the plaxico burress mess

as most of you already know, i'm a fan of guns. not so much a fan of kids with guns, or criminals with guns, or the process of defining gun laws, but i'm a fan of owning and shooting a gun. today, however, i'm coming down on the more "liberal" side of the fence (which ironically feels to me more like a conservative position than a liberal one. whatever...politics are weird).

anyway, to my rant: i've been listening to plaxico burress' explanation of how it was he came to accidentally shoot himself in the leg at a night club. first of all, i don't think he's the brightest of fellows. what kind of professional, athlete or otherwise, packs a gun in his pants in a public place? who are you? tupac? 50 cent? if you want to carry a concealed weapon, for which you have a permit in florida, why haven't you invested in a holster in which you can safely carry said weapon? i imagine you probably have to cut some serious financial corners with your multi-million dollar contract. probably not. and, having that CCW, you should have been educated on how to safely handle a weapon. looks like you failed that test. someone needs to go back to his CCW class and actually pay attention. (applicable movie quote: oh i forgot, you were absent the day they taught law at law school).

now, don't get me wrong, i feel for the guy. it must suck to be a poster-child for stupidity, harsher gun laws, and the reason athletes get a bad rap. i know his good buddy steve smith was robbed the night before at that club, but i agree with mike and mike (in the morning). if you have to pack heat to go to a certain establishment...don't go there. or, don't take the gun. you're a stinking professional athlete. invest in a bodyguard. i mean, what are you going to do if someone tries to rob you? shoot him? oh yes, that's a much better scenario. now, along with your illegal possession of a firearm, you're facing manslaughter charges. is this explanation supposed to make us understand why you were packing heat? cause it doesn't. and, by the way plaxico, you're a pretty big dude. i'm sure you could handle yourself. stop trying to be a gangster and just play football.

or, go to jail. while i do think, in some ways, the system is using plaxico burress to send a message and i'm sure that his celebrity status hurt him in this case, i sincerely hope that it will encourage people to obey gun laws that are clearly in place to protect people from others and from their own stupidity. that said, good luck plax, and good luck winning without him giants.

the new job

here are my new colors. (don't worry dad, i still bleed blue). in an incredible set of unforseen circumstances, i was offered a job adjuncting for the university of south carolina. it's so great being back in a classroom again, and although i do miss TGASID, it's so fun having a real job again. so...go gamecocks!

the bravest little lizard i know

ok. so, i've always been a fan of lizards and such. it probably comes from chasing them in our backyard when we were kids (alexis and keill, i'm sure you remember). but, after my latest experience, i have a new-found respect for the little guys.

about a week ago, i went out to my car before work. got in, started the engine, and noticed a little green gecko on my windshield. i poked at him from the inside of my car, he jumped down further on the windshield. i poked at him again, and he jumped onto the passenger-side windshield wiper. naturally, i was concerned for this little guy's life, but i was going to be late for work. so, i backed out of the driveway, assuming he would jump off at the first opportunity.

i drove up my street to the stop sign. he didn't budge. then, to the stoplight on the first major street. he didn't even flinch. i turned onto highway 1, which is pretty much just a normal sized street in las vegas, but with a speed limit of 55 mph. i slowly accelerated until i hit about 50. i could see the little guy holding on for dear life. his legs were fully extended and shaking in the wind, and it looked like he wasn't going to make it. i was so sad and totally pep-talking him through the windshield.

i had to stay with the flow of traffic and was slowly reaching 60 mph. i didn't think he was gonna make it. all of a sudden, he bounced from the windshield wiper onto the windshield. the force of the wind was then pushing him against the car. smart little bugger. i was so excited that i actually cheered for him out loud!

a few more blocks down the road, i pulled into work with the green gecko superhero still on my windshield. i gave him some props when i got out of my car. when i came back out after work, he was gone. i'm sure he retreated safely into the forest at the edge of the parking lot. all i know is he was the bravest little lizard i've ever seen. part of me wished he was still there when i came out.

2009 Beach Tour: Stop 3

so, stop three on our beach tour wasn't the greatest day at the beach, but it was a very relaxing trip out of columbia. aimee couldn't come with us, so it was just anna, rachel and i. we took a little trip down to beaufort and went over to the adjacent hunting island (which i kept calling huntington island, for obvious reasons.)

the drive out to hunting island was amazing! it's like a rain forrest in the south. we saw an alligator that lives (naturally and uncaged) outside of the ranger station. it was creepy and cool. there is also the oldest lighthouse in south carolina on the island. we took a drive over to peek at it. there is something about lighthouses. haven't figured it out yet, but i want to live in one (or near one) someday.

one of the highlights of the trip was a parade for the water festival that apparently is a big-to-do in beaufort this time of year. it was like i accidentally walked on to the set of steel magnolias. rad. please see pictures below.

beach tour: stop 2

it being the 4th of july and all, we thought we should certainly spend the day in the sun by the water. so, we packed up our beach stuff again and headed to lake murray. we spent the day laying on the sand and swimming with 10,000 other people. we were careful to not swallow any water, as we were sure every kid in the state had peed in the lake several times. we had a bbq around 4 and headed back to the lake for fireworks. i took these pictures while waiting for the fireworks to start. couldn't imagine a better 4th. (unless my family was here, of course)

stop 2: murray lake, sc
4 july 2009

the 2009 summer beach tour

we have decided to take advantage of the great state of south carolina by creating the 2009 summer beach tour. bring on the sunglasses, coolers, towels, books, snacks, and suntan lotion, or in rachel's case, the 70spf! i invite you all to come along...if only through pictures.

stop 1: folly beach, sc

3 july 2009

my transformers birthday bash

i do realize that having a transformers themed birthday party at the not-so-young age of 34 may seem ridiculous to some, but when anna and i came up with the idea, we didn't much care about that. we went straight out and bought transformers invitations, plates, cups, and napkins. we invited a few people over for pizza, rootbeer, and transformer-colored cupcakes while we watched the first transformers. then, we headed over to the movie theater, where we met some other friends, for the second transformers movie. we hit macaroni grill to top off the night. it was a killer party!