Let's see....

Let's see, 8:00 am, why don't I go out and mow some wet grass for the 2nd time this week?

I pretty sure that is what's going through our neighbors heads, each week. Don't get me wrong, they're nice people, grandparents, etc.....but what is so important about your retired life, that you need to mow grass early in the morning.

Maybe early is the operative word there. Most likely 8:00am is already at least 2-3 hours into the day.

I theorize that today's retirees have spent their lives working hard (getting up early, working late) to get to the place when they can retire, that once they get there, their life patterns keep them in the same schedule. I'd think this to be especially true of those who farm.

There's a lady at work who still push-mows her lawn in the summer heat waves, as if it's a badge of honor? (Hint: they've invented riding tractors for people your age, and dying from a heat stroke is a foolish way to finish life).

I really wonder what our retirement will be like? At this point I think it's safe to say mine will be much, much, later than the normal retirement age.

I also wonder if I'll be out-of-touch from a clothing perspective...i.e. clinging on to that favorite dated t-shirt or pair of jeans. While you don't see many stone-washed jeans anymore, I do see a lot of seniors wearing incredible plaid combinations. I mean, if you're cool with it, that's fine.....it's just very out-of-touch with present day style.

Fast forward 50 years, I'll just about be 80, hopefully a grandpa of many, and still wearing my khaki shorts...which probably will be as modern as plaid on plaid combo.



Actually, as I write, I think it's more likely that those track suits, if they aren't already, will probably be the fashion no-no of our generation, at the senior age-level.

Dzija!

Yesterday marked the beginning of the Jeff Samardzija major league career for the Chicago Cubs. He got called up to take the place of Kerry Wood's roster spot, and was put to pitch (relief) in his first game.

Seeing the highlights on baseball tonight, he had some nasty action on his fastball, and looked pretty good. He did give up a run, in 2 innings, but overall looked like a major leaguer.

In all reality, he probably will be sent down in a week or so, as Kerry Wood could be activated from the DL early next week. However, he'll definitely be a September call-up, when the rosters expand in early September, and if he does really well, could make the post-season roster.

You can visit his website at www.jeff-samardzija.com

Here's a few highlights from the Cubs.com article:

"The Cubs didn't waste any time getting him into a game. With Chicago leading, 2-1, Samardzija came on in relief in the seventh against Florida, and struck out Alfredo Amezaga, prompting the crowd of 41,570 to rise to its feet."

"The first member of the Cubs' 2006 Draft class to reach the big leagues.."

"He may be a little groggy. Samardzija got the news when he was in Tucson, Ariz., with the Iowa team, and flew to Las Vegas, then took a red eye flight to Chicago. He arrived around 5 a.m. CT on Friday. How much sleep did he get?

"None," he said, laughing."

"The first thing Piniella wanted to know was how long Samardzija's hair was."

"He had family and friends scrambling to get to Wrigley for Friday's game against the Florida Marlins." Good thing he's from Northwest Indiana, though it was an afternoon game.

On a personal note, the thing I always admired about Samardzija was his determination to get to the end-zone. The guy was a human-highlight film, and brought many warm fuzzies to ND fans with the Quinn-Samardzija football connection. I do think he made the right choice to play baseball over football, as his impact as an athlete will be better in baseball, and I look forward to seeing his determination play out as a starting pitcher. He could easily be one of the "Roy Halladay" old school type pitchers who gives you more complete games than the regular guy.

Like everything in sports....time will tell.

Credit Card Crunch

Working in the retail environment, I'm always amazed at how many people have stacks of credit cards in their wallet or purse.

Granted, some of them are reward cards or membership cards (Blockbuster, Staples, etc), but a lot of them have a VISA, Discover or MC logo on them.

One lady the other day pulled out a stack of cards (6 or so) then another, and then another until she had 3 stacks of cards, of which at least half were credit cards....I wanted to discreetly count, but I didn't realize how many until the end.

Kristy and I have tried "shopping around" for different credit card offers, and we do benefit from occasionally adding a different card, but I hope we never get to the point where some of these people are. Even if you have only $100 on each card....it's paralysis by quantity.

How Sweet would this be!

This would make for great NFL "theater". Rexy isn't consistent, the rest are backup material....but Favre....he's the legend. Of course, I'd route for just about any big-time quarterback (McNabb, Culpepper, etc) to go to Chicago, just to make it an interesting division.

Back to the Farve image, someone had some fun with photo-shop...and I'd say Hillary has a better chance of being president before Farve is in Chicago (or Minnesota).

Sunday Night Alive

Wow....it was a hot-hot day, but thanks to our evening praise & worship service, I really didn't mind it.

Practice was even enjoyable, as we mixed & matched melodies/dynamics,and as we had at least 4 small fans pointed at/on the stage. The ceiling fans were all turned to "frenetic", so that kept air moving as well.

Our theme was based on the song "From the Inside Out" and so we enjoyed a period of reflective worship, followed by Pastor Eric sharing a short devotional/discussion and then a time of celebration.

Some songs just seem to resonate well, regardless where you are worshipping, and with whom you are worshiping. Our expressions of worship overflowed with joy at "Trading My Sorrows" and "Days of Elijah" and we ended the evening with "Praise Song" by Third Day.

All-in-all a very enjoyable night of worship. May God continue to bless our efforts.

Jose Canseco - Val Sikehema Fight

Normally I'd stick my nose up in distain at boxing, but this particular 1 min 36 sec fight caught my attention. It matched former Eagle Vai Sikahema against former childhood baseball hero Jose Canseco.

The tale of the tape: Vai is 5'9 and roughly 181 lbs (drafted in the NFL by the then St. Louis CARDINALS (before they moved to Arizona) in 1986). Jose Canseco is 6'4 and roughly 240 lbs (drafted by the A's in 1982). That's roughly 5 inches & 40-60 lbs depending on the accuracy of the weight figures!!!

To paraphrase a quote from Vai, "(when the bell rang) I wanted to be on him like a pitbull in a phonebooth".

Sunday Night Alive

Everyone's invited to our Sunday Night Alive service this Sunday. We'll have an extended time of worship & Pastor Eric will share a few thoughts.

Thanx

Thanks to everyone who prayed/visited/expressed concern for my dad. He came through open heart surgery very well, and is at home recovering. Continue to pray for him and my mom, as they have a long road (6-8 weeks) of recovery to face.

What a show!

After Chase Utley was elminated with a 4 HR evening, I pretty much had tuned out the home run derby. The announcers made a big deal about Chase's swing, but I really think his pitcher didn't do him any favors....too erratic in my opinion (but than again, I was watching with a more critical eye).

The pitcher who did well, and made me sit-up and pay attention, was a 71-year old guy!!! The Josh Hamilton story, which, if he played in any other market but Arlington, Texas would have been exhausted by now, but the story continues....

....especially when he hit 13 CONSECUTIVE home runs, on way to a record 28 in the first round.

Kristy and I were watching as he hit bomb after bomb after bomb. I'd say, opps, a little to inside (home run)....oops, just got under that one (home run), and so on....the guy was taking fly-ball outs, and still muscling them into the front row of the stands.

After awhile, it was...."Can he make 30 in a round" or "can he hit it out of the yard (520+ feet). He had a few which made it into the 500's, and ended up with 3 of the top 10 longest home runs in the HISTORY of the derby.

You don't often get many "wow!" moments...because the game is continuously moving for any one moment to linger...but this was a wow! moment.

What a event....too bad he couldn't finish the night and win. I told Kristy, it might work against him to have that much time off, and swing that many times early...and it did.

The 71 year old guy....he pitched around 85 pitches! While the velocity isn't the same, considering his age & conditioning, that's about the same as a full game.

Great story...I'm quickly becoming a fan of his.

Happy 4th!

It's a rainy 4th here in Pennsylvania. Thankfully we have our cookout planned for Sunday.