Another year passes by.

Seems like just yesterday...........

Those words seem to ring more true with every passing year.
8 years old playing baseball for the Mo-Hawks at the YMCA. My father and Mr. Speich coaching our team. We were so dominate that the league changed the rules half way through the season because no one could beat us. After the rule changes they still couldn't beat us. I loved being on that field and being coached by my father. 34 years have passed since those innocent times.

Living in Willowood in Houston Texas. A middle class neighborhood while attending Klein Forest High School. A school stuck right in an expensive neighborhood where we were considered the kids from the wrong side of the tracks. Never realize how polarized it can be in high school. Kids can be so cruel to each other.

I can remember so vividly those Friday night football games at Blossom Athletic Center in San Antonio, TX. Robert E Lee Vols taking the field. The crowds cheering, the sweat, the friends the smell of the turf. It has been 24 years since I last stepped on a football field.

The Convocation Center at UTSA. The fans screaming, Robert Wallace, Dion Pettis, Tim Faulkner, Tom Carter and others running the floor with Coach Eddy running the show. It's now been 22 years since I last stepped on a basketball court.

Jumping out of airplanes and earning my "Airborne" wings at Fort Benning, Georgia. Not sure there is a hotter place on earth in mid-June. My grandfather pinned my wings on me at that graduation ceremony. After surviving D-Day and the Korean War. He returned to a school he once ran to see his grandson graduate. Been 19 years since my last jump.

Move to Baton Rouge to start a new stage in my life. Unfamiliar town that has welcomed me with open arms. Found tremendous people here every step of the way. They continue to encourage and inspire me. Been here 17 years and I'm still here with no immediate plans to leave.

A friend, Doug Fournet asks me for some help coaching a small wrestling team. "Come on it'll be fun", he says. I figured I'd help him out foe the season and then move on. Well 8 years later and I'm still there. Bishop Sullivan High School has changed it's name to St. Michael. I'm privileged to coach some of the best young men in the country.

A small group of friends and family gathered last night to celebrate yet another year passing. I can't express how much it meant to me to be surrounded by those folks. Really doesn't bother me to be a year older when I have friends like these.

I sit pondering today. How strange it is for things to come full circle. This year for the first time I coached my son. It was the most enjoyable time I have ever had. I miss too many of his games and practices for work, to coach other kids, for my own selfish reasons. So to be there for every practice and every game was truly an amazing experience. I hope that he had the same wonderful experience I had those 34 years ago. A skinny little blond kid having the time of his life. A few pounds later and many hard miles on the body and I'm still having the time of my life. Thanks for reminding me how it's not just another year passing.

The Pisa Group aka The Pisashit Group

Ok. So I subscribe to "The Advocate". I know newspaper is antiquated and old school, but so am I. I like flipping through the pages of the paper while seated in my lazy boy. Just something relaxing about it. Well, I find out that I just don't have the time to sit around and peruse the paper everyday. So, after a month I cancel my subscription. All is well. I pick up the paper occasionally at the local stop and rob and read it at my leisure.

Enter the Pisa Group. I know. You have never heard of them and you are wondering what the hell they have to do with "The Advocate". Well they are "The Newspaper Telemarketing Company" as professed on their website. http://www.thepisagroup.com/contact.html You know. The bottom feeders trying to sell you stuff that you don't want over the phone. Only, here is the twist. They have my cell phone number. These sapsuckers are calling me 2-3 times a day from 314-963-8895. Despite being told to stop, the calls continue. "Put me on your do not call list" They still call. The owner John Pisa can be contacted at johnpisa@thepisagroup.com
Please by all means feel free to write a short e-mail to him and let him know how much you appreciate his business practices. I did.

Does "The Advocate" really think this is a good business model? All they have done is sell my personal information to a bunch of bottom feeding trash so they can annoy me. I'll never pick their paper up again. They will never see another cent of money from me for advertising and I'll never purchase anything from them. Tough times call for desperate measures. But, for them to sell or give my information to a telemarketing firm is the unforgivable sin. R.I.P. "Advocate" your time has come and the quickening is among us.

Big Mad Bull Daddy

Netbook good or bad?

Well after considerable contemplation I broke down and bought the ball and chain a netbook. She doesn't do alot of heavy number crunching or video editing so I thought that the portability of a netbook would be nice. Well, after a week of use I am pleasantly suprised by the nifty little netbook.

The Asus EeePC 1000HE is a sweet little piece of technology. Ok, ok, I know that it doesn't have a dvd player, or a disc drive of any kind for that matter. I know that I'm not going to be able to edit my latest film project and that 3D gaming for World of Warcraft may be out. But, that isn't what this thing was purchased for. Let's be honest. I can surf the internet, check e-mail, do some word processing and can even play some low tech games.

So let's get to it. The evaluation. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

The GOOD! :

Lightweight - Even though it is heavier than the 900 series I'll take the trade off for larger screen and greater battery life.

Battery life - Well I have had the little thing on for over 8 hours. Professes up to 9 hours. So far no reason to doubt it. I like the fact that I can be truly wireless. Including the power cord.

Wireless "N" networking - Extend the range and bandwith of my internet service. That is a good thing. Sit by the pool and surf the net. Quick too.

1.3 megapixel camera - Built in web cam. I know almost everyone has one but it is still a cool thing. My old laptop doesn't have one.

160GB hard drive - Really? Wow what a deal. Gotta love it. Have come a long way from the original 4GB to 12GB solid state drives. Great for music, pictures and the rest of your documents on the go.

The BAD!

Keyboard - OK. Not terrible, but for big hands it is a little small. For most women and small dudes probably adequate.

Exterior - Exterior. While the slick shiny surface is pretty to look at it sure does attract some fingerprints and dust. A matte finish would be better in my opinion. I just put a skin on it and woo who ready to roll with pictures of my son on the cover.

Ram - 1GB is weak. Microsoft is trying to make sure these devices don't take over the business market by limiting the amout of RAM that "netbooks" can have. Surely it doesn't affect price too much when for $27.99 you can upgrade to 2GB from Crucial here http://www.crucial.com/store/listparts.aspx?model=Eee%20PC%201000HE

The UGLY!

Touchpad - The touchpad isn't great. The input keys are a little stiff. Hard for me to roll around and click quickly. Solution for me was a wireless mouse. Much better and again love to be wire free.

No drives - I knew this going in and have no reall issue with it, but some people might. I bought an external drive for $37.99 here http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=GSA-E60L-PB-R&cat=DVD It even has lightscribe on it. Won't use it all that much but when I am at the house I can make copies of whatever I need to.

Ok so the grand total.

Asus 1000HE from Best Buy $349.99 plus tax
2GB RAM from Crucial $ 27.99
External DVD Drive $ 37.99
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Total $415.97

You can probably live without the external burner or may even have one. So for the price I think this one is a winner. I really like the little "netbook". It is funtional and capable for what it is intended for. If you are a big gamer or require computing power for some intense programs then this probably isn't your cup of tea. If you just surf the web, facebook, blog and e-mail then this will serve you well. Spend the $28 bucks and 10 minutes to upgrade the ram and you are in like Flynn.