Hank and Camp Runamuck

It has been mentioned on another site about Thursday night TV in 1965-66. Besides Time Tunnel, Hank and Camp Runamuck were mentioned. While I never saw Hank, I know of the other because of Dav Madden who played Mr. Kincaid on the Partridge Family. Both very funny shows but only 1 season wonders. Here are a couple of pictures but none from the Time Tunnel. I loved that show.

Pompey Continues to Win

Portsmouth FC, or known as Pompey to fans, has started the season 2-0-1 without allowing a goal. They are only behind perrenial powerhouse Manchester United. For those of you bewildered at what I am mentioning, I am talking about English Premiership Football...Soccer.

Go Pompey!

Coming Soon to a TV Land Near You

TV Land will be airing Star Trek: The Original Series starting in September. Just thought you might like to know.

Storm a Brewin'

It is storming out pretty good. It matches my mood right now. I have not been in the mood to write. I don't know why; just haven't. I have two short papers to write this weekend for my grad classes. Yippee!

Another Series Win

Although yesterday's game had a weird 7th inning and the Reds lost, they still won the series; 2 out of 3. Now they are on a 10 game, west coast trip starting with 4 games against the Giants tonight.

Beautiful Course

I got to play at this course yesterday. It was beautiful. After the wind calmed down, play got better. Click on the tour button and look at some of the holes. It was like playing in the Graden of the Gods, a local state park in Colorado. I played well for not touching a club in 3 months. My drives were 280-300 yds and I was putting well though I couldn't chip worth a darn. We had a 4-some and played a 2 man scramble. My team shot a 78 and the other an 83.

And they thought this was a good idea?!?!

An eatery named after Hitler, Hitler's Cross, just opened in India. Have a double Fuerer on rye for lunch while smoking your hooka. Probably the worst marketing ploy in history.

Go Pompey!

I like soccer and am a supporter of Portsmouth of the Enlish Premier League (EPL). Pompey started the season with a 3-0 win over the Blackburn Rovers (Brad Friedel is their captain and keeper). My best friend from California, Chris, is a native of Portsmouth and Pompey fanatic. Maybe he influenced me a little bit!

Reds Win the Series!!!!!

Well, it's not that big of a series. A weekend series angainst the last place Pirates. After being embarressed in game one, the Reds blew them out in game 2 and got a solid pitching performance from Aaron Harang yesterday. That win kept the Reds 2 1/2 games behind the Cardinals and 2 games up on Arizona for the Wild Card spot. Keep taking two of three guys and you will be in the playoffs.

Back to School

Starting Monday, I will be going back to school to work on a Masters degree in History. I would like to teach evening classes at the local community college or one of the other local colleges in town. Our local colleges need more Christians within the faculty. While I was finishing my undergrad a couple of years ago, God impressed upon me the need for Christian teachers in the universities and colleges. I want to live my faith while teaching.

But We Lost

The Reds lost a tough game yesterday. Kyle Lohse has been a great pickup from the Twins. He has given up only 4 runs in 15 innings of work; two relief stints and one start. He has no desicions yet. He pitched 7 innings giving up 5 hits and 1 run yesterday, but the Reds lost 2-1. Coach Narron said it was a great game, except we lost. Other than 3 games in LA, the Reds schedule is against teams with losing records the rest of the season. Time to get busy.

Bronson Wins!!!

Hey, Bronson Arroyo finally won a game. After 10 winless starts he got a much needed win against the Cardinals. A win today will leave the Reds a half game out of first.

Tough Day

Yesterday was the funeral for my friend's husband. The church was packed. It was a nice service. But we shouldn't have been there. We did not need to be there. One selfish act caused a lot of grief and grieving for a lot of people. As I sat there, I felt so sorry for my friend and her two daughters. I prayed for them that God would grant them peace to deal with life after the service. I was also getting angry. Angry at her husband. I was in a sour mood the whole day. It is the first time I have known someone who committed suicide. I hated being there. An unnecessary gathering.

Life Really Bites

Today has been a sober day. The whole weekend actually. The husband of a friend committed suicide last Thursday evening. The whole family are believers, so this is tough stuff. The husband, wife and 2 older teenage daughters were very active in the Evangelism Explosion (EE) ministry at the church. I got to know the wife well because we were teamed up one semester (with another person).

He was a doctor and she is a nurse and they owned three different medical businesses. They were both fitness nuts and he got involved with steriods. She kept telling him to stop using them. He overdosed on the steriods which caused a major chemical imbalance in his body. He went into a deep depression and was not making rational decisions. She had to go away for a conference last week. While she was away, he moved all their monies into her accounts, set up the girls college funds and went out into the woods and shot himself in the head.

Everyone at church who knew them have been in shock. The wife is angry, not at God but at her husband. She said that when she sees him in heaven she is going to punch him! At least she hasn't lost her great sense of humor. Please pray for this family. Names are left out for obvious reasons.

Free Lunch?

With every privilege we receive, a tax is levied.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

15 minutes

No, not 15 minutes of fame but I shaved 15 minutes off the bike commute. Not that I was able to take the hills better but I found a way that cut at least 5 minutes off plus I did not have to walk as much. There are still 3 hills that will take some time to conquer, but I was happy with the progress.

One Book...

I saw this on Scot McKnight's site and decided to play along. I will not include the Bible because that would be the answer to most of these questions.

1. One book that changed your life: D. Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship. I read this a few years ago on a trip to Brazil. I rank him up there with the Apostle Paul when it comes to indepth writing.

2. One book that you’ve read more than once: C.S. Lewis, Narnia Chronicles. Each book is a classic.

3. One book you’d want on a desert island: Tolkien, The Hobbit. Has always been my favorite book of the Middle Earth series.

4. One book that made you laugh: Anything by P.G. Wodehouse, especially the Jeeves and Wooster stories.

5. One book that made you cry: Something for Joey. I can't remember who wrote it but it is about John Cappaletti who played football for Penn State and his youngest brother was dying of cancer.

6. One book you wish you had written: The Foundation Series by Asimov.

7. One book you wish had never been written: A. Hitler, Mein Kampf. The mind of demented soul. (This was Scot's choice and I can't think of anything else.)

8. One book you’re currently reading: E. Wiesel, The Night Trilogy. There is a powerful forward to this book by a French Christian. Too bad there aren't more Frenchmen who believe as he does.

9. One book you’ve been meaning to read: Wild at Heart by John Eldredge.

Commute

Today, I rode my bike to work for the first time. With gas prices going up and my not so svelte body, I decided I needed the excercise and the savings. Living in Colorado Springs means hills. Lots of them. I think I found the path of least resistance, but you can't avoid the hills! I left at 6:30 hoping to be into the office by 7:30. I arrived at 7:15 (pat on the back). I had to walk a few times up the steepest hills, so my goal is to make it the whole way without walking. That should cut it to a 30 minute commute. Of course, now I have to get home...

My Brazilian Friends

Brazil Trip

Here are a couple of pictures of the church construction and of the dedication service. Over 400 were in the building that should hold only 200.

Kirk's First Mission?

With a 30 year old Matt Damon as the strong candidate for a younger Capt. Kirk, the story seems to start with his first command aboard the Enterprise. That is better than a proposed Star Fleet Academy scenario.

Big Series

Well, the Reds took 2 of 3 from the Braves after being swept by the Dodgers. They had a chance to sweep the Braves but the weakest link in the bullpen trades, Majewski, blew it again and lost the game. This guy hasn't pitched a 1-2-3 inning yet. Time to cut the baggage and use the other guys. Lohse pitched a good 5 innings in his first start for the Reds. Now there is an important 4 game series with the Cardinals. A sweep puts the Reds in first place.

Star Trek XI

Rumor is that Matt Damon will play a young Captain Kirk. I love all things Star Trek, so hopefully Abrams won't screw it up!

Blue Sweep

Greg Maddux was vintage last night. A 6-inning no-hitter. He did not return after the short rain delay in the 7th inning. To his credit, Eric Milton was great for the 2nd straight start. He gave up a 2 run homer in the first and then 6 shutout innings. Its not his fault the Reds scoring machine turned into the little engine that could. So much for the 8-2 homestand! Oh, by the way, Maddux is 4-0 against the Reds this year and could gain another win later in the month.

Another loss to the Blue

The Reds lost another to the LA Dodgers (my wife and dad's favorite team). The Reds got 4 hits, albeit 3 of them the homerun variety and lost 5-3. The bullpen did its job but after it was handed a 5-2 deficit. Today's game showcases Greg Maddux' debut as a Dodger. Not too many 300 game winners have ever been traded. The Reds have never fared well against Maddux.

Red-faced Loss

The Reds lost a bad game to the Dodgers last night. Arroyo has not won a game since June and the new-look bullpen gave up four runs! That was the first of a 10 game homestand. Hopefully it will get better. I had hoped for an 8-2 record at home.

Playoff Drive

The Reds have been making moves since the All-Star break to bolster the bullpen. The bullpen's ERA was over 5 before the break but about 3.5 since then. Eddie Guardado and company have made a difference. Now add Rheal Cormier (1.79 era) into the mix and the pen is even stronger. It should be a fun final couple of months.

Luzilandia

I am back from Brazil. What an awesome trip! We were amazed at what God did, not only for us, but the work at the job site and the changed hearts. I am so thankful for all the prayer warriors at church and at home. The prayers of a righteous man availeth much. The church was built in 3 days and there were over 400 people at the dedication service. The church will comfortably hold about 200! I will share pictures of the church and the people soon.