I have created another blog to give updates on my writing efforts. You can find it here.

August 23, 2008

In which I talk about the summer and the fall

It was a weird summer. Not having a job was tough, but it did give me time with my family that I wouldn't have had otherwise. We were able to take a nice trip to the mountains to visit Darlene's parents and another one to Tennessee to visit my parents. We wouldn't have been able to take those trips if I had been working. Still, I know I didn't enjoy those trips as much as I should have because I was constantly worrying that we were going to spend too much money, or that someone might call with a job offer while we were gone, or something else.

I spent a lot of time this summer stressing over the fact that I wasn't having a lot of success with my job search. I didn't always handle the stress very well and there were times that I took my frustrations out on my family by being cranky and irritable and (occasionally) downright rude. I just want to take this opportunity to let my wife and kids know that I love you very much, and if I have been less of a family man than I should have this summer, I am sorry. I didn't handle the stress of the job search as well as I hoped I would and you guys caught the bad side of that more than you should have. Again, I am sorry.

I'm looking forward to going back to work, but I will miss being home when the kids get home from school. I'll miss being here when my wife gets home from work. We've had a little time to ourselves the last couple of weeks in that 20 minutes between when she gets home and when the girls get home. It's been nice. It's been nice being able to help with homework and sign forms and all the other things that a parent has to do to for school. I miss out on that with Sage since she lives with her mom, so I make sure to do what I can for the other kids.

This fall is shaping up to be a good one. We're going to get caught up on the financial side of things, and we'll hopefully be going to lots of Chattahoochee football games, since Darlene's buddy from work usually works one of the admissions gates (hi, Robin!). I'm looking forward to September 5, when Hooch travels to Lilburn to play Parkview. My wife's work school vs. my alma mater. We'll be going, I hope, and I'll be wearing my Parkview orange. Everyone else in the family will likely be in the blue and yellow of Hooch. I'll let you know how that goes.

Of course, I'll get back into posting about fantasy football once the season gets underway. The UFFL draft is a week from tomorrow. You may recall that last year I had the third highest-scoring team in UFFL history but flamed out in the playoffs. What will happen this year? Come back and find out! Support your local bloggers!

August 21, 2008

In which I have good news

I have a job! After looking for the last three months with little success I actually was extended two different offers on Tuesday. I accepted one yesterday, a data analyst gig with ZC Sterling. The pay is pretty close to what I was making before and the benefits are outstanding. My tentative start date is September 2. My wife has her comments on the matter on her blog. Man, it's nice to end the summer with some good news!

August 3, 2008

In which a legend passes

It's been a tough year for my Atlanta Braves. Our pitchers have been hurt, my boy Jeff Francoeur has been in a horrific slump, and they've sunk towards the bottom of the standings. Now, to make things even worse, Skip Caray has passed away.

Skip has been announcing Braves games as long as I have lived in Atlanta. To me, Skip, Pete Van Wieren, and Ernie Johnson will always be the voices of the Braves. They were there when the incredible run began in 1991, but they were also there in the dark days of the late 1970's and late 1980's. Skip's wry humor and Pete's uncanny ability to play the straight man have made Braves broadcasts entertaining for as long as I can remember.

Skip Caray on TBS, after Chicago took a 15-5 lead over Atlanta in the 8th inning, 7/22/2003:

"The fans are now departing en masse. That means a whole bunch of 'em at once."

He was famous for telling us we could walk our dogs before the end of blowout losses if we promised to patronize the sponsors of the broadcast. He was famous for assigning hometowns to fans who caught foul balls in the bleachers ("That one was caught by a fan from Gainesville!"), and he was famous for supporting his team with unabashed pride. I know people who put him down as a homer, but to me, that's what made him worth listening to. He would criticize the team if it was needed, but he always gave the fans a positive side to any bad situation through his love for the team. He was just as big a fan as we were, only he got paid to describe the games.

He called what I consider to be the greatest moment in Atlanta Braves history, even greater than their World Series win in 1995: Francisco Cabrera's hit to drive in Sid Bream with the winning run in the 1992 NL Championship. Even now, 16 years later, hearing him screaming "BRAVES WIN! BRAVES WIN! BRAVES WIN!" still gives me chills.

A lotta room in right-center, if he hits one there we can dance in the streets. The 2-1. Swung, line drive left field! One run is in! Here comes Bream! Here’s the throw to the plate! He is.............SAFE! BRAVES WIN! BRAVES WIN! BRAVES WIN! BRAVES WIN!...BRAVES WIN!

To the Caray family, our sincere condolences and prayers for your loss. To Skip: I speak on behalf of all the true Braves fans out there. You will be missed. Thanks for all the years you gave us and all the memories you preserved for us.