LeBron

Friday night I saw something amazing...

Friday night I became a "Witness"...

The Cleveland Cavs were playing the Orlando Magic. For most of the game the Cavs were up. Orlando fought back and with less than two minutes in the fourth quarter they had tied it up. Cavs lost the first game and if they lose this game they will be down 2-0 and play the next three games in Orlando. Not good.
The game is still tied and Orlando had the ball with 13.7 seconds left on the clock. Orlando makes a jump shot with 1 second left on the clock. The score is now 95-93 Orlando.

One second left...

It's Cavs ball. Mo Williams will inbound it to LeBron. He game plan was to go to the rim for two and send the game into overtime. The lane was blocked. LeBron takes a step back behind the three point line.

The Buzzer!!!

At the sound of the buzzer the ball was in the air. LeBron had launched the ball and it was good. Nothing but net!

Cavs win 96-95

I'm not really a basketball fan. I don't do the March Madness and I rarely watch it on television. I will watch a live game but that's about it. So why am I writing this? Simple. LeBron James transcends the game of basketball. What he is able to do out on that court is more than just play basketball. I grew up with Michael Jordan. I've watched him play on tv and live. He was good but I was never impressed. LeBron impresses me.

I'm from Cleveland. It's usually our lot in life to see other teams and other players make last minute game winning shots on us. We haven't had a championship since 1964. LeBron may be able to break that streak. I believe he can.

Friday night I became a WITNESS.

5-24-09

Movie Updates...

I'm a bit behind on my movies. I saw one last week and two this past week.



This was the movie I saw last week. I went to a matine showing. I didn't think that this movie would be worth paying full price. So, yeah. It was a matine.

It was a pretty good thriller though. The plot is that the Pope has just died and four bishops who are candidates for Pope have been kidnapped along with some anti-matter being stolen. The vatican is faxed a symbol of the Illuminati and told that the four bishops will die every hour and the anti-matter bomb will destroy the vatican at midnight! dun dun dun!!!!

So the pope police get Robert Langdon(Tom Hanks) to help them solve the riddle of the Illuminati and find the bishops and anti-matter bomb. Some chases, shootings and interesting plot twists later the Illuminati is revealed and the bomb is found. yay!

Not so fast!!!!

We find out that the Pope's second hand guy(Ewan McGregor) is actually a christian fundamentalist who doestn't like science poking around in God's affairs and so he blames the defunct Illuminati for the kidnappings and plots his way into becoming the next Pope so he can keep science from taking God's rightful place as creator of the universe!!!! dun dun dun!!!

So the movie goes from thriller to Scooby Doo episode. And Ewan McGregor would have gotten away with it if it wasn't for that pesky Tom Hanks.



I went and saw this movie Wednesday night. I should have waited. Not because it was a bad movie but because I don't sleep much as it is.

I loved it! McG's cinematography was amazing. It didn't have much of a plot so stunning visuals that keep your mind off that go a long way in a movie.

+++++EXTREME SPOILER ALERT+++++

ARNOLD!!!! THE MOVIE HAD ARNOLD!!!!

Well, not the real Arnold anyway. They CGI'd Arnold to fight John Connor at the end of the movie. I'm tellin you. They did a great job. It looks just like "Pumping Iron" Arnold. Not older buzz cut Arnold.

I don't feel the need to explain the plot or give any other reason other than the fact that Arnold was in this movie. That should be enough reason to see it.




I saw this Friday afternoon. I was sorely dissapointed. I really liked the first one.

In the second movie we find out that Larry Daley(Ben Stiller) is a successful inventor. He's left the job as night watchman but occasionally visits the museum. He visits one night to find out that many of his history buddies are being shelved and sent to the Smithsonian archives. They are being replaced with holographic projectors that tell the history instead of reading it. Daley is uspet by this. He's even more upset when he finds out that the tablet that animates them at night isn't going with them.
Larry leaves and him and his son try to find a way to keep them at the museum. Cowboy Jedediah Smith(Owen Wilson) calls Larry and tells him that the monkey stole the tablet and they're at the Smithsonian. Things aren't going well. Larry leaves to go to the Smithsonian and help them.
When Larry get's there he finds out that the tablet really belongs to the older brother of pharoh Ahkmenrah named Kahmunrah(Hank Azaria). He wants the tablet so he can bring back his army from the netherworld and reign forever on the earth.

Sounds like an interesting plot so far eh?

Well then the movies starts to stink up the place. I blame it on the writers. This movie is full of funny people and loveable characters from the first movie. Sadly the script sucks the life out of these people and characters. Christopher Guest, Bill Hader, and Steve Coogan could have added so much to this movie.A blown opportunity with Oscar the Grouch and Darth Vader. C'mon! Darth Vader and Oscar the Grouch. That could have been amazing!!!!

The only redeeming value of this movie is Abraham Lincoln, the multiple Einsteins, T-Rex and Amy Adams as Amelia Earhart. Amy Adams stole this movie. She was great in every scene. A true talent.

This movie is PG. I guess I shouldn't knock a PG movie that much but I so loved the first one. I just wish I wasn't so annoyed by some of the new characters. It really was a downer.

5-23-09

Picnic!!!

I went to a family picnic today. It was really relaxing. I hung out with Charley(my dog) and we watched the kids play kick ball. I got to chat with family and I say again...relax!

Did I mention that I got to relax?

Yeah. Definitely needed this :-)

My Uncle John has Slatt legs. I know them anywhere. It kinda threw me off for a minute though. He was wearing shorts and I swear that from the waist down it was my dad. I wonder if my Uncle Jim has the same legs? Let's hope my Aunt Pauline doesn't LOL!!!

5-22-09

What a rough week...

I've felt awful all week. It started with not sleeping when I should have. I had been having some pain in my neck so I went to a chiropractor Tuesday. He popped my neck and back into place and I swear it sounded like he was breaking my back. So I've been sore from that. My allergies are acting up which irritate my bad eye and I still haven't gotten much sleep. Plus I've gone to see midnight showings of movies instead of going to bed. So a majority of it is my fault. Yeah!

This week is over and I'm going to make a better effort to not put myself is such horrible positions health and sleepwise. My gym time suffers and so doesn't my schoolwork.

How old am I again?

5-17-09

Don't Waste Your Life...

There was a change of plans this weekend.

The change began Thursday. Some dear friends were in town. Nikki Jo graduated from WVU and she and her family decided to celebrate by taking a mini vacation to good ole Pittsburgh. I met them for dinner Thursday evening and again Friday evening. Friday was Natalie's birthday. I got to spend some quality time with them and I enjoyed seeing people that I consider family.

Then came Saturday.

I was going to get up and drive an hour and twenty minutes to Fairmont and begin what was going to be a day of memorial. Of course I was going to visit my parents grave and lay flowers. Then I was going to visit a few friends. But I woke up Saturday morning and I suddenly decided not to do any of that.

I had a wonderful time with the Rotundas Thursday and Friday night. We laughed and celebrated milestones in their daughter's lives. So when I woke up Saturday morning I just thought to myself that 2007 and 2008 I did something to commemorate the loss of my parents. It involved focusing on losing them. This year I wanted to do something that memorialized the fact that they lived!

Everyone I meet who knew my parents have a story they can tell. Usually it's told with a smile on their face. I was present that horrible day but to be honest, the memories and images that first come to my mind are of my parents smiling and enjoying life. Sometimes that makes things harder because I miss their candor. But I wasn't going to spend Saturday celebrating and anniversary that if my parents were here, they wouldn't want.

So I didn't...

I went to the movies. I spoke with my brother. He was at a track meet with one of the kids he trains. We had a good conversation. I think even he was glad to hear that I wasn't moping around.

I'm reminded of a book I read my Pastor John Piper called "Don't Waste Your Life". The main message of the book is that most people think that at retirement you just relax and take walks along the beach and enjoy the twilight years doing nothing. Piper says that that is the best time to be active. Life isn't about quantity but quality. My parents lives may have been cut short, but even in their retirement years they were active and truly living.

I woke up this morning and went to church. We had communion. I brought a lot of things to the altar this morning. I left cleansed and with no regrets.

I keep thinking of a way of ending this post but I think I'll leave it open ended.

5-14-09 addendum

A week of accomplishment. A weekend of remembrance...

I am so sore. I had a good workout week. We went heavy and it felt good to push the envelope. I mixed up some sprinting also. Let's just say I haven't had any trouble sleeping this week.

This weekend will be heavy but in a different way. Friday should be fun though. A friend of mine graduated from WVU and she's having her celebration here in Pittsburgh. So I'm going to head over to that and spend time with some good friends.

Saturday it will be three years since I lost my parents. I plan on heading to Fairmont and I have some private memorial things to do. I'm going to visit some friends who were close to my parents and just spend some time with them. I may stay Sunday. I don't know.

I'm sure I will post how things went. Please keep me and my family in your prayers.

5-14-09

I'm Tweeting!!!

I'm delving into the realm of social networks and real time activity. I just signed up for my very own Twitter account. I must say that I have mixed emotions about Twitter so far.

It all started yesterday in class. I'm in a computer class so some friends and I had some time to check out Twitter. We decided to get accounts. The sign-up was easy. Setting up our phone to receive messages was a little bit confusing. The most difficult and frustrating part of the Twitter was that none of us in class could find each other in the search. We had to use the advance search to find anyone. If you want to follow Obama or Perez Hilton, that's pretty easy. But you'll be darned if you want to find your friends.

Since yesterday I have a few people following me. I think only one is my friend. I think the others are advertisements. I plan on blocking them soon. Last thing I want is my text box blown up with spam.

So, if you want to get real time updates about what I'm doing and stuff, get a Twitter account. We can Tweet each other.

As for my phone? I think I may invest in another brand. I have the Motorola Q and it's a good phone, but it's not as application friendly as I would like it to be. I would like to start using GPS and some other apps. I may look at the new iphone or something similar. In my field of study it's good to be on top of technology and what's being used.

I'll post as to what I plan on doing.

It's early. My day hasn't even started yet. Gotta get ready for class.

5-12-09

Created in God’s Image

This week there have been two items that have troubled me deeply. The first one is golf commentator David Feherty joking about shooting House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi. The second item is the comments made by Wanda Sykes at a dinner where she wished Rush Limbaugh’s kidneys would fail. I’ve watched all the cable news pundits argue and debate the issue. I’ve heard both sides of the political spectrum weigh in. In their pursuit to chastise and discipline the perpetrator of these comments, I feel a larger issue is being missed.

I belong to an exclusive and unfortunate fraternity. Some of the members of this fraternity have bar codes tattooed to their bodies. Some are missing limbs. Some are mothers and fathers who sent their kids to college or high school and they never came home. Some are husbands and wives who kissed their spouses and wished them a good day at work only to watch in horror as the buildings they worked in crumble into a fiery pit of ash. Some members just went to the store to buy something and a loved one was taken from them in an instant. We are the fraternity of survivors. We’ve survived everything from 9/11 and Auschwitz, Genocide in Africa, Columbine and Virginia Tech, to just being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

What binds us all of from the smallest violent act to the largest act of genocide is that the killers all had one thing in common. At some point in time they quit looking at us as human beings. They quit looking at us as beings created in God’s image. We were no longer special or precious. We and our loved ones became objects of resentment and disdain. In some cases my fraternal brethren were viewed as less than animals.

I belong to this fraternity because three years ago this Saturday someone murdered my parents. This person was once friends with my parents and through a series of unfortunate events he went from viewing us as neighbors to, in his words “Shooting us like deer.” At some point he quit looking at us as people. In early 20th century Europe an entire generation of Germans were taught that Jews were less than cattle. It made things easier as a worker at the concentration camp when you viewed the people you were killing as animals and not real people. In each of the acts of violence I reference, the killers were able to do what they did (and in some cases are still doing) because their victims aren’t people.

So how does this tie into the comments I am troubled by? Simple. It starts somewhere. At some point someone begins to view a person or a demographic of people as less than human. When you go down that road you start to justify things. And sooner or later, you are willing to do anything to the object of your disdain.

I hear politicians demonize the rich just because they are rich. I hear the rich demonize the poor just because they are poor. I hear the gay marriage protester say they want to protect traditional marriage one minute and then talk about how debauched and disease infested gays are the next. I see ethnic groups and people of economic status being carved up into interest groups and pitted against each other for the spoils of this country. It is happening. It’s only going to get worse.

My prayer is that no one will have to go through the pain and suffering that I have gone through. My prayer is that we remember that there is no political, religious or social belief that is worth taking another person’s life over.

God created us all in His image. We are all special. We are all precious.

5-10-09

Happy Mother's Day!!!



This is a picture of my mom and me when I was 3 months old. It's strange to think that I was once that little. The painting in the background is still around. It graces the living room wall of my apartment. My mom used to say that you can call it home when that painting is hanging up.

I really don't know what to write today. All I can say is that today was rougher than other Mother's Days. I just kept it low key. I slept in and didn't do much during the day.

There is one thing I did though. It's something I continue to do and I do it because of my mom. It's sometimes an arduous task which drives me crazy. That task of course is taking care of Charley.

Charley is my mom's dog. He's a black cocker spaniel. He's about ten years old now. My mom used to have a black cocker named Fortune in the late 90's and he died of canine leukemia. So my mom got another cocker and that's Charley. He's an extremely spoiled dog. I believe my mom spoiled him to compensate for not having any grandkids. My brother was extremely jealous of the dog and has been quoted as saying "What do I have to do to get your attention Mom? Pee on the floor?" Charley has separation anxiety and howls if you leave him alone. So I have to take him everywhere I go. When he gets upset he will pee on your things. He likes to chew paper and eat your food if you're not looking.
I got stuck with Charley. I really didn't want him at first. I tried to find him a home, or maybe a cocker shelter. No success. Because of his separation anxiety I have to make special accomodations for him when I travel and on decision conserning where I live. I've come to the conclusion that if I can take care of Charley, I can handle kids. What's the difference?
Well, Charley and I have grown on each other. I've learned that if I spoil him like my mom did he behaves a lot better. I give him a doggie treat when he goes poop outside and I take him for rides. When he's extra good I get him fries from McDonalds. That's a special treat. It's taken him over two years but he finally has started laying in my lap. The only other person he used to do that with was my mom.

I know I've written a lot about Charley and it's Mother's Day. But Charley is my mom's dog and on days like today I am reminded that taking care of Charley isn't a burden but a blessing. Charley is my buddy. I enjoy his company and am appreciative that he trusts me. Charley is one of the rare connections to my mom that I have left. Before my mom and dad went to leave that horrible day, my mom left Charley with me. I continue to watch over him.

So this Mother's Day I sat on the couch with Charley in my lap. We watched TV and as Charley slept I would look down at him and smile.

Happy Mother's Day Mom!

Charley is in good hands :-)

5-09-09

VS



This evening I was fortunate enough to enjoy watching a women's tackle football game. And when I say I enjoyed it I mean it. I've lived in cities where there are semi-pro, arena and other types of football leagues (mostly for men) and going to a game is like taking a trip to the dentist. The teams tend to be awful and playbooks are thrown out the window two minutes into the first quarter. I played two years for a semi-pro team in South Carolina and sadly that was the experience for me. That and a lot of car washes at Burger King.

OK. I digressed. The team I went to see is called the Pittsburgh Force. They are a new women's football team to the area. For a first year team taking the field in their third game, they played like seasoned veterans who have been doing this for years. There were areas of improvement but what team doesn't have that issue.

The team they played is called the Cincinnati Sizzle. I didn't know this at the time but they are coached (if that's what you want to call what he does) buy one year wonder, former Cincinnati Bengal Ickey Woods. Ickey was a rookie sensation in the late 80's who wound up blowing his knee out which led to a very short NFL career. About 100 pounds and hundreds of Omaha Steak sales later, he now screams and yells at young women on sidelines. I would also like to mention that he looks like Sir Mix A Lot!

The first quarter of the game seemed competitive. The Force had trouble containing a speedy running back for the Sizzle. She tore up the right side of that defense. The Sizzle tried to switch it up and pass but every time they threw it was picked off. The Force have an amazing running game. It seemed like every other play their running back was breaking a long one and getting into the end zone. After the second quarter the game wasn't that competitive. The Force could have put the game away in the third quarter but they found themselves in some third and longs and didn't drive the nails in the coffin until the fourth. The Sizzle's only spark in the second half came on a punt return for a TD.

My football playing days are over, but I enjoy watching football in any form. Football is a great game and I'm encourage to see anyone no matter age or gender playing it.

Some Final Points

One last Ickey Woods jab. He wore this bright orange shirt that made him look like a giant piece of Halloween candy. He had a problem with staying behind the white line. That means he was on the field for most of the game and the referee never called it or gave him a warning. I also noticed two blatant off-sides on the Sizzle that were never called but the Force's penalties were enforced. Makes you think????

The Penguins were playing the Capitals at the same time and I'd say about a third of the crowd had ear pieces in their ears listening to the hockey game while watching the football game. Someone would give a score update before the game announcers and the crowd would cheer at inappropriate times.

Some poor guy had to wear a Darth Vader costume the entire game. That's two an a half hours of sweating and breathing into a plastic helmet.

There were representatives from the local women's shelter at the game looking for donations. The Force's slogan on their site is "A force for women: on the field and in the community". I'm encouraged by this and think it's a great opportunity to raise awareness concerning women's issues that matter.

For more information on the Force: http://www.pittsburghforce.net

For more information on the Sizzle (and what Ickey's been doing lately):http://www.cincinnatisizzle.com

5-7-09

Star Trekkin across the universe....



I saw the new Star Trek movie on IMAX tonight. What was cool was it was a 10pm showing. Most of the time they only show movies at midnight so they are part of Friday's ticket sales. I have class at 10 in the morning so the earlier showtime definitely worked for me. There is a really cool movie theater on the other side of Pittsburgh near Kennywood. They have an IMAX which totally rocks. There was no way I was going to see this movie in a regular screen.

So, here is my review of the new Star Trek movie. I will warn you now. If you haven't seen the movie and plan on going, don't read any further....

The Good!
This movie was fun from start to finish. The dialogue and delivery was great! The casting was excellent. I was a bit apprehensive to see "Sylar" as Spock but I was pleasantly suprised that I wasn't reminded of the psychopathic brain snatcher from "Heroes". The movie is visually stunning, especially on IMAX. I can't mention how much fun this movie was. I can't remember a movie where I had this much fun watching it.

The Bad!
Director JJ Abrams is not a Star Trek fan and favors Star Wars. So this movie reaks of Star Wars. The villans ship destroys planets like the DEATH STAR! Captain Kirk gets jettisoned onto a planet that looks like the ice planet HOTH. Scotty hangs out something that looks like a JAWA! Sulu saves Kirks life in a sword battle remniscent of LIGHTSABER battles. Sounds for ships were pulled directly from the Star Wars audio vault.
The plot of the movie is awful and disregards hundreds of years of Star Trek canon. I found the story rediculous.

Final Thoughts
Even though JJ Abrams made a Star Wars knock off by bastardizing a beloved frachise, I would totally see this movie again. Why would I see it if I have such a problem with a major part of the movie? Simple. Because it WORKED!!! One of the things I always hated about the Trek series is how sterile space was. The starfleet ships were like floating hospitals and space was this disinfected test tube of planets and stars. Abram's universe was dark, gritty, and truly the Final Frontier. This is the universe that Kirk must tame.
I look foreward to more Trek movies. I'll accept Abram's Trek for what it is. Just keep making more movies like the one you just made. Just don't bring Boba Fett or Darth Vader into the mix and we'll all get along just fine.

5-3-09

Interesting Day...

I made a trip to Fairmont today. I needed to go to my storage shed and get a few things. I needed to get my starting blocks because I'm sprinting again and I want to work on race form while doing short sprints. The other item I wanted to get were my dad's golf clubs. Since I returned from Hilton Head I have thought about golfing. It's a game I'm not familiar with but I feel it necessary to know. Considering I'm politically involved and I want to own my own business one day I think it's a good idea to learn the game.

The last time I was even remotely close to golfing was with my dad when we lived in South Carolina. We would go to the local golf course in Chesnee, get a bucket of balls and hit the driving range. We only went a couple of times though but it was fun! Last time I was in South Carolina I saw that the golf course was gone and an outlet mall was in it's place. How's that for progress?

Before I left Fairmont I stopped by the cemetery and visited mom and dad's grave. It's strange because when I go there I don't feel anything. I know the reason I don't feel anything is because they are not there. Their remains are at rest there but I know that they are somewhere else. It's a peace and a calm that I have. But I go anyway. Even though I know there are not there, it's still a connection.

My drive home was a reflective one. It's been over a year since we sold the farm. It's been almost a year since I lived in Fairmont. My life has a resemblance of normalcy. I live in an area where no one knows what happened to me and my parents. I think that is good. No one here looks at me as a victim. No one here wonders when I'm going break down or if I'm alright. That sense of anonymity allows me to be me. I'm not the poor guy who got shot and lost his parents. Here in Pittsburgh...I'm Bob.

There is another side of the coin though. I enjoy the city and my lifestyle. It's what I grew up in and am quite familiar with. But at night when I'm winding down or when I'm alone, my mind wanders. I miss my ducks. I miss my cats. I miss building things and walking through the woods. I miss the sound of the wind through the trees right before a storm. I miss the silence and the calm of the hills on a cold winter day. I miss the sound of the frogs and the crickets in the evening and the light show the lightning bugs put on at night. The city brings its own excitement, but I miss my life on the farm.

I'm at a point in my life where I am ready to be successful. I'm ready to learn my trade and work hard at it. I'm a smart guy and I have a lot of talents. I enjoyed living on the farm but I would not have achieved my true potential there. My parents always wanted me to succeed and be happy. Not only for myself but for them, I will move foreward.

If my mom were here she would give me a big smile, wrap her arms around me and say she was proud of me.

I miss that the most...

5-1-09

It's the Beginning of the Summer Movie Season!!!

Yup! It's the beginning of the summer movie season. This summer isn't going to be as good as last summer though. I don't know if it is due to last year's writing strike of what, but there aren't as many blockbuster films coming out. I'm thinking that considering the big name franchises that have movies coming out this summer, many film companies decided not to try to compete. Another reason that comes to mind is that last year, The Dark Knight was released at the end of summer and with no competition it made 400 billion. There were other reasons to see it (ie Heath Ledger) but with no options at the end of July, that was the movie to see. My point being that maybe the film companies are trying to milk more money out of blockbusters instead of trying to compete each week? Who knows.



Well, the first blockbuster movie came out. X-Men Origins: Wolverine. I went to a midnight showing with some friends Thursday night. We had some fun with the audience while we were there. The theater was packed and I kept coughing. Then I would tell my friend Josh "Ever since I came back from Cancoon last week, I can't seem to shake this cough." This freaked people out and two people moved to another side of the theater. hahahahah

Anyway, Wolverine wasn't a bad movie but it wasn't a good movie either. First, Wolverine's origin story isn't anything exciting. It's been referenced to in different issues of X-men and his own title here and there for over 30 years. Whoever wrote the script did a good job of picking what worked and putting it all together. What makes Wolverine (Logan) work is his mysterious background. Telling an origin story, to me, takes away the mystery of Logan. Second, people love Wolverine because he's a claw popping beast of rage. There's a coolness about him that transcends the yellow tights he wears in the comics and the wife beater and jeans he wears in the movie. This movie didn't have enough action or great fight scenes to bring out that side of Wolverine. I blame the director. Apparently the man who directed this movie isn't a comic book guy and was unable to do justice a character that in 30 years has bumped out of first place Batman and Superman.

I don't believe I'll see this movie again unless It's on cable. Sorry, it didn't do anything for me as a Wolverine fan or a fan of the comic book movie jonra.

At least it wasn't as awful as The Watchmen!!!