Grrrrrrrrr

I am hating UNIX right now. And similarity searches. And labwork. And seminars.

OK. I feel better now.

Clemson/USC

I just received this in my Inbox.  Of course it means nothing to you if you don’t live in SC. This year the game was only going to be available via Pay-per-View. Hmmm…  I think I know some people who might want to watch.  Maybe it’s time to have a social gathering at the crib!

One of the many benefits of living in University Housing is that from time to time you are able to enjoy additional amenities. We are pleased to announce that you will be able to view the Clemson/USC game in the comfort of your Clemson Home without having to pay the Pay-per-View cost. This event is presented in conjunction with the INC Group (providers of the Direct TV service on campus). They also are providing the link at Littlejohn where you may view the game in a larger setting. We hope you enjoy the game and we thank you for being a resident of University Family Housing.

Go Tigers!

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Just curious – who reads this thing?  

Post-Op

The surgery went well. Jalen had some debris removed from his left knee in a 45-minute arthroscopic procedure. We got some great news from the doc - the ACL was only partially torn, so the doc thinks it may heal on his own, removing the need for reconstructive surgery when he's done growing. They also found a slight tear of the lateral cruciate ligament, but it's very minor and should heal itself as well. Jalen was quite groggy afterward, but there appear to be no long-term negative effects. Everyone's prayers and well-wishes are greatly appreciated.

I'm a little (ok, VERY)disgusted at myself. I haven't gotten very much work done this semester. Where has the time gone? Apparently, much of it has been spent right here in front of the PC or in front of the telly. Anyway, it's time to pay the piper: I have a committee meeting Friday, in which I'll learn if my research project is sufficient to earn a degree, and whether or not I'll have to take anymore classes. If there's one thing I'd like to change about myself, it's my laziness. And my insecurities. And my desire to be liked by everyone. I guess I also need to work on my inability to count to one properly.

Heather L., if you read this, know that Mark thinks you look like Julia Roberts too.

The whole T.O. saga really makes me feel good about Monday's Dallas/Philly game.

So where's the Clemson/FSU viewing party going to be?

Almost Friday

The NBA is back! The Miami Heat were making a run against the Indiana Pacers when Shaq stepped on Ron Artest's foot and rolled his ankle. Of course TNT showed the ankle bending at 90 degrees several times, in sloooow motion. That had to hurt - particularly with 350+ lbs. coming down on it. Miami just lost by three.

Jalen went to the doc today. It's official - his arthroscopic surgery is scheduled for Tuesday. No more sports for him for a while. The doc says that he's gonna need another surgery later on, after his skeleton has reached maturity. Whether that means no sports until then, I don't know. I even got to bring him home for dinner today. He stayed here for about 3.5 hours, and got a kick out of playing with Noah. Noah cried the first few times Jalen picked him up, but he seemed to be coming around by the time I took him home.

Sights

A view of Montego Bay from a hillside



On the streets of downtown Montego Bay





Ironshore - one of the wealthier residential areas



Chillin'



Joy, pure and unaldulterated



Noah stands!!!!



The boys by the end of the Feast



Some of the Jamaican brethren



Choir



Speakers/Ushers





And of course, the beach!

Gettin' my fix...

I should've captured all my thoughts on the Feast immediately upon returning. Dr. Scott Winnail and Mr. Wally Smith and Mr. Lascelles Frazier gave wonderful messages, each touching on various aspects of the meanings of the Holy Days, the final fulfillment of the days, and training to be servant rulers/judges and members of the family of God. We also had good sermonettes by members from different locales, and a couple of DVD sermons as well. I knew a couple of people who were celebrating their first Feast (one has only been attending services PERIOD for a coupla months), and I think the messages, particularly the messages given on the last day of the Feast and the Last Great Day, did a great job explaining the meanings of the Festivals in a way they could easily understand. Whenever we have visitors at services who don't have a COG background, I often wonder how some things come across to them. When we have a live speaker it's not as much a problem, as the live speaker can give a little background info on the topic, but when it's a video... I remember the jolt I felt when I heard someone mention 2nd and 3rd tithe without explaining what they were.

Nicholas had a wonderful Feast. He made quite a few friends (as usual), and did not limit himself to the kids he already knew. He now has friends in Jamaica and Canada to go with his U.S. contingent. He became particularly attached to little Rachel from Calgary. He wanted us to stay in MoBay until Sunday b/c that's how long Rachel was staying. He's already ready for next year's Feast. He said something quite touching on our flight from Atlanta to Miami on the way down. We were looking at the scenery below us when he says in a soft voice, "I wish Grandma could see this." Awwww... One day, son; one day.

The M.R.S. is still on Cloud 9. She got to hook-up with her "sister", and go shopping, and FINALLY make it to Jamaica. I'm planning to milk the FoT as long as I can.

Getting back into the real world has been a bit of a drag. I've got to put my nose to the grindstone for the remainder of this year and crank out some data, prepare for conferences, catch up on my labwork, and write a paper for submission to a journal. I've got to have a meeting sometime in the next two weeks to find out if I have to take any more classes or not, and to determine if my project is sufficient to earn a doctorate. Theoretically, my committee can decide that my project is insufficient and have me do something else, or they can make me take more classes. I don't think that's going to happen, but I'm a little nervous nonetheless.

I need to update my links. I read more blogs than I have listed, and I think the links should reflect that. Incidentally, I met another blogger, Jalpenojelly, at the Feast - though I didn't know she had a blog at the time. I'd even left a comment on it before leaving, but I didn't make the connection until I returned home. Oh to have back those brain cells I killed back in the day!

Visitors to MoBay

These are off the top of my head. I only listed family names; not all members of a family were necessarily present. Of course I'm forgetting some families, but this'll give you some idea of who was in Jamaica. I think we had a high of 224 people, with about 50-60 being local brethren.

Missouri - Cristal, Beyersdorfer, Millich, Burson, Jersett, Damon, White, West,

SC - Palmer

NC - Winnail

NY - Cartwright

TX - Mason, Marley, Riggs, Arnold, Hubbell, Myers

NB - Bashus, Pomicter, Karper, Tieken

OH - Bibb, Rawlings

KY - Rogers, Bunch, Woodward, Shirley something and her husband ...

GA - Grimes, Nicholson, Thrasher

Canada - Molnar, Remple, Wittingham, Trineri, von Hollen

Finally Home

Just got in about an hour ago. Jamaica was great. Getting there was not - we didn't get there until the afternoon service of the 1st day. Leaving was not - our Wednesday flight was cancelled due to Wilma and we didn't leave MoBay until this morning. Then we have to deal with U.S. Customs in Miami. Then we get to Atlanta, and the battery in our truck was dead. The Feast itself was totally terrific - more to come on that front later. I should probably go to bed now. Ciao.

PS: I gained 10+ pounds.

Home Internet Access is the Worst Thing...

... that could have happened to me.

Atonement is now over, and so it's back to the FOT countdown. I finally got to see Mr. Rod McNair, as he delivered our sermon via video. It approached Atonement from a completely different perspective; he discussed different aspects of the spirit of self-indulgence, and ended up contrasting that spirit with the self-denial inherent in observing Atonement, and in a Christian's overall life. Along the way he touched on the symbolism of the OT ritual. He sounded quite a bit like his late father. Quite a bit. His hairstyle reminded me of his uncle Raymond. Today was a good day - and Ryan's has never tasted better.

I took a few pictures of my hometown while I was there (I guess it would be harder to take said pictures when I wasn't there). I took a few representative pics of the type of homes that line Clio's Main Street.





I've never asked, but I assume these homes were all built around the turn of the 20th century. Perhaps an architect out there can venture a guess. I especially love the large porches. I'd hate to have to heat one of those jokers though. Most of these homes are owned by members of the older families. Of course, we have our brick homes and trailer parks and dirt roads too, but these homes give Clio its character, I think.

To give you an idea of just how booming a metropolis it is, I took a pic looking east and looking west at the major intersection in town. Okay, so it's the ONLY intersection.




Please pay no attention to the dearth of businesses and the lack of pedestrian traffic. It was a dreary Monday, after all. Funny - I never thought I'd feel like a tourist in a place in which I'd spent 18 full years + summers.

In case you haven't yet realized how rural my hometown is, here's the view from my paternal grandmother's front door:



Yep, that's right. White Gold.

Here's the view from my maternal grandmother's front door:




That's a ginning facility for the aforementioned White Gold. I guess I was destined to end up working in cotton.

All of a sudden, an important question comes to mind: Why am I still up at 5 AM? I don't have a midterm today, like some. Why am I not sleepy? I should go to bed anyway, seeing as how I have a million and one errands to run tomorrow before sundown, not to mention staying awake in my 3:30 Genetics/Biochemistry seminar. *Yawn* I think I'll do just that. Ciao!

Look Homeward Angel

I hated that book.

While we were gone,the Internet fairy decided to drop off a cable modem at our apartment. I was forced to finally upgrade the computer from Windows 98 to Windows 2000. I was gonna go the XP route, but I didn't think I had enough RAM for that. So I'm sitting at the crib now, on a big Tuesday night, posting from Nick's room. Life is good.

The M.R.S. is on the phone with one of our friends from Cincy. I hear excitement, so they must be talking about Jamaica. We'll be seeing them and their boys Monday. Only six more days... six more days. Whoa. Where has the time gone? Not that I'm complaining...

Anyway, the trip to Clio was wonderful. We didn't do much but sit around and let everyone love on the boys. I took my dad's bicycle out Sunday and rode through my old stomping grounds. It was good to ride and see people without them recognizing who I was. It was bittersweet too - I realize more each time I go home that you can't go home again. I miss the innocence of my childhood. It's also sad to see how some people have turned out since high school. Drugs, poverty, having too many children at a young age, etc., have taken their toll on more than a few of the people I grew up with. One of my childhood playmates died the night I came home. He was 3 years older than me, but he lived right in front of my closest male cousin; we spent many an afternoon playing backyard basketball, three-man baseball, and just listening to music. His mom was my 3rd-grade teacher. I visited his family yesterday before I left and they all seemed to be doing about as well as could be expected. His older siblings moved away when I was a child, so I don't think they were expecting to see that "Little Mike" was 6'2", 217 lbs, with three kids of his own. My old teacher was really pleased to see me, and I her. I just wish it was under different circumstances. She pulled out an old high-school football team photo, and as I rattled off the names she began picking out pallbearers. So far I've been lucky with regards to losing close family members. My father's father died when I was too young to remember him, and my maternal grandfather died in '96. His was really the only family death that was of someone close to me.

Anyway, I guess it's approaching bedtime. To end on a positive note, I leave you with this:

HOW 'BOUT THEM COWBOYS????

There's no place like...

I’m going home tomorrow night!  I haven’t seen the folks since the beginning of June.  Noah’s changed so much since then.  This’ll be their first time seeing him crawl, pull himself up, eat real food, etc.  They’ll really get a kick out of seeing him.  Perhaps Jalen will get to go; I’ll talk with his mom tonight.  Right now I need to go gas up and get the oil changed before sundown.  I need to pick up something for dinner too.  Do I have time to squeeze in a game or two of hoops as well?  Perhaps so, if I get off the computer.

I wish I were starting school over.  I’d major in something like English, or History, or Computer Science.  I’d love to design websites, and maintain something like LCGchat or Blogger.com.  Another area that interests me is forensics.  Why did my alma mater wait until this year to start its Forensic Science program?  I don’t want to be out at crime scenes or anything like that – I’d be content doing the lab workups.  That’s an avenue that’s still open to me, but I feel somewhat obligated to continue working in cotton, as that’s what’s paying the bills and putting me through school.  We’ll see.

I’m looking forward to services tomorrow.  The Winnails (Scott & fam) are coming down again.  Nick and their son hit it off pretty well, so he’s excited too.  We were double excited to find out they’re gonna be in Jamaica too.  Dr. Winnail always delivers heartfelt sermons, and it’s sorta cool seeing someone under the age of 75 at the podium.  (Just kidding old timers!!!)  I remember when Mike Elertson visited us before moving to Canada – I thought he and his wife were a just a visiting couple; I had no idea there were ministers in my age group!  That’s not completely true; I did know about Rod McNair, but I’d forgotten about him.  

Shonta’s making a low-carb cheesecake for the pot-“success” (thanks, Mr. Bardo) tomorrow.  We’ll head out for the old homestead that evening and stay until Monday.  That way there’s no fussing from my mom about us spending all day Saturday in Charlotte or Walterboro.

SNAP!!!  I was just informed that the abstract for the Plant & Animal Genomes Conference is due today.  I guess I need to come up with one ASAP if I want to go to San Diego in January.  See yall!

Seven - the number of completion

So today’s anniversary numero siete, and it’s getting close to 3 p.m.  What’s a guy to do?  I need to come up with something quick.  I think we might try this new restaurant that’s opening today.  I’ve got my eye on a 32 oz. Porterhouse.  Medium.  Ummm…  I guess we should put on something nice since it’s our anniversary and all.  Now to get rid of the kids for a couple of hours.  Mother-in-law?  Ashley?  Summer?  Mr. B?  Tom?  Rebecca?  *crickets*  No matter – we’ll dump ‘em somewhere.

14 days till the Feast of Tabernacles!  4.5 hours till Trumpets!  I guess I should go prepare.  See ya!

Addendum: I just accidentally replaced the previous post with this one. I hate it when that happens.

'Tis Only a Flesh Wound

Nick had an accident yesterday.  Nothing major, if you ask me.  We were crossing the street and he fell, skinning up his left elbow and left knee.  Typical boy injuries.  Well, not to dear old Nicholas.  Nicholas was hopping on one leg, and keeping his left arm stiff as a board the rest of the night.  Luckily he informed us that he would not be able to take a bath, as that would cause his bandages to become wet and lose their adhesion.  The M.R.S. had a different opinion however; guess who won?  I held Noah while the “OWWWs!” and “MAMA DON”T TOUCH ITs!!!” reverberated down the hall.  He made it to school today, so I assume he’s going to pull through.

I’m disappointed in Miri Ben-Ari’s new CD.  She’s a classically trained, Israeli-born violinist who now lives in the U.S.  She plays on many rap recordings, and I was hoping that her new CD would be primarily instrumental.  Unfortunately, it’s basically a who’s who of rap artists rapping, while she plays in the background.  I did hear one instrumental, an interesting rendition of the “Star-Spangled Banner”.  Maybe her next CD will actually feature her playing.

The same day Annette posted the picture of her niece sleeping, I got a wonderful shot of Nicholas.  I went to check up on him after placing him in the bed and tucking him in.  This is what I found:



Notice that he’s still wrapped in the covers.

Just when I thought it couldn't get any better...

...on comes the extended mix of Milli Vanilli's "Girl You Know It's True".

I know you'll never admit it, but you like them too.

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I didn't sleep well last night. Jalen was on my mind. I feel so powerless to guide him as he makes the transition from being a kid to becoming an adolescent. I so feel like I'm failing him. He's had a few failing grades this quarter because of not turning work in on time. I went and spoke with one of his teachers today, who stated that the failed assignment was an anomaly. However, he's had the same anomaly in almost all of his classes. Overall he's doing OK, but I need to address this before these "anomalies" become trends. Guys, PLEASE don't have kids if you aren't going to be there full-time.

Nick really made my day this morning. His class is covering the letter "D" this week. They have show-and-tell every Friday, and each student must bring an item that begins with the letter being studied that week. Well, the M.R.S. tells me yesterday that Nick wanted to take "Daddy" for show-and-tell! She told him to ask his teacher if it was OK, as I'd need to know what time I needed to be there. Anyway, his teacher suggested he bring a picture of me instead. So as we're leaving to go to school this morning, he is frantic b/c he forgot to get a picture. I was extremely touched. Of course, he then changed his mind and took a toy duck instead, but I was still happy.

I've FINALLY recovered from the Monday night football game. We OWN the Redskins - I think we'd won 15 of the last 16 games we'd played. And to lose the way we did... *sigh*... At least we have the scrub 49ers coming to town this week, so the natural order should be restored. And to lose like that on the night the Triplets are inducted into the Ring of Honor. Completely unacceptable, people.

I need to print Nick out the next coloring book (that's YES lessons for you and me). Great!!! Everyone just left the office, and "Burning Down the House" just came on XM radio. Lemme crank it up and get my sing on! It doesn't really matter that I have no idea what the lyrics are - except for "THREE HUNDRED SIXTY-FIVE DEGREES - BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE".

Summer, I just thought about that night at Renee's when "Baby Got Back" came on; we were commenting (or maybe it was just me)that the one line everyone knows from that song is "even white boys got to shout - Baby Got Back"... Or was that Ashley? Or was it you AND Ashley?

Rita - please disperse. Please.

Where's my Muse?

Ahhh, ABBA. "Dancing Queen" is helping me wind down. I'v been in the midst of a spell of writer's block for a few days. Perhaps the seminal Swedish band's harmonies can reach my inner Ernest Hemingway. Never mind. Now it's Motley Crue's "Looks that Kill." Great workout tune, but doesn't inspire me to put the pen to the pad, so to speak. Oh well - c'est la vie.

I'm finally settling back into a routine after being gone 3 of the last 5 weeks. I'm being requested by my department to go to DC October 2-3 on a recruiting trip to Howard University. Seeing as how HU is an HBCU (Historically Black College or University), and I'm one of two black grad students in the department, they really want me to go. The other black guy has to work and can't take off. I think I'm all traveled out though. Not to mention that I'd be hustling to get back in time for Trumpets - and there's the matter of my 7th wedding anniversary to deal with as well.

This past Sabbath was weird. Not the sermons, or the brethren. It was entirely me. I enjoyed my Sabbath, but I almost felt like I was somewhere else, while my body was on remote control. I think it was because I was tired from all the bus riding and whatnot. Rebel told me I looked really tired when we were at Russell Stover's. I guess that was all it was, b/c when I woke up Sunday morning to go to Cracker Barrel I was back to my normal self.

Well I've got to walk home and get dinner, so I'll stop here. I may come back tonight and pick up where I left off. I know - I can dazzle my adoring public with pictures of cotton fields... and charter buses... and cotton breeders... yadda yadda yadda...

Live from Tifton, GA

Made it to Tifton, my last stop. It's about 35 miles from Moultrie, GA, and not much farther to Tallahassee. Unfortunately, that makes Tifton about 4 hours away from Savannah. Incidentally, even though this morning was free time with which we could explore Savannah, I was scheduled for a meeting to last from 8-10 a.m. The meeting lasted until 11:30. We boarded the bus at noon. So much for seeing Savannah, other than the late-nite stroll I took along river street before I went to bed.

We pulled in to the Tifton experiment station for a catered dinner, and it was truly southern. Just about everything was fried. I don't know how much more fried food I can take this week. Anyway, they served cole slaw, potato salad, fried shrimp, shrimp cocktail, fried tilapia, fried grouper, fried catfish, fried crabs, fried oysters, french fries, and cheese grits. Ummm... My table was populated by a guy from India, one from Texas A & M by way of Michigan, one from Texas A & M by way of Idaho, and two Lubbock-area representatives. They were greatly amused by my obvious elation at being served grits. Not as much joy as I took in the grits, but they enjoyed them nonetheless.

After this repast, we were treated to a slide show chronicling this old breeder's international travels - complete with witty anectdotes. Following the slide show, we boarded our buses and went to the Courtyard Marriott; unfortunately, my roomate booked our rooms at the other Marriott. It was within walking distance though, so we eventually checked into our room. I sleep now.

Must... Find... Internet...

I haven't had internet access the past few days and I'm going through withdrawal. Let me say that I will be returning to Savannah with the M.R.S. at some point - this place is quite enchanting. I probably won't be staying where I'm staying now - downtown in the Hyatt in the middle of the Historical District, but I'm sure there's a Motel 6 or something somewhere here. I've already seen enough cotton fields to last me a while, but there's still 2 more days to go. At least tonight we ate dinner in some lady named Paula Deen's restaurant. Apparently she has a cooking show on the Food Network and is famous for putting butter in everything. The creamed corn was the best I've ever had in my life, and the banana pudding wasn't bad either (though I'm sure it's not as good as Country Girl's). Oh well, I gotta run now.

Scary thought: Tman getting a job in Clemson - that means I'd see him more often. Help!!!

Rambling...

In a column titled "Shock and Awe in America", syndicated columnist Kathleen Parker states, "No, he [Pres. Bush] didn't cause the hurricane, nor, by the way, did God in retribution against sin, or gays, or corruption - or whatever story the end-time gang is advancing this week." Now the major thrust of her column was to criticize the President's actions following Katrina's leveling of the Big Easy. I've heard everything from President Bush's failure to sign the Kyoto protocol to the diversion of levee funds to build a new casino given as reasons for the catastrophic destruction in the Gulf. I've heard numerous pundits emphatically deny that our sins had anything to do with the the tragedy. I don't presume to speak for God, nor will I definitively say that He directly caused this particular hurricane. I can say that at the least, He either allowed it, or He was powerless to stop it. I know the latter is not the case, but if it is, then it doesn't matter how we as individuals or nations live. If the former is the case, however...

I've stopped counting the number of times I've heard that some variation of "God wouldn't do such a thing". These thoughts (IMHO) are based upon two false premises: That any of us are truly "innocent", and Who and What God is. Deceived - yes. Ignorant - yes. Innocent - no. None of us. The Bible is full of examples of God punishing disobedient nations using catastrophes, famines, plagues, droughts, lack of peace, and subjugation. Once again, I'm not saying God targeted New Orleans, but there are most certainly plenty of precedents.

The people affected are certainly in need of any help we can give them. I feel helpless, but not nearly as helpless as I imagine the residents of New Orleans, Gulfport, and Biloxi feel. The suffering there is unimagineable to me. There are so many people out there like Heather who are in pain because their neighbors are in pain. There, but for the grace of God, go us. Everyone is wondering how we can prevent such a catastrophe in the future. The one sure way to prevent this type of thing, along with tsunamis, looting, rapes, murders, cancers, etc., is never broached - unless it's by the "religious crackpots."

On a lighter note, we took a pic after Jalen's game. They're 2-0, and have won their two games by a combined score of 80-12.