An Act of God & Nature

Well it’s the 4th week of football season. My fantasy football team is 1 and 2. I’m doing a little better in the office pool. I’m only one point behind the leader and last week I was a near perfect 13 and 1. Not bad. The long boring baseball season is almost over which means that it’s time for me to actually start watching now. I could care less about baseball until playoff time. Looking forward to seeing whether or not my team, the Yankees (don’t accuse me of bandwagoning (sp?) either. I’ve been a Yankees fan since 1987 when I played my first and last season of little league baseball and started collecting baseball cards), can over come that unlucky loss to the Arizona Luckybacks in last year’s World Series. I know it’s not a foregone conclusion that they’ll make it to the WS again. They have to go through teams like the A’s and the Twins and the Angels but I’m pretty confident they’ll make it back. My Alma Mater, Carson Newman College, is 4 and 0 in football so far this season. The US Soccer team is ranked in the top 10 (Number in the World for the first time in like forever (some time back in the 30′s was the last time I think.) Anyway, in the world of this sports enthusiast things are fairly peachy. Except in the one thorn in my side that is my own soccer team playing in the newly crowned monsoon capital of the US, Memphis Tennessee.

Thanks to scheduling on the part of our league, GMSA and the wonderful (Notice no quotes around wonderful. That means I’m not being sarcastic.) soccer complex we play at, Mike Rose Soccer Complex, our team has had a lovely 2 and a half week layoff to recover from our 0-4 start. Tonight we are scheduled to make our glorious return to the pitch. Tonight is supposed to be the game that turns the season around. Tonight is supposed to be the beginning of our 5 game winning streak that sweeps us into the post season Tournament on a wave of glory and athletic excellence. There’s only one problem. It’s raining. It’s been raining since yesterday around noon. But this is no mere repeat of past events. It always rains the day before/of a minimum of 3 or 4 games each season. ALWAYS. This is special though because it’s being brought on by an act of GOD and Nature. No this is no mere rainstorm. This cancellation is caused by a freaking hurricane. This hurricane has been bouncing around in the Gulf for well over a week. It’s obviously a tourist. It’s made stops in the beautiful Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, and the ever-festive New Orleans. It must be an Elvis fan too cause now it’s heading towards Memphis. I give up. This storm could have headed any direction. It could have kept going south. It could have headed east. It could have gone up the Gulf Coast and hit Florida. It could have stalled and died in the Gulf. It could have done any number of different things. But NOOO. What does it do? It comes straight for Memphis. A stinking hurricane!!!

Is this coincidence? Of course not. It’s just the latest installment in the conspiracy between Mother Nature, God, and my league, GMSA, to keep washed up, wannabe soccer players like myself from playing the game they love. You’ve noticed I haven’t mentioned this much lately. Some would think that this is because it was summer time and we weren’t playing or that the new season was barely 3 weeks old. None of those could be further from the truth. I’ve been quiet about the “Soccer Rain Out Conspiracy” for fear of my life. I heard from a source that will remain anonymous that the leaders of the conspiracy have ties to…. (whispering) you know, powerful friends. ……. (Confused look on face) You don’t know what I’m talking about? Okay, okay I’ll spell it out. They’re in bed with the mob, the wiseguys, the mafia, la Cosa Nostra, the Family. There are you happy? SHEESH!! Now I’m gonna be ‘sleepin’ with the fishes’. Don’t be surprised if I get “bumped off” in the coming weeks because of the knowledge I’ve obtained. If that does happen, tell my Mom I love her. Tell my brother he can have my LEGOs and my baseball card collection. And tell my Dad he can have my brand new DVD player since it doesn’t look like he’s ever going to purchase one of his own. I don’t wanna get “bumped off”. I just wanna play soccer. I j-u-s-t w-a-n-t t-o p-l-a-y s-o-c-c-e-r!!!! Can somebody please turn off the spigot? Please?

I Can’t Get Off This Tangent

Note: Scroll Down and read the today’s first post if you haven’t already read it before reading this one

Here’s Aaron McGruder’s response to some of his critics on certain topics. Keep in mind that these were written in 1999. It’s funny how they’re still valid in response to the current criticisms of his comic strip.

First let’s look at Mr. McGruder response to the whole “The Boondocks comic is harmful to children” argument which Mr. O’Reilly is espousing.

Well Aaron, MTV did cancel Station Zero… because it sucked!! So you got your wish there. Urban contemporary radio, BET, UPN, and DMX’s career are still alive and well though. In defense of DMX, I kind of like him. Everybody needs bald headed dude barking at them like a dog every once in a while. DMX serves that purpose for the American public. Just kidding X. Some of your songs and lyrics are very deep and have great meaning. It’s just the other 90% of the stuff you release that I don’t like.

Lastly, an address to those people who predict and are wishing for his demise (in 1999 mind you) as a comic artist. I guess Aaron is getting the last laugh since it’s 2002 and the comic is doing better than ever (much wider circulation than when these comments were initially made). Let’s read shall we….

My point exactly, Aaron. It’s a comic strip. A measly comic strip that people don’t have to read if they don’t want to. People who read, look at, listen to, patronize or other wise interact with things for the simple purpose of criticizing or ranting and raving about them have always amused me. I think folks like that should be able to find more useful things to do with their time.

Don’t ask me why I’m on this Boondocks kick. I just started doing a search into a topic that I like. I do that a lot. Low and behold I turn up all this information about the controversy this comic that I find funny, insightful, and relatively (actually completely harmless) has stirred up.

The quotes in this post were excerpted from the archives of Boondocks.net

I’m Not From The Boondocks But I’m Sure Am Into It

If you haven’t discovered this diamond in the rough, you should check it out. One of my favorite comic strips following a close second behind MegaTokyo is The Boondocks. I’ve been reading it off and on for almost a year. It’s great. If you like witty, funny, intelligent humor with occasional scathing satire check this puppy out. Even if you don’t check it anyway. It’s been around in various incarnations since 1997 when the author Aaron McGruder started writing/drawing it and publishing it in the student newspaper at the University of Maryland. It’s just exploded from there. Boondocks currently runs daily on the comic pages of over 250 major newspapers nation-wide. He’s also in several magazines like The Source and others. I won’t try to explain the mythology and back-story of the strip. Much like MegaTokyo it’s too involved and far-reaching to try to delve into. Check out the link, read today’s strip and then dive into the archive.

Also here’s a good article about Aaron McGruder. Apparently the strip has stirred up a lot of controversy over the years. Most recently Bill O’Reily of the Fox New Channel’s O’Reilly Factor has attacked the strip as being dangerous to children. This over a comic strip? A hilarious comic strip that dares to explore issues of race, politics, and the media in this country. Give me a break. I respect O’Reilly. I’d say the times I agree as opposed to disagree with him are about 50/50. Lately I’ve been on the disagree side not only on this Boondocks issue but also the whole anti- Ludacris as a Pepsi spokesperson thing. O’Reilly says that Ludacris is not a positive role model for children. And Brittany Spears is? Austin Powers, a sex crazed chauvinist with bad teeth is? Come on man. You’ve got to be kidding. I agree that Ludacris may not be the best role model. I could argue that though since I know a little bit about his background and what he’s been through to achieve that status he’s attained. But I’ll stick to the premise that he’s a bad role model. I’ll give you that. Why not continue the fight Mr. O’Reilly and request that Pepsi stop using Brittany to peddle their products? Come on man. Press the attack. You’ve achieved one victory. Continue the fight and win the war.

Anyway, I’m getting off topic as I’m want to do quite often. I think Boondocks is great and most of the views expressed in it are right on in my opinion. I guess McGruder’s sense of humor and view of things in this country are pretty similar to mine. Keep it tight Aaron. You’ve got a good thing going and for what it’s worth, I’m behind you.

I can’t believe that I’ve been reading this strip for a year and have been completely oblivious to the uproar it’s caused since its inception. Some people are calling the strip and the author “anti-American” and such. Since when is being different and saying something that’s outside the majority/anti-establishment anti-American? Once upon a time, this country’s revered “Founding Fathers” said things that went against the norm and the majority. The majority being the “Mighty British Empire” (God Save the Queen). Their statements lead to the revolution that birthed America. It’s funny how things come full circle. All over a comic strip. It’s just a comic strip. All you haters out there need to relax, take a Prozac and find a hobby.

One Less Companion On The Journey Of Life

Life is a journey. That’s a long used cliché or saying but it really is. We travel from a fixed point in time, our birth, to another fixed point in time, our death. Life is what happens in between these two points. In life we have companions. Some have more than others but everybody has companions traveling with them on their journey. This past week I lost one of my companions, my Godfather, Rueben Hatcher. He and his wife, Sister Hatcher, were there in my life from the beginning. In many ways they raised me the first 4 years of my life. They were my 3rd set of grandparents.

My parents both worked. That combined with other obligations like church and other things meant that they were on the go a lot. So I spent a lot of time at the Hatcher’s house. Some of my first memories are of being at their house. Brother Hatcher bought me my first bike. It was red with white wheels, handle grips, and seat. It had training wheels but I still found a way to tip it over. Brother Hatcher instilled my love of Peanut Butter and Jelly; a love that lasts to this day. He gave me my first (and one of my last) sips of coffee. I think he had coffee running through his veins instead of blood. He was always drinking coffee. I remember his hearty laugh and how he always said, “Yes, indeed. Yes, indeed.” during almost every conversation he ever had.

Saturday mornings were wrestling mornings in the Hatcher house. He and I would sit there on the couch and watch wrestling. We always got a chuckle out of the midget wrestlers. During the summer he would let me help him water the grass in the back yard. It was funny because no amount of watering ever made the grass green again after it went brown out in the summer heat. But we’d go out every afternoon and water the brown grass. My first memories of church include sitting with Brother and Sister Hatcher on a pew watching my Mom singing in the choir. Near the end of some Sunday services I’d get to go up front and sit on the piano bench with their daughter Teresa while she played the closing hymns. I think that was the precursor of my love of music and my desire to play the piano and the trumpet later on in life.

All of these memories were made because of or in the presence of Brother Hatcher. He’s no longer here on this earth. That’s hard to process. It doesn’t compute. He’s always been here. Even when we moved away to another city. Even when we moved half way across the world. He’s always been with me. The experiences I had with him are an integral part of the fiber of my being. But now he’s not here. I’ve lost a trusted life companion. He was a devout Christian man so I have no question where he is right now. I know he’ll be watching over me. Cheering me from the sidelines as my Dad says. But it’s not the same. He’s not here. I can’t call the Hatcher House and talk to him. I can’t jump in my car, drive 12 hours, and see him. Because he’s not here any more. I miss him.

I Feel You Ricky

Here’s a quote from a recent article in ESPN The Magazine. It was written by Ricky Williams, the star running back for the Miami Dolphins and former Heisman Trophy winner.

All I have to say is I feel you Ricky. I’ve been dealing with that since high school. Actually not so much in high school. Growing up on a military base with fellow military kids, you don’t really have to deal with that crap. Everybody is pretty cool with everybody. Racial harmony isn’t a request in the military. It’s a requirement. So I had friends of all races who didn’t care how I looked or how I talked. All that changed when I moved back to the States. Then it slapped me in the face. I’m rather bitter about this subject so I won’t write any more about it. I don’t want to get all worked up. I’ll just say I Feel You Ricky and leave it at that. Late.

Oh The Pain!

Labor Day weekend was awesome. Got to hook up with Jason and his wife Becky. We had a blast. They are so great together. Oh to be married…. The rest of the trip was cool. Went tubing (where i proceeded to get water into my supposed waterproof watch), hiking, sleeping, and played many epic rounds of Mafia. (If you’ve never played Mafia, drop me a line and I’ll fill you in on the rules. It’s a great game to play in a group setting. You might know it by a different name. You know how it is.) We had a blast.

Then Tuesday came. It felt like my own personal stock market crash. Due to a financial mishap on my part and other unnamed parties, I had no money. (Still don’t but I’m over it now.) The details are too painful to recount but let’s just say I got paid on Friday and got home Monday to discover that I had almost no money left in my bank account.

In the Ouch why did I do that category, I worked out last night for the first time since just after I got back from Mexico. Oh The Pain!!! The pain didn’t even wait the usual day after the day after to hit. I went to sleep feeling fine. Woke up around 5 and was starting to tighten up. Got up for work at 6:56 (as usual) and was very, very sore. The soreness has only gotten worse as the day drags on. I described it to my coworker as having T-Rex syndrome. I have to walk around with my arms tucked close to my body and can’t unbend them. She got a good chuckle out of that. The only cure for this soreness is to work out again tonight. That way the current soreness will go away only to return tomorrow and really kick in on Sunday. Can’t wait. Good thing you don’t use your hands/arms much in soccer. Or else I’d be useless in my game on Sunday.

Looking forward to another relaxing weekend watching football, playing some non-competitive softball at church, and playing some soccer. Should be fun. Not as fun as this past weekend but fun nonetheless. I should probably squeeze washing the car and cleaning up my room/the house in there too but probably won’t. Late.