"Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest." - Exodus 34:21a
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Saturday, February 6, 2010
I've Got You Babe
Today is the sixth of February and the birthday of George Herman Ruth, Jr. .. best known as "Babe" Ruth (shown above attending a party in his honor at Burger King).
Babe Ruth, nicknamed "the Sultan of Swat" and "the Bambino" .. which is much better than my nicknames: "the Sultan of Squat" and "that kid with the big nose, oily skin and glasses" .. was the first Major League player to hit 60 home runs in one season (this was before steroids and when they didn't play a gazillion games) .. if you've read anything about his personal life, evidently he scored pretty well there, too.
Unlike many power hitters, Ruth's lifetime batting average was .342 .. tenth highest in baseball history .. and in one season he hit .393, a Yankee record (I believe it is a Rebel record, as well).
In 1998, The Sporting News ranked Babe Ruth number one on the list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players."
I, also, played the game in my younger days and on countless occasions I overheard coaches, players and fans alike refer to my performance as "playing like number two" .. how 'bout that, Bambino!
His .690 career slugging percentage and 1.164 career OPS (on-base plus slugging) remain to be records in the Major League.
I have set a few records myself, but apparently no one really cares about the number of cheese puffs you can eat in one sitting or how many consecutive showings of "A Christmas Story" you can watch on TBS without going to the bathroom.
Yet, I digress.
George Herman Ruth, Jr., I say to you what I will say to my wife in May ...
Happy Birthday, Babe.
"For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe." - Hebrews 5:13
Friday, February 5, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
I've Grown Accustomed to Your Facebook
It is February 4th (stay tuned for time and weather updates on the hour).
On this date in 2004 the online social network Facebook was founded by Mark Zuckerberg (with three of his college roommates .. Eduardo Saverin, Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes) while he was a student at Harvard University.
Initially the website was only for Harvard students. However, because of its growing popularity it was made available to other colleges in the Boston area.
Facebook continued its expansion to include any university student .. then .. high school students .. and finally .. anyone aged 13 and over.
The website currently has more than 350 million active users (349 million of those are 'old people' .. like me .. who can't meet the stringent requirements and high standards of MySpace) worldwide .. this explains why the internet is so slow this morning.
Like the telephone (and email), Facebook allows you the opportunity to "connect" with others without having to actually see them (now there are other options besides online gaming for ugly people).
There is also something very empowering about it.
When you receive a friend request, you have the option to either accept or ignore .. just like in junior high.
There are many other aspects of FB including poking, pillow fights, virtual gifts, flair, farming and being in the Mafia.
My favorite?
Writing on walls.
I was never allowed to do this as a child and it makes me feel like a rebel (bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do ..).
IF YOU AGREE WITH THIS STATEMENT AND LOVE WRITING ON WALLS, COPY AND PASTE THIS AS YOUR STATUS UPDATE.
"And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live." - Exodus 33:20
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Kev's Klip of the Week
Last night the final season of LOST premiered on ABC and there are still many questions to be answered before the airing of the final episode.
Here are just a few.
"And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost." - Luke 15:9
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Dèjá Vu ... All Over Again
Today is February 2 .. Groundhog Day.
Although "overshadowed" by more prominent February observances like Valentine's Day and President's Day, Groundhog Day still gets higher marks than more obscure February celebrations like Toothache Day, Plum Pudding Day, or Pistol Patent Day .. I'm not making this stuff up .. Google it!
According to folklore, if a groundhog emerging from its burrow fails to see its shadow, it will leave the burrow .. signifying winter will soon end. However, if the groundhog sees its shadow, it will supposedly retreat into its burrow and winter will continue for six more weeks.
Of course, this process can get a little confusing if the groundhog doesn't emerge until late afternoon .. a time when "five o'clock shadow" normally occurs.
This holiday began as a Pennsylvania German custom in the 18th or 19th centuries, but its origins are from European weather lore where a badger or bear were the prognosticators .. they had to start using the more genteel groundhog because the badger kept maiming the onlookers, the bear .. ate them (in retrospect, compared to losing a limb .. or death, six more weeks of bad weather is really .. no biggie).
The largest Groundhog Day celebration is held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania where the crowd can get as high as 40,000 (of course these numbers can't compare to those who attend Mardi Gras, where the crowd can get as high as .. a kite).
Bill Murray's movie by the same name helped bring the town and event world-wide attention when it was released almost seventeen years ago (it's a classic and one of my favorites .. check out the $5 bin at Walmart if you don't have it on DVD).
Jackson and the surrounding area has Gary Pickens.
The rest of the world? ... Punxsutawney Phil.
Mr. Groundhog, which is it?
Sweater .. or heavy coat and long handles?
"They shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains, and to the beasts of the earth: and the fowls shall summer upon them, and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them." - Isaiah 18:6
Monday, February 1, 2010
Get Me Out of Here ... NOW
This morning I will attempt to do something that hasn't been done since last Thursday afternoon (no, it's not take a bath .. although that is probably a good idea, as well).
I plan to leave the confines of these four walls and go .. somewhere .. anywhere.
With all the snow and ice in the forecast at the end of last week (congratulations weather forecasters .. you got it right!) and plenty of milk and bread on hand, there was no reason to venture out and risk breaking a bone or .. even worse .. busting my bottom. I sit on it constantly (ask anyone who knows me, they'll verify) and some pretty serious lifestyle changes would have to be made if anything traumatic ever happened.
It was not worth chancing.
Throw in .. Friday is my regular day off, no school (it is closed today, as well .. Cheryl has been sobbing uncontrollably since receiving the phone call yesterday), a cancelled ladies retreat on Saturday, and no church (school children and teachers aren't the only ones who pray, you know) on Sunday (I did watch Steve Gaines .. twice .. plus the morning service from FBC Jackson .. outstanding job Greg Williams .. what a pleasure to see a good music minister at work .. for a change), and there was really no excuse to leave the house.
If the kids were still around, I would have been outside playing in the snow from dawn until dark.
They weren't.
I didn't.
Also, the stretch of road in front of my house is still a solid sheet of ice. You might be able to get out of the driveway, but getting back in would be next to impossible.
Yesterday, one of our friends called and offered to drop by some homemade rum cake. Since this is as close as a Baptist can be to "getting liquored up," we said, "Come on."
He has a four wheel drive vehicle and he couldn't even pull up to the house (he left his SUV in the middle of the street and walked to our front door).
Although the conditions are still far from ideal .. I'm going for it.
You can only drink so much coffee, eat so may bowls of chili, and watch so many hours of A&E's Pride and Prejudice before finally going "stir crazy."
Last night I chopped through the bedroom door with an ax and exclaimed, "Here's Johnny!"
Yeah .. it's time to get out of here.
"Look at the man! He is insane!" - I Samuel 21:14b
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