Chip: January 2009 Archives

Literally — a different breed. Police in Nigeria have a goat in custody that witnesses claimed was involved in an attempted robbery.

I don’t think I can say anything else about this one.

More on the family later this week…

Now it’s time to get back to work. The fun is over.

I guess this is the first time I’ve really paid attention to the presidential inauguration, but I was helped by the fact that both of the twins are still sick and needed to stay home from daycare. So I had the inauguration festivities on, and believe it or not, but Sean and Daniel were at least mesmerized by the actual swearing in ceremony. They paid attention starting with the musical piece and then into the swearing in of the vice president and president, which is a long time to sit still for essentially boring speechmaking.

But as the afternoon wore on, and there is a private luncheon, and then a bunch of speechmaking — get your photo next to these one-of-a-kind crystal bowls to honor this occasion — that this whole endeavor started to take on the worst aspects of a wedding reception. Honestly, the ego stroking going on serves very little purpose. I’m sad to say that the luncheon (which is something only started in the 1950s) and many of the activities before the parade appear to be absolutely useless.

And then to invest the millions upon millions of dollars in the inauguration balls seems to me to be the height of lunacy in a time when we’re going to be asked to make sacrifices. If people want to party on their own, let them. But to give the seal of significance on these events by organizing and attending them continues to reinforce for me that they’re just trying to repay (no, it’s really not that, they say) the contributors (more ego stroking) and ask them to shell out more money for their lobbying efforts. After all, who gets the invitations to these balls or can even afford them?

Oh, baloney. I don’t think I need to answer that.

I’m not sure why I’m so mad about it at this time. Honestly, I came into today feeling fairly upbeat. I want to believe that it’s all going to make a difference and make my life easier. But I’ve lived through enough of these administrations — Republican and Democratic — to feel pretty certain that it’s a lie. I’m willing to give Obama a chance, because gosh darn it, he comes across as such an optimistic and likable fellow. Or at least, that’s what his body language says.

But also call me torn on the prospects at this time. Because neither party’s kool-aid is all sugary-sweet. And I haven’t seen enough of the ability to lead and make the tough compromises from the leaders of either party to give me great hope for the coming years of our Government.

Good luck, Mr. 44th President — Mr. Obama. There’re a lot of challenges out there to make things right for all of the generations. I pray that you make the right decisions.

I know it’s been a while since you’ve seen anything from the kids. It’s been kind of slow, though this weekend has been busy with Sean and Daniel getting sick and needing medication in the middle of the night. That turns Mommy and Daddy into zombies (with the interrupted sleep).

Now that the boys are two, they’re getting out of their infant things, like the high chair and crib. Actually, the crib is on hold — we were going to move them this long weekend, but with them being sick, we decided it wasn’t the right time. However, they are out of the high chairs (seemingly permanently) and sitting at the table with us. Well, they’re sitting at the table when they feel like it. The first part of the video shows them eating some yogurt at the table (interesting stuff, I’m sure).

You also get regaled by one of the twins with his singing skills. He actually knows all of the words, but for some reason copped out on the middle part in this take.

No, I have not gone back to school to fulfill some dream of playing intercollegiate sports at my alma mater. Rather, I have started rehab on my finger. I am out of the half-splint that I was moved to starting Christmas Eve. (You might have seen it in the pictures from my trip to Houston later that month.) A week ago Thursday, the doctor had given me the go ahead to take the splint off on occasion to wash the hand in the shower (4+ weeks and it surely stunk) and try to move the finger, but to wear it most of the time otherwise.

He also pulled the two pins out of my hand that had been helping hold the work together. Once they came out and their length was obvious, it was clear these were not insignificant pieces of the puzzle. They came out easily — if you’ve ever had surgical staples, they slid out just like that. Not a bit of pain involved.

I get 4 weeks of physical therapy to try to get things as close to normal as possible. The first session had already doubled the range of motion at the knuckle with the hand. There has been some regression outside of the warm-and-stretch sessions, but that’s to be expected — two steps forward and one step back. I’m also doing the routine below 4 to 6 times per day. You can see, just 24 hours later, that in some of the positions, I’m not too bad. But nothing is 100 percent yet, not even trying to straighten out the finger. The pinkie is on the backside of the shots, and you can see it peeking around the other fingers that should be hiding it.

When working with the therapist, the rolling exercise is done with a cylinder wrapped in velcro on a velcro track — a little tougher. I have the most fun playing with the rice. The 5 minutes are up before I know it. Each session takes more than 30 minutes, though, so it’s not an insignificant chunk of time.

The doctor has already told me it will never return to 100 percent function, but so far, I’m pleased. There is no pain associated with it, just a nice little scar and a slightly droopy finger that still won’t bend too far. One day at a time — that’s all I can ask for right now.

No, I’m not talking about that fraud of a human being. Rather, this is someone you should be proud to call OJ.

I don’t know the man personally, but he attended and graduated from Rice University at the same time as me. He was the star linebacker at Rice, but was deemed too small for the NFL. He played in the Canadian Football League for a few years, winning a championship with the Baltimore CFL Stallions. He then actually made it to the NFL and later won a championship with the Baltimore Ravens as a special teams leader. After his football career, he wound up working for the Ravens in their front office. About two years ago, he was diagnosed with ALS.

OJ Brigance obviously didn’t ask for this, but he has certainly caught the imagination of the supposedly “tough” football players he now mentors for the Baltimore Ravens. This past weekend, he was presented with the game ball from the Ravens win over the Tennessee Titans. He continues to work and inspire the team.

I bring this up in part because, even though I never met him, I remember following him as he tried to make it in football. I remember cheering him on in person when he played for the Baltimore Stallions, even seeing one of the games in Memorial Stadium. All of this comes to a head now with the article this week in the Washington Post that talks even more about his situation and what he’s learned. And it should make you pause, when OJ reflects on his situation like this:

“Who are you?” he [Brigance] asked. “When your physical prowess is taken away, who are you? We build our lives on things that are temporary and when these things are taken away who are you inside? That’s one of the great blessings I’ve had. I can see I’m more than an athlete.”

So give the article a read, and pause and consider your blessings for a little while. In the meantime, fight on, OJ.

This made the news back in December, but I missed it. (Not surprising, given the hectic nature of the month and the broken hand slowing me down.) I was listening to a Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me podcast last week, and they had a bit about this — remaking familiar Christmas carols into odes to clean coal technology.

Yes, it is real.

The video for Frosty the Coalman has been saved for posterity. After all, who doesn’t want to sing the following?

Frosty the Coalman, is a jolly happy soul,
He’s abundant here in America and he helps our economy roll.
Frosty the Coalman’s getting cleaner every day
He’s affordable and adorable and helps workers keep their pay.

There is no real news in this posting. Rather, it’s just a simple attempt to provide some humor heading into the weekend. And the postings at Fail Blog, which show real-life situations gone wrong, usually amuse. These two recent postings just jumped out at me.

First, the folks in the Washington, DC area will be pleased to know that their local TV broadcasters are of the highest quality.

Then, there is the unfortunate placement of a price sticker (quite possible staged, but still funny).

That’s right, you don’t need to hold it. Just know that Rice should be the national champion in football. Check it out for yourself. The BCS nominated Oklahoma and Florida for the chance. But based on actual results this year, Rice beat Western Michigan, who beat Illinois, who beat Iowa, who beat South Carolina, who beat Mississippi, who beat Florida. And Rice beat Western Michigan, who beat Illinois, who beat Iowa, who beat South Carolina, who beat Mississippi, who beat Texas Tech, who beat Texas, who beat Oklahoma. What could be more logical than that?

Actually, by these standards, it’s Utah that should be the national champion. Nobody has a route to beating them, and I’m pretty sure every 1-A team has a route to losing to them. And really, based on the results I saw in the Sugar Bowl, who am I to argue? That was a thorough domination by the Utes.

So if they award the championship to someone other than Rice (or Utah), know that the game and process was fixed to benefit the haves (once again).

Do you remember my note back in September about the Rice football team and how special they might be? Well, they fell to 3-3, then ran off 7 straight wins (including a bowl game) to finish out the season.

That’s right — they won their first bowl game in almost 55 years. The Cotton Bowl in 1954 was the last bowl win for Rice. It also gave us this famous play. Hopefully, you’re already familiar with it, but if not, here is a quick recap.

Even better, my dad got to witness the game in person. We flew in and out of Richmond, being gone for only about 48 hours total. Our hotel was less than a mile from the stadium and not too far from campus. On Monday night, we met up with Jeff Jeffress (a roommate of mine) and his wife Isabelle (both Rice grads) for dinner. It was good to catch up about families and other topics.

Tuesday morning started off on the Rice campus with an alumni gathering in the new coffeehouse — an all-glass enclosure that’s supposed to be extremely eco-friendly. It definitely would have been nice to have that on campus when I was there. We also took time to wander to a couple of corners of campus. We visited Will Rice College, the residential dorm both Dad and I were associated with. We also wandered over to the new basketball arena (refurbished the previous court and structure and re-opened the prior month), then visited the nearly empty (except for a groundskeeper on the lawnmower) baseball stadium — an absolute crown jewel.

You can see many of the pictures I took in the album below. The album does cover all of the way to the end of our visit, so please continue reading below it.

After a quick bite to eat, it was off to the Texas Bowl. First was the Owl Walk, where the fans line the entrance to the stadium as the team heads in. After which, we got to see this rather bemusing scene — a chicken trying to lead the Chicken Dance, but having no idea how to do it.

Then there was an official Rice tailgate, with lots of good food and unlimited beer and beverages for a fixed price. (Definitely beat the prices we would have paid at the stadium.) We finally got into the stadium and to our seats about 15 minutes before kickoff. We sat in the corner of the end zone in the club level (300 level). Great views of the action without being too high up. And needless to say, jumping out to a 38-0 lead before allowing 2 late TDs was more than I could have expected. The NFL Network had a decent 4-minute summary of the game and post-game analysis/interviews here.

This was a class group of Rice football players. They tied a school record with 10 wins on the season, just 3 years removed from a 1-11 season. The official Rice pictures only begin to do it justice. This was a special group of seniors that have given us Rice fans at least a little taste of successful football. We certainly hope that the success can continue.

A special thanks is going to be shared about the three players I highlighted in the video — Chase Clement (QB), Jarrett Dillard (WR), and James Casey (TE). All three were largely ignored in recruiting — Chase and Jarrett were recruited for a wishbone offense, and James actually spent several years chasing a minor league baseball career before sending his own recruiting video to Rice and getting accepted. Chase and Jarrett have rewritten much of the history books, whether at Rice, in Conference-USA, or even nationally (most prolific passing duo, most career TD catches for a receiver). And James may have played only two years, but was a jack-of-all-trades (played 7 different positions in one game in 2007) with amazing skills. He’s leaving early for the NFL, but is already aiming to graduate this summer with over a 3.8 GPA in a triple major in just over 2 years of school. That certainly puts me to shame. Some highlights from the announcement (including game footage).

At least two of them will get drafted (Jarrett and James). Chase is a bit short, but likely will get a shot to at least make a roster. I’ll definitely have some guys to root for in the NFL.

The whole trip was a load of fun, and I’m glad Kellie gave me a kitchen pass to do it. (Thank you, dear.) This won’t happen every time, but this was a fun experience made all the better because of the win and a chance to spend time with some friends and (of course) Dad.

This is a week of Rice sports for me — Rice football bowl game on Tuesday night (details coming, as the pictures and video are more complex), and a Rice men’s basketball game this afternoon. Rice came to town to play University of Richmond, and I took Will to his first college sporting event. Unfortunately, Rice came away on the short end of the game, losing rather badly. (Luckily, the photo to the right was taken after the game score had been cleared.)

I think Will enjoyed himself. The arena was neither crowded nor loud, as students weren’t back from winter break yet. But for whatever reason, Rice was largely flat throughout the game and got blown out fairly early. Will enjoyed his food and had fun watching the game. He talked some to a Richmond fan (lady) next to him, and I wound up sitting next to a Rice grad (Chris D. — Baker ‘87) and talking to him for a while. While it wasn’t the result I wanted, Will actually went into the game saying he was going to be rooting for Richmond, and during the game he told me that he liked cheering for the team “with more points.” I think he’ll be interested in going to another one again.

We had a couple of events, surrounding a relatively relaxing afternoon. With all of the events and running around of the last week, it was earned. This evening, Will finally lost his upper left front tooth. It had been loose for so long, and today is was barely holding on. But he didn’t want to help it along, so we had to wait it out until dinner time. But it came out then, so Will has now lost 5 of his baby teeth so far. But he’s got that nice, big gap in the upper front to deal with. I guess apples and carrots are going to be more difficult now.

In the morning, everyone woke up close to our normal times and participated in our annual Mummers pancake tradition. It’s something my family started over 20 years ago, when we lived outside of Philadelphia, PA and would watch the annual Mummers Parade on TV. The parade goers dressed up in all sorts of fanciful ways, and so we made a tradition of decorating faces on pancakes with all sorts of fruits, sprinkles, whipped cream and other toppings. Even after leaving the Philadelphia area, we have continued to do the tradition, and Kellie has also bought into the tradition. Some years, we do Belgian waffles, but this year it was pancakes.

Here are a few snapshots from this morning’s festivities. Somehow, we did not get pictures of my parents’ creations, but we have samples from my family.

Just a quick note to wish everyone a happy start to the new year. Will was up to watch the ball drop in New York City with Kellie, my parents, and me. We have had a very busy holiday week, so hopefully I’ll have some more updates coming out sooner. In the meantime, have a fun and blessed new year. Keep in touch.