Troop 625

I was a Boy Scout once.  If I remember correctly, it was for about 3 years, beginning somewhere around the time I was 12/13.  I absolutely hated it.  Boy Scout Troop 625, Clio, SC.  Our meetings were on Wednesday nights @ 7 p.m.; our hut was a little wooden building about ½ mile from my house.  There was this one house I had to walk past that had dogs.  I still remember the fear of not knowing whether they were going to pick this week to chase me home or not.  For some reason, they never seemed to bother me when I was on the way to Scout meeting.  In my memories, the hut is always cold when I arrive, though I know that couldn’t have been the case in the spring/summer.  The mind is funny that way.  You ever wonder how many of your memories are actually memories, and how many of them are revisions of what REALLY happened?

Anyway, I was the first (and only) black member of the troop.  My brother joined a couple of years later, but I was on my way out by then.  My Scouting experience has been one of the few times I intensely felt like an outsider.  I NEVER felt like I belonged.  For one, I just wasn’t gung-ho on camping like most of the others.  I couldn’t enjoy our canoe trips, or our tubing trips down the Chattooga River because of my inability to swim.  Try spending 12 consecutive hours fighting panic and see how you like it.  The biggest reason I think I never “fit in” is because of some preconceived racial/socioeconomic baggage I brought with me.

You see, the rest of my troop was white.  And they went to Marlboro Academy, the private school in the county.  Many of their parents taught in the public school system, but they sent their kids to the private school.  We (the black kids) were taught that the reason the private school existed had nothing to do with academics – it was strictly an option to integration.  In short, they didn’t want their kids interacting with US – which was fine, in that the public school and academy kids didn’t cross paths much.  We assumed they didn’t like us, and called us n-----s when safely within the confines of their precious academy, so therefore we didn’t like them.  I have no idea how accurate that picture is or was, but I do know that that’s the picture I had in my head as I tried to become part of the Scouts.

As a result, I held back.  I was polite, somewhat friendly, etc.  But I refused to completely “buy in”, so to speak, partially because I didn’t completely trust the other guys.  Looking back, I never had any problems with any of the guys.  Many of them went out of their way to make me feel welcome.  I just couldn’t shake my preconceived notions.  Couldn’t shake them.  When we were having fun, I was always waiting for the other shoe to drop – the racist joke (“No offense, Mike), the “accidental” use of a racial epithet…  To my knowledge, it only happened once, and it was perpetrated by someone who came into the troop after I did.  Even though I know better, there is still a large part of me that wishes I’d knocked him into next week.  What made it worse is that I don’t (and didn’t then) think he said what he said to be mean – I think he thought what he was saying was acceptable and OK.

Once I got into high school sports my practices interfered with attending Scout meetings, and I eventually stopped going altogether.  My brother pretty much stopped when I did.  I do wish I could go back and interact with those fellas again without my biases.  Most of them were good guys; several of them went to Clemson.  We occasionally crossed paths, and exchanged pleasantries.  I lament the missed opportunity to forge stronger and longer-lasting relationships.

Scouting wasn’t all bad though.  We had a memorable campout on the beach, where I found out that sand gets EVERYWHERE.  There was a five-mile hike, followed by the planting of hundreds of pine trees that ended up being very enjoyable; and there were trips to Carowinds that were quite pleasurable.  And I did learn to tie a bunch of knots.  I think the Scouts are a good thing; perhaps the boys will get to experience it.

Something I meant to post a while back...

A link to an article by Philip Skell, from Penn State U. it's entitled "Why do we Invoke Darwin?"

Not surprisingly, his article generated some responses. I also like his reply to those responses. I won't post the responses, but he has a link to them.

Post-op Deux

Noah’s procedure went quite smoothly.  The docs called him back at 8, and the doc came to tell us everything went smoothly at 8:07.  By 8:45 we were sitting in Cracker Barrel eating breakfast.  Not bad, Medicus, not bad at all.

I was experiencing shoulder and neck fatigue last night and this morning, so I jokingly mentioned to the M.R.S. that maybe I should hit Jalen up for one of his Loritabs.  Well, mother-in-law (who went to the doc’s with us) pulls out this Tylenol bottle and whips out a Loritab.  She gives it to me and I take it on the way home.  After about 15 minutes my neck and shoulders started to feel much better.  I decided to lie down for a little while and take a short nap before going to work.  This is around 10:00.  Next thing I know it’s going on 2:30 p.m. and I’m just now coming to.  I rush to my 3:30 seminar and still feel sluggish and drowsy @ 5:10.  No more of those for me.

Thanks for all the well-wishes and prayers.  I think I’m going home now.  A nap sounds nice.

20051117

So Nick drew a picture of the earth yesterday and showed it to us at the dinner table last night. It's a fairly good representation, overlooking the fact that he had Greenville and Clemson (30 miles apart) on different continents. He graciously labeled a few other key locations: American, Jamaica, and My Am Me (say it quickly). Apparently our Feast trip has made an indelible impression upon the young man. I love this kid.

Noah gets the tubes in his ears tomorrow morning. He can't eat after midnight, so I really hope he sleeps through the night and doesn't wake up looking for sustenance. I suggested stuffing him with a nice big bowl of oatmeal around 11. Let's pray it works.

We had our first frost this morning - almost six weeks before the end of the year. This year's weather has certainly not been normal. Oh well, it's back to homology searching for me. Technically it should be similarity searching, since the term homology assumes an ancestor/descendant relationship. Let me not bore you guys. Later!

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.

092205

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.