Church Chat

Wright from the Trump: The AJC article got it right about Wright. Most JFBC parishioners understood his stance, though many wrote him letters. Weeks later he mentioned his stance, and said he hoped God would not lead him to reveal his own personal political choice again in the future.

http://www.ajc.com/news/evangelicals-and-trump-two-pastors-two-views/2bJH1xsCFx138U0Xao9zJM/

 

Playing church - some churches do that more than others. Wednesday at JFBC we had our first class of a 9 week series. We went around and introduced ourselves. I was one of the first to go. Did an ok job saying what I wanted to say, though it wasn’t perfect. C went next and cracked up the room, which was good. At least five of the 23 present introduced themselves as being on staff at JFBC (including Danny Downing’s daughter). Had I been one of the last to introduce myself, I would’ve said that I was on staff as well. The leader looks and acts much younger than his 78 years of age.

 

Stopped by Chickfila on the way home. Ran into the parents of Oglethorpe basketball star Connor Smith. A senior, Connor hurt his shoulder and is redshirting this year. Connor’s sister dates my daughter-in-law’s brother, so we’re practically family. My 78 year old teacher was also at CFA. He said he doesn’t use a computer – everything’s in his Day Timer and checkbooks.

Driving home I listened to the GT pregame show on the radio. The last time GT played VT, Tech blocked more shots than they had in years – the 5th most ever in an ACC game. Last night’s VT lineup was the shortest in the ACC, which might’ve contributed to all the blocks.

 

Gassed up the CRV. By the time I got home it was 9 pm, so I didn’t do much. One of Ceil’s favorite movies was on, so I left it on and went to bed at 10:30.  

 

Made more headway cleaning up clutter in and on my desk and email box. Figured out what to do with some dormant inventory. Getting insurance claims done and bills paid. Got appointments at the dealer for both Hondas. Trying to stay ahead of the game. Gotta keep checking things off this list!

 

Tuesday: typical evening for us. Chicken soup, Jeopardy, The Middle, and Last Man Standing. M came home from work and watched some TV with us. I got some items checked off my to do list, and packaged another eBay shipment. Almost have my email in box completely cleaned out – zero items. It would be a record. Tuesday I cleaned out a bunch of old emails from my sent folder. Still have one stack of papers to file. Trying to stay ahead of the game.  

 

Thursday: Bean and rice burritos for dinner. M ate with us again, before going to hang out with friends.

Friday: M's shift started at 7:30 am. He's going to a concert tonight. Trying to stay caught up and ahead at work, and working on projects to make things easier. After a relatively uneventful work week, this morning was hectic. Lunch meeting BBQ. C took Anna some things in Athens. Anna landed landed an interview to be a RA next year.

Went on a shopping spree on the way home: Nike Air Max Speed Turf (silver & black Raiders edition), a Mitchell & Ness Raiders Jerry Rice long sleeve jersey, an $85.00 pair of FootJoy slacks on sale for $15.00, an Under Armour drifit golf shirt, and two pair of boxers. I can sell the Rice jersey to pay off all the other items. Passed on a good looking Austin Collie throwback Colts jersey.

Not much on tap for the weekend. Homework for the Wednesday night class. Sold two bobbleheads last night for a total of $120.00. Gotta see how all my work in the backyard weathered last night's thunderstorm.

 

Saw where Ginny Greene’s mother passed away. Funeral today at SPdL.

 

Another interesting article about 74 year old Arthur Blank’s 48 year old wife. He had six kids in his first two marriages, she had 2 or 3 from her first marriage.

 http://www.ajc.com/sports/who-angie-macuga-wife-atlanta-falcons-owner-arthur-blank/MAaFdLOznezkq4jTrvXkVM/ 

Buddy of mine is buying Falcons/Packers tickets for $150 and selling them for $300. Nosebleed seats. He’s bought 6 and sold 4, keeping 2 for himself. Good work if you can get it.

 

Uni Watch reviewed the twelve different facemasks Archie Manning wore in twelve years in the NFL, a story almost exactly like my blog post from two years ago.     

 
If W&MC and Anna all come home next weekend and M doesn’t have to work, we might go out for a big family dinner.

Baseball's HOF Worthy

Jeff Bagwell was elected into the Hall of Fame yesterday, along with Tim Raines and Pudge Rodriguez. The Astro great’s numbers compare favorably to borderline candidates Fred McGriff and Dale Murphy. Perhaps Bagwell’s super cool long goatee endeared himself to the voters.

 

In fewer games Bagwell collected more home runs, doubles, runs, stolen bases, hit by pitches, sacrifice flies, walks, and fewer strikeouts than the two former Braves sluggers. Bags won Rookie of the Year and played his entire 15 year career in out-of-the way Houston. Perhaps HOF voters are finally getting their act together, electing worthy small market candidates like Bagwell and Tim Raines.

 

Also to Bagwell’s credit: he played 60% of his career in the cavernous Astrodome. Add just one Astrodome home run a month for those nine years to his total, and he’s a member of the 500 home run club.

 

McGriff 1986-2004, 5 ASG, 3 SS

Murphy 1976-1993, 7 ASG, 4 SS, 5 GG, 2 MVPs

Bagwell 1991-2005, 4 ASG, 3 SS, 1 GG, ROY

 

While Murphy’s number fall short of Bagwell’s in every area except triples, sacrifice bunts, games played, and intentional walks, the Stormin’ Mormon had more all-star appearances and Silver Sluggers. Murf won more Gold Gloves while playing a tougher position. Then there’s the matter of Murphy’s two straight Most Valuable Player Awards.

 

McGriff played in more games and had more plate appearances, helping him edge Bagwell with more hits, home runs, RBI, total bases, and intentional walks. The Crime Dog also played in more all-star games and won as many Silver Sluggers as Bagwell. McGriff had a pretty good run, especially early in his career, with numbers comparable to several hall of famers who played in larger markets. His 493 home runs alone merit consideration.

 

YR..G..….PA….runs..hits...2B..3B..HR..RBI..SB..CS..BB…SO

15 2150 09431 1517 2314 488 32 449 1529 202 78 1401 1558 JB

19 2460 10174 1349 2490 441 24 493 1550 072 38 1305 1882 FM

18 2180 09041 1197 2111 350 39 398 1266 161 68 0986 1748 DM

21 2543 10270 1354 2844 572 51 311 1332 127 64 0513 1474 PR

 

Some small numbers that stand out: Rodriguez’ high number of sacrifice bunts, and his low number of walks (and intentional passes).

 

.BA.OBP.SLG.OPS.TB.GDP.HBP.SH..SF.IBB

297 408 540 948 4213 221 128 03 102 155 JB

284 377 509 886 4458 226 039 02 071 171 FM

265 346 469 815 3733 209 028 06 060 159 DM

296 334 464 798 4451 337 058 31 076 067 PR

Interesting to compare Pudge with two of the greatest catchers of all time: Yogi Berra and Johnny Bench. In both comparisons it’s clear that Pudge was more of a line drive singles and doubles hitter than he was a slugger – a little odd for an elite catcher. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

 

YR…G….PA.…runs...hits..2B..3B..HR..RBI..SB..CS..BB..SO

21 2543 10270 1354 2844 572 51 311 1332 127 64 513 1474 PR

19 2120 08359 1175 2150 321 49 358 1430 030 26 704 0414 YB

17 2158 08674 1091 2048 381 24 389 1376 068 43 891 1278 JB

 

Pudge tallied more singles, doubles, triples, and runs than Berra and Bench, he had almost 2000 more plate attempts. Ivan’s .296 average is impressive, as well as his 2543 games played. With fewer chances Yogi had more home runs and RBI, walked more, and struck out over one thousand fewer times (and over 850 fewer times than Bench). Berra’s on base, slugging, and therefor OPS were higher than Pudge and Bench.  

 

.BA.OBP.SLG.OPS.TB.GDP.HBP.SH.SF.IBB

296 334 464 798 4451 337 058 31 76 067 PR

285 348 482 830 3643 146 052 09 44 049 YB

267 342 476 817 3644 201 019 11 90 135 JB  

 

Rodriquez was a worthy candidate, with 14 all-star appearances, seven Silver Slugger Awards, and 13 Gold Gloves – a record for catchers. His lone MVP were fewer than Berra (three) and Bench (two).

 

Rodriguez 1991-2011: 14 ASG, 7 SS, 13 GG, MVP

Yogi Berra 1946 1965: 15 straight ASG, 3 MVPs

J. Bench 1967-1983: 14 ASG, 8 GG, ROY, 2 MVPs

 

As always, it goes without saying that all the numbers above are dwarfed by Herschel’s NFL numbers.

Productive Weekend

It wasn't just the Falcons: GT won as well. Maybe this year the Jackets can win most of the games against the lower and middle-of-the-pack ACC teams.

Worked until six on Friday. Checked out a store on Jimmy Carter near 85, then headed home. Stopped by Kroger and Dollar Tree as well. Fixed supper and Netflixed a movie. Also watched a little of the Hawks/Celtics.

M spend three straight nights over at Shep's. Anna was camping north of Asheville. W&MC road-tripped to Charleston. They all are coming home for Joel's concert on the 28th. The Hurts have been visiting Haley in Napa.

Saturday morning I shaved off the beard I had been growing since Christmas Day. Kept it a week longer than I'd planned. Takes too long to cut off during the week.

Later M came home, so I took his car to get the emissions checked. His band was playing a house concert that night. I raked out the leaves in the back yard, then attacked the pile of wood chips that had been sitting in the backyard for over a year. Worked until almost dark. Watched every bit of the Falcons game. Always good to beat the bad guys. Instead of watching the Pats, I Netflixed another movie.

Sunday at Johnson Ferry Bryant Wright lauded Dabo for giving the glory to God last Monday night. High praise for a South Carolina grad, but every good preacher knows a good illustration when he sees one. Probably half the preachers in the country were talking about it. I saw where Denison did the same, but Jim pointed out the Nick Saban has also given God credit for his success. Speaking of Clemson, my brother-in-law's family made the trip over to Saturday's victory parade.

Sunday I realized my six month front end alignment warranty was expiring so I had it checked at Firestone. Did laundry, straightened the house, washed dishes, cleaned off the deck, and worked on the wood chips even longer. Ceil arrived just as I was finishing, and she wanted to do more. Finally crashed on the couch to watch the Packers/Cowboys. Took a little nap. Sunday evening C grocery shopped and cooked Mexican.

I packaged two shipments and mailed them Monday morning. Took a new coworker on an extended plant tour.

Need to replace my FitBit, perhaps upgrading to a FitBit watch. They just don't seem to do that much. More than an Timex Ironman, but less than an Apple Watch. I could get an Apple Watch, but it seems like overkill.

Have you heard about Kitti Murray's burgeoning new business/ministry, Refugee Coffee? Several national news programs have aired stories about it. In April Ceil wants to either run or volunteer at their 5K road race, a fund-raiser for the ministry. I plan on challenging young Scott Morris to a footrace. The Braves will be in town but DOB will probably be busy.

My 1969 Braves jersey finally arrived in the mail from China. Nice enough, though you can tell it's a knockoff. Patches aren't exact but ok. Number on the back is way too thick, and not at all like what was pictured on the website (below). Lightweight, so it will be great to wear to games. Now I wonder how many fans will recognize it as an actual throwback once worn by the Braves, and not just a pinstriped Braves jersey. The real fans will know.

Video: Braves Bobbleheads from past and present players: http://m.braves.mlb.com/atl/video/v1219085783/?partnerId=ed-11093579-960443633
[http://mediadownloads.mlb.com/mlbam/2017/01/10/images/mlbf_1219085783_th_43.jpg]<http://m.braves.mlb.com/atl/video/v1219085783/?partnerId=ed-11093579-960443633>

Unique bobbleheads from past and present players of the Atlanta Braves.

Royal & Lime

 Last Friday the Hawks wore their 1970's throwbacks against the Celtics.

Former Duke standout Mike Dunleavy

Classic under the basket photo.

 Gotta get me some of those socks.

 Howard vs. Horford

You'da thunk Dwight couldda found some matching sneakers.

Dunleavy with the J

Road to the Super Bowl

All four of the teams that I like best won: Atlanta, Patriots, Packers, and Steelers. But Green Bay is hot. Might've been easier to beat Dallas than Green Bay, but at least "we" are playing at home.

 

GB@Dallas: Great ending. Basically four 50+ yard field goals in the last few minutes. Mason Crosby has an Abraham Lincoln quote on his Twitter profile, and like Rodrigo Blankenship, conducts postgame interviews with his helmet on. Probably a good idea when you just kicked the game-winner on the opposition's home field.

Aaron Rodgers is on a roll, and could be tough to beat. All the bandwagon fans who before the preseason predicted a so so season (and called for Matt Ryan to be traded) are now pumped up - but should the Falcons lose will be the first to scream "same old Falcons."

 

The Seahawks rough you up on defense and complain when a penalty is called on them. Seems to be their plan, to goad opponents into penalties. Didn’t work to well against the Falcons.

Same with the Cowboys. Running back Ezekiel Elliott is battling QB Dak Prescott for rookie of the year. He’s had a great season, leading the NFL in rushing. The Cowboys have perhaps the best offensive line in football, which helps make both Elliott and Prescott look and perform better. Elliott is also a fine pass blocker and can catch passes. He is taking a beating, and you wonder if he’ll experience a drop-off in year two, like what happened to the Rams’ Todd Gurley. At some point I wonder if/when Elliott will revert to the attitude he had at Ohio State, complaining about not getting the ball and such. Gurley is also taking a beating, and might’ve said something improper this year out of youthful inexperience – but he didn’t have a bad attitude.

 

We’ll see how Elliott and Prescott handle success. Growing up both had loving families, but both have stumbled at times. Interesting that in college Dak was supposed to be the next Tim Tebow, but as a pro has surpassed Tebow – running less and passing better.

 

That’s the thing about pro football. It’s a whole world of look-at-me athletes, most only lasting less than four years in the league. I’m familiar with fewer than ten Falcons, but they’re all out there strutting and posing and posturing and mouthing off like they’re the greatest in the world. And there are 30 other teams each loaded with 50 other players thinking the same thing about themselves. I am not impressed.

 

Jay Leno used to go out on the streets and ask regular people questions of common knowledge: Who is the President? And the like. They should ask regular Americans to identify NFL players. I consider myself a sports fan, a football fan – and I couldn’t identify 90% of them. It’s great to have a blog so I can tell the world how out of touch I am.

Conversely Aaron Rodgers plays light out, engineering two great scoring drives at the end of yesterday’s game. Immediately after the game-winning field goal a camera and microphone are stuck in his face and he’s asked about next week’s game in Atlanta. With joy all over his face, he just wanted to enjoy the moment – praising teammates and his worthy opponent. Eventually Rodgers was able to gather himself enough to say nice things about Matt Ryan and the Falcons.

Another HOF List, Another Omission

SportsBreak.com’s 15 best NFL players not currently in the Hall of Fame. Saw it on FB so I checked it out. Like all the other similar lists, with a few exceptions.

 

15. Terrell Davis RB SB

14. Cornelius Bennett LB

13. Kurt Warner QB SB

12. Deron Cherry DB

11. L.C. Greenwood DL SB

10. Peyton Manning QB SB

9. Terrell Owens WR

8. Ricky Watters RB SB

7. Ken Anderson QB SB

6. Marshawn Lynch RB SB

5. Jim Marshall DE SB

4. Steve Tasker WR SB

3. Jerry Kramer G/K SB

2. Calvin Johnson WR

1. Randy Moss WR

 

A silly list, because naturally Payton Manning will be voted into the HOF as soon as he’s eligible. Same with Calvin Johnson and Marshawn Lynch, though both may be borderline cases due to the shortness of their careers. I wouldn’t be surprised if Lynch didn’t mount a comeback.

 

At least two thirds listed played in the Super Bowl. Several have appeared on similar lists: Anderson, Davis, Kramer, Marshall, Moss, Owens, Tasker, Warner, Watters. Ridiculous that anyone is listed ahead of Manning, who retired with many records in his name.

 

As usual, no mention of Herschel Walker, whose 18,000+ NFL yards gained dwarf every player on the list.

 

http://www.sportsbreak.com/nfl/10-best-nfl-players-currently-not-in-the-hall-of-fame/

 

Picture Day

SunTrust Park. The upper deck will offer views of downtown Atlanta, Buckhead, Perimeter Center, Kennesaw Mountain, Stone Mountain, and the north Georgia mountains. 

Lombardi. Unitas, Jim Brown. Marion Motley. Jerry Rice. Don Hutson. Butkus. Mean Joe Greene.

Fun fact: Joe Garagiola photobombed Willie Mays' great World Series catch off Vic Wertz.

My class at Rosa Taylor Elementary School.

Thrashers

Hunter Renfrow: Cover Boy

Stay up to the end of the game Monday night? Ceil almost went to bed, but I told her she shouldn't. Didn't get to bed until 1 am. C cooked burgers and baked French fries, and tossed a salad.

Alabama had only given up 15 touchdowns in their previous 14 games. Down 14-0, Clemson scored 5 touchdowns in just over three quarters. Walk on receiver Hunter Renfrow (above) caught four touchdown passes in the two national championship games. I need to read up on his story. Deshaun Watson is the only college quarterback in history to appear in six postseason games.

Four teams had won the last seven national championships: Alabama, Auburn, FSU, and Ohio State. This year Clemson beat all four.

Tuesday after work I met my brother to get something he'd brought up from Macon. Went a different route home so I stopped by three stores I usually don't get to. Bought a pair of black Nike basketball sneakers. Now I have three pair of black Nikes with green trim. At least I've been selling some of my shoes. Here's the list of just my black sneakers:

Nike Crusader basketball black/teal "new"
Nike Air Max black black/teal
Nike Lunarthlon black/lime
Nike Flyknit black/white
Nike spikeless golf black/white
Adidas spikeless golf black/white (selling)
Reebok Fury black/white (selling)
New Balance 990 black/grey
Nike Huarache Trainer black/grey (might sell)
Nike Lunarthon black/orange
New Balance Minimus black/orange
Altra black/orange (already sold)
Crocs black

Some are old and worn and can't be sold, but I occasionally wear them all. Some are for yardwork and others to wear when I go out. This doesn't include other colored sneakers: blue, orange, red, silver, grey. Maybe it's time for a group picture

Baked chicken for Tuesday supper and Wednesday lunch. Ceil brought me a Chickfila sandwich to eat after our meeting at Johnson Ferry. Ceil and I are signing up for a Wednesday night class at Johnson Ferry. We'll probably be the oldest ones there, due to the nature of the class. Means I'll miss the rest of the winter's hot stove baseball meetings. The meeting was in the big classroom building. The third floor had several big classrooms filled with people in various Bible Studies. A lot going on. Since this first week was just an introduction, it only lasted 30 minutes. Only knew one guy out of six couples.

C had wanted to go to the library so that was our next stop. I'm usually in and out in less than 5 minutes, but it took her longer. I sat down and deleted 100 emails while I was waiting. I checked Phil Jackson's autobiography, so get ready for more Michael Jordan stories.

For some reason I got sick Wednesday night. It was after 10 pm. Felt terrible. Not sure if it was the baked chicken or CFA that got me sick. Went to bed around 11:30 but woke up around 1 am, still sick. Used it as an excuse to not exercise the next morning.

Meetings all day Thursday, but they're needed due to the new way we're doing things. A good time for the meetings because I'm relatively caught up. Plenty going on.

Friday night the Hawks are wearing their blue throwback uniforms, the ones with the green trim.

Things Not to Say

Phrases smart people don’t use in conversation. There’s no taking them back once they slip out. Often it’s the subtle remarks that paint us as incompetent and unconfident, and do the most damage. These LinkedIn blog posts from Travis Bradberry tend to periodically repeat the same themes, so I’ve combined two of them.

 

We’ve all said things people interpreted differently than we thought they would. Verbal slip-ups occur because we say things without knowledge of the subtle implications they carry. We lack awareness because we’re so focused on what we’re going to say next – and how what others say affects us – that we completely lose sight of other people.

 

This is a problem because people are so complicated. You can’t hope to understand someone until you focus ALL your attention in their direction. Avoid using these phrases at all costs:

 

“You look tired.” Instead say “Is everything okay?” Instead of assuming someone’s disposition, just ask. You’ll be seen as concerned instead of rude.

 

“You always…” or “You never…” Makes people defensive and closed off. Better: “You do this often enough for me to notice.”

 

“As I said before…” Everyone forgets. Sounds like you’re insulted to have to repeat yourself (or you’re patting yourself on the back for being the first with the idea). Being insulted over having to repeat yourself suggests you are either insecure or you think you are better than everyone else (or both). Instead when you say it again, see what you can do to convey the message in a more clear and interesting way.

 

“Good luck.” Implies you think they’ll need luck to succeed. You can do better. Instead: “I know you have what it takes.” Encourage, don’t tear down. You will stand out.

 

“It’s up to you” or “Whatever you want.” You may not care, but your opinion may be important to the person asking the question. Instead: ”I don’t have a strong opinion either way, but a couple of things to consider are…” When you offer an opinion it shows that you care.

 

“Well at least I never…” An aggressive way to shift attention away from your mistake by pointing out an old, likely irreverent mistake the other person made (that you should’ve already forgiven and forgotten). Instead say “I’m sorry.” Own up to your mistakes.

 

“Wow, you’ve lost a ton of weight” Another possibly well-meaning compliment that creates the impression you’re being critical. Telling someone they lost a lot of weight suggests they used to look fat or unattractive. Instead say “you look fantastic.” This takes the past out of the picture.

 

“You were too good for her anyway.” This implies your friend has bad taste and made a poor choice in the first place. Instead say “Her loss!” This provides the same support and optimism without any implied criticism.

 

“You look great for your age.” Comes across as condescending and rude. Instead say “You look great.” Genuine compliments don’t need qualifiers.

 

“This is the way it’s always been done.” Change happens so fast that even a six month old process may be outdated. Makes you sound lazy and resistant to change.

 

“It’s not my fault.” It is never a good idea to cast blame. Be accountable. If not offer an objective, dispassionate explanation of what happened. Stick to the facts and let your boss and colleagues draw their own conclusions.  

 

“I can’t.” To others it means “I won’t.” Suggests you’re not willing to do what it takes to get the job done. Instead offer an alternative. Say what you can do.

 

“It’s not fair.” Say such suggests you think life is supposed to be fair. You look immature and naïve. Stick to the facts and stay constructive. Leave your interpretation out of it.

 

“That’s not in my job description.” Makes you sound as though you’re only willing to do the bare minimum. If you think you’re being asked to do something inappropriate for your position, the best move is to complete the task eagerly. Later schedule a conversation with your boss to discuss your role with the company, and whether your job description needs an update.

 

“I’m going to ask a stupid question” or “This may be a silly idea.” These overly passive phrases erode your credibility and suggest you lack confidence.  

 

“I’ll try.” Suggests you lack confidence to complete the task. Sounds like you won’t try that hard. Yoda said “Do. Or do not. There is no try.”

 

“This will only take a minute.” Don’t make it sound as though the task can be completed any sooner than it can be actually finished.

 

“I hate this job.”  Labels you as negative. Brings down morale. There are always enthusiastic replacements waiting just around the corner.

 

“He’s lazy / incompetent / a jerk.” No upside to saying this. If it’s true everyone already knows. If not, you’re the one who looks like a jerk. If you don’t have the power to help them improve or fire them, you have nothing to gain by broadcasting their ineptitude. Doing so comes across as an insecure attempt to make you look better.

"Happy XXth birthday." Don't remind people how old they are. It's rude. They know. They might be having a hard time dealing with it. Don't make it worse.  

 

RECAP: in everyday conversation, it’s the little things that make all the difference.

 

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/phrases-smart-people-refuse-use-conversation-dr-travis-bradberry

 

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/critical-things-smart-people-never-say-dr-travis-bradberry

Cars We've Owned

Hard to believe I’ve owned 17 cars in my life (including my kid’s cars). At least we’re keeping them longer than we used to.

 

1966 red Ford Country Sedan station wagon. Bought from young Sunday School teacher for $600 in the summer of 1975. Great car. Piled 14 Sugar Bear Band members in for a ride from Miller Junior High to Lanier Senior High. Back door would open down or swing sideways like a gate. Kept until the spring of 1977.

 

1972 red Buick Skylark two door. Cool wheels and a white vinyl landau roof. Took it to college. Wrecked sophomore year turning in front of someone on Shallowford Road, then in snow coming back from Athens.

 

1976 white Buick Regal two door. After a fender bender I had it painted silver. Burgundy roof.

 

1978 Subaru two door coupe. I inherited the family car. Totalled it  one day on the way home from work, on North Druid Hills Road.

 

1985 navy VW Golf four door hatchback. A zippy little car. David Hurt had a sporty red JTI two door, so I got one that wasn’t quite as cool.  

 

1985 grey Mazda 626 four door sedan. Ceil inherited this car after Rusty’s wife didn’t want it – it had been damaged in a hailstorm. Drove great. Left our wedding reception in this car.

 

1992 red VW Jetta four door sedan (like the one above). Replaced Mazda. Bought new from a dealer in Macon – was the same price as a less sporty blue Jetta. Aluminum wheels with red teardrops (below). Sunroof. Had two flat tires (and damaged wheels) coming back from the beach in July, in the middle of nowhere, with baby Will in the car. Finally overheated too much on the way to the airport. Gave it away.

2000 gold Mazda MPV minivan. Replaced Golf. Bought from Lockheed Credit Union after original owner passed away, with only 9000 miles on it. Someone pulled in front of Ceil one Sunday on the way home from church, totaling the van.  

 

1996 silver Ford Taurus four door sedan. Replaced Jetta. Had been Todd Harris’ company car. Traded it in on the Civic.

 

2005 silver Honda Civic four door sedan. Replaced Taurus. Bought new from Roswell Honda. My daily driver. Drove it to Cooperstown. Going strong at 260,000 miles.

 

2002 silver Mazda MPV minivan. After C wrecked the first MPV we didn’t know what to get. We’d been happy with the first MPV, so we bought one almost exactly like the first one we had, from a dealer in Stone Mountain. . MPV’s were one of the smaller minivans, and got the best mileage. Seats easy to reconfigure. When it seemed to be on its last legs I sold it on Craig’s List, for a decent price.

 

2011 silver Honda CRV SUV. Looked long and hard for a replacement for the MPV. After eliminating Kia Sorentos (terrible gas mileage) we decided to get a CRV. Found one at a great price at the Mall of Georgia Nissan dealership with only 98000 miles on it.

 

1996 white Honda Accord four door sedan. Will’s first car. One day the engine cut off while Will was driving down the road. While still moving Will tried to shift from drive to neutral to crank it again. He accidentally slipped past on into reverse. After that the car could not back up, but Will managed. After driving to UGA to move in, the Accord died. Gave it away.

 

2001 grey Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV. Will’s grandmother spotted this Jeep for sale and bought it for him. When Will killed Anna’s Jeep, he passed his along to her.

 

2000 burgundy Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV. Anna inherited her grandfather’s vehicle. Sometimes ran hot. Last summer Will had it in Augusta when it overheated on the interstate, cracking the core. Sold it for scrap.

 

1996 light blue Buick Park Avenue four door sedan. Drew Kelly’s father’s car. He had a hard time selling it. Rough paint and passenger side dent. Only 90000 miles. The perfect car for M. Last July we drove up to Charlotte and bought it.  

 

2000 dark brown Toyota Camry four door sedan. Will found it on Craig’s List. A mechanic had bought it at auction and fixed it up – including a new timing belt. Bought it a week after we bought the Park Avenue. Will needs it to get him through medical school. Maybe Matthew or I will inherit it when he’s done with it.

Fun Facts: Theo Epstein

Four fun facts about Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein (from a recent Sports Illustrated article):

 

1. His grandfather and great uncle wrote the screenplay for Casablanca.

 

2. When Epstein resigned as GM of the Red Sox on Halloween, he escaped from the media by leaving Fenway Park wearing a gorilla suit.

3. Before every home game Epstein walks ten minutes home during the visitor's batting practice, has dinner with his family, then walks back in time for first pitch.    

 

4. At 5 am the morning after the Cubs beat Clayton Kershaw to win the NL pennant, Epstein and Pearl Jam front man Eddie Vedder played catch and took batting practice at Wrigley Field.

 

The numbers are in: miles driven last year in the Civic and CRV. If my math is right we drove almost 8000 fewer miles in 2016 than the year before – over 6000 fewer Civic miles. Of course M put almost that much on his car, which takes high test gas and gets fewer MPG than our two cars. But one trip for M might've meant two trips for me or C, sometimes way up to Cumming. So once again this past year we spent more on transportation.

 

.2016…2015…diff…savings

22038 24709 2671 $233.71 CRV

15200 21301 6101 $388.25 Civic

37238 46010 8772 $621.96 Total

 

At 3 pm Friday afternoon they sent home everyone who lives west of the office. Traffic was like it usually is at 6 pm. Got home at 4 pm. At 5:30 C decided she had to go to UPS to ship something that had been sitting around for a week. M had been called in to work earlier in the afternoon, and he got home around 8:30.

 

Got a lot of work done around the house Saturday. Also a bunch of laundry. M got called into work again. Chicken quesadilla for supper.

 

Went to church Sunday morning. Still plenty of ice on our street, and on 120 all the way into Roswell. WSB AM750 was reporting wrecks all over town. People were zooming by going 80 MPH, tailgating and cutting in front of people. Like they always do.

 

M worked again Sunday evening. Took a nap, washed dishes, and folded clothes. Chicken quesadilla for lunch and pot roast for supper. Also packaged a box, posted to eBay. Got five packages to ship: some caps, a pullover, pair of pants, and two bobbles. Sold one for $95.00 and traded one for the UNC Charlotte Mark Price.  

 

The Boston College game doesn't start until 5:30 Saturday afternoon on Feb 11. They're giving away 1000 Harpring bobbles, so only those arriving early get them. I remember one time it snowed in Atlanta. GT was playing UNC. The Heels had to take MARTA to the 10th Street Station and walk to the arena.

Rob on the Braves:  I think we will have a good season IF we don't rely too much on Garcia, Peterson and Flower replicating career years.  I think Albies will be at 2B soon and they have Sean Rodriquez for PA's at 3B.  I still think Catcher is a problem spot.  I think the vet starting pitchers can eat some innings for us.