The World According to Steve

This dilemma was first brought to my attention by a reputable source – specifically the lady who cuts my hair. If I trust her to put a sharp, pointy object millimeters from my scalp – I trust her not to lie to me about the news of the week. After looking into her statements, I found that there is a debate on whether the President plans on calling the tree at the White House this year a Christmas Tree or a “Holiday Tree”. I have also heard reports that this entire story is fabricated and others that claim it is absolutely true. Either way this is what I know…………..what the crap is a Holiday Tree?

Below is letter I am sending to Congressman Baron Hill tomorrow after I heard about his interchange with an Indiana University student at a town hall in Bloomington. The brief exchange was captured on video from an audience member and is listed below. In addition, I have posted a link to The Courier Journal article referenced in the text. Also I apologize for the formatting. I could not find a way to space things out appropriately.

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20090927/NEWS02/909270342/1025/NEWS02/Hill+forum+incident+lands+on+YouTube+despite+no-taping+policy

WARNING!! The following entry will be excruciatingly dry for anyone who does not have an interest in 1) current events or 2) politics. Sorry, but sometimes I need to get things off my chest and this is one of those times.

Each day I travel to work on a stretch of road that brings me past a rock quarry where a nonstop parade of large trucks rumble throughout my midst. On occasion one of these behemoths lands in front of me with a similar destination or route in mind. This morning was just that scenario. I happened to notice a sign on the back of this particular truck that read something like this…CAUTION. Stay away 200ft. Not responsible for flying objects. It was easy to read as I had to be driving no more than 25 mph – the truck’s choice, not mine. This message is by no means an unfamiliar one to see on a truck carrying some sort of rock substance. However, the message struck me a little funny on this day. “Not responsible for flying objects” – really? Well…who is? As I drove a little further (this time reaching speeds of nearly 35 mph as bicyclists motored by on the shoulder waving enthusiastically to signify the beginning of a new day), I couldn’t help but notice the showering of black pebbles onto my wind shield and the grinding sound coming from the undercarriage as the same pebbles raked across all that is important beneath the car. No major damage, but it wouldn’t matter if there was right? Because it is either my fault the truck was spewing its contents OR no one’s fault. Maybe I’ll try posting a similar sign, then opening the trunk of my car and shoving out a mess of hair band cassettes that I have accumulated since the mid 80’s. That would be much easier than dropping them off at the Goodwill.

10. George Halas – is not a real “commercial” pick…I fully understand. If you not familiar with his greatness let me first tell you that I am disappointed. Next I will tell you he IS the Chicago Bears which is where he earned the name "Papa Bear". He was also seen as the the pioneer and inspiration for the NFL. Isn't that enough?

9. “Mickey Walsh” – made searching for buried treasure in your parents backyard cool with a slight bit of danger mixed in. The Goonies still makes its way into my DVD player form time-to-time, but the philosophy of ‘never say die’ makes its way into existence on a daily basis. As a matter of fact, just the other day I set a ‘booty-trap’ for two of my employees. They looked at me confused.

8. “Michael Scott” – is unquestionably the best boss in the world, which is evident on each episode of The Office. I strive to be the boss he is each day in my own work environment. That is probably why I have never found my self in position of promotion, let alone management…never.

7. Walt Disney – is a nerdy pick…I am full aware. However, since he is the creator of the Happiest Place on Earth shouldn't he be a hero to us all? Where else can you dine with Princesses, dress like a Pirate, and blow your entire 401K in less than 5 days? Besides Vegas…? Not convinced? Let me give you two words that will change your mind…Lindsay Lohan. Without the mouse, we would have never met her and our lives incomplete as a result.

6. “Gary Wallace” and “Wyatt Donnelly” – are the two 80’s guys that brought the ideal of a perfect woman to every mans television sets. How many VCRs were ruined by the excessive playing and rewinding of the show Weird Science? I saved up six years of paychecks to buy my first computer, to only find out that creating an virtual goddess was not an application that came standard with the Microsoft Windows package.

5. The inventor of Cheese Fries and the Founders of White Castles – are difficult to separate, so they both share an entry. If you comfortable with ‘who you are as a person’ and can have an honest conversation, then you will probably admit to choosing a Friday night restaurant based upon the quality of cheese fries they serve up. May I recommend…Texas Roadhouse? Sliders are good and always bring you closer to enlightenment or at the very least closer to the porcelain surrounding your toilet (one way or the other). Yummy.

4. “Dexter” – is a fictitious vigilante serial killer that imposes his will on society’s most hardened criminals, which have all slipped through the cracks of the justice system in Florida’s Miami Dade County. This could have as easily been Deputy Dog…without the killing of course. A rising star on Showtime indeed.

3. Adam Richman (Man v. Food Guy) – has a “job” where he is paid to eat some the country’s most delectable foods despite the astronomical damage they must be inflicting on his body. After all, eating a doughnut the size of an infant or a burrito that weighs as much as a computer cannot be good for you regardless the ingredients. Manly.

2. Bear Grylls (Man vs. Wild) – drinks his own urine and eats raw meet off the decaying carcasses of animals he finds laying around, all while chalking it up to survival - despite the fact he is actually filming a television show and has no real threat of danger…he just likes the taste I suppose? A true hero.

1. Tom Crean – as mentioned in a previous post, he has to be the most humble and sincere person in the public eye I have ever had the chance to meet. Not that I have met a lot of quasi-celebrities. Also, he kept he candy-striped warm-ups around, so in my eyes that makes him legendary. If you not sure what that means, than Indiana Basketball isn't for you.

DISCLAIMER...After changing my background I realize people are no longer able to leave comments. Sorry. I will change the background in the near future and maybe people have better luck. Until then, if you really need to comment you can leave a message with Jami - my mistress in crime (aka wife) on her blog http://www.jlee1119.blogspot.com/

Otherwise....just enjoy!

If you have ever watched the cable channel Spike you have run across a fast rising show on the network entitled Deadliest Warrior. The show attempts to determine 'who' is the tougher, stronger, or deadliest individual between the two entities chosen. Most recently they pitted the IRA against The Taliban. Sometimes they are lighthearted and other times more serious.

After lastnight's blog entry I began thinking. Who would win between Guantanamo Bay and Abortion Clinics? They apparently have a lot in common, most notably the aspect of torture. The hot debate rages over prisoner treatment at Gitmo, specifically the 'enhanced interrogation techniques' used on three suspected terrorists. The torture techniques in question include a procedure known as waterboarding.

From listening to pundants on every news channel under the sun I understand the technique entails holding someone under water for 20-30 seconds at a time to simulate drowning, until they are willing to give you vital information. This procedure is now considered a form of torture and is not allowed. That is why I am pressing law enforcement officials to arrest my brother Scott and my cousin Ricky as quickly as possible. When I was eight I clearly remember both of them dunking me under water in the local community pool until I promised to take the blame for throwing numerous toys in my parents basement sump pump.

One other technique used at Gitmo included sleep deprivation. This apparently includes denying needed rest to prisoners in an attempt to make them sleepy enough to crack under pressure and reveal important secrets about upcoming attacks or plans. In addition to my brother and cousin, now add to the list my 18-month old son. Ha! Finally got you Cooper! You made those first ten months of your life a nightmare for me and now payback is mine. You deprived me of sleep far longer than I was promised by your mother and now your torture technique practices make you an enemy combatant.

Though Guantanamo Bay has tough torture practices, they are nothing compared to abortion clinics. And this time....I am serious. If your squeamish this paragraph is not for you so please skip! If our soldiers were to pull off a prisoners legs, followed by detaching their head from their torso until death ensued....there would be justice to pay. If our soldiers were to boar a hole in a prisoner's head or nose to scramble their brains until death ensued....there would be justice to pay. If our soldiers were to use a sharp instrument to cut up a prisoner then suck the remains into a beaker using a vacuum 29 times more powerful than yours at home until death ensued....there would be justice to pay. If our soldiers were to utilize a salt based chemical to poison and virtually burn a prisoner from the outside/in until death ensued....there would be justice to pay. And finally if our soldiers were to stab a pair of scissors into the base of a prisoner's skull until paralysis occurred, then extract the brain via a suctioning tube until death ensued....there would be justice to pay. And rightfully so. No one in their right mind would suggest that those actions above were NOT torture if performed on an adult, regardless if they were a P.O.W. or otherwise. Anyone performing them on a prisoner would be immediately arrested. However, since it is a child these practices are performed on..........................

Since the opening of Guantanamo Bay 4 deaths have occurred and all by suicide. No one takes these lightly. I would imagine that life in any prison is more difficult than I would want to imagine. That is why I choose not to break any laws. The difference is those individuals encamped at Gitmo are still able to breathe. They may not enjoy their three square meals a day, separated by moments of leisure involving ping-pong in the morning and Jerry Springer in the afternoon, but at least their breathing.

I would hate to be held under water....check that....I hated being held under water when I was younger. I assume that it would not be much more pleasant as an adult, but the Deadliest Warrior in this episode unmistakably goes to the Abortion Clinics. Since their inception nearly 50 million lives (or potential lives depending on your abortion stance) have been lost, compared to four at Gitmo. No contest. Their record clearly crushes their Warrior competition. If your in favor of closing Gitmo because of the stigma that surrounds its name and the actions that occurred there - great. Me too. Now....let's start talking about those other torture facilities shall we?

It has been awhile since I last wrote, but given the circumstances the past couple of days it seems appropriate. On Sunday May 31st, a well-known physician in the world of abortion was killed as he attended a church service in his home state of Kansas. The entire story has been tragic regardless your stance on the issue. As details continue to poor in throughout media outlets, stomachs continue to churn. So many questions like...

1) How could someone violently attack another person to the point of murder? 2) How could a well-educated individual justify such a graphic procedure so late in a pregnancy and feel as though he was doing a service to an entire community? 3) How does a church base their teachings on biblical principles, yet justify such actions against so many defenseless children? So many questions, so few answers. Anyone that knows me clearly is aware of my stance on the issue of abortion. Also, most of my entries are cynical in nature; however this is not one of them. So look away if you must. Here are my answers.

1) Wrath - We all have the potential in our lives to become consumed with a topic, person, hobby, or other issue to the point that it becomes unhealthy. My gut is that is what happened here. The gentleman in this case that committed the crime probably started off like many of us, engaged in a debate on "right vs wrong" with the hot-button this time belonging to abortion. Concern led to disdain. Disdain led to anger. Anger led to hate. Hate bred murder. No one has the right to take an innocent person's life. No one. Even though many people feel those who commit abortions are far from innocent, retaliating murder with murder is wrong. Now he must be held accountable.

2) Greed - If you believe that the first few weeks after conception a clump of cells is not a human...you probably have little problem with an abortion. If you think a child at the age of 25-weeks after conception still is not a human life...you must be kidding yourself. My mama always told me - "A rose by any other name..." or how about "If it looks like a duck and talks like a duck...it probably isn't a fetus". Well the last part she didn't really say, but you get the point. So why justify it? Five thousand dollars a pop sounds pretty convincing if your willing to sell out for the right price. And apparently that was the rumored amount for this physicians late term procedures. This same physician had an employee of his investigated in June 2008 for the stabbing death of a child after an abortion was botched because the victim was born alive. How do you justify those actions? Some people can convince themselves anything is admirable, if they are motivated well enough to do so.

3) Envy - I have no idea the foundation of the church in Kansas where this incident occurred, but with careful study I did unearth that the Lutheran Church does hold specific tenants like most denominations that are protestant including...the bible is the infallible written word of God. It appears protesters gathered outside this church often to protest against a pro-choice stance. I only assume that the church must be sympathetic to this belief (again, I only assume). If that is true...why? The same reason many churches have changed their beliefs that clearly go against that biblical tenants...to keep up with the Joneses. If the church down the street is getting bigger, how do we stay 'competitive'? I know, appeal to the masses. Is that what happened here? I don't know, just a thought. I do know that it does seem to be happening elsewhere, but this entry isn't long enough for that discussion.

Many more questions to be asked, along with many answers sought. In the end, the whole situation has added up to nothing short of 'losers all around'. A wife lost her husband. A man lost his freedom. A community lost their innocence. A church lost their sense of security. A movement lost some of its credibility. And above all...once again...a child somewhere has lost his voice and will never regain it. No matter how you try and sell it, abortion produces nothing but losers. More poignantly it produces nothing but death. Whether it be a doctor that performs these procedures or the child that would have been if not for the procedure - death is the only certain byproduct of this awful phenomena.

So it will continue - 1.2 to 1.5 million a year in this country and 40-50 million worldwide. Maybe at some point we will learn that the shedding of innocent blood is not the answer to the question of 'what am I going to do now'?

---By the way...the picture at the top is 16-weeks after conception. Look like a baby to you?---

Don't forget tonight at 11:00 on Wave 3 is the invesigative report on Theatre X. Should be interesting to see what the media finds out. Get your TiVO's ready.

If I told you that 2 + 2 = 5, you would probably raise an eyebrow and question where I received the basics of my education as a child. Arithmetic is a core principle for children as they journey through their early years of elementary school.

Let me tell you about another core principle that involves math, however this one took place in high school for most of us. If you go to White Castle, you have to buy more than one hamburger. Pretty clear right? Just like...the sky is blue, your name is a noun, a square has four sides, only use No. 2 pencils on scan trons, and dodgeball is the best sanctioned recess game ever (kissing catchers of course is non-sanctioned). Anyone care to explain this to my wife?

My lovely mother-in-law decided to bring over dinner for my wife and I Sunday evening, but before doing so called to ask my wife what she wanted from White Castle? Jami proceeded to have her purchase one cheeseburger for me and one cheeseburger for her. What in the fuzzy math made her think that was okay?

There are numerous things that come in pairs that are universally acceptable that we all love like...shoes, earrings, front teeth, gloves, contacts, twins, weekends, skates, wings, chopsticks, dice, windshield wipers, crutches, ski's, kidneys, and lungs. But never White Castles. There is a reason they sell them in a 'Sack-of-Ten'...so she can have a sack and I can have a sack. Once again, another very acceptable pair.

I actually had planned to write this entry yesterday, however 1) that was Mother's Day and I felt it may be to rude to comment on "her" day 2) I was way to famished to type at length and if I would have wrote yesterday the entire entry would have read something like this...."Wife bought one slider. Starving to death. Send Big Mac. Hurry." Now that I am fully recovered, the entire story can get out. If the President ever decides that the country needs to become fiscally conservative he can......ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.

Sorry, I just caught the irony...he can ask my wife to become the Nourishment Czar, socialize food rations for the nation, and we will save millions while at the same time slash our population by nearly one-third. You see there is always a silver lining, even if it does involve starving to death.

What I want each person to take away from this message is simple, if you haven't educated your loved one on the White Castle Protocol, then there is no time to waste. Act now. When you buy the burgers for dinner make sure there is an "S" on the end. Always an "S" on the end. Plural is a must, not an option. A good rule of thumb is if your ordering for two people...twenty is a safe number. You can always throw a few leftovers back at say...2 or 3 a.m. when you wake up, can't get back to sleep, because the first six or seven you ate won't leave you alone long enough to land comfortably in R.E.M. sleep. Keep this in mind, we cannot afford this mistake to happen to anyone else ever again.

PS - My wife attended Charlestown High School.

PSS - The story ends with me eating my burger and my wife's burger for dinner. She ate my leftovers from Cheddar's. All's well that ends well.

As always each month The Elmo Award strives to search for the most deserving recipient that demonstrates the best and brightest in selfishness, along with all the qualities that embody the title. This month's winner is....


The bonehead that gave the okay for the photo op flyover of Air Force One in Lower Manhattan last week. Congratulations! What a feat. Clearly a vivid video of the President's back-up plane flying over the largest city in the United States was far more important that 1) the safety of the bystanders below and 2) the fear that would ensue as images of 9/11 were revisited as the scene unfolded. Only someone with their own agenda in mind above all else, would have dared to pull this off. Sounds like an Elmo to me.

Even more impressive is the President has promised an investigation into how this happened and who was in charge of the incident. Really? First, should the President already know who took is plane for a stroll around the East Coast? Sasha and Malia are sitting pretty right now, because if it is that easy to steal daddy's plane, imagine how much easier it will be to steal his car when they are of age to drive. Even if he didn't know...how long does it take to 'investigate' and found out who actually did it? It shouldn't take the CIA to crack the case...really. I can tell you who you should ask to find out the organizer of the mission...how about the pilot. Maybe he could tell you who gave him the keys. Has anyone in The White House heard of photoshop? All they really had to do was cut and paste a little and BOOM, you have Air Force One in front of the Statue of Liberty without all the bad press.


Anyway, another month and another winner. The legacy of the award continues to grow. Makes you wish it was May 31st already huh?

I thought I would take a break from the usual dull and boring diatribe on current issues of the day and show you some of my favorite politician goofs. It just goes to show how many people they need to prop them up to make them look good.




This is another good one, especially Joe Biden's misstep around 2:03.







And so that I am not playing favorites. Here are some good moments from our former president. Enjoy.

After Tuesday's Clarksville Town Council Meeting, it looks like a lot of people are scratching their heads and on the other side it seems ROCK has gotten under some people's skin. What came out of the meeting was pretty much expected by the standing room only crowd. Silence rang out in the chamber room as Brian Wickens finished his jaw dropping dialogue on the circumstances surrounding a sex business that would make Dolly Parton and Bert Reynolds The Best Little Whore House in Texas look like a scene from Lady and The Tramp.

There is not much more to say on the issue that you cannot find in forums around the Kentuckiana area. I have done my part by flooding my thoughts and opinions throughout Wave-3, The Evening News, WHAS, myrocktoday.com, etc. However, my opinion is by far in the minority. It is amazing the misguided responses to this issue from those in favor of Theatre X. It appears most have not been educated on the legal aspect of the issue, if they are interested in the first place. Even more disturbing is how many people in favor of ROCK know every bit as little themselves. I can help with that.

To find out what they are doing wrong and what the laws REALLY are, check out the twenty page document at http://town.clarksville.in.us/. Look under town information, then click ordinances, followed by selecting frames, next click Title XI Business Regulations, and finally Chapter 117 Sexually Oriented Businesses. Never said it would be easy.

Two quick points. After visiting the meeting it became clear to me later that night how uncomfortable it must have been for the law enforcement officers present at the meeting, including the Chief of Police who I know for a fact is a upstanding man. As if their job in the community is difficult enough. Here they have to listen to description, after description of numerous forms of prostitution, drug tracking, involvement by minors, and numerous other violations that clearly break serious laws in Clarksville occurring at a place of business less than two miles from the headquarters and the Town Hall. What do you do if you are the police? Do you sit and listen to the meeting? Do you leave and go down there to check it out for yourself? Are your hands tied by town officials?

What a mixed message they must be receiving, especially after they were just praised by town residents for breaking up a prostitution business on Eastern Boulevard just minutes from...you guessed it, their headquarters and town hall. The laws are on the books (I showed you all how to find them remember - http://town.clarksville.in.us/), now what is the police's roll in the matter? As far as I know they don't have to check with town officials when they cite someone for illegal dumping or curfew violations right? Don't take ROCK's word for it, just go check it our for yourselves. It has been 18-months since you were informed of the findings. What is everyone waiting for?

Two. I said all that and much more on local websites to say this one thing...WHO CARES!!!!! What does it matter what I think, you think, ROCK thinks, the Town Council thinks, Evening News thinks, the guy peeping at naked ladies in the porn place thinks, churches think, blah, blah, blah. THE LAW ALREADY EXISTS!!! If someone doesn't like it, they should have spoke up in 2005 when the ordinance was past in the first place. They should have spoke up 20-30 years ago when The United States Supreme Court passed down rulings that serve as a guidepost for communities (and then followed them up in subsequent years) on how sexually oriented businesses can be governed. Once again, this is represented in Clarksville's 2005 Chapter 117 ordinance (http://town.clarksville.in.us/). If they don't like the laws maybe they should have tried to vote in different leaders or bring up their opinions at a Town Council meeting instead of spewing (no pun intended) their misdirected remarks about Southeast Christian Church, Jesus Christ, people of religious faith, old people, people they deem as "homophobic", and whoever else they want to blame. This issue has become a lightning rod for people who want to bash Christians, when SORRY but this is a LEGAL and GOVERNMENT-based issue. Period.

I am proud believers in Christ are coming out for this issue in full force. It is about time. And I by no means am attempting to down play the work of Brian Wickens and ROCK in the above paragraph, because without their work the status quo would surely continue. I bet people in the community that lived through the attempt to put this business here 40 years wish ROCK was around when no one was listening to their voice. Afterall, they were to small to do what ROCK is doing today. So....thank you ROCK.

However, it is a much simpler debate than one wrapped up in theology. We vote in leaders. They are sworn into their positions. An ordinance is written. It is voted on. If it passes, it is law. The law gets broken. The lawbreakers face the predetermined punishment. Any questions?

I urge everyone to educate themselves on the issue, whether you live in Clarksville or not. It is too important. If you read blogs or forums around the area, local churches and Christians specifically are being hammered by a majority of people on these sites. Unfortunately, old people don't know how to blog, so the young crowd is dominating the forums out there. If you need help Gretchen let me know.

Ohhh yeah. Did you get the website? http://town.clarksville.in.us/ - CHAPTER 117. Know what you are fighting for before you take on the opposing view point. The law supports our children and families.

Remember that tomorrow - 7:00 pm at the Clarksville Town Hall on Veteran's Parkway, R.O.C.K. will launch their Choose Us, Clarksville campaign in an attempt to rid our community of illegal activities that have been allowed to flourish for too long.

Come early and show your support for a cause that affects not just Clarksville, but surrounding communities as well. Let your voice be heard. And if the cause itself doesn't get you motivated, play the song below a few times before attending and summon your inner Dee Snider.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0MbqXVT2xY

(Sorry I couldn't get the actually video into the blog - for some reason it would not let me copy/paste the item. John O'Shea...I know your still bobbing your head after that one!)

Today the Lee Men (except for my son Cooper and my Uncle Donny) traveled to Bloomington, Indiana for Fan Appreciation Day, along with the annual Cream and Crimson Football Scrimmage. It is a good day to relax, enjoy the weather, and take in all that Indiana University has to offer. What we experienced inside the Mellencamp Pavilion, where the Appreciation Day festivities took place, was a moment that will never make headlines in your morning paper, but shows that sports legends are not always erected in stone based upon their performance on the court. Sometimes their actions transcends their athletic accomplishments.

My brother and I decided to stand in line to meet the Men's Basketball Coach at Indiana, so that we could snap a few photos and provide a few words of encouragement after a difficult 2008-2009 campaign that managed only six victories all season. However, my father had different intentions. He was waiting in line with hopes that Coach Crean would autograph a shirt or poster for his ailing brother. My uncle is suffering from cancer in the worst way imaginable with no clear signs of improvement ahead. My uncle Donny is the biggest basketball fan I have ever known and the Hoosiers are his passion.

As we inched closer to Coach Crean, I remember glancing at my watch realizing we had waited in line for nearly 30-minutes. However, I was grateful because those individuals that made up the back of the line now were three times further away from where the line ended when we had first begun. As we stepped up to meet with Coach Crean, an assistant promptly collected our camera to snap a photo as soon as everyone was ready. My dad greeted him first as my brother and I conversed about a random topic - probably the state of global warming in Antarctica or Lindsay Lohan's new flame - I don't know...really important stuff though. I just know we were not paying close attention at first to the conversation unraveling between my dad and the Coach. He signed a poster for my Uncle and then what followed were circumstances and actions that myths are made of....

I heard Coach Crean state his sympathy for what our family must be going through and while he was signing the poster asked what my Uncle Donny was ailing over? My father simple stated...cancer and without hesitation the Men's Basketball Coach at Indiana University asked my father his permission to give my Uncle Donny a phone call....right there....right then....on his own....without....request.....while a line nearly an hour long waited for 10 seconds of his time. A simple autograph was good enough for my dad, but it wasn't good enough for Coach Crean.

My father replied with the obvious, as Coach Crean pulled his own cell phone from his pocket. As my dad rattled off the number, my brother and I stood in line behind my father as Coach Crean made this announcement to those waiting in the immediate vicinity....

'I want everyone to be patient. Hang with us. This man's brother is sick. We are going to give him a call and provide some encouragement.'

I stood..............................silent and in amazement.

As my aunt picked up the phone I heard Coach introduce himself....a pause...."Would it be okay if you woke him up so I could speak with him?" I'm not sure what the conversation entailed as my Uncle came on the line, but I did hear Coach Crean's parting words which as he finished the two to three minute conversation..."I hope we get the chance to speak in person some day Herb. Take care." He turned to my father and told him, "Your brother wants to talk to you." I'm not sure what those two rarely emotional men talked about, but whatever it was it involved tears on both ends. Which in our family is not an all too familiar site.

I stood..........................................silent and in awe.

Others around us stood.......................silent and in awe.

My brother and father stood....................silent and in awe.

And Coach Crean put his arm around my father and simply stated, "I wish I could do more." With that I think we took a picture and left. It was a blur for the next few minutes I have to admit.

Those moments do not happen often in life, but when they do they are golden. I have to admit, I have a new favorite hero in life and his name is Tom Crean. My last hero has held onto the title for nearly five years now, but I'm sure even Jack Bauer (from '24') wouldn't balk at the switch given the circumstances. The funny thing is Coach Crean's advancement on the list has nothing to do with basketball, rather it has everything to do with his character.

I'll end this long entry with the haunting phrase that the Men's Basketball Coach at Indiana University wrote on that poster during Fan Appreciation Day dedicated to my Uncle Donny:

Herb,

Don't ever quit fighting. Tom Crean

Legendary!

I thought I would step away from the more cynical nature that usually comes through on this blog and share a thought and moment that occurred over the weekend to our family.


This past Sunday, our family (Jami, Cooper, and I) were chosen to help break ground on Eastside Christian Church's new sanctuary after nearly fifteen years of planning and development. The staff wanted a cross-section of individuals that would represent the diversity of where the congregation has been and where it is going in the future. Our little clan represented the young families in the church, along with approximately twelve others that were able to dig the first holes for the project. In a congregation of over 1,000 members, I felt humbled to be an up-close witness to the event.

A co-worker of mine stumbled upon this 911-call that is supposedly real. We can all only hope that it is authentic, but if not it still holds strong comdedic value. I apologize in advance for the off-color language at the end of the video. However, I weighed the positives/negatives and I couldn't pass up sharing it with all of you. Enjoy.



Okay admit it...you didn't know how to spell it either right?