1st inning.
Daddy/Daughter dance...
After a 3 hour birthday party for Dixie and her friends on Saturday afternoon, Kylie, Dixie, and myself got dressed for the Daddy/Daughter dance at the Belton High School. The dance was from 6pm-8pm and we arrived right at 6 only to find the line to get a formal picture by Pearce Photographics wrapping around the cafeteria with around 100 people in the line. We made our way to the end and waited in line for an hour till it was our turn then swiftly made our way to the snack line for some punch and cookies. With the girls' sugar fix satisfied we headed into the gym to partake in the musical festivities. Now let me say this...while waiting in line we could hear the music and missed out on YMCA and Thriller (bummer!) but we still made it in time to work our groove to some 'Ice, Ice Baby', 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun', and to something called 'The Cupid Shuffle'. Throughout the remainder of the evening we were able to work a nice 3-way dance while having a bunch of fun. We look forward to next year and the girls were looking forward to the day Lucy could accompany us as a Kindergartner but I had to inform them that they would be too old by that time...sad faces all around. Side note--this was not the first occasion I had two pretty dates for a formal event...
2nd inning.
There was a great story that came out of the Super Bowl that involved the Baltimore Raven player, Michael Oher. If you have not seen 'The Blind Side' then I would suggest buying it and although Oher may not agree with how he was portrayed in the movie it still has a wonderful message. Gina and I have always had a desire to adopt or to be foster parents. When we lived in Memphis (which just happened to be during the years portrayed in the movie) Gina worked at a non-profit, Youth Villages , which assisted children coming from troubled homes and were most likely victims of some form of abuse or neglect. It was an eye opener to the thousands of children that really and truly needed a 'family'. In my short 38 years on this planet I have met people that were adopted and those that adopted children. Through those connections I came to understand the perils of adopting children in the United States. The wise Thomas Sowell highlights just one troubled segment of adopting children in our nation. I see people adopting children from overseas and continue to see children here in the greatest country in the world advertised in the paper as the 'Child of the Week- Looking for a Home'. I don't care how manly you are it has to break your heart in some way.
"There are wonderful kids all over this country and this world that want a forever family and we believe that there are no unwanted kids they're just unfound families."--Leigh Ann Touhy
3rd inning.
American History lesson this week. Defense of Fort McHenry, Maryland. As I watched the video of Dr. Benjamin Carson (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyyHegP255g --the 24:30 mark) at the National Prayer Breakfast on February 7th, he described the events during the War of 1812 that transpired at the Fort McHenry. It was truly a remarkable event. For our armed forces to defend the Fort and not let the Flag fall was a symbol that was documented and transformed into a national...anthem. I had the chance to see the Fort on work trip back in 2010. As we floated by on a boat trip of the bay, I felt a chill as I thought about the 25 hours of bombardment the Fort took from the British armada and after all was said and done...Old Glory was still flying.
4th inning.
Movie I want to see this year... 'Man of Steel' (The background music in the new trailer is very powerful, in my opinion). There will never be another Christopher Reeve but I think this latest version has a chance. I believe we can all forget Superman 3 & 4 and Superman Returns, but I watched Smallville and would have been satisfied with Tom Welling assuming the role. So, with this new version we are treated to another origin story and a new Superman 'super-suit'. This is suppose to be the movie to jump start the chance at a group movie a few years from now that will be the forming of the 'Justice League'. I think this one is a winner.
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| I had my own Superman action figure doll when I was a kid after the original movie came out. Wish I still had him... |
5th inning.
This ole...bobblehead. Satchel Paige. One of the greatest pitchers to ever take the mound and one of the greatest baseball entertainers to ever put on a uniform. Anyone that has visited our home has most likely noticed my bobblehead collection of Kansas City Royals, Kansas City Monarchs, Kansas City Chiefs, and other baseball/football players. There is one that stands out to me as my most coveted. How did I get it? Well, when we lived in Cordova, Tennessee (an eastern suburb of Memphis) we would always go to this little outlet mall and within it was a memorabilia store. They sold Hollywood memorabilia along with sports memorabilia. I really liked to go in there as he had some very old stuff (almost like a museum) and usually found Memphis Chicks stuff that had images of many of the Royals that came up through there in the Minor leagues when Memphis was a farm club. The owner had once lived in Kansas City so he and I would occasionally talk about KC and the many sports figures that had come through and the great BBQ compared to the local Mid-South flavor. Anyhow, one day I'm in there and looking through his display counter and notice the Satchel Paige bobblehead. Now, prior to living in Memphis I had heard the name, Satchel Paige, but until the summer of 2003 I had no knowledge of how great a baseball player he really was during his career. It was during that summer that I bought the Royals tv package through our cable company and was introduced to Buck O'Neill and through him I was educated on Leroy Robert Paige. So, there I am looking at the bobblehead and decide to ask how much he costs and the owner ho-hums and says, "How about $40?" to which I said, "Sold!". He goes to the back to get the box and when he comes out he tells me that the box shows the real price was for $80 but he would still honor the $40. Scouring the interweb he seems to have retained his value and then some but I wasn't looking to get rich, just to have neat piece of history. By the way, if you are ever in Kansas City, please take the time to go visit the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (www.nlbm.com). 6th inning.
Firearms corner...Ruger 10/22. I was watching an episode of 'Midway USA's Gun Stories' awhile back and the gun profiled was the Ruger 10/22 (A history of the rifle can be found here). Watching that show educated me on how popular that rifle has become over the years since it's introduction in 1964. I purchased mine back in 2006, I believe, from the Bass Pro shop in Olathe, Kansas. It is a great introductory rifle for a child as the .22 Long Rifle (rimfire cartridge) round has no kick and since it comes with a 10-round rotary magazine you can plink away for awhile before needing to reload. The 10/22 now comes in a variety of formats that include a Sporter model, Compact, Carbine, Mannlicher, and a new Takedown (which has been as elusive as the Sasquatch since it was introduced last year). Another great feature about the 10/22 is that it can be customized through various stocks and barrels. You can modify it to look like an AR-15 or M1 Carbine then turnaround and swap out the stock and/or barrel to make it a target match version to shoot in rimfire competitions. So, if you are looking for a first rifle for your child then I would definitely recommend the Ruger 10/22 which is usually selling around the $200 mark or if you would like a good plinker that you can also take small game hunting then you have found your gun! Squirrels beware! 7th inning.
FFL factoid...Contiguous State Long-Gun Purchase Restrictions:
- Residents of California may NOT purchase long-guns (rifles or shotguns) in other states and Non-Residents may NOT purchase long-guns in California.
- Residents of Colorado may purchase long-guns only in Arizona, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah, and Wyoming and Non-Residents may purchase long-guns in Colorado only if they are a resident of Arizona, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah, and Wyoming.
- Residents of Delaware may purchase long-guns only Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania as long as the transaction is permitted in that state and Non-Residents may purchase long-guns in Maryland.
- Residents of Illinois who possess a Firearm Owners Identification card under Illinois law may purchase long-guns only in Iowa, Missouri, Indiana, Wisconsin, or Kentucky and Non-Residents who are residents of Iowa, Missouri, Indiana, Wisconsin, or Kentucky may purchase long-guns in Illinois. Non-residents of any other states who possess a valid non-resident hunting license may purchase long-guns in Illinois. Non-residents of any other state who are competing in a sanctioned shooting event may purchase a shotgun at the place of the event for the purpose of participating in that event.
- Residents of Maryland may purchase long-guns only in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, or West Virginia. If the firearm is a 'regulated firearm' under Maryland law, the out of state FFL(Federal Firearms Licensed dealer) must ship the firearm to a Maryland FFL and Non-Residents may purchase long-guns in Maryland only if they are a resident of Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, or West Virginia.
- Residents of Massachusetts may purchase long-guns in other states and Non-Residents may purchase long-guns in Massachusetts only if they first obtain a Massachusetts non-resident license to carry.
- Residents of New York may purchase long-guns only in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Vermont and Non-Residents may purchase long-guns in New York.
- Residents of Ohio may purchase long-guns only in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania, or West Virginia and Non-Residents may purchase long-guns in Ohio only if they are a resident of Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania, or West Virginia.
- Residents of Oregon may purchase long-guns only in California, Idaho, Nevada, or Washington as long as the transaction is permitted in that state and Non-Residents may purchase long-guns in this state.
Random thoughts...The history of many gun control laws in the United States have had racist implications but don't try to explain that to 'Crazy' Danny Glover (I thought Martin Riggs was the crazy one not Roger Murtaugh)....It upsets me that the President made time to comment on Whitney Houston's death but has yet to pay any respects to Chris Kyle....If my Kanasas City Royals can not win with this revamped pitching staff it is over for Dayton Moore...To all the husbands out there, if you don't want to perform a task/chore your wife gives you just screw it up real bad the first time then she won't ask you to do it again...I hope Yoda gets his own movie now that Disney owns the Star Wars franchise...Tate Stevens' debut single sounds like a hit...Sign up for your elected representatives electronic newsletters, it keeps you informed on what they are doing on your behalf...
9th inning.
Pitchers and Catchers reported yesterday. Bring on Spring Training!
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