Ferrel women, along with myself and Elizabeth, sat around in their living room and reminisced about old times, as well as catching up on new ones. It's amazing that my little girls, who I've literally known since they were born, are now 17-year-old juniors in high school. To put that in perspective, some of my friends from church are 17-year-old juniors. Strange.
After spending, I guess, an hour or two with the Ferrels, Elizabeth and I caught up with my boy Binni Keleta for a few minutes before hitting the road back home. I'd hoped to go to Monroe to catch a Ruston High soccer game (Binni's the coach), but the game was canceled due to bad weather. But the 'Cats have a home game in two weeks, so we'll try to make it back up there then, when they face off against district rival West Monroe.
All in all, it was a great trip home. Even though it was short, and honestly that's the way I prefer my trips to Ruston, it's always good to see old friends and visit. There's a ton of other people I wish I could have seen while I was in town, but time simply doesn't allow for that. The good news is there will be time for plenty more trips home in the future.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
I'm back in the saddle
Went out and covered my first game in months last night. Here are the results:
http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070110/SPORTS/701100329/1006
http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070110/PREPSSPORTS/701100305
http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070110/SPORTS/701100329/1006
http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070110/PREPSSPORTS/701100305
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
New year brings new hope
Yes, I know I'm a little late. It's Jan. 2 (happy birthday, Mom), but I'm writing a New Year's blog.
2006 was, in many ways, a monumental year for me. Yet, the arrival of 2007 brings renewed hope. I really and truly believe this year could be my best one yet. Before we get into that, let's take a look back on the year that was.
Last year brought some major milestones in my life. Elizabeth and I ventured out into the great unknown, moving away from Ruston and buying our first house. Maybe it wasn't the great unknown for Elizabeth (she grew up in Pineville, which is a stone's throw over the Red River from our house in Alexandria), but it was for me. For the majority of my life, I lived in the small city known as Ruston, La. In fact, I'd spent the past dozen years there -- finishing up junior high, graduating high school and becoming my own man in college at Louisiana Tech University. Ruston, for all its faults, was home.
But there comes a time when a man needs to spread his wings and move away from home. 2006 became that time for me. So I took a job at The Town Talk, a paper owned by Gannett, the largest newspaper chain in America, as an assistant metro editor -- putting my career dreams in the sports world on hold in order to better my family's future. And I haven't regretted that decision for a second.
Elizabeth and I purchased a cute cottage home in the Garden District near downtown Alexandria. And while it's a "cottage home," it's by no means tiny. We are very proud of our rather large home that features 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, a large living room, separate dining room and a den/computer room that is quickly becoming my own shrine to my college alma mater -- painted my favorite color, "Tech Blue" -- while also housing our computer desk, my workout machine and all my video games.
While the house was "move-in ready," my interior-designer-at-heart wife set about making the house we purchased our home. We set about painting -- the aforementioned "Tech Blue" room, the kitchen, dining room and living room. We've purchased a few amenities -- new living room furniture (a couch, loveseat and lounge chair), matching dining room set (formal dining table, which two extra sections, to seat anywhere from 4-8 people comfortably, and Elizabeth's favorite asset of the house, a new china cabinet), and we (my father-in-law and me) just put in a new chandelier in the dining room that I purchased for Elizabeth for Christmas.
We've still got a lot of work to do in transforming our home. The guest bedroom isn't fully set up yet, although we have had a few guests stay. And the third bedroom, which for now is serving as our storage room, still needs to be painted and turned into the shrine to Curious George that it will become. But we're making progress. And that's what life's about.
Outside of the home, Elizabeth and I have found another home -- a church home at Donahue Family Church in Pineville. While, admittedly, we had inside connections with Elizabeth's best friend, Michelle Neal, being one of the youth ministers (along with her husband, Jeremy), we've really taken to this new church. Elizabeth and I jumped right in helping with the youth group -- serving as adult leaders at the Wednesday night service and also teaching a group of 7th and 8th graders on Sunday morning. Recently, I've added the duty of church basketball coach. In college, I had hopes to be a youth leader, but things didn't work out for me. Now, I'm getting to live some of those past dreams.
While 2006 was a transition year for our family, I firmly believe 2007 is going to be even better. Two weeks ago, Elizabeth started a new job at The Town Talk. Today, I received word that next week I will begin my own new job at The Town Talk -- as assistant sports editor/preps. I can't put into words how excited I am to get back on the sports side of the news business. I'll be back in my element -- helping to dictate the coverage of our local high schools, along with prep writer Patrick Johnson, and helping the sports editor, Randy Benson, direct our overall coverage at The Town Talk. This is just validation in my eyes that I made the right decision coming to The Town Talk. My previous boss said he was shocked when he heard I was living to become an assistant metro editor. But it was all part of my plan to get a shot in a sports department. Now, just eight months later, I'm getting that chance and am well along on the path that I wanted to take in my journalism career.
What this next step means is that I'll be moving to a night schedule. On paper, that's not ideal. Except Elizabeth's job is moving to nights, as well. We won't be on the exact same schedule -- my shift will begin and end about 3 hours earlier than hers -- but we'll be working the same days (Tuesday through Saturday) and we'll have our mornings (until about 2) off together.
Personally and professionally, I have high hopes for the coming year. Hopefully, it'll be the best one yet.
2006 was, in many ways, a monumental year for me. Yet, the arrival of 2007 brings renewed hope. I really and truly believe this year could be my best one yet. Before we get into that, let's take a look back on the year that was.
Last year brought some major milestones in my life. Elizabeth and I ventured out into the great unknown, moving away from Ruston and buying our first house. Maybe it wasn't the great unknown for Elizabeth (she grew up in Pineville, which is a stone's throw over the Red River from our house in Alexandria), but it was for me. For the majority of my life, I lived in the small city known as Ruston, La. In fact, I'd spent the past dozen years there -- finishing up junior high, graduating high school and becoming my own man in college at Louisiana Tech University. Ruston, for all its faults, was home.
But there comes a time when a man needs to spread his wings and move away from home. 2006 became that time for me. So I took a job at The Town Talk, a paper owned by Gannett, the largest newspaper chain in America, as an assistant metro editor -- putting my career dreams in the sports world on hold in order to better my family's future. And I haven't regretted that decision for a second.
Elizabeth and I purchased a cute cottage home in the Garden District near downtown Alexandria. And while it's a "cottage home," it's by no means tiny. We are very proud of our rather large home that features 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, a large living room, separate dining room and a den/computer room that is quickly becoming my own shrine to my college alma mater -- painted my favorite color, "Tech Blue" -- while also housing our computer desk, my workout machine and all my video games.
While the house was "move-in ready," my interior-designer-at-heart wife set about making the house we purchased our home. We set about painting -- the aforementioned "Tech Blue" room, the kitchen, dining room and living room. We've purchased a few amenities -- new living room furniture (a couch, loveseat and lounge chair), matching dining room set (formal dining table, which two extra sections, to seat anywhere from 4-8 people comfortably, and Elizabeth's favorite asset of the house, a new china cabinet), and we (my father-in-law and me) just put in a new chandelier in the dining room that I purchased for Elizabeth for Christmas.
We've still got a lot of work to do in transforming our home. The guest bedroom isn't fully set up yet, although we have had a few guests stay. And the third bedroom, which for now is serving as our storage room, still needs to be painted and turned into the shrine to Curious George that it will become. But we're making progress. And that's what life's about.
Outside of the home, Elizabeth and I have found another home -- a church home at Donahue Family Church in Pineville. While, admittedly, we had inside connections with Elizabeth's best friend, Michelle Neal, being one of the youth ministers (along with her husband, Jeremy), we've really taken to this new church. Elizabeth and I jumped right in helping with the youth group -- serving as adult leaders at the Wednesday night service and also teaching a group of 7th and 8th graders on Sunday morning. Recently, I've added the duty of church basketball coach. In college, I had hopes to be a youth leader, but things didn't work out for me. Now, I'm getting to live some of those past dreams.
While 2006 was a transition year for our family, I firmly believe 2007 is going to be even better. Two weeks ago, Elizabeth started a new job at The Town Talk. Today, I received word that next week I will begin my own new job at The Town Talk -- as assistant sports editor/preps. I can't put into words how excited I am to get back on the sports side of the news business. I'll be back in my element -- helping to dictate the coverage of our local high schools, along with prep writer Patrick Johnson, and helping the sports editor, Randy Benson, direct our overall coverage at The Town Talk. This is just validation in my eyes that I made the right decision coming to The Town Talk. My previous boss said he was shocked when he heard I was living to become an assistant metro editor. But it was all part of my plan to get a shot in a sports department. Now, just eight months later, I'm getting that chance and am well along on the path that I wanted to take in my journalism career.
What this next step means is that I'll be moving to a night schedule. On paper, that's not ideal. Except Elizabeth's job is moving to nights, as well. We won't be on the exact same schedule -- my shift will begin and end about 3 hours earlier than hers -- but we'll be working the same days (Tuesday through Saturday) and we'll have our mornings (until about 2) off together.
Personally and professionally, I have high hopes for the coming year. Hopefully, it'll be the best one yet.
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