A Pound of Thoughts

Hello all! I just wanted to write a quick post on the happenings today. My dad has accompanied me to Dallas for WordCamp Dallas 2008 (we drove nine hours for it!), and we just got back from the Texas Tornado vs Topeka RoadRunners hockey game…The Tornado lost 5-3. But, it was still an exciting game! Here’s a few pictures just to tease you:

Our first seminar is in the morning, so I better go to bed and get a good night’s sleep. Until tomorrow night!

Found this over at Music City Bloggers, so I’ll play along:

You’re feeling:   relaxed
To your left: my mug o’ cocoa
On your mind:   hair, oh - uh, "Why couldn’t I see the shuttle?"
Last meal included:  leftover ham, dressing, 7-layer salad
You sometimes find it hard to:  Get out of bed in the morning
The weather:  Quite cool
Something you have a collection of: Baseball caps
A smell that cheers you up:   Freshly-ground coffee
A smell that can ruin your mood:   Flatulence
How long since you last shaved:   12 hours
The current state of your hair:  Short and mussed
The largest item on your desk right now (besides computer):  Lexmark all-in-one
Your skill with chopsticks:  almost non-existent
Which section you head to first in the bookstore:  Best-sellers
And after that?:  Non-fiction
Something you are craving:   coffee cake
Your general thoughts on the presidential race:  Frustrated and sickening
How many times have you been hospitalized this year: 0 (ditto)
A favorite place to go for quiet time: Computer room
You’ve always secretly thought you’d be a good:   President
Something that freaks you out a little:  CodePinkos
Something you’ve eaten too much of lately:   Ham!!!
You have never:  Sky-dived
You never want to:   sky-dive

I got a little worried last night when Mississippi State was playing Oregon.  I thought for sure we were going to get knocked out in the first round.  Oregon even lead most of the game, leading at halftime 38-28.  However, I was proven wrong (gladly)!

The ‘Dawgs pulled out a spectacular victory, and will now go on to face No. 1 Seed Memphis on Sunday.  Man, I can’t wait.  It’s going to be an outstanding game, although I feel Memphis will ultimately win.  But I think the ‘Dawgs will put up a good fight.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they pulled an upset and knocked Memphis out?

I think it would.  Here’s a little snapshot of the stats from last night’s game:

Go Dawgs!  I’m rooting for ya all the way!

Now, this is interesting.  I thought Richardson was in Hillary’s camp.  This will no doubt help Obama with the Hispanic vote.  Obama’s speech is going on right now.  Scroll down for updates.

12:09 pm - Barack says he "can’t be more honored" for Richardson’s endorsement.

12:14 pm - Barack is giving his typical stump speech.  "I believe in Dr. King’s ‘Fierce Urgency of Now’", Obama says.  "We cannot afford to wait."  He bashes the Iraq War and Bush’s "No Child Left Behind" program…Now, my wife is becoming a teacher and she hates the "No Child Left Behind" program.

12:20 pm - Now Fox News is breaking from the speech.  It was his typical "stump" speech anyway.

Appetizer

Given the choice, would you prefer to live in the country or in the city?

Definitely the country.  I’ve lived in both places, and I love the quietness of the country and the wide-openness of it.

Soup

Who is the cutest kid you know?

Ooh.  This one’s going to be difficult.  I have several nieces and nephews that are cute.  But I’ll pick two:  Noah and Alexander are the cutest kids I know.

Salad

Fill in the blank: I couldn’t believe it when I heard ___________.

…that Heath Ledger had died.  He was one of those people that I thought would not kill himself.

Main Course

If you could star in a commercial for one of your favorite products, which one would you want to advertise?

Umm, I guess I would have to star in a Starbuck’s or Boca Java commercial.

Dessert

What type(s) of vitamins and/or supplements do you take on a regular basis?

Well, I don’t take any on a regular basis anymore…But I did used to take Garlique and Men’s One-a-Day.

Say it isn’t so!  A democrat wanting to raise taxes?  As Gomer Pyle would say, “Surprise! Surprise!  Surprise!”  Not:

A Michigan congressman wants to put a 50-cent tax on every gallon of gasoline to try to cut back on Americans’ consumption.

Polls show that a majority of Americans support policies that would reduce greenhouse gases. But when it comes to paying for it, it’s a different story.

Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., wants to help cut consumption with a gas tax but some don’t agree with the idea, according to a new poll by the National Center for Public Policy Research. 

I’m not for making people pay more for gas.  We already have enough taxes on gas.  For example, the combined local, state and federal tax on fuel here in Mississippi is 37.2¢ per gallon.  Residents of New York pay 59.6¢, and California residents pay a whopping 63.9¢ per gallon.  The U.S. average is 47¢ per gallon.

To make Americans pay more for gas now would be ludicrous.  Americans are already having a tough time paying for their homes and bills.  I believe we need to take what money we have collected and use that to fund our conversion over to more conservative fuels, such as sugar-cane-derivative ethanol or biofuels.  Brazil has had tremendous success with SGD ethanol…Why can’t we do it?  To me, raising taxes on petroleum-based gasoline before having a widely-available alternative energy source is putting the cart before the horse.  Once we have that alternative energy source, then impose the higher tax to try to get people to switch over to it.  Don’t just raise the tax as a punishment for using the only energy source we currently have.

Some people just can’t think things out.

Per the Fourteenth Amendment, Section 1:

Section. 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Notice the phrase “…and subject to the jurisdiction thereof…”  That is a very important qualifier.  A baby born in the United States to an illegal immigrant is not subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.  Why not?  Because their parents have not sworn allegiance to the United States, and have not expatriated themselves from their home country (Mexico, for example).  A lot of people and politicians have forgotten this.

For the complete breakdown and correct interpretation, See this article.

As if the stadium wasn’t rocking enough with the Mississippi State vs Alabama game…

The storm smashed hundreds of skyscraper windows, blew furniture and luggage out of hotel rooms, crumbled part of an apartment building and rattled a packed sports arena.

Streets around the Georgia Dome, Phillips Arena, the CNN Center and Centennial Olympic Park were littered with broken glass, downed power lines, crumbled bricks, insulation and the occasional office chair. Billboards collapsed onto parked cars.

Eeek…Must have been a scary night for the MSU/Alabama fans…I wouldn’t have wanted to been in that arena during the tornado.

Twenty-seven people were injured due to the tornado, and several downtown buildings were damaged.  This is a first for Atlanta history; no tornado has ever hit the downtown area.

I’m also currently watching the Georgia/Kentucky game at Georgia Tech’s basketball court.  Man, whoever wins this game is going to be at a terrible disadvantage versus the MSU Bulldogs tonight.  It’s a good game, though - very close, and a very defensive game.

I just hope that my local station continues to cover the semifinals tonight.  Otherwise, I’ll be very disappointed.  I’m hoping to liveblog the semifinal game tonight (if I can watch it at home), so stay tuned.  I’ll update you if it isn’t shown on our local station.

DirecTV doesn’t carry local channels, so I can’t watch the SEC Tournament on my own TV.  I’ll be switching to Dish Network at the end of the month.  I’ll be able to get more channels for the same price, plus two DVR/Receivers.

Well, due to bad reception of the local Raycom Sports Channel affiliate, I didn’t get to watch the game.  However, I did watch ESPN.  Mississippi State moves on by winning over Alabama 69-67 in OT.  Go Dawgs!

Also, I was reading on MStateAthletics that a severe storm delayed the game between MSU and Alabama for an hour.  It also damaged the Georgia Dome enough to totally delay the Kentucky/Georgia quarterfinal.  So here’s the revised schedule, in case you were wondering:

Saturday, March 15
Game 8 – Georgia vs. Kentucky – 12 p.m. ET
Game 9 – Tennessee vs. Arkansas – 6 p.m. ET
Game 10 – Mississippi State vs. Winner of Game 8 – 8:30 p.m. ET

Sunday, March 16
Game 11 – Championship Game (Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10) – 3 p.m. ET

I just hope the semifinals are going to be televised.  Otherwise, I’ll be quite upset.