MARTA's new trains look slick.
UGA is number one in ESPN’s FPI power rankings.
After work Monday I had to stop by the house before small group. Winnie was home along. Stopped by Arbys to cash in a coupon, and the Arbys was closed for remodeling. A good small group meeting – an overview of the book of Acts.
M has been using both our cars to haul his stuff, so we all have his stuff still inside his cars.
When I see something I want to remember, like a book I might want to read, I might take a screenshot with my phone, to save for later use. All the photos were clogging up my phone, so I went through and typed out a list so I could delete a bunch of pictures. Here’s several of the bits…
The Field of Dreams farm is in Winterset Ohio. The complex was just purchased by former White Sox star Frank Thomas. Bob Feller was born in Van Meter Iowa, northeast of Tarkio MO (where I had relatives), and 23 minutes north of Winterset. The future birthplace of Captain James T Kirk is Riverside Iowa, 2:45 east of Winterset, halfway to Chicago.
Once a week for 20 minutes take a hot bath with a handful of Epsom salts, 10 drops of lavender essential oil, and a half cup of baking soda. Draws out toxins, lowers stress related hormones, and balances pH levels.
"More in number than the hairs of my head are those who hate me without cause; mighty are those who would destroy me, those who attack me with lies." - Psalm 69:4
Larry Bird is the only person in NBA history to be named rookie of the year, MVP, Finals MVP, All-Star MVP, coach of the year, and executive of the year.
Jeff Bagwell made the HOF, but Fred McGriff has not. Bagwell was rumored to have taken steroids, McGriff did not.
Hits JB 2314 FM 2490
HR JB 0449 FM 0493
RBI JB 1529 FM 1550
Postseason
JB 226 364 321 685
FM 303 385 532 917
Tin Can Brunswick Stew Recipe: combine 2 cans (including liquids) of BBQ beef, BBQ pork, chicken, lima beans, corn niblets, & stewed tomatoes. Cook over low heat for 4-5 hours. Already lots of salt in those cans.
Folk Art, a southern diner in Decatur, sells triple D meatball burgers.
VLADIMIR GUERRERO [SABR Bio] a one-time Baltimore Oriole, that Hall of Famer Frank Robinson said of, “No pitcher can ever feel safe or comfortable releasing the ball toward him. He doesn't take a back seat to anyone I've ever seen play this game. Ever.”? Robinson managed him in Montreal 2002-03. Guerrero ended his career with BAL in 2011. Two-time All-Star pitcher Jose Mesa said “I’m telling you, the Devil himself would be afraid to pitch to that guy.” More here. Vlad missed joining the 40/40 club by one home run. In 2002 for MON, he had 40 SB & 39 HR.
The Braves extended their lead tonight to 3-1/2 games with an exciting win over the second-place Phillies. After another hectic day at work, I was tabbed at the last minute to take a customer to the game. Before the game we grabbed a beverage across the street at Sports & Social, which features a pretty big TV.
Friday night: burgers (with grilled onions) and tossed salad. Matthew likes to watch cooking shows, so I was showing him Cooking with Lang.
Watched Vandy@UGA and Clemson@NCState. Cut the grass. Took longer than usual, because the grass was so high. It was a 17000 step day. As I was finishing I thought a bug had gotten inside my shirt, but I could see no bug bites. This morning I’m setting up a couple of doctor appointments.
Pasta for supper, and tossed salad. Watched GT beat NC. I’d thought NC was over-rated.
Ate at a Moe’s on the way home. Arrived back at 8 pm. I was exhausted. Was in bed before 9:30.
With Matthew and his cat back in the house we’ve been keeping our bedroom door closed. Around 3:30 this morning Winnie was scratching at the door, trying to get out. We were slow to react. Winnie was sick. She got downstairs before making a mess. I took her outside and she wanted to stay. She was still sick this morning.
Small group tonight.
A review of some of my golf shots on Saturday morning.
1. Good approach
2. Good 8 iron
3. Good second shot, decent chip
4. Good 3 wood off tee, good chip, putted for par 5. Good 3 wood off tee. Good chip. Putted for par.
6. Good straight driver off tee. Good approach. Decent chip. Good putt.
7. Good 6 iron.
8. Good driver off tee. Good approach onto green. Good long lag putt. Bad putt for par.
9. Good approach. Good lag putt.
Seinfeld: Jerry, Julia Louise Dreyfus, and especially Jason Alexander couldn’t click with the actress playing George’s fiancé Susan – so they decided to kill her off. She died after licking cheap wedding invitation envelopes containing toxic glue.
It took a bad replay call by SEC refs for Auburn to not get beat by Georgia State.
JOSH HAMILTON [B-R Bio] set a record of sorts in the All-Star Game Home Run Derby by drilling, at one point in the first round, thirteen home runs on thirteen straight swings. Hamilton belted 28 HR in the 2008 HRD opening round in Yankee Stadium, including 13 in 13 swings at one point. Seven traveled at least 500 feet, including a 518-foot blast off the back wall of the bleachers. His record for the most in one round has been eclipsed, but not his amazing string. The year Hamilton won his league’s MVP, he did not lead in home runs, RBI, runs, hits double, triples, OPS+ or total bases. In 2010, he did majors in batting average (.359), slugging (.633), OPS (1.044) & WAR (8.7) and was an overwhelming MVP selection. Hamilton broke Ty Cobb’s record for most total bases in a single American League game. Cobb’s 16 TB on 05-May-1925 had been tied seven times, but on 08-May-2012 at Camden Yards, Hamilton hit 4 HR and a double, and racked up 18 TB. Shawn Green of LAD holds the MLB record with nineteen.
I guess Ohio State is goig to wear these monstrosities this week. Those throwbacks they used to wear looked good.
Matthew 7:1-5:
1. Judge not, that you not be judged.
2. For with the judgement you pronounce, you will be judged,
and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
3. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye,
but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?
4. Or how can you say to your brother,
‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’
when there is a log in your own eye?
5. You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye,
and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
Later she worked for Coca Cola. Every day a clerk would come around and place a cold bottle of Coke on her desk. It was mom’s neighbor Bill Key, an executive at Coke, who got her the job. Mr. Key sponsored mom’s trip to New York City, where Andy Williams sung to her during his performance on the Tonight Show. Years later David (me) got to know old Mr. Key at his church in Atlanta.
Nita was born in Atlanta, and attended day care on Piedmont Road. Not long after Marion and Bill moved to Macon, David was born. We lived in house rented on Ingleside, before moving to Wimbush Road. Franklyn arrived a few years later.
We church-hopped from Ingleside Presbyterian to Forest Hills Methodist before attending Northminster Presbyterian for much of our childhoods, where David Garrett and I were two of a number of Davids in the same Sunday School class. After moving out to Kathryn Drive we attended Northside Christian Church. Later Bill and Marion moved on to Mable White, then later New Heights.
Side note: our minister of music at Northminister in the late 60’s / early 70’s was Jim Davidson. Years later in the mid 1980’s I chaperoned a middle school choir retreat to Rock Eagle, where dozens of young choirs were performing. I ran into Mr. Davidson there.
As a boy I always remembered mom’s deep Southern accent, something I will never forget. My parents would get together with other couples to play bridge. Later she worked for Howard Hightower at State Farm. I remember tagging along with her on trips to the grocery store, of getting to paste the S&H green stamps into the little book, and looking through the catalog at things we’d never get.
I was a sick child, with asthma and allergies. Mom would take me to countless doctor’s appointments, to Dr. Spivey on Ingleside, to the allergist in downtown Macon, and to an allergist in Atlanta, back when there were doctor’s offices at Lenox Square. I never lacked for medicine, which I needed constantly.
Back in the late 60’s and early 70’s we’d drive up to Atlanta for Falcons games. Mom would make the sandwiches and we would literally tailgate in the parking lot. I always thought her cooking was great (except the boiled okra – never fried).
For Banner Night at a Braves game in the late 1960’s, mom created a huge banner that to me looked so authentic, with the Braves Indian spearing a red St. Louis Cardinal bird. To me it was the best banner in the parade.
Mom could sew. As a boy she sewed up a black Batman mask for my Halloween costume, complete with the little bat ears. I wore that thing for months afterward, playing out in the yard and with friends. In ninth grade when 70’s fashions were wild, she took a pair of kelly green bell-bottoms I was about to outgrow, and added a wide royal blue panel down the sides. She lengthened the legs with more royal blue fabric. And I wore them to school, with a flower print royal blue shirt and beige and burgundy platform heels. I fit right in.
She loved her Sunday School class at Mabel White, and later at New Heights. Mom was a packrat, preferring to print things off the computer. Not sure how many print cartridges she went through, but it was a lot. She’d print all kinds of helpful tips, family photos and histories, medical information, Sunday School directories. She’s clip articles from the newspaper for her files, and mail some to me. She had files where she’d put stuff. She was always trying to get more organized.
Mom had been in pain ever since her wreck in 1987. She has surgeries on her shoulder and knees and other body parts, with only limited relief. Long-suffering, but she rarely complained. She’d slide around the house in her wheeled chair or rollator, grabbing food from the fridge and placing it in the microwave, which she had on the side table at her level.
It’s worth telling the story again of how, just two or three years ago, when dad built a huge fire in the backyard to burn leaves. The fire looked to be out of control. Dad was outside tending the fire as best he could. Mom called the fire department, who came out and extinguished the fire. Dad never knew it was mom who made the call.
Mom was diligent. In recent years as her hearing faded, she became an email and text messaging machine, her slow fingers pecking out long texts even on the old style cell phones where you had to click from A to B to type a C. She would text and email in all caps. When I asked her why, she said it hurt her hands to type in lower case.
We finally got her an iPhone, and she became even more prolific. Not sure what some of her friends are going to do without all those texts coming in any more. She was a decent lip-reader, and learned to use Facetime as well.
Mom picked out the four songs that were sung at my dad’s funeral, including “I’ll Fly Away.” When each was sung her eyes lit up as she sang along.
Her obituary: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/macon-ga/marion-murphy-10359496
Live stream and video of the service: http://www.marionmmurphymemorial.com/
Ron Watts: I probably told you the story a million times about when he was living in the Giles house while they were off serving as missionaries. David Hurt lived there as well. One day Hurt walked into Watt’s room. Ron was lying on his bed reading. When Watts saw Hurt, Ron quickly hid the magazine he was reading. Hurt walked over to the bed and grabbed the magazine – Popular Mechanics.
Worked past six Wednesday night, after arriving early working through lunch. I’m so far behind. Stopped by the driving range to try out my new clubs. They will take time to get used to, which is bad because the tourney is just over a week away. The range was crowded, and golfers were claiming spaces before they got their range balls. Taco salad for supper.
Thursday: grabbed a turkey sub from Jersey Mike’s Subs for lunch. I rarely go there. I had to order on line, and forgot they had Philly Cheese sandwiches. Had I remembered I would’ve ordered one of those.
Left at five for my focus group. Avoided the 285/400 interchange again, exiting Ashford Dunwoody, then left through the diverging diamond interchange, then right to the new bridge back over 285 to the Perimeter MARTA station, then to my appointment. Sipped on three cups of “Coke” and said which I liked best. Answered a few more questions and was on my way, $35 richer.
On the way home I picked up a cute Stripers mascot bobble, a golf cap, and golf balls. Also Halloween candy.
Thursday supper: hand breaded farm fresh chicken tenders, tossed salad, and cheesy bread balls.
Today: another busy day at work.
This morning I bought tickets for next March 6 at the Fox: Steve Martin, Martin Short, and the bluegrass band The Steep Canyon Rangers. Two cheap seats up in the rafters, I'm sure. Want to go?
I like to look up things. When I do I usually type up what I learn.
Fishing would be fun except I’m not good at operating the equipment, or tying the flies or lines or whatever it is. And getting wet. Lots of people catch fish, then throw them back.
Driving: I like to stay in the right lane. Here’s my exception: when I come to a red light and I’m going straight, out of courtesy to cars behind me wanting to turn right on red, I will move to the left lane so I’m not blocking anyone.
Kind of blue, with all the crap going on with the funeral and my parent’s estate. I’ll be glad when it’s all over.
Winnie is fascinated by bugs, which is a good thing. Last night she trapped a bug. I hate to kill bugs. Not sure what my house would look like bug wise if I lived alone. I gotta act like I want to kill bugs for Ceil, but my heart isn’t in it. Same with flies.
I’m reading a book about the unhealthy processed food industry, and how they are ruthless in taking out natural ingredients and adding artificial sugar, salt, and fat to make “food” taste better, cost less, and last longer. Don’t believe anything to see on a food package – it’s all hype.
I know a guy reading a book on reincarnation – stuff believed by the likes of Shirley MacLaine. Not sure if he’s reading just for information or if he actually believes that stuff. Not sure if he still claims to be a Christian or not.
Denison: Amnesty International outlined earlier this week how the "Taliban is dismantling the human rights gains of the last twenty years . . . including targeted killings of civilians and surrendered soldiers, and blocking humanitarian supplies in the Panhshir Valley. This is a crime under international law. Restrictions have also been reimposed on women, freedom of expression, and civil society."
ME: odd that you hardly hear anything about the Afghan crisis in the national media any more?
MIKE TROUT [B-R Bio] is the only player to be voted All-Star Game MVP in consecutive years, in 2014 & 2015. He led his league in WAR in four of his first five seasons. In 2012-13 and 2015-16 Trout led the AL in WAR each year w/10.5, 8.9, 9.6 & 10.5 respectively. He is an avid amateur meteorologist. Says he’d like to like to pursue a career in the study of weather after his baseball days. Listen here.
I try to be a courteous driver, a defensive driver. I try to stay away from big 18 wheelers. I don’t like passing them. When I do pass one, I try to pass going up a hill when they’re going slower. Recently I was passing an 18 wheelers and the truck started drifting over into my lane. There was no reason for the truck to do this. I had to swerve and honk. Scary.
I try to look ahead for potential slowdowns and problems, and make sure to be in the correct lane well ahead of time before having to turn or exit. I also am on the lookout for crazy drivers approaching from ahead, behind, or on other roads. I love the MPG feature on cars, and drive slow and coast to maximize MPG. Pretty sure when I ride with someone instead of driving (rare for me) it seems like the driver is driving faster than I drive.
I also take routes that may be longer, but are less congested and safer. On the way to work I stick close to the river, crossing under GA 400 and avoiding Holcomb Bridge for as long as possible. Very scenic. Have to look out for deer and bicycles instead of cars. The 400/285 interchange is always gridlocked, so I avoid it whenever possible. I’ve started to take surface streets instead of interstates when I can, even when I drive the 40 miles out to see the Gwinnett Stripers.
Saturday morning after golf I got off the highway and proceeded to drive 35 miles on surface streets, from Delk Road west to the Cobb County Fairgrounds, then north, west of the Marietta Square past Kennesaw Mountain, then south on Cobb Parkway, then east through neighborhoods back home. Lots of two lane roads. Loved it.
I try to not make turns at Peachtree and Wesley. Years and years ago (long before my time) a portable, temporary one lane bridge was erected at the intersection. Do you remember that?
At work I try to set things up where no one has to hurry. When I hot order is pushed in it upsets everyone’s routines, and keeps them from their normal work. Messes up schedulers, the plant people, other people’s orders, the packers, the loaders, the fabricators. I try to get my orders processed well before they’re needed. Used to be I would have to plan a month ahead, but now with manpower shortages due to covid I have to order 2 or 3 months ahead, according to the item.
This way I never have to rush, and if an order is 2 or 3 weeks late (which they often are) it is still okay. I try to give our stampers and fabricators plenty of time to produce parts. Some departments never learn, and are constantly pushing hot orders in, asking if my orders can be pushed out. If I have to arrange a hot truck (which is several times a week) I make that call as soon as I learn one is needed. Some will wait several hours before making the call, forgetting time is needed to locate a truck and get it to the pickup site.
I’m terrible at putting things together. Ceil is better.
Not gonna get much work done on Saturday – the games are spaced out perfectly. At some point I need to cut the grass.
0700 golf
0900 ESPN College GameDay
1200 UGA@Vandy
0330 Clemson@NCState
0730 UNC@GT
ROBIN YOUNT [SABR Bio] is the only player to win his league’s MVP playing a middle-infield position and later win it playing the outfield: AL MVP in 1982 at SS; AL MVP in 1989 playing CF. In his only World Series, he hit .414 with an on-base percentage of .452, slugged .621, had eighteen total bases and an OPS of 1.072 and yet was not the MVP of that Fall Classic. Stats were for him on the losing side of the 1982 Series where MIL fell to STL. The Cards’ catcher Darrell Porter was voted MVP. (Porter slashed a rather pedestrian .286/.310/.464). Yount’s brother owns an unbreakable major league record. Larry Yount, a pitcher for the Astros, was announced as a relief pitcher entering the G to begin the ninth inning, but injured himself warming up. He left and never saw MLB action again.
Has the Deep State Already Broken Us?
Guy at work wanted me to take pictures of the new floors.
I hate to be interrupted. Interrupting is rude and disrespectful. Doesn’t matter what someone says, there is no need to interrupt. Most people can control themselves, but not all. Others don't care. They're going to do whatever they want.
When someone is talking, I’m supposed to be listening to what they are saying – not blurting out what comes to my mind while they are still talking. A pet peeve. Sometimes on conference calls someone will be talking and someone else will interrupt. Then two people are talking, and no one can understand what either is saying. Goes back to not listening.
Last Friday night at supper, twice I was telling a story and got interrupted. Since they were talking, I stopped and looked at them. I don’t remember it being an evil look, but both times they stopped, realizing they had interrupted. The same thing happened with the couple we were with: one interrupted the other.
Handling interruptions is pretty much a big part of my job. Not fun. Since my job entails reviewing data and acting on what needs to be done, it’s hard to do when I’m receiving a new email at least every two minutes. I have two computer screens, and keep my email up on one of them. When a new email pops up, I have to quickly decide whether it needs to be handled immediately, later, or filed away or deleted. I try to not copy others on my emails, if they’re not impacted by it. Some people seem to copy their boss on every email, I guess to show the boss how busy they are. Not me.
I like to follow the rules. Ceil does too. What are people thinking when they break rules – that they are more important than everyone else? Some people say the a rule followers, but I see them breaking the rules anyway. When my mom was dying the hospital insisted we follow the two guests per room rule. The hospital high-ups had agonized over their decision, knowing families were in the situation we were in. But patients, staff, and guests were coming down with covid, and the rule had to be enforced.
I’d rather park further away, in an available spot where I can easily pull in and out of, preferably next to a curb so a car won’t park on that side. Avoids dings and dents. The time saved searching for a closer spot can be used to walk inside. I need the exercise anyway. I hate tiny little Pine Straw Plaza at the corner of Johnson Ferry and Upper Roswell. Traffic in the tiny parking lot in front of Trader Joes is always congested, with cars and shoppers coming and going, backing in and out. It is dangerous. Ceil hates that I won’t drop her off at the door, but I don’t want the car to be hit. I always take the less crowded outside lane, It may be considerate for a husband to drop off his wife at the door, but inconsiderate for all the cars lined up behind them.
When I retire I’ll have plenty to keep me busy. I’d like to travel more, but C is more of a homebody. I go to games by myself. We both like spending time with our family. She hates to leave Winnie. When she watches the news or Hallmark Channel type shows I just work on my laptop, I have to watch my shows when she’s not around. Lately I haven’t been interested in much on TV.
I see some retired people spend all their time on social media. I don’t want that to be me. Hopefully I can exercise several hours a day, do some writing, enter my contests at night, do a better job with the yardwork and around the house, and read my books. Perhaps work at Truist Park or some other interesting place. Would be fun to write a book about our 1975 state championship team, and a book chronicling how Herschel Walker gained more yards than anyone in football history.
Worked past 5:30 last night. Had a leftover Dreamland BBQ dinner for supper. Drove home and opened up my new golf clubs. Nice. The new bag is too flashy, so I cleaned up the old Nike bag in my garage. Got the old set ready for Matthew to use.
Wednesday night and mom's obituary has yet to be posted online. The funeral is Sunday. People are asking me questions.
KEN GRIFFEY, Jr. [SABR Bio] was the first number one overall draft pick to hit 500 career home runs. He was drafted with the first pick of the first round of the 1987 MLB June Amateur Draft. Griffey hit his 500th on 20-June-2004. Alex Rodriguez, the only other overall #1 draft pick in the 500 HR Club, joined during the 2007 season. Only Junior has hit a home run that stuck the warehouse beyond right field at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on the fly. Warehouse HR during 1993 ASG HR Derby He is the last player to lead the American League in home runs for three straight years in the twentieth century, in 1997 (56), 1998 (56), and 1999 (48).
Denison: there is a Great Awakening going on in our world. Hundreds of thousands are being adopted into the family of God every day as a result. Muslims are coming to Christ in numbers never before seen in history. Similar stories are found in South Korea and China, where within the next ten years, their combined Christian populations are projected to pass America's. But we're not seeing it here in the US. There is little to indicate that will change on its own. Given the state of our culture today—where morality is largely subjective and the church is seen as a barrier to progress—we are not going to convince people they need Jesus by just praying that God would change their hearts while criticizing all the ways their lives run counter to his teachings.
