Swim Moms at Oak Groove

M’s band, Swim Moms, played Sunday at the Oak Groove Festival in the Vista Grove Shopping Center in Decatur.

A decent sized crowd gathered to hear the performance. M sang several songs. Links to their performance coming soon.

Official band photo: L-R: Will, Shep, Frank, and M.

Matthew wrote their bio featured on the festival website: "Swim Moms is a local band that combines the sounds of folk, surf, and pop punk, making a unique and interesting blend. The band consists of seasoned Atlanta musicians and spirits Shepard Martin, Matthew Murphy, Frank Louthan, and Will Walker. Be prepared to jam out."

http://oakgroove.org/music/

The band who set up after the Swim Moms was even younger, though less grungy (you can tell by their squeaky clean sneakers, above).

Wedding

Beautiful day in North Georgia for a wedding yesterday in Ball Ground for Anna's BFF Brittany, to longtime friend Ben.

Ceil took some pictures, so I'll share a few.

Anna and Emily were escorted in together.

Randy escorted Brittany down the aisle.

Bridesmaids Emily, Anna, and Caroline at the reception.

At least one guy spent the reception watching football.

The sparkler thing.

Another happy couple. More on the wedding to follow.

Banana Smash

Memories: in junior high, Northminster Presbyterian Church youth director Jim McNaul's fall youth retreats to Rock Eagle were so much fun. Throwing the football, and getting it struck in the trees. Then there were the games.

 

On Saturday night we'd play the much anticipated game called Banana Smash. Two competitors would kneel on both knees an arm's length apart, with one hand behind their back. With the other hand they'd hold a banana. At the word "go!" both would peel the banana with their teeth, then smash it into their opponent's face. Some could peel and rotate and smash in one motion. Fun stuff for a junior high kid.

 

Also the game where you'd have to look a girl in the eye and say "If you love me baby, smile." The girl would have to keep a straight face and say "I love you baby, but I just can't smile."

 

I couldn't see many churches these days playing these games on a retreat. North Point or Passion City might.

 

Worked til six Monday night. Stopped by the library, Dollar Tree for Halloween candy, and Trader Joes. M's friend McKinnon was over for dinner – tacos. Jeopardy, The Voice, Timeless, laptop. Dinner feel great, so I let myself nod off during The Voice.

 

Tuesday night the Fox team was talking about Mike Napoli's sleep apnea surgery, which SI had detailed earlier this year.

 

Wednesday: watched the World Series and the Halloween episodes of Modern Family, Blackish, and also Designated Survivor.

 

Thursday: Anna came home to get ready for her friend's wedding Saturday evening in Ball Ground.

 

Sunday afternoon M's band plays near Toco Hills, at the Oakwood Festival. At some point I need to rake the leaves to get ready for Halloween. Also gotta get Anna's Jeep tested for emissions. Busy weekend.

Placekicks – as far as I know, at some point long ago the seven yard distance was decided, similar to 60'6" and 90 foot bases. Few vary from seven yards that I've ever heard of, but I do recall one example: when Tom Dempsey kicked his record 63 yard field goal, the holder decided to set up 8 yards back to make sure a low kick wouldn't be blocked. The previous record I think was 58 yards, so it wasn't like Dempsey moved it back a yard to get the record.

 

Seems like other kicks might've been moved back a yard in an effort to tie/break a record, but I can't remember specifically.  George Gipp once kicked a 62 yard drop kick for Notre Dame, and the Falcons Matt Bryant nailed a game-winning 62 yarder when he was with Tampa.

 

http://www.mercurynews.com/2010/11/06/tom-dempseys-record-63-yard-field-goal-a-vivid-memory/

 

Next season all MLB caps will have the New Era flag logo on the side, like they have now in the World Series. In 2020 Under Armour will supply MLB unis, taking over from Majestic.

News! Two of the Crackers ticket stubs finally sold, to a guy in Savannah. I forget what I'd started them out at, but had them listed for 30 days each at $9.95 and then $4.95, with no takers. Finally at $3.95 they sold. I might buy a Coke.

 

As a boy growing up in the 1960's before I-75 was built, we would have 23 north from Macon past Jackson, then cut west at Locust Grove to 41 near the speedway.

 

Will you vote early? I think I will this year, either this Saturday or next, or next week after work.

Focus on Harmony

Focus groups are always interesting. I arrived at 6:55 for my 7:30 meeting, making sure to be eligible for the early bird drawing (I didn't win). As the others drifted in we mostly ignored each other, at best nodding hello. At one point I looked up from my phone to see everyone else engrossed in their phones as well. We were called in five or ten minutes late.

We were made to introduce ourselves in order. The moderator from New Jersey mentioned something about age, but only the leadoff hitter admitted such. A diverse gathering: four of each sex, half white with three blacks and a young Indian lady. I'm always amazed at the things folks are into. Comparatively I feel like a hayseed.

Sheona revealed the most throughout the evening: 40, graveyard shift nurse, mother of three (22, 8, 6, she confessed with a smile). Both she and her husband working on postgraduate degrees. Recent eight day trip to Hawaii. Oldest daughter in the military I.T. Sheona wore her watch on her right hand like me. Fascinating to hear this mature dreadlocked black woman say that neither presidential candidate was a good choice. I quickly nodded in agreement.

Stacie, older mother whose husband freelanced from home. Looked familiar to me.

Young professional twentysomething Tyler works on his computer all day at home, and unplugs at night. Rocked a Braves shirt, shorts, and Nikes. On crutches due to a softball injury. Has a roommate. Made a spot on Buzz Lightyear reference.

Big Michael drives a truck by day, plays video games and streams Spotify by night. Shares an apartment with his brother. Nice sneakers. Didn't talk much.

Older insurance guy works from home, competing for Wi-Fi when his kids comes home. Snuck glances at his phone. Didn't talk much.

Young gamer girl works on stuff so secret even her husband can't know about it. Big into high tech: games, smart TV, security cameras. I was impressed. Travels overseas to visit family, but no accent. Black high-tops. Snuck texts.

Younger indian girl seemed mad at the world, or at least her family. Just her and her dog. All her answered were the opposite of what I'd written down. I wanted to say "lighten up Frances," but that wasn't her name. Possible terrorist.

The topic was Xfinity's new platform, rolling all of a household's wireless devices into a seamless, adaptive, more efficient ecosystem. Was this a great thing? What drawbacks? Sheona and others feared/loathed the Big Brother aspect. Several like me had no need for such techno-overkill.

What to call this product? None of the words or catchphrases stood out. Some were clunky/slang/overused: epic, panoramic, vibe. I joked surprise that awesome wasn't an option.

Perhaps our country would be a more harmonious place if folk from different races would occasionally sit down together and discuss a common interest. I'm sure I added to some of their older white male stereotypes in my old school dark slacks, loafers, and dress shirt, but for me these similar mindsets are quite different than all the diversity crap the media is trying to shove down our throats.

Whether McCann?

Yankees rookie catcher Gary Sanchez was called up in early August, and proceeded to hit a record 11 home runs in his first 23 games. In the remaining 30 games he hit nine more, not too bad of a drop-off. Poor old Brian McCann needed 77 more games to equal Sanchez’ total of 20 home runs. But McCann is not at all poor.

With the Braves in need of a starting catcher, fans will cry for the return of McCann – but that’s exactly who they don’t need: an aging, expensive, fading former All-Star. Both Braves catchers out-hit McCann this year. Surely Coppy will find a front line catcher somewhere else. McCann even has his Gwinnett County mansion up for sale.   

 

..G...AB...R....H..2B.HR.RBI.BB..K...avg.OB.SLG..OPS

053 201  34  060 12 20 042 24 057 299 376 657 1.032 G Sanchez

062 165  17  040 11 04 026 07 031 242 269 382 0.650 A Romine

130 429  56  104 13 20 058 54 099 242 335 413 0.748 B McCann

245 795 107 204 36 44 126 85 187

 

..G...AB..R…H..2B.HR.BI..BB..K…avg.OB.SLG..OPS

033 090 06 025 08 02 015 16 022 278 394 433 0.828 Anthony Recker

082 281 27 076 18 08 041 29 091 270 357 428 0.777 Tyler Flowers

081 247 15 054 15 02 023 06 029 219 243 304 0.547 AJ Pierzynski

196 618 48 155 41 12 079 51 142  

Both McCann and his Jeff Francoeur have seen a little of the country. McCann has played in every NL and AL ballpark. Frenchy has spent time with the Braves, Mets, Rangers, Royals, Albuquerque Isotopes, Phillies, and Marlins.

 

Warren Spahn finished his career with 363 wins as a pitcher and 363 hits as a batter.

 

In 1982 Joel Youngblood collected a hit in a day game for the Mets, then left the game when he was traded to the Expos. He traveled to Philadelphia and joined the Expos in the middle of their game, and collected a hit – two hits for two different teams in two different cities in one day.

 

Cal Ripken’s iron man streak of 2632 consecutive games played is the equivalent of more than 16 full seasons without missing a game.

Week 8 Total QB Rating

One of the reasons I review this list so often is when an announcer talks about how great a quarterback is, I’ll know how he compares to other QB’s in his conference and across the country. Is he a Heisman candidate? Is he a NFL prospect? If so, why is he rated so low?

Heisman voters look at the best player on the best team. Like a beauty pageant, any flaw counts points off. Hardly any are perfect. NFL scouts look more at physical attributes (size, arm strength) that performance on the field.

 

New this week: last week’s rating at the far right. One bad game can drop a QB ten or more spots.

 

1. 91.6 Lamar Jackson, Louisville (2) 90.9

2. 91.6 Sam Darnold, Southern California (1) 91.4

3. 90.3 Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma (4) 86.9

4. 90.2 Jake Browning, Washington (3) 89.7

8. 84.5 Mitch Trubisky, North Carolina (7) 84.6 (above)

 

11. 79.4 Deondre Francois, Florida State freshman (12)

12. 79.0 Wilton Speight, Michigan (30) 72.6

13. 78.6 Greg Ward, Houston (10) 82.0

16. 77.8 Trevor Knight, Texas A&M (17) 77.2

17. 77.7 Jalen Hurts, Alabama freshman

18. 77.7 Skyler Howard, West Virginia

19. 77.5 Sean White, Auburn (23) 74.4

 

22. 77.3 Chad Kelly, Ole Miss (11) 79.6

23. 75.9 Jerod Evans, Virginia Tech (28) 72.8

24. 75.3 Austin Allen, Arkansas (21) 75.2

25. 75.2 Deshaun Watson, Clemson (20) 75.4

26. 73.8 Nathan Peterman, Pittsburgh (26) 73.2

 

32. 71.2 Tommy Armstrong, Nebraska (25) 73.6

33. 70.9 Seth Russell, Baylor (34)

35. 69.9 Jesse Ertz, Kennesaw State (45) 66.7

37. 68.7 Eric Dungey, Syracuse (46) 66.5

38. 68.3 Brett Rypien, Boise State (32)

39. 68.3 Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State (35)

 

41. 68.0 Danny Etling, Louisiana State

43. 67.3 JT Barrett, Ohio State (33)

44. 67.1 Nick Fitzgerald, Mississippi State (42)

45. 66.6 Justin Thomas, Georgia Tech (40) 67.8

47. 65.6 Taysom Hill, Brigham Young (39) 67.9

48. 65.0 Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee (49) 64.4

49. 64.0 Shane Buechele, Texas freshman (41) 67.7

 

50. 63.5 DeShone Kizer, Notre Dame (50)

52. 62.8 Brad Kaaya, Miami (55) 62.2 (below)

54. 62.1 Josh Rosen, UCLA (57)

55. 62.1 Ryan Finley, NC State (44) 66.8

57. 61.6 Trace McSorley, Penn State (52) 63.6

 

61. 59.1 Drew Lock, Missouri (75) 54.0

69. 55.4 Mitch Leidner, Minnesota (63)

72. 54.9 Jacob Eason, Georgia freshman (66) 56.1

76. 53.4 John Wolford, Wake Forest (74) 54.0

79. 52.3 Conner Manning, Georgia State (79)  

 

80. 52.0 Kurt Benkert, Virginia (65) 56.1

81. 52.0 Ryan Burns, Stanford (73) 54.3

83. 50.8 Luke Del Rio, Florida (80) 51.6

85. 50.3 Daniel Jones, Duke (83)

89. 48.7 Patrick Towles, Boston College (86)

93. 46.7 Kevin Ellison, Georgia Southern (87)

 

108. 39.3 Kyle Shurmur, Vanderbilt (112)

126. 22.3 Brandon McIlwain, South Carolina freshman (126) 23.9

The Series Begins

Finally a World Series to be excited about, even though the Indians took an early lead.

Left work at 5:45 Friday. Leftovers for dinner. I went to bed early because I was so worn out from the week. Saturday I worked from 7 am to 6 pm. Chickfila biscuits for breakfast and Jimmy Johns sandwiches for lunch.

Sunday we left home at 9 am to go to PCC. Then went straight to Turner Field for a season ticket holder event. Fox Brothers BBQ. Lots of signs and others stuff for sale, many for more than $200.00. Buddy Johnny Pierce bought a large sign. I bought a thick Braves scorebook and C bought a pennant – one dollar each. Almost bought a jersey. Line for the half price caps was too long. Never made it down on the field.

Fought traffic north to Pershing Point so Ceil could return some art supplies. Then we drove to the crowded Marietta Square for another Ceil errand. Didn't get home until 3 pm. After being gone for seven straight days, I was ready to crash.

I like car trips. If the object of the honeymoon is to spend time with your new spouse, seems like a car trip wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. Teaches you their likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, what end of the toothpaste tube they use, etc.

Over the years C and I have driven to Florida several times, to Chicago, to Detroit, to Richmond, to Washington DC, to Memphis, Hilton Head, and of course to Myrtle Beach over 20 times.

Years ago Ceil and I went on one of those time share overnights up in NC, before we had kids. Not too impressed with the place. I wouldn't mind going on one down to Orlando if they included Disney tickets.

Falcons Lose in OT

I watched more of the Chargers game than any previous Falcon game. Every time I left the room the Falcons would score. I’d come back in and the Chargers would score. I agree completely on the 4th down call – when a back starts seven yards back it allows the defense to penetrate. Better for a quick fullback dive or QB sneak, or a quick pass. Same play lost the game of UGA last week.

The Falcons’ head coach earned the job for what he did with the Seahawks’ defense. He’s seen how the Falcons defense was tired, and had been unable to stop Rivers and the San Diego offense in the fourth quarter. Quinn went for it because he figured Atlanta better try to hang on to the ball, because SD would drive down and score, or use their deadly kicker for the game-winner. But the error to thinking like that was that the Chargers were due for a turnover, even if they don’t turn the ball over that much. Just like the interception Matt Ryan threw when the SD linebacker (who hadn’t had an interception all year) stopped covering one guy, the same thing could’ve happened to the Chargers in overtime.

Would’ve been something if Matt Bryant had hit that 58 yard field goal at the end of regulation. Instead it hit the upright.

 

The Falcons looked better than usual in their 1966 jerseys and white pants with plain stripes. But in 66 they wore red helmets, not the black helmets they wore yesterday. Instead they looked more like the Dirty Birds from the Jerry Glanville/Brett Favre/Jeff George/Dan Reeves/Chris Chandler era. Only difference: they wore light grey pants back then.

Jimmy Carter flipped the coin before the game. 

 

Not much other football. Saw the end of Bama Texas A&M. Surprised that Auburn blew out a decent Arkansas team.

In 2014 the Wall Street Journal published a graph showing the success rates of college football teams, showing both on field success as well as success in the classroom. The chart was broken down into four quadrants.
 
The top right quadrant indicated success both on the field and in the classroom. This is where a team would most like to be. From best to worst, in general order (from top right to lower left): Stanford, Clemson, UCLA, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Michigan State, Washington, Michigan, Florida, Arizona, Duke, Virginia Tech, Ohio State, Auburn, Iowa, Texas, Pitt, Indiana, Boise State, Arkansas, Georgia, Syracuse, Utah, Baylor, Cincinnati, South Carolina, BYU, Georgia Tech, West Virginia, and Texas Tech.
 
Lower right meant success on the field, but poor academics. Southern Cal, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Oregon State, Maryland, TCU, Oregon, Louisville, Houston, Oklahoma State, Miami, Oklahoma, Alabama, FSU, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Penn State.
 
Top left indicated a poor record on the field but good academic performance. Purdue, Rice, Wake Forest, Kansas, NC State, Virginia, Kentucky, Colorado, UConn, Hawaii, Louisiana Tech, Louisiana Monroe, Tulane.
 
Lower left was the worst place to be: poor academics and performance on the field. Teams in this quadrant, from “best” to worst: Iowa State, Cal, South Florida, Air Force, SMU, Wyoming, Rutgers, Appalachian State, UTEP.

Turner Field Play Day

Had lunch today with new Braves manager Brian Snitker at Turner Field, with a thousand season ticketholders. Saw several of my Braves buddies: Johnny, Norman, Bobby, Katie, The Chief, Michael, and even our SunTrust Field tour guide.

 

Passed on a half price Milwaukee Braves cap and Homestead Greys jersey, but bought a Braves scorebook and 1993 pennant for a dollar each. Katie scored two coveted Rome bobbleheads for a dollar each: Roxie and the Hot Dog.  

 

Ceil showed off her form throwing a baseball, wearing the sneakers her mother had handed down to her a couple of years ago.

 

 

 

 

Get Out of the Way of Type A

Things every type-A person wants you to know, another list by Dr. Travis Bradberry for LinkedIn.

 

ME: after reading the list, I’m still thankful I’m not a type-A person. Is Bradberry just listing his own likes and dislikes?

 

1. Winning is the only option. Everything is a competition, even the most mundane activities.

2. They live and die by their goals.

3. They’re always stressed. (So everyone around us should be as well, right?).

4. They squeeze something into every possible moment. Sometimes they overdo it. In their determination to avoid downtime, they inadvertently create downtime for others.

5. They want you to get to the point (even if I couldn’t care less).

6. They hate to wait.

7. They’re conscientious (not always – only on stuff important to them).

8. They multitask (even though true multitasking is impossible). (they think they’re not being rude, but they are).

9. They have a tough time relaxing.

10. They have an unrealistic sense of urgency – even about some trivial matters.

11. They follow a schedule (not always).

12. They’re restless.

 

Bradberry’s recap / apology: “we know we can be awfully hard on everybody, but we’re harder on ourselves (are you sure?). This may be difficult to see because no one else is privy to the perfectionist that’s grading or berating our every move inside our own heads. Just know this – we care a lot – and we really are sorry if our personality makes us hard to get along with sometimes."

 

ME: Apology accepted. Unfortunately not every type-A willingly acknowledges and apologizes for their often rude and overbearing behavior. Again, I’m glad I’m not type-A. Funny that most posting comments list all their numerous college degrees and/or business titles, in an effort to justify their importance. Of course, us type-B’s aren’t perfect either. Not sure we blame our shortcomings on our personality type.

 

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/critical-things-every-type-person-wishes-you-knew-bradberry

Week 7 Total QB Rating

After appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated, Heisman candidate Lamar Jackson has dropped out of the top spot.

Also making big moves up this week: Deshaun Watson, Justin Thomas, and Jacob Eason.

1. 91.4 Sam Darnold, Southern Cal (above)

2. 90.9 Lamar Jackson, Louisville 

3. 89.7 Jake Browning, Washington

4. 86.9 Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma

7. 84.6 Mitch Trubisky, North Carolina – look out Jackets

10. 82.0 Greg Ward, Houston

11. 79.6 Chad Kelly, Ole Miss

12. 79.4 Deondre Francois, Florida State freshman

17. 77.2 Trevor Knight, Texas A&M

20. 75.4 Deshaun Watson, Clemson – continues to climb

21. 75.2 Austin Allen, Arkansas

23. 74.4 Sean White, Auburn – continues to climb

25. 73.6 Tommy Armstrong, Nebraska

26. 73.2 Nathan Peterman, Pittsburgh

28. 72.8 Jerod Evans, Virginia Tech – look out, Jackets

30. 72.6 Wilton Speight, Michigan

32. 70.6 Brett Rypien, Boise State

33. 70.3 JT Barrett, Ohio State

34. 69.9 Seth Russell, Baylor

35. 69.8 Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State

39. 67.9 Taysom Hill, Brigham Young – NFL prospect?

40. 67.8 Justin Thomas, Georgia Tech

41. 67.7 Shane Buechele, Texas freshman

42. 67.5 Nick Fitzgerald, Mississippi State

43. 67.1 Danny Etling, Louisiana State

44. 66.8 Ryan Finley, NC State – INT in OT hurt

45. 66.7 Jesse Ertz, Kennesaw State

46. 66.5 Eric Dungey, Syracuse

49. 64.4 Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee – NFL prospect?

50. 63.7 DeShone Kizer, Notre Dame – why they’re losing?

51. 63.7 Kenny Hill, Texas Christian

52. 63.6 Trace McSorley, Penn State – much better than Hackenberg

54. 62.8 Favian Upshaw, Georgia Southern

55. 62.2 Brad Kaaya, Miami

57. 61.7 Josh Rosen, UCLA – SI cover boy

63. 58.3 Mitch Leidner, Minnesota

65. 56.4 Kurt Benkert, Virginia

66. 56.1 Jacob Eason, Georgia – big jump upward

73. 54.3 Ryan Burns, Stanford – why they’re losing?

74. 54.0 John Wolford, Wake Forest

75. 54.0 Drew Lock, Missouri

79. 52.4 Conner Manning, Georgia State

80. 51.6 Luke Del Rio, Florida – bodes well for Georgia?

81. 51.4 Stephen Johnson, Kentucky – bodes well for Georgia?

83. 50.2 Daniel Jones, Duke – bodes well for Tech?

86. 49.5 Patrick Towles, Boston College

87. 49.3 Kevin Ellison, Georgia Southern

112. 37.9 Kyle Shurmur, Vanderbilt – still beat Georgia

126. 23.9 Brandon McIlwain, South Carolina – only 3 are worse

Our Honeymoon

As we approach our 30th anniversary, I realize I have never recorded an account of our wedding and honeymoon. While an accurate account would be better if I were able to dig out my 1987 calendar, I’ll write what I remember. I’ll start with our honeymoon.

We left Jefferson in a drizzle. Must’ve been around 8 pm, as dusk was falling. Thirty minutes later we stopped in Lugoff to wash the shaving cream from the car, which had looked good on the wheels.

 

Spent night in downtown Colombia at the Marriott – a relatively fancy place. Got to our room late. We were tired from the exciting day

 

Sunday: Had breakfast in the hotel. Flew from Columbia to Atlanta, then on to Bermuda. Took a bus from the airport all the way across the island to Sandys and Willowbank. Might’ve been a taxi, but I think it was a bus. Supper was at the resort. This meal may have been a cookout outside on the deck overlooking the Atlantic sunset. Willowbank may have not been the Ritz, but the community that stayed there back in the day loved the intimate feel.

 

Like on a cruise ship, the other evening meals at Willowbank required formal dress. During the week I was tempted to wear Bermuda shorts with my coat and tie. This was before the current age of “relaxed casual / formal”, back when people actually dressed up.

 

Dinner guests were seated at tables of six or eight. Most of the guests were from the northeast. Most were older, but there were a couple of younger couples we gravitated to. Breakfast was continental or buffet style, as I recall. You just came up and fixed your plate, and ate as a couple or with others. We never ate lunch at the resort as we were always on the go, but after breakfast you could pack a bag of snacks to take with you, which we often did.

 

Can’t remember if we ever made it back for afternoon tea. Since Willowbank was a Christian led resort, there was a daily Bible Study led by a visiting clergyman. This is how Bob and Myra Marsh visited so often. Again, since this was during the morning or afternoon, we never attended.

 

Once during the week we changed rooms. This was how the stay was booked. I have no memory of one of the rooms. The room I remember was on the southern wing, with a view of the ocean.  

 

Each morning after breakfast we embarked out on a different adventure, exploring different sections of the island in varying ways, using different modes of transportation.  

 

Early in the week we stepped off the beaten path, taking a bus north to the western tip of the island to explore the Maritime Museum and old fort. The morning was damp and cloudy. At midday there weren’t a lot of dining options, so we tried a small local diner frequented not by tourists but instead by locals, mostly nautical types. I remember spotting a “Steak-Um Sandwich” on the menu, and that’s what I ordered. After lunch the sun broke through the clouds. The rest of the week would be sunny and clear, warm but not hot. With no bus in the area, we decided to walk back. This gave us the chance to see schoolchildren, and check out some of the local stores along the way. Not an ordinary Bermuda adventure, but quite memorable and fun.  

 

The next day we took the small bus to Bermuda’s main city in the center of the island, Hamilton. Took pictures with the tiny vehicles, much smaller than those in America. We walked over to town, enjoying ornate churches and various statues. From a hill we could look down the avenue past the downtown shopping area to the docks, a cruise ship towering over the buildings.

 

One day we stayed near the resort, taking advantage of the beach on the grounds, using snorkeling equipment from the resort. We were able to swim right next to huge exotic fish. This may have been a day we joined others for afternoon tea, which was anticlimactic for me.  

 

Another day we rented two mopeds to drive across the island. Ceil had more motorcycle experience than me, but I picked it up quickly. As we waited out turn to pull out into the street, we were behind an older Willowbank gentleman. As he pulled out onto the main road he forgot to stay on the left side, like in England. With a car approaching, he swerved his moped and fell to the ground, skinning his knee. That ended his day on the moped. After witnessing this near miss, Ceil and I were extra careful.

 

We rode past Hamilton to St. Georges on the northeastern part of the island, where we ate the picnic lunch we had packed back at the resort. We stopped at various points of interest, which included a fort and several small beaches. I never grew tired from looking at the fascinating bleached white tiered rooftops, used to collect rainwater for use inside.  

 

Later on in the week we went out on a sailboat with a few other Willowbank couples, and went snorkeling. We sailed around the bay, and enjoyed the beautiful clear water. I think we saw a submarine. Weather all week was perfect, except the cloudy morning at the maritime museum

 

Saturday morning we packed up, journeyed back across the island to the airport, and flew home to Atlanta. Made it home in time to catch some college football.

This & That

See where the Hawks will be wearing the royal blue and green Maravich-era throwbacks some this year? Greatest unis ever. Lead story yesterday on Uni Watch, but I only learned about it today. Evidently word was out for several months that they’d be wearing them.

 

This coming Sunday the Falcons will wear throwbacks, from the Jerry Glanville / Brett Farve era (below). Since the NFL forces teams to only wear one helmet, the Falcons couldn’t break out their old red throwback beauties. Maybe next year they’ll update their unis.

Late Friday coworker Renee and I walked back over to visit with the second shift eating at the cookout. We were forced to take food home, so C and I each had potato salad and a hamburger when I got home. C had errands to run, so I drove her: Michaels, BP, Whole Foods, Dollar Tree, and Publix. Didn’t get home until 9 pm. Watched a little football and played on the computer.

 

Cleaned upstairs Saturday morning until Anna came home. Started some laundry, then drove to near the Big Chicken for a pickup. Stopped by four thrift stores along the way. Listened to the UGA game, then got home to flip between GA/Vandy, GT/Georgia Southern, and Clemson/NC State, then later AL/TN. We had two weeks of laundry, plus what Anna brought home. Then there was the wedding shower cleanup.

 

M brought McKinnon home to hang out. Didn’t eat until after 8:30 pm. C fixed pork tenderloin, and we had five at the table. Afterwards Anna headed back to Athens. I watched Arkansas / Ole Miss while laptopping. I had a bit of an upset stomach.

 

Sunday: Passion City Church. Louie spoke on the 23rd Psalm. Leftovers for lunch. Nap, more laundry, got my haircut, Kroger, popcorn, watched some NFL, Sleepless in Seattle, and Killing Kennedy. Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for supper.

 

Monday: Plenty of leftover potato salad at work. Another slow night for us. C cooked a chicken and pasta recipe. Wheel, Jeopardy, the Voice. Also watched that time travel show for the first time.

 

Monday night Ceil asked what Letterman was up to. I didn’t tell her that I follow his beard on Twitter.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/23/arts/television/david-letterman-late-show-retirement.html

 

C had been running errands late Tuesday afternoon/early evening. I had time to make a couple of stops on the way home, but didn’t. Made a PB&J and caught up on some emails. Wheel, Jeopardy, the Middle, The Voice. M cooked chicken quesadillas.

Dock looked good on MCNBC in his dark suit, white shirt, and red tie. He’s come a long way for a kid from Doraville. Still gotta watch it, and JFBC on 60 Minutes.

Killing me that the Cubs are down 2-1 in the playoffs. Javier Baez hit his game-winning home run wearing Nike Air Force Ones. Seems logical that Smoltz hated not being included in the Chicks Dig the Long Ball commercial.

 

Buddy at work attends Cumberland Community Church, located near the southwest corner of Cobb Parkway and Spring Road just north of 285 – and just west of the Braves new ballpark. Yesterday church leaders announced the church was looking for a new location to move to. Sounds like the Braves want to buy up that area for stadium parking. The deal could mean a nicer, more strategic facility for CC, and perhaps less debt. Wonder if they’ll build a pedestrian bridge over Cobb Parkway to The Battery?

 

They might have to move fast: Opening day is on Good Friday, and game three is on Easter Sunday. In a related note, Passion City Church is starting a satellite campus that will meet in the Cobb Galleria. Would be a more convenient location for us, but the worship service times are more inconvenient.  

 

Remember the long sermon series Dr. Marsh did in the early 1980’s about Psalms? Every title started off “The Psalmist Faced…” One was “the Psalmist Faced – a Scowl.” We used to joke that one of them would be titled “The Psalmist Faced – Repetition.” Louie Giglio will start a series, jump off it for a few months, then return to the series. He’s all over the place about everything. Sunday I was talking to a guy on the shuttle bus. He said when PCC moved the services from 10 & 12:30 to 9:30 & 11:30 that Louie had to do a better job of ending the first service on time. Not long after they changed the first service didn’t let out until 11:10, creating havoc in the parking lot and surrounding streets. Since then they’ve gotten better.

 

Andy Stanley and North Point seem to plan out series and topics and the week to week schedule many months in advance. He will repeat a main topic every three years or so, due to its importance – repackaging and updating the content to make it fresh.  

 

Killing me that we haven’t been able to plan a Destin trip.

 

Next year Anna is going to be a RA in a dorm at Georgia. A great way to minister to unchurched girls in the dorm.   

 

M’s band plays a gig October 30 at the Oakwood Festival, not far from the Toco Hills Shopping Center.  

 

I was using my scrapbook calendar system back in 87 when I got married. That info could help with my honeymoon write-up. Several years ago when I started to compile my list of sporting events attended, my calendars were invaluable sources of information. Hard to believe I have over 30 calendars stashed away with day to day info, as well as over 15 years of spreadsheet calendars saved on my computer. Also MPG and service info on my old Taurus, Civic, two minivans, the CRV, two Jeeps, and now M’s Buick – all on the same spreadsheet.
 

Good article about Seinfeld and baseball:  

http://www.complex.com/sports/2016/10/oral-history-of-baseball-on-seinfeld?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20161018_Complex_Daily_Newsletter&utm_content=20161018_Complex_Daily_Newsletter+CID_0714d75b5779308ed5e32359c59dd58b&utm_source=Campaign%20Monitor%20newsletter&utm_term=The%20Oral%20History%20of%20Baseball%20on%20Seinfeld

 

C spends a lot of time on Instagram. She’s taking an art class on line and had to break down and get a Facebook.

 

Thinking about turning my blog into all-Rodrigo Blankenship all the time. Bruce went to the UGA/Vandy game with David Hubert. It was Bruce’s first UGA game in 25 years.

 

I almost got the fried egg burger when I was in Augusta. In general I don’t mind a plain burger – as long as it has catsup. Also tomato. Too many ingredients just overwhelm the burger taste. Not lettuce (but shredded lettuce is better than a big leaf). Grilled onion better than raw onion. Either ok as long as it’s not a long strip. Will pass on a fried onion ring inside a burger. Cheese is ok but not critical. I’d rather have catsup than BBQ sauce for the same reason. But if the bun is too plain tasting and the beef nothing special, might as well load up on the extras to make it taste like something.

 

With all the muckraking in this election, with Christians supporting each side (or rather not supporting each side) and all the deceit and lies and finger-pointing, and people not defending their own candidate but instead badmouthing the other, it makes me wonder how many Christians will be fooled and sucked in by the anti-Christ.