The Perks of Being "Legal"

So its week two in our little blogging escapade and my site continues to take shape. As you can see I've added a counter, wonderful little poll, and as of last night, a streaming media player. I've also tweaked the parameters of the text and formatting. In doing so, I've learned more about html formatting in the last week than in my previous 18 years of existence. Nothing was more enjoyable than spending hours of labor to find out just how easy the beta version of blogger is. This revelation shattered the belief that I know everything there is to know about web-design. Pfffft... Reality is so depressing. Some of you have pointed out that I had too much sports in my first post. To that, I say "thank you Faith, you are so perceptive." I am sports minded, like most other guys. Its going to be on my mind! That's why I put each subject in its own dandy little segment. So when you start drooling on your keyboard, just move on. And that's just what we'll do.

As you might have caught from Jake's announcement, it was my 18th birthday last Sunday, hence the little honor points competition during the service, lesson, talk... (what do you call it anyway?) After church my family took me out to Texas Land and Cattle and threw me probably the last gift opening "session" I'll have at home. By the way, I got two books, a car emblem, mini fridge, and a boat load of candy. (that's what happens when you don't ask for much) However, as my 17th year has come to it's end, I've noticed just how many gifts I've been given and how many perks come with adulthood, purely in terms of legality mind you.

There are lots of little things that show me things are changing. Like having to register to for Selective Services just in case someone decides to inundate the draft soon; I don't think I'll have to worry too much. Then there's voter registration, which I'm probably most excited about, but I'll get to that later. I even got a free new razor and shaving gel from Gillette for my birthday. You know, one of those new fusion blades; those commercials almost make me ashamed to be a man, they're so cheesy. But I must confess, they're telling the truth when they say it has less irritation. Snazzy...

However, as I look back at my... "development" I come to appreciate all the freedoms I've piled up and, all of a sudden, its like "dang, I'm all grown up... kind of." The most obvious example of this would be my 1991 Mercury Grand Marquis and licence to kill. (did I say kill? I meant drive) I'll take this time to highlight my ultra sweet ride. Jake Box has been quoted as saying "The thing's a tank!" I couldn't agree more. The thing's got an engine too, and its not shy about letting you know either. And, if you don't mind me saying, you can fit like 5 bodies in the trunk. That's like 20 Jr. highers so you guys better watch it. Now that I'm 18 and have sheded my permitual boundaries, I can literally go where I want, with who I want, whenever I want. Thusly, I have dedicated this weeks page audio to the bliss of driving with Rascal Flatts greatest song ever, but you already knew that. Never mind that it has no air conditioning or cup holders. Its pretty much the greatest vehicle in the history of mankind.

And the best part is that I didn't pay a dime for it, with the exception of my first fill-up, which was a nightmare. But that's another story; it sure would have been good for that story competition. Anyway, yes, my parents own the car and let me drive it. For all the talk they gave me as a child that I was going to have to pay for a car, college and life in general, they're really dishing it out for me. And its not just the car, This year they have graciously given me a cell phone, and incredibly sweet laptop. The amount of freedom and independence I have acquired recently has snuck up on me. I can only assume that, for one, my parents are very gracious and trust me, and that I must have earned it someway along my life. All that pointless work and responsibility payed off after all. I'm nothing but perfect, but guess I've done pretty well. As my two younger siblings argued at Texas Land and Cattle, my mother wished out loud that they would act more like me and Lydia. So... what can you take from my little rant? I guess you younger folk can understand that working hard, getting good grades, obeying your parents, and developing and upholding your convictions has its benefits. You may not see it right away, or even for a while, but as we learned in Jake's series on authority a few months back, embracing your authorities instead of rebelling against them increases your freedom. (and its freaking awesome to drive too!)
A Few Things I Think I Think-

>I think Jake should relinquish his two honor points, or retry the challenge with much more effort. I GAVE two of my newly acquired honor points to Jake for singing the lovely intro to the skit last Sunday and I'm sure you'd agree with me that his performance was lackluster. We all know you can't sing, but you can't take advantage of my lack of experience in the game. I'm waiting...

>I think Apple should make their own video game console and cell phone service. Based on their prior performance, they'll probably make great products. And besides, they'll automatically make a killing on anything with "i" in the name. Then they come out with a new version every month.

>I think I haven't spent enough time thinking on what to put in my things I think I think segment.

Sports Center-

When I first looked at the cover of the latest SI sporting, what they claimed were the three "next gen" players, I couldn't believe they would put Carmelo Anthony in the center and Dwayne Wade and Lebron James on the outside. Then I realised it was based on geographic location and the Carmelo cover was for the entire western half of the country. It couldn't tick me off more because I don't think Anthony is at the same level as James or Wade in the slightest. Ever since those three were drafted, I thought they were over-hyped by the press, but as their carers have progressed, James and Wade have shown just how much of a force they can be. Anthony has not. Maybe its because I've mostly seen him playing the Spurs and he is shut down by Bruce Bowen, but the guy's just mediocre. He has his spurts of greatness, but when the Nuggets need a lift, it seems like the supporting cast steps up and "Melo" is well, melo. I'd pick Wade or James over Anthony in a heartbeat. All of them have talent, but Wade and James take over games and are the true leaders of their team.
With the NBA season just around the corner I'll make some quick predictions and then move on because no one cares till February.

Under the radar teams:

East-Bulls, Bobcats. Both are climbing the ladder and adding talent

West-Clippers, Jazz. Although I hate them, they are getting good

So Overrated Teams:

East-Nets, Pistons. Look for these teams to slide

West-Rockets, Grizzlies. They already suck and they aren't getting any better

There are so many things that scare me to death about the Horn's performance last week against Nebraska. Kicker consistency, the lack of the run game and that darn secondary are causing me to question how good this team is. However, Colt McCoy has continued to step up and lead the team when the running game and defence fall short and the defence still comes through when they have to. Now that I've got that out of the way, that was a classic game last week. I think this rivalry will start to heat up as the children of the corn continue to improve. As Texas heads to lovely Lubbock to play a very underachieving Texas Tech, I really want to see them dominate with the run and keep the ball out of Tech's hands. The Baylor game showed how a Tech style offence can expose the Texas secondary, but this is not the same Tech team that we have seen in years past. The Horns role in this one. Texas 42 Texas Tech 20

As the 7-1 Aggies start finally play pretty good teams, this "not play very well but still eek out a win at the end by taking out their QB and blocking a kick in overtime" strategy isn't going to work. The Aggies will be playing on the road against a clone of Tech with a better defence. Texas A&M 27 Baylor 36

I don't know what to think about the Cowboys anymore and frankly, I really don't want to try to analyze them. Each week there's a new problem or scapegoat. The defence, the offensive line, TO, Drew Bledsoe, Bill Parcels. I have no idea where they are going to go now. I wouldn't be surprised if they go 3-0 or 0-3 in the next few weeks. This team is so hard to dissect: I'm sick of it. That doesn't matter in the end though, the soap opera roles on. Dallas 13 Carolina 30

My pickoff record (3-3) I didn't make any risky picks last week, which was great for college and horrible for pro football. For some reason every ranked team came close to loosing in college but didn't, and this was upset week for every pro game. I've added a few more picks this week, including the Seahawks just for Sean.

My picks for this week:

Houston 17 Tennesee 19-Vince gets even.

Seattle 27 Kansas City 20-KC Baby! They seriously need some D.

Indy 35 Denver 27-This is such a great rivalry cause the Colts always win.

Tampa Bay 17 New York 24-Giants are looking good, who isn't against the Boys?

Florida 31 Georgia 15-I've never liked that ketchup-red color.

Oklahoma 21 Missouri 20-Two teams on a downward slide.

Georgia Tech 24 Miami 27-Miami should pay, but they won't.

Office Update-

Aww, isn't that cute, Jim and Pam are talking again. That relationship is going nowhere for this entire season. However, the show is still great as Dwight and Micheal continue to... well, do what they do. I love Pretzel Day!

Politics As Usual-

After the resent scandal/cover-up concerning Sen. Foley and his relationships with former pages, there has been a call from some highly respected conservative leaders to abstain from voting for Republicans in this election in order to send the message that there current behavior is unacceptable. The media has aided this campaign and there is now a debate within republican voters on whether to participate this time around. Their anger is not related to the Foley "scandal" as much as it is for the continued government spending and lack of action in terms of immigration. I have been engaged in politics since I was 14 and couldn't wait till I was 18 and I could finally participate in the system. The call to not vote Republican this year really ticks me off. In my first opportunity to vote your telling me to wait another 2 years before I give my input? I don't agree with every policy they have, but the Republicans have a direction and "teaching them a lesson" in my opinion, jeopardizes the country. In other words I can't wait to vote Republican in November. (Bye the way, does anyone care?)

Video of the Week-"Football in the Office"

Sweet Seats and a Crappy Camera

Now that I have a blog, let me give you an idea of how this is gonna work and just how i'm gonna make this the best blog around. (Sorry Box, but your time has past) I'll try to have a main topic, but only if I feel like it. I'm not going to bog myself down into one stupid editorial. The heart and soul of this blog will be my little weekly segments. I'm thinking I'll get more out of these than focusing on one meager topic. And of course, you can always skip past it if it bores you to death. As always, I'm perfectly open to any suggestions or comments you have to make my blog more enjoyable for you. Just as long as it helps me somehow, as i've been crooning in church, it is "all about me."

Now for the main event. Last Saturday, my family treated me to some sweet tickets to the Texas game for my fast approaching birthday. (Anybody care to take a guess at the date?) They were lucky enough to acquire some of the sweetest tickets ever. I'm talking 40 yard line, 9 rows up. That's like "I throw a bunch of money at the Longhorn foundation" kind of sweet. These things only show up only about once in a lifetime, so I was determined to make it extra-special. Luck continued to shine as low and behold, our neighbor dumped 5 more tickets in our lap and we were able to invite my cousins down for the game. That would be the same cousin that has been leaving comments and making fun of my blog. (He better cut out, cause his is atrocious) Everything was going great, me and Lydia got to our seats just as the Texas band made its entrance. So I figured I'd snap a few pics for evidence of just how great our seats were. I got two off before the battery died, none with us in the shot or of the game itself. Devastation. And of course, it didn't help that we were down 10-0 at the end of the first quarter.

One of the two pictures I got off before the battery died

But, the Horns finally got on track and started scoring like they were playing... well... Baylor. One thing I couldn't get over was the fact the I was the only one in the entire section standing for the duration of the game. My family from across the stadium could pick me out in seconds cause I was the only one standing and cheering. Oh well, I guess having so much money in their pockets forced them to sit, lest they seriously injure their spines. I guess they didn't want their money to get wet either, cause once it started sprinkling, they headed for the exits. With all the spare seats, we were able to sneak everyone over from their endzone seats (where everyone had been standing) and I got to hang out with everyone. I still wanted at least one picture of us at the game, so we kept trying to turn on the camera while taking a picture at the same time. As you can see, it worked once and we were out of frame, but hey, it was still a great Birthday present and did I mention they were great seats.

The one powerless picture we got off of me and my cousin Matt. (what is my dad eating by the way?)

A Few Things I Think I Think-random musings through the week, straight from me, which could easily be completely contradicted the next week, and probably will be.

>I think the current rules in College Football are stupid. I don't understand how when a fumble is caused and the offence is the last to touch the ball before it goes out of the back of the endzone the defence gets the ball on the 20. The offence should get it where the fumble occurred. Even if the defence gets the ball, they should get it on the where the ball came out, not on the 20 yard line. Why is the sideline so different when its in the endzone?

>I think its rather contradictory for Sam and Steph to use a blog to argue the fact that "blogs are wack." I always just said they were stupid when people asked me to start one. If you want to bash blogs, use another method please.

>I think its foolish to claim that if Texas were to play Ohio State now they could beat them. We could have beaten them when we played them in September! If Billy Pittman wouldn't reach for the goaline like an idiot. We were beat fare and square, by a very good football team, probably best in the nation. If we were to play them next week, I still think they would beat us, just not by 17.

>I think that Drew Bledsoe is a bad quarterback. (allow me to jump on the bandwagon) When Parcels first signed the "nasal mucus machine" (if you don't get it, you don't get it) I wasn't to confident that we had found our man. He'll only be around for another 2-3 years so he's not going to solve the QB problem in the long term. He's got good players around him, but he just can't get the job done when he's needed. So, due to my pessimism on the rest of this year, its time to look for next year's big QB acquisition. And yes, that means Tony Romo should not be starting. Its time to look for a long time solution, so no looking at quickly aging Brett Farve or Kerry Collins. There are budding stars in the free agency like Atlanta's Matt Schaub, or the Jag's backup David Garrard. Or how bought a high draft pick like OSU's Troy Smith, Iowa's Drew Tate, or even Florida's Chris Leak? What to y'all think? (Specifically Jake and Sean because everyone else has long since fallen asleep)

Since I seem to be so sports oriented today, let's move on to Sports Center-time for me to analyze lasts weeks games and make some picks and predictions for the fallowing week.

Texas Quarterback Colt McCoy had a career day last Sat. even though he was less than spectacular. (his recievers did most of the work) The D also forced 5 turnovers, 2 of which were taken back for scores, but they gave up 350 offencive yards and 31 points. This could be a worry as the Horns head in to Lincoln to play the 17th ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers. With one of the toughest schedules heading into this game the Huskers have played well and will give Texas and McCoy their first big test on the road. (sorry Rice, you don't count) Many considered Nebraska to be a trap game for Texas and will call this game closely. However, I think the sometimes suspect Texas D can step up and shut down offences when needed (OU 2nd half) and as long as they establish the run, that offence can score in so many ways. Watch for the Horns to pull away in the 4th quarter. Texas 31 Nebraska 17

When we left Fuddruckers Sun afternoon, Dallas was up 10-6 over the Houston and I thought the Texans could pull the big upset. But after a long sidetrack at the cingular store, I got home and discovered that the final was 34-6 Boys. What happened to that spectacular Texans D led by Super Mario the defensive MVP? The Boys host the Giants, a game which they should win. But I wouldn't bet money, the Cowboys are experts at finding a way to loose. Dallas 20 New York 17

More Picks for this Week:

Houston 16 Jacksonville 31-Super Mario does it again!

Texas A&M 30 Oklahoma St. 24-Every game is a trap game with coach Fran.

Michigan 34 Iowa 24-The Wolverines are overrated, but so is Iowa.

Carolina 35 Cincinnati 24-Panthers are getting things going finally.

All right, I really need to get to some homework. I know everyone is going to complain that everything was sports and y'all would be correct. So here are some lovely little segments you can be looking for in future posts:

Office Update-In case you haven't noticed, this is the best show on TV currently. (for more mature audiences) Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3PJnhGn6-Q to catch up on this seasons episodes while I comment on this delightful program.

Politics As Usual-If anyone cares, my thoughts on the latest political banter.

In the News-What I think about recent news big, or small.

Video of the Week-A segment I think y'all will really enjoy. Some of my favorite vids from YouTube. This Week: Weird Al's "White and Nerdy" (Just for you, James and Josh)

That's It! I'm Done! Good bye loyal following.

To Blog Or Not To Blog?

So I was hanging with all the fellow homeschoolers at our recent get together at Chick-fil-a with the legendary Jake Box. As the others were all discussing their blogging, I was in between a few nuggets when Jake asked me why I don't have one? My answer was nothing new. I told him that it's just like Myspace; a black hole of time that can waste your life away completely and unless I have a following then it's really not worth it at all.

Of course this feeling resonates from my deep hatred for being part of a fad. Whether it be Ipods, Myspace, Starbucks, or Xbox 360, I (usually) can't stand doing something just because everyone else does. For the longest time, blogs have fallen into that category because frankly, unless someone else is actually listening, I'd much rather do something else that fritters my life away completely. But lately I've been having a change of heart on this whole blogging business. Jake promptly responded to my little speech by saying that I would have a following and after taking some time to look it over, I agree with him. We've got our own little blogging community here at TWO-14 and after a few long late night squabbles with myself, I've concluded that I want in. I've got opinions just like everyone else, but I tend to hold back in conversation and I'd like to provide an outlet for others to get to know me better, or at least for me to get to know myself.

I have a feeling that once I get into it, I'll find it very rewarding and honestly, I'll easily make it the best blog of TWO-14. But here's where you come in, as you will be crucial to the success of this little endeavor. If you want me to go through with this, I need you to let me hear it. I want some backing before I commit to this grunt* "hobby." (Don't you love how I started this blog on Friday the 13th) So lets hear it, how much do you want this? It's all up to you now. If I don't feel the love, this blog might unexpectedly find a toaster in its bathtub and alas, I will once again become an online introvert.