Thankful Thursday - Mario Kart edition

This week I am thankful that I got a 98 on my first exam of the semester. I am definitely enjoying this semester much more than last, and on that note, I'm also thankful that I don't have to watch the clock during my classes.

I am thankful for the timing of Lent. I needed it. This year I am giving up 3 things for Lent, 2 of which I hope to make permanent. First, I am giving up bad language. Unfortunately, this is a problem I've struggled with for years, and I go through good spells and bad spells. I even gave it up for Lent last year, and obviously it didn't stick, so I'm doing it again. Second, I'm giving up gossip. This largely centers around work where this is commonplace, and many times I don't watch myself and get drawn into it. As a supervisor, it's my job to not only avoid participating in it, but to not let it happen in the first place. The third I have no intention of making permanent, but heavily cutting back. That is my love for soft drinks, namely Dr. Pepper. I drink way too much of it. I've gone 30+ days in the past without a soft drink, so I know I can do it if I just stick with it. When Lent is over, I'll try Diet Dr. Pepper and see if I like it then. I've heard that if you go a long time without the real thing, the diet version tastes a lot better. Regardless, I don't need to drink it as much as I currently do, so this is a good way to start cutting back.

I am thankful that finally, Sarah has a way to share my love of video games. I have loved video games ever since mom and dad brought home our first Atari 2600 when I was a kid. Then later I got a Nintendo game system and played the daylights out of Super Mario Bros. 3. After college, I got an Xbox. I have tried several games to find something that Sarah could be interested, but nothing took. But now with our Wii, we have Mario Kart. And not only is she hooked, but she is every bit my equal in terms of skill. This makes for a lot of fun for us, even when she gets on a hot streak and beats me repeatedly. It just makes my comeback that much more sweet.

"Mario Kart Love Song" - Sam Hart
(available on iTunes)

You be my princess
And I'll be your toad
I'll follow behind you
On rainbow road
Protect you from red shells
Wherever we go
I promise.

No one will touch us
If we pick up a star
And if you spin out
You can ride in my car
When we slide together
We generate sparks
In our wheels and our hearts

The finish line
Is just around the bend
I'll pause this game
So our love will never end
Let's go again

The blue shell is coming
So I'll go ahead
If you hang behind
It'll hit me instead
But never look back
Cause I'm down but not dead
I'll catch up to you

Don't worry about
Bowser or DK
Just eat this glowing mushroom
And they'll all fade away

The finish line
Is just around the bend
I'll pause this game
So our love will never end
Let's go again

The finish line
Is just around the bend
I'll pause this game
So our love will never end
Let's go again

To the mushroom cup
And the flower cup
And the star cup
And the reverse cup

"Stop breaking the law...!!!!!"

Several years ago, when I still thought that Jim Carrey was still funny, he made the movie Liar Liar, where he played the role of a lawyer who suddenly found himself unable to lie. He had one of my favorite movie lines in this movie...

Greta (his secretary): Boss...boss, it's [name of client], he knocked over another ATM. This time at knife point. He needs your legal advice.
Fletcher (Jim Carrey): [picking up phone and shouting] Stop breaking the law,...!

I'll come back to that in a minute.

Major League Baseball and its players have done a lot over the past several years to damage its reputation and lose the confidence of the fans in the integrity of the sport. When I say fans, I am certainly not excluding myself as the author of this post. I love baseball. I love this sport more than any other sport. Yet it continually makes me sick to my stomach every time more steroids news comes out.

There is one thing in particular that I am getting more and more sick of, and that is the saying, "It [steroids] was part of the culture in the 90's" or that it was just accepted as part of the game back then, that "everyone was doing it." You've heard some version of that from any number of commentators, players, or other representatives.

I get so mad at such a stupid idea!!!!

Let me get this straight, so I get pulled over for speeding on GA 400. I go to court to contest the ticket because, well, everyone speeds on GA 400, that's just how it is. Am I really supposed to expect the judge to say, "You know, you're right, 'everyone' does speed on 400, so why should I penalize just you if I'm not going to pull over and cite every other person who speeds on 400?" How stupid is that?!?! I broke the law, there's a consequence.

So why on earth should the 103 players in addition to Alex Rodriguez, and any other player who has tested for positive for use of anabolic steroids...which are ILLEGAL...not be penalized by law. "Well that was just how it was back then." Screw that!!! Since when has that been a reasonable explanation for doing something wrong?!?!

This past summer I was walking through Times Square in NYC when I see a billboard that says "Have an affair in New York City." Apparently having an affair is so accepted now that we can put billboards up advocating it, so does that mean it's OK for me to go out now on weekend flings? At work, foul language is pretty commonplace. Does that mean that it's OK for me to loosen up on moderating what I say because my coworkers don't see anything wrong with it? Well you could respond, "Michael, those are issues of morality and depends on your system of beliefs." And you're right, someone who is not a Christian may not see anything wrong with those. There's no law banning affairs or language as far as I know.

But there ARE laws on steroids. And I don't give a crap whether drug testing was part of the contract between MLB and the Players Association. If you used steroids, you broke the law. You shouldn't be given annonomity, and you shouldn't be given a pass because it was part of the culture. If you used steroids and got caught, don't ask your publicist how you should handle it. Own it, take the punishment, and DON'T DO IT AGAIN!! Better yet, don't give yourself a chance to get caught, come out with it!!! You don't even have to tell us why, we already know. Just admit you screwed up, show that you're willing to take punishment, instead of acting like you have a legitimate reason as to why you shouldn't be punished, and we the fans can and will move on.

I am so mad that I have to look at the generation of baseball that I grew up in out of the corner of my eye and wonder about everyone who played. I am so mad that what I was watching was not an honest product. I am so mad that I have to hope and pray that Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz never used steroids, because I think that would end me and baseball.

There is one other group I serve notice to: To those players who did not use steroids, you have no right to ask the fans to not associate you with those who did. You have no right to ask us to trust you more than those who used. You had the opportunity to speak up in your clubhouse; to not allow steroids to become "part of the culture." But you didn't. You may have refused offers from your teammates to join in, but you didn't stop them. And as it got worse, you didn't publicly fight to keep the sport clean. It wasn't until people got caught, and your integrity started getting questioned, that a few of you finally said that you don't want it in the sport. You could have been proactive, but you weren't. We the fans have every right to question you. Unfortunately, because of your innaction, we have to.

Thankful Thursday - Satellite Edition

Even though she didn't do it today, for a long time Sarah has been doing the Thankful Thursday post on her blog. I think that is a great idea - doing something each week that brings you back to the good things that are happening in your life. Thus, my first Thankful Thursday post.

To start off, I'm so very thankful to come home from work tonight to find out that Tom Glavine, my favorite baseball player ever, will officially be returning for another year with the Braves. I know a lot of people out there would rather see that spot in the rotation go to a younger player, but I'm just not ready to see Glavine go yet.

On a related note, I'm thankful that just a little over a month away is baseball season, and with that comes going to work for the Braves again. I can't wait. I love Turner Field. I love the Braves. And, even with all the negative press recently, I still love baseball.

I'm thankful that my classes are much more interesting this semester. Most of the work this semester is reading, and I won't lie, I have such a hard time getting myself to just sit down and read my textbooks. But I'm in classes that are actually my focus of study, which will always be better than college algebra or macroeconomics.

I'm thankful for Sarah and I having the opportunity to host our Sunday night small group. I'm really excited about being a part of this group.

Most importantly this week, I am thankful for Sarah. She has been such an example to me the past couple weeks, and months. She is so much quicker than me to completely put her trust in God. I need to be like that. She is always my biggest supporter in school and work. She makes sure that I remember that she is always by my side. Now she'll be the first to tell you that she has her faults. But she's the best wife I could have ever asked for. I don't deserve her, but I'll never let go of her. Thank you babe. I love you!!

Satellite - Guster
Shining like a work of art
Hanging on a wall of stars
Are you what I think you are?

You're my satellite
You're riding with me tonight
Passenger side, lighting the sky
Always the first star that I find
You're my satellite

Elevator to the moon
Whistling a favorite tune
Trying to get a closer view

You're my satellite
You're riding with me tonight
Passenger side, lighting the sky
Always the first star that I find
You're my satellite

Maybe you will always be
Just a little out of reach

You're my satellite
You're riding with me tonight
Passenger side, lighting the sky
Always the first star that I find
You're my satellite
You're my satellite

Harding Memories

1. Do you remember your campus mail box number?
No

2. What was your favorite class?
Typography and Concert Chior

3. Did you ever get dormed? What for?
Haha, being a guy, I have to ask, what is that?

4. After leaving HU, how long before you got your first letter asking for donations?
Less than 6 months

5. Did you fall in love at HU?
Yes

6. Were you ever caught making out at the soccer fields?
No

7. What was your favorite meal in the cafeteria?
Sunday morning pancakes

8. Were you in a Social Club?
Chi Sigma Alpha

9. Did you ever sneak out after curfew or have others sneak in?
Curfew? ;-)

10. Which dorm were you in?
Transfered to Harding after Freshman year, Sophomore - Allen Hall, Junior and Senior - Keller Hall (Chi Sigs hall)

11. Do you still have your notes from others?
nope

12. Did you ever get in trouble for clothes you wore?
No

13. Is there a song that makes your remember a time at HU?
Just As I Am (the Jimmy Allen version, complete with all 10 verses and 3 breaks in between to elicit more responses.) Precious Lord - Concert Choir, Chi Sigma Alpha and Chi Sigs Queens songs, Mansion, Robe, & Crown - thank you Terry Davis for getting that permanently stuck in my head

14. What did you major in?
it changed each semester I think, but I covered most of the Communication majors, as well as Youth Ministry and Christian education

15. Did you have a nickname?
most of my life people have seemed to gravitate to just using my last name, was the same at Harding

16. What are your fondest memories?
Harding Basketball games, Concert Choir 2000 tour to California, Scotland campaign 2001, Juneau Spring Break 2000 campaign, the Maybe challenge, Photography with Dr. James, changing the signs in front of most of the buildings one night, slip 'n slide in the dorm hallway, turning the showers into a sauna, countless card games - mostly Spades, playing the heck out of Goldeneye, World Series baseball, and NFL Blitz

17. What's one of the things you'd like to erase from your mind?
not graduating

18. Who was your roommate?
can't remember first semester, Eric Swayne, Jamie Hutches, Jeff Proctor, Jamie Hutches

19. Circle of friends, all around social butterfly, or loner?
Circle and butterfly

20. Favorite chapel memory?
some guys using the podium to scratch his back like a bear, the Grumpy Old Men, the couple times when Rodney Britt (the original bass singer in Acappella) would come and lead singing

21. Did you ever have a crush that you never shared or pursued?
yes - the woman I eventually married

22. Did you play intramural sports?
just club sports

23. Is there someone you've lost touch with and wish you could find?
probably

24. Is there someone you didn't know well then, but now have grown close to?
Sarah

25. How did it make you better? What life lessons did you learn?
I learned how to not handle relationships, and in turn, how TO handle them, I learned what a friend should be willing to say to another friend if and when the need arises

Wingsuit Base Jumping

wingsuit base jumping from Ali on Vimeo.