Spotlight: Tina Fey

Tuesday night we watched Tina Fey, first on David Letterman’s “My Next Guest,” then on Jerry Seinfeld’s Comedians in Cars Drinking Coffee. To Letterman she revealed something I had long suspected: at the age of forty she became the youngest recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, mostly for her caricature of Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live – while even more deserving candidates like Carol Burnett were snubbed. Fey admitted her unease at meeting Palin and other powerful political figures, and described the lengths she and other writers took to make sure the sketches they wrote only dealt with the truth. One of her lowest moments came at the end of a Weekend Update segment on Charlottesville Virginia, when she accidentally went off script and said something that was taken the wrong way. 

Fey is a prolific comedy writer who would be fun to hang with. She seemed more comfortable in front of Letterman’s live audience than Seinfeld’s cameras. Fey gives away tiny pieces of personal information about her husband and daughters, but not much.

Worked till seven Tuesday evening. Mary Clayton had driven over from Augusta. Ceil bought a baked chicken at Whole Foods (for $6.99 you can’t beat the deal). Ceil tossed a salad, baked sweet potato strips, and grilled brussel sprouts.

Tuesday afternoon Anna traveled to Buckhead for a work meeting. Wednesday Ceil and MC ventured out to look at apartments. Will has to work in Augusta all week and may miss several early wedding activities.

Snit has not handled the pitchers well. We may be missing a chance to win the division championship. Nice to see Camargo come up with a big hit - actually two of them. Not nice to see Joey Bautista get another hit. Why couldn’t he hit in a Braves uniform? Perhaps the Braves don’t pitch Bautista like everyone else does.

C and MC looked at apartments all day, mostly on the “Westside” but also near Westminster and up by the Chattahoochee. They saw Isabel’s park. This weekend MC will show Will some of the candidates.

I worked until 7 pm Wednesday night, doing month end stuff. On the way home I stopped at a store and spotted a pair of swim trunks with tacos on them.

Ceil picked up a Johnny’s Pizza for supper. Very good. MC was reviewing the apartments. Ceil and I watched the first three episodes of 30 Rock. I might’ve liked it more than she did. Not sure if we’ll continue.

Busy day at work today due to month end.

Think Lebron will stay in Cleveland? Did making the Finals help or hurt?

New In Town

The weekend: worked until 5:40 Friday afternoon. The place had cleared out earlier than usual for the holiday, so I was still one of the last ones to leave. Not my original intent. Watched the movie "New in Town" on Netflix. Also some re-runs of The Tonight Show.

Saturday morning Ceil went to the farmers market in the Marietta Square. I cleaned downstairs. Around 11 am a guy came to sell us a new roof. So much for that new car. Did laundry and cleaned the rest of the day. Ceil went to get a few more things at the grocery.

Saturday night we went over to another couple's house for dinner, our fill-in Sunday School teacher while Brian takes a summer sabbatical. Joe is a no-nonsense engineer from Tennessee. I like him. I wore my untucked blue check Columbia PFG fishing shirt, knowing Joe favored the comfortable shirts as well. Got to their house and he was wearing one too. Wife Jennifer was born in the Philippines and works out at the Y with Ceil. Delicious dinner of marinated chicken, rice, and Ceil's salad. I only had one serving of the yummy dessert: vanilla ice cream with fudge topping and peanuts. A Chinese widow from our class ate with us. She brought her two cute kids. At first the kids were shy, but later they couldn't stop talking. The little girl ate the dessert but spit out the peanuts. Reminded me of the old lady joke who had the tray of peanuts on her table that the visitor ate, not knowing the lady had sucked all the chocolate off them. After dinner we played dominoes – my first time. Fun.

Sunday morning was testimony time in Sunday School, and several people spoke. Bryant Wright is also on a short sabbatical, so Chip Henderson senior pastor at Pinelake Church in Jackson Mississippi delivered an inspiring message. Henderson has been at Pinelake since 1999, and in that time the church has grown from 700 to over 9000 Sunday worshippers, over five campuses.

Was watching the Braves when Acuna got hurt. Finally found the charger for my Apple Watch. Later Sunday afternoon we ran to Lowe's for a couple of plants, then Trader Joes for hamburger buns and frozen French fries for supper. I was starving. Should've gone inside Trader Joes for a box of cereal or something, but there was an Arbys in the parking lot. The car at the drive through was taking forever so I ran inside. Ordered a large fry and the clerk asked "want just the large fries, or the large fries AND a free small fries as well?" I said both, the he asked what my favorite cookie was. He gave me a free cookie as well. Ceil got back in the car and said "I smell French fries."

Anna was home when we got back. Ceil was cooked the burgers and fries. Anna snacked on my fries and fried eggs for our burgers. I didn't eat much. We all watched the Lifetime Channel movie about Prince Harry and Meghan. Afterwards C and A went to Kroger for contact lens solution. I turned on the Netflix Steve Martin / Martin Short special. Very good. C and A went to bed while I finished. Later M came in and watched some of the special.

Monday morning Ceil cooked brunch: oatmeal, eggs, bacon, and bagels. Later C, A, and M went to the mall. I did more laundry and cleaned out emails and played on my laptop. Watched the Short / Martin special again, and the Braves exciting walkoff win. Took Anna's Jeep to get new windshield wipers, and topped off the tank with gas. On her way out of town I showed her how to check the air in her tires. Next weekend I probably have to get new tires for her Jeep.

Went over to Lee & Nancy's for burgers and brats, with three other couples. Fun time. The four other couples all had son's graduate from high school this past week. Lots of desserts, but I didn't eat too much. Got home and the Braves were just starting game two. Lots of offense in the first four innings, and the Braves took a 4-3 lead. Ceil went to bed. I finished up stuff on my computer, and ordered a Dale Murphy jersey. Didn't go to bed until almost midnight.

MC comes to town today. She and Ceil are going apartment hunting. Will and Okie will be coming by Thursday. MC's sister's wedding rehearsal is Thursday night. Ceil is going to the bridesmaid's luncheon Friday morning, then we all go to the rehearsal dinner Friday night and the wedding Saturday evening.

East Cobb's Walton High School is one of the top five schools in the state. The salutatorian (a girl) it going to an Ivy League school, but the Korean-born valedictorian was wait-listed. He made a perfect score on the SAT and had a 4.8 GPA, making A's in over 25 advanced/honors classes. His parents and brother attended Columbia. He had to settle on Georgia Tech. For the time being.

Acuna Blah Blah Blah

Long weekend for the Braves. In three games they out-hit and out-scored one of the best teams in baseball, but only came away with one win. Sunday they knocked one of the best pitchers in baseball out of the game Chris Sale). After two games filled with bad calls, Braves catcher Tyler Flowers had to get in the veteran umpire’s face and demand his pitcher get the same calls Sale was getting.

I could understand Brian Snitker’s decision to put Markakis in left field, to better field balls off the green monster. As usual, the veteran handled the assignment with grace and efficiency. With his speed, athletic ability, and strong arm, young Ronald Acuna shouldn’t have had any problem patrolling right field. Many all-knowing fans had been clammering for the switch ever since Acuna had been called up. Well they were wrong again.

So many of Boston’s runs came on pokes into the right field corner, which Acuna failed to master. Sometimes the kid failed to hustle. He seems to have trouble figuring out where the batted ball is going. Some times he was able to make up for poor jumps with his speed, but several times the ball got away from him in the corner.

I was reminded of Bob Uecker’s method of catching a knuckleball: wait till it stops rolling, then pick it up. Acuna was almost that bad. When Acuna was finally able to chase down the ball, his lobs back to the infield could’ve used more mustard. For someone who’s supposed to have a superior arm, he sure doesn’t show it off.

I know the kid is young. He’s got a lot to learn. He has a long way to go. I know all that. But Acuna doesn’t look like he’s studying the game. You’d think the son of a former major league player would be more schooled in the basics of game. It’s only been a month, but I haven’t seen much improvement. He’s making the same mental errors. Sure it’s refreshing to see his excitement and hugs in the dugout. I’d just like to see a little more excitement and hustle and effort on the field.

Bob Horner and Andruw Jones were great players who never seemed to be trying. Perhaps young Ronald is like them. The difference? Both Horner and Andruw entered the league as much more polished players than Acuna. Perhaps it’s a sign of the times, a Baby Boomer / Generation X / millennial thing.

As a rookie Chipper Jones tore up his knee hitting first base awkwardly. Not Acuna has done something similar. According to reports Acuna has been luck his knee wasn’t hurt much worse. The difference between Chipper and Acuna? Chipper was running straight ahead, straight through the bag, and injured his knee when he hit the bag.

But Acuna did not do this. The rookie ran through the bag then turned his body to face the umpire, waving his arms to signal safe – throwing off his balance and causing him to land awkwardly on his feet, and therefore injuring his knee. Rookie mistake. Let’s hope he learns from this. But I doubt that lesson will come any time soon.

Most years the Braves minor league team in Danville Virginia comes up with excellent bobbleheads. They created the classic El Oso Blanco Evan Gattis bobbles based off the iconic Sports Illustrated photo (or was that Kinston?). Anyway, last week Danville unveiled one of the best bobbleheads of 2018: Ronald Acuna being held up by Andruw Jones in a Lion King “Acuna Mattada” style pose. With Acuna’s injury, perhaps it’s prophetic that he has to be held up.

After wearing my new Acuna jersey to several games, methinks I’ll keep it in the closet until he’s able to mature a little. Time to bring back Hank Aaron or Dale Murphy – or Bob Uecker.

NOTES: I heard game two didn’t get over until like 1:30. Neither team wanted to have it rescheduled. Keith Hernandez wasn’t happy about the long day and blamed the Braves, though the Mets were just as culpable. The Braves told the fans in the upper deck they could move down to better seats.

For the most part most of the starters have having more good games than bad. Newcomb. McCarthy. Max Fried. Folty took a no hitter into the sixth at Fenway against Chris Sale. Sanchez and his sub-2.000 ERA returns tonight. Even Teheran has shown improvement and more consistency. Golharra should be returning from emergency leave soon. He seems to be destined for the bullpen, which is in severe need of reinforcements.

Those poor relievers seem like they have to pitch every game. No wonder they can’t pitch well. Snit needs to let the starters go deeper into games. Fried only threw 80 pitches in game one, but Snit pinch hit for him with two out and nobody on – even though his bench was shorthanded due to the Acuna injury.

Memorial Day Uniforms

This year the Braves got to wear both home and road Memorial Day uniforms. Last week in Chicago the Braves and Cubs wore Jackie Robinson uniforms in their makeup game of an April rainout. Similarly since Monday night's game two was also a makeup game the Braves and Mets did not wear Memorial Day uniforms. Since they probably only had one set of the special jerseys they were plenty dirty from the rain delayed game one.

Acuna returned to Atlanta in a wheelchair, but might only miss ten games. More on the rookie later this week.

Good view of the memorial Day socks.

Sunday in Boston Folty took a no-hitter into the sixth inning.

He wore navy sleeves. Some wore green, some black.

A few on the Red Sox wore red sleeves.

Nick Markakis played left field in Fenway Park. More on that later as well.

Broke down today and bought this late 70's era Dale Murphy jersey on sale. Would've rather had a Neikro, but it wasn't on sale.

So much for my one jersey a year decree.

Back in the day the Braves wordmark was ironed on.

We'll see if the jersey is stitched.

 The back looks good.

I love what stitched jerseys look like,

but here's what the ironed on front looks like.

Last but not least, Matthew hated to see Anna go today.

How Bad is Acuna Hurt?

Braves rookie Ronald Acuna left the game with an injury today,

after being hurt almost exactly the same way Chipper Jones' got hurt as a rookie. More on the Memorial Day uniforms later.

 Zorbrist was rocking throwback socks earlier this week.

This week the 49ers debuted throwback uniforms,

similar to the ones they wore during their 1994 Super Bowl run.

The throwbacks can be worn with white socks for color rush,

or with red socks as throwbacks.

NFL washout Johnny Manzeil signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League.

Tweet of the week.

Nice Nikes.

Louie on TBN

Ready for the big weekend? I sure am, but I think Ceil is going to work me. Going to dinner with a new couple from Sunday School on Saturday night. He's the teacher, so we can't miss Sunday School the next day.

Worked past seven again Thursday night. All day at worked for some reason it had seemed like a Friday. Got the project done that I wanted to get done. Today shouldn't be as bad. Customer not working and at least ten people are off work on my floor, but there's still plenty to do.

Grabbed a dilly bar at Dairy Queen on the way home. The cashier didn't seem to interested in helping me. Ceil grilled chicken strips, mixed in parmesan cheese with potatoes, and tossed a salad. Afterwards I emptied the dishwasher and washed the dishes.

Louie Giglio was subbing on the Trinity Broadcasting Network for an hour at 8 pm, with guests wife Shelly, America's sweetheart Sadie Robertson, and musician David Crowder. Sadie gave her spiel, talking on and on like the teenage girl she used to be. Crowder actually smiled. Better than the usual TBN faire. Today Lifeway Bookstores are giving away free copies of Louie's book Goliath Must Fall, about allowing God to tackle the supposed giants facing you in life, like guilt, addiction, worry, apprehension, etc.

Also watched bits of The Middle, Last Man Standing, Jay Leno's Garage (with Terry Bradshaw), and the NFL Network.

Top 10 Game Changers

The NFL Network's top ten things that changed the game.

Best of the rest: college star Red Grange gave the league star status.

Best of the rest: Commissioner Pete Rozelle brought the league into the 20th century, negotiating television contracts, creating the Super Bowl, etc.

Best of the rest: fantasy football helped spur increased awareness of the sport.

10. Soccer style kickers helped boost scoring.

9. Bill Walsh's West Coast offense led to four Super Bowl wins, using high-percentage short passes to open up the running game and downfield passes. Walsh's assistants (Shanahan, Holmgren, etc.) spread throughout the league with similar offenses, winning even more Super Bowls.

8. NFL films. For decades no other sport had anything like it. Some still don't.

7. Rules changes in the late 1970s, to open up the offense: limiting contact between defensive backs and wide receivers, allowing defenders to only jam receivers in the first five yards of their route. Also allowing offensive linemen to use their hands to block instead of keeping their hands on their chests.

6. Astroturf greatly sped up the game, and made the TV experience more enjoyable. Later field turf helped cut down on injuries.

5. Instant replay allowed fans to better see what happened. Later replay helped minimize bad calls by officials.

4. Paul Brown was innovative, developing new plays, held the first classroom meetings, invented facemasks, and created two franchises: the Browns and Bengals.

3. Free agency. Like when Deion Sanders signed with the 49ers. Or when Deion signed with the Cowboys. Or the time Deion signed with the Redskins. Or later when Deion signed with the Ravens.

2. Television helped birth generations of new fans.

1. The NFL / AFL rivalry in the 1960's, eventually leading to the merger. Teams bid on players and created fan interest, like Charlie Gogolak and later Joe Namath.

Poncey

Never knew there was a lake where Ponce de Leon Park used to be. After Tech I lived on Greenwood Avenue, which crossed Monroe and ended where the stadium used to be. Not sure I ever went to a game there, but may have. The last season played there was 1964, the summer I turned five. I do remember playing on the swings and in a sandbox at the park further down Ponce past Highland Avenue. Now since the Beltline's been built, the shops on the other side of the tracks have opened up their back doors so walkers can browse their wares.

Got a buddy who owns the butcher shop just down the Beltline at Monroe. Greg Wheat played sports at North Springs High with MC's dad and uncles. Wheat attends lots of Falcons, Braves, United, and Hawks games.

Looks like Will and Mary-Clayton are hoping to move back to Atlanta in August. They want to live downtown. Will's former basketball teammates DJ Hoffer, David Norman, Charles Norman, and Ben Hoffer all live near that Top Golf on the Westside, off Howell Mill. All are married but childless. Still-single Joel Norman lives near Oglethorpe.

The R Word

Guys my age are starting to talk retirement. Some are looking to go out early but I’ll try to stick around until the retirement age if possible. Most of the time the work isn’t too overwhelming, though it has been busy lately. It wears on some more than others, and sometimes it wears on me more. Not looking forward to the upcoming change in computer platforms (to Ernie Els company: SAP). When I do retire it would be good to take a break, travel, downsize and get cleaned up and organized at home, and then maybe find something to do with my time.

My friend Myron from Virginia retired and moved to the Albemarle Sound, where he’s learned to sail, gotten involved in their new church and other groups like the Lions Club. He’s not into sports.    

Everyone is different about retirement. Some people move away. I would think Ceil and I will like to stay near where we are, so we could stay in contact with the same friends. Or move to be close to our kids and grandkids. I’ve thought about working at SunTrust Park since it’s close, but late nights 82 nights a year might be a chore. Or buy a delivery truck, but again that could mean long hours. I always have exercise and golf and my calendars and blog and reading and other stuff I do. And places to travel to. I was thinking of all the stuff I do would be easier if I had an hour or three to do it every day. I could ramp up my eBay and get rid of more junk email, and exercise and do yardwork and housework and laundry and hit golf balls and involve myself outside the house.

Slammed at work. Not sure why. Actually I do know. Steel mill is late with raw material. Slitter has a 3-4 week backlog. Painter won’t paint. No trucks to move material on. Means I have to double and triple check everything. Worked past seven last night. Not much traffic going home. Ceil was walking Barney. Beans and rice and salad for dinner. Was almost nine when we were finished. Not much on TV: the Braves, Last Man Standing, The Voice.

Tuesday: slammed all morning. Wheeling and dealing, arranging all kinds of shipments. Tuesday: another late night for me. Got another project done but got two more to do tonight and tomorrow. Worked until 7:30. Ceil made shepherd’s pie. She thought she had added too much wine. You could definitely taste it. Had Roseanne on while we were getting ready to eat. Seems like the show is real, a quality show. Later we watched some Braves and The Voice finale. The 14 year old girl won.

Last ever episode of The Middle at 8:30. Lasted an hour. Not bad. They moved their oldest son to Denver. Sue finally got together with the neighbor boy. At the end of the show Frankie told what happened to the family in the ensuing years: Axyl got married and had three messy sons just like him. Sue married the neighbor. Brick became a bestselling author. Things didn’t change much for parents Mike and Frankie. I was scared WSB was going to interrupt the last ever minute of the show with election coverage. WSB did cut in right at 9 pm, causing viewers to miss a crucial scene. I’m sure viewers complained, because at 9:30 there was no election coverage.

Got out and walked this morning. Heel hurts too much to try to run. Mailed a package on the way to work. Stopped by McDonalds. Was late enough to experience bad traffic. We’re having a big month so it sounds like we’ll be taken out at some point for a nice lunch.

Dock’s dad is a golfer. He recently shot his age. Not sure how old he is, but he used to joke that he had suits as old as me.

I’m just no good with computers and printers and TV’s and VCRs and such. I just learned how to “throw” something from my phone to the TV. Will can do it effortlessly but it takes time for me. Read a Clark Howard article and am ready to fire Comcast and switch to Hulu TV. People talk about ditching cable and satellite but I’m scared baseball and football will go away. With Hulu TV I am covered.

During Sunday School they announced the children’s ministry was looking for counselors to go away to summer camp with the kids. Sounded like fun, but Ceil rolled her eyes – she’s burned out from the past nine months of school.

Top Ten NFL What If's

The NFL Network’s top ten “what if’s.” These generated good discussion amongst the experts. A good episode.

10. What if Bo hadn’t gotten hurt? A great question. The first 2-sport hall of famer?

9. What if they’d never been Monday Night Football?

8. What if Buffalo had won the Super Bowl?

7. What if the Cowboys hadn’t traded Herschel? Would Jerry Jones still be in the Hall of Fame? Instead of a Cowboys dynasty, Emmitt Smith might’ve been drafted by the Packers, resulting in more Super Bowls for Green Bay instead of Dallas. But the Cowboys might still have won all those Super Bowls with Herschel. The show didn’t say it, but had Herschel stayed in Dallas he would most certainly be in the Hall of Fame.

6. What if the Steelers hadn’t cut Johnny Unitas?

5. If Peyton Manning had stayed in Indy? The Colts would’ve drafted RB Trent Richardson instead of QB Andrew Luck, and possibly won more Super Bowls. The experts also somehow concluded Tim Tebow would’ve become President of the United States.

4. What if Bill Belichick had stayed with the Jets, instead of backing out after one day?

3. What if Drew Bledsoe hadn’t gotten hurt? Bledsoe had been prolific in New England, and was still productive when he was replaced by Tom Brady. The Pats would’ve probably won a Super Bowl or two with Bledsoe, but Tom Brady may have moved on to another team in the process. 

2. What if the Immaculate Reception been ruled incomplete? Then everyone would’ve remembered Ken Stabler’s 30 yard touchdown run, and the Raiders would’ve won another Super Bowl. The Steeler dynasty would’ve blossomed later, with fewer Super Bowl wins.

1. What if the NFL and AFL hadn’t merged? No Super Bowl? Say it ain’t so!

Party Season

Busy weekend for me. Ate two slices of Mellow Mushroom at the meeting, then another for a 5 pm snack. Needed to leave work but stayed past six. Hung out at the house for a while, then went to Moxie Burger after 8 pm to split our chicken sandwich and fries. We watched the Braves at Moxie. Back home we watched junk about Harry and Meghan and William and Kate. M went to his former high school’s graduation. Saturday he went to a graduation party. Sunday after work he hung out with his old band mates at the Roswell Mill.

Saturday morning Ceil went to the Johnson Ferry Christian Academy graduation. Two hours long. That’s ok for the kids and parents, but it kinda drags for the grandparents and family friends who attend. Will graduated from medical school and the ceremony wasn’t that long. I kept checking to see where Ceil was, and she was there all morning.

I did some cleaning and laundry, then set out on an unintended adventure. M took my car so at noon I drove his to the post office. It was almost out of gas to I drove it to the nearest QuikTrip for the special no ethanol gas it needs. QT was out of the gas, so I drove to the next QT. That QT was crowded. Four cars were parked next to the four special pumps. Three of the cars were unattended. When I pulled in next to one of the cars to wait, the driver finally got out to pump his gas. Took forever. Then traffic was backed up turning left so I turned right.

Was making a U turn and decided to go to the nearby library – but it had been torn down. Then I saw the new library they had built. Had to make another U turn in M’s big car. The library looked like an art museum on the inside. Checked out four books on CD. Headed home. Stopped and parked in a shopping center, and hit up Dollar Tree, a thrift store, and Taco Bell all at the same time. Finally made it home after that and did more laundry.

Later we went to a friend’s son’s graduation party not far from our house. They had BBQ, which was good. Later took Ceil to TJMaxx and Whole Foods. Back home for Braves and Hallmark Channel. M had a friend spend Saturday night. M left for work early. His friend was leaving as we were leaving for church. Barney had gotten into M’s bedroom, looking around for the hiding cat. When we got home from church the door to M’s room was open. For some reason Barney was upstairs in Anna’s room. The cat survived.  

JFBC SS lesson on Jonah and the whale. After SS we skipped the service. Whole Foods for a baked chicken. After lunch we went to another graduation party. This one was catered with Mexican food, so I snacked on nachos. Then my haircut, and home to cut grass. I was driving home from my haircut listening to the ninth inning rally. The Marlins changed pitchers. I went inside and C was watching Hallmark Channel. I started messing with my phone and people were excited about the game. Wasn’t sure if it was the previous hits by Freeman and Markakis or what. Was checking it out when Will texted me – “did you see that?” So I saw it on replay.

Later Ceil went to a SS gathering to pray for the conversion of Muslims. After the grass I rested. Spent time on my computer and watched a decent movie: “All Nighter” about a dad trying to find his “missing” daughter with her ex-boyfriend. Would've been better without so much senseless cussing and drug use. Then “The Good Witch.”    

Forgot my lunch today so I had to run out to grab a bite (Taco Bell). Wendy’s and Arby's were too crowded.

Banner Time

 

The neighborhood graduation banner is up, with Will’s name on it. This is the fourth of five straight years the Murphy name is gracing the banner.

2019 Anna (UGA)

2018 Will (PA school)

2017 Matthew (Legacy high school)

2016 Will (UGA) & Mary-Clayton (Oklahoma)

2015 Anna (Veritas high school)

2011 Will (Living Science high school)

Lately my delicacy has been chocolate covered coffee beans. I don’t like coffee, but the beans are great. Ceil received two small bags of the treats at a wedding shower for MC’s sister. Maybe there will be more at the wedding. Most days I eat one a day to make them last, and share with coworker Rachel. She’s been getting more at Whole Foods or Kroger. This weekend I discovered an uneaten chocolate/coffee/caramel candy bar I had given Ceil for Valentines. Had it for my mid-morning snack.

Ceil got up for the Royal Wedding, but I slept in. I watched it Saturday afternoon. People like Karen Toholsky were raving about the American preacher. Turned out the guy had quoted Charles March during the wedding, and later he attributed Charles and Bob Marsh as tremendous influences in his life, growing up in rural Alabama. Several Christian pastors and writers I know were noticeably silent on the royal wedding. But just as many chimed in, picking nits. Christians are took good at adding the “but they should’ve…” Goodness just be happy the wedding was as Biblical as it was. I hadn’t read much previously about Harry and Meghan. Supposedly during the ceremony several eyes rolled during various parts, like the mixed race gospel choir singing a secular song.

So often Ken Ham from Answers in Genesis is a voice in the wilderness, calling out the media and others for unfair treatment and misinformation. But recently he got it wrong jumping on an old, incorrect bandwagon saying Andy Stanley was de-emphasizing the Old Testament when one soundbite from Andy’s sermon was taken out of context. Stanley even came back to clear up the issue.

My company will be supplying the aluminum handrails for the new football stadium being built in Las Vegas, for the former Oakland Raiders. Our salesperson gets to travel out to Vegas for a meeting. In addition to Vegas, our aluminum made the handrails for SunTrust Park, Mercedes Benz Stadium, Phillips Arena, the University of Missouri’s football stadium, and this summer’s end zone expansion in UGA’s Sanford Stadium.   

My heel has been hurting. Been trying several shoes to run in but only one old pair doesn’t hurt. I know I need a new pair. Just listed out at least 51 pairs of shoes l currently own. Gotta get to selling some (14), and giving away others (4). Ceil received a gift card for the end of school, and bought a new pair of New Balance sneakers for her. Her old pair of Asics were at least five years old.

Was on my laptop Sunday night but forgot to post to my blog, letting down ten or eleven readers. Making up for it today by diving today’s updates into two posts.

Deep Thoughts

I didn't get up early to watch the royal wedding. Social media missed out on some hilarious live tweets. Two of Ceil's students crossed the Atlantic to be part of the crowd. I did watch a bit of the replay Saturday afternoon. I had no nits to pick with Pastor Curry's sermon during the wedding, nor with the past lives of the prince and his bride. 

During the wedding Curry quoted Bob and Myra's son Charles...

Received junk mail this week requesting money to help fund political candidates who support our current President. Noticed the President's signature, which has similarities to my own. Perhaps it's time I changed my signature (this is neither a political critique nor endorsement of the President). 

A tweet I found funny. Stumbled across it, as it was either liked or retweeted by someone I follow. The joke is not my own.

New York Yankee Bobby Murcer wasn't a small guy,

but here Senators first baseman Frank Howard dwarfs him.

 "...do some different things and stay true to who we are."

says FSU's new head coach. That doesn't make sense.

Burgundy helmets. Black jerseys and pants. Groan.

Learning Experience?

Braves: I heard early in the game with a runner on first Acuna got lazy on a deep fly ball, not getting into position before the catch to be able to make a quick throw to second, allowing the runner to tag up and advance to second. Acuna should be learning from Inciarte next to him in the outfield. Ender makes all the plays the right way, and even fools baserunners into getting caught off base. Acuna has a long way to go. Hopefully he’ll wake up soon.

Worked until 7:45 Wednesday night putting orders in. Spent Thursday morning in the plant checking on three things. Came back and was slammed with stuff until lunch. Cheeseburger Bobby’s with Mark Fallis. Lots of fun and good burger, rings, and a chocolate shake. Didn’t realize he went on the Cooperstown baseball trip that Will played in. Lots of funny stories. Came back and helped load Mark’s order into his pickup.

Busy Thursday afternoon. Was still taking care of emergency stuff at 6 pm. Then I worked for two hours trying to get caught up. With material coming in late, machines with long lead times to cut material, and delays getting stuff shipped due to lots of trucks, I’m having to plan 2-3 months ahead instead of just one. Hot shipments going from Greenville to Mobile, Anniston to Augusta, Mobile to Augusta, Augusta to Birmingham, Lavonia to Marietta, Lavonia to Augusta, and more. Then when I was packing up to leave at 8 pm there was a problem with a shipment out of Greenville I had to attend to. That took 25 more minutes. Was after nine before I got home.

Ceil had gone shopping at Perimeter Mall. When she returned we watched The Middle. Next week is the last episode. I was up past 11:30. Slept 30 minutes late this morning. Every day I pass a red Tesla on my drive next to the river. When I was pulling out of my subdivision (4 miles from the river) I saw the red Tesla, so my streak is intact.

Was so full from lunch yesterday that I didn’t eat supper last night or breakfast this morning. Did have a snack. On the way to work I set up a hot shipment that I’d forgotten to arrange late yesterday. Lunch meeting is Mellow Mushroom pizza. I’ll be sick by 5 pm, even if I eat just one piece.

This week Andy Stanley turned 60, so he’s just over a year older than me. Several months ago I heard (can’t remember where) that he was paying extra attention to the Decatur church due to possible issues with gay members. Haven’t heard anything since then. Andy’s daughter Allie just graduated from Auburn. Recently she spoke at an event with her mother. Andy made a big deal of saying he wanted Allie to come work for him at North Point.

Last night after M came home around 10:30 Barney made a big deal of wanting to go outside. It was about the same time I usually take him out, so I didn’t think much about it. But when we were coming back inside I closed the garage door for the night, but Barney didn’t want to go inside. I had already taken off his leash and didn’t want to put it back on. Finally I figured out he didn’t want to go back inside because Matthew he turned on the oven to cook something. Barney was scared the smoke detector would go off.

At Whole Foods Matthew might transfer part time into the meat department, while still keeping hours in store support (cash register, customer service booth, etc.).

Tonight the Johnson Ferry youth choir sang the national anthem at the Braves game.

Top Ten NFL Divas

Top Ten Football Divas, as told by the NFL Network. That really means top ten NFL divas, because the NFL Network don’t give no publicity to other leagues like the USFL.

Best of the Rest: several were mentioned: Lyle Alzado, Brian Bosworth, Plaxico Burris, Ted Hendricks, Michael Irvin, Billy White Shoes Johnson, Keyshawn Johnson, William the Refrigerator Perry, Warren Sapp, Ken Stabler, and Steve Young.

While Andre Rison was pictured (next to Deion) his name wasn’t mentioned. Jerry Rice could’ve made the list, with his perfectly pressed uniform and shoes and socks just so. But Jerry was no match for T.O. and Ocho Cinco.

In the manly world of pro football quarterbacks have long been considered soft, but these days wide receivers are by far the worst divas. As a middle-aged fan prone to saying slightly political incorrect comments, I find the racial makeup of the top ten interesting: half white and half black. Five quarterbacks, four receivers, and a linebacker named Hollywood - who twice won the lottery (he must play a lot).

10. Tom Brady NE QB. Added to even out the list, for his long hair and supermodel wife.

9. Randy Moss WR Minn Tenn NE Oak. Only ran deep patterns.

8. Joe Theisman QB Wash. Hair always perfect. Dated Hollywood actresses. Now admits he was a diva.

7. Hollywood Henderson LB Dallas. Huge cocaine habit.

6. Joe Namath QB NYJ LAR. Starred in an ad for pantyhose.

5. Jim McMahon QB CHI. Was more rebel than diva.

4. Deion Sanders CB KR ATL SF Dallas Wash Balt. The ultimate diva.

3. Chad Ocho Cinco Johnson WR CIN. You know you’re a real diva when you change your name.

2. Terrell Owens WR SF Dallas Phil. Divas wear out their welcome then move on to another team, like T.O. and Moss.

1. Brett Farve QB ATL GB Min NYJ. A debatable pick. Farve was a good old boy who played in the most consecutive games ever.