tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39812027239149293182024-03-05T03:48:31.712-08:00That Just HappenedI jot my thoughts down here every once in awhile. It is my outlet via writing. I generally am not too serious.Ben Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16667521261977344098noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981202723914929318.post-37031533710412362512013-12-20T21:33:00.001-08:002013-12-21T09:35:48.992-08:002013 Xmas Letter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Ben Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16667521261977344098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981202723914929318.post-50245707379630633902013-09-26T18:35:00.000-07:002013-09-26T18:35:26.978-07:00The Clinch: Green Collar Back to BackI was only in California four days before I couldn't take it any longer. I had to go to an A's game. It was a good thing I had the day off because it was the season home finale on Sunday. While watching Stanford win on Saturday, I kept close tabs on the A's game as they had a chance to clinch the division for the second straight year with a win and a Texas loss. It just so happens that did not happen. Even though the A's took care of business, so did the Rangers.<br />
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So I couldn't ask for a better opportunity. The A's were playing a Sunday afternoon contest in mid-September, the last game of the season at home, the A's could clinch the division with either a win or a Rangers loss and Sonny Gray was pitching so I got to see him pitch after missing him in AAA at Colorado Springs. I got my value deck ticket ($16 but included a $6 concessions/merchandise voucher) and headed across the bay to Oak town.<br />
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The Rangers game started earlier in the day so everyone among the 30,000 in attendance was keeping a close eye on the scoreboard along with their cell phones leading up to the game. When the first pitch occurred for the A's it was scoreless between KC and Texas.<br />
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The situation took an early toll on my finger nails. The Twins took a 1-0 lead over the A's in the first inning thanks to an Oakland error and then the A's went three and out. Meanwhile it was still 0-0 in the late innings in Kansas City. The next inning made me feel much better. The A's put a six spot on the board in the bottom of the second, all coming with two outs. The nerdman Eric Sogard blooped a two-run single, cereal lover Coco Crisp jacked a three-run shot to right and MVP Josh Donaldson doubled in a run. Crisp and Donaldson have been red hot and a big reason for the A's excellent September. Now I am feeling much better.<br />
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The next thing you know the crowd is going crazy in the top of the third. Not because the A's are up 6-1 but because Justin Maxwell hit a two-out grand slam in the bottom of the 10th to lift Kansas City past Texas. This lead to the A's owning the West for the second consecutive season. Between the top and bottom half of the inning the Umpires let a small delay occur while they put the K.C. score on the manual scoreboard and show the grand slam on the video board. The crowd was going nuts. Flat out awesome!!!<br />
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With the division in hand, Oakland's offense rolled to an 11-7 victory. Highlights included a Daric Barton home run, a Jed Lowrie dinger and Josh Reddick gunning out two runners at first base. Barton has secured a spot on the postseason roster after playing tremendous since being called up to the big club. Lowrie was a great pick up in the offseason and has been consistently good. Reddick is one of the best throwing outfielders and continues to amaze with his accuracy and arm strength.<br />
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A two-run single in the ninth brought the Twins a little closer but Evan Scribner tossed three straight strikes to K Josmil Pinto and end the game. Bring on the celebration.<br />
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It was great to see one of these celebrations live for the first time after seeing them happen so many times on TV. It takes me back to storming the court after our Duke guys won the national championship in 2010. That was my favorite moment in sports for sure but this one was pretty special too.<br />
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After a quick trip to the locker room the fun really began. Players started coming out with champaign and beer bottles. Sure they put tarps up in the locker room and did that whole thing but then in typical A's fashion they paid tribute to the fans. One player ran to the bullpen and showered the fans in the first couple of rows. Several players followed in running around the stadium and spraying fans. All three outfielders in Coco, Yoenis Cespedes and Josh Reddick went around the outfield and waved to their cheering sections. The best was Reddick who came out in his Georgia helmet with two bottles, went to right field, sprayed both bottles up in the air and pointed to the rowdy fans who have been his biggest supporters. The entire thing was awesome. I was up so high I couldn't even smell the liquor but I was rocking my Stairway to Blevins t-shirt and loving every minute.<br />
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The 2013 clinch was amazing and now I can't wait to get tickets to the ALDS and watch the A's win in the playoffs. Green Collar all day long.Ben Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16667521261977344098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981202723914929318.post-68702161038299327572013-09-16T00:14:00.001-07:002013-09-16T00:14:44.045-07:00I'm going, going, back, back, to Cali, Cali I am happy to announce that I have accepted a position working with my former boss at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. I may not be notorious but I'm going, going, back, back, to Cali, Cali!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMUFac_BJ-C3ANbph4j_3r2sSsnk5usKgOMmz_hHUQFiHuUMnP9i413jOM_c4b89BfRnrgxMtsHVY70wCI3EHU1cn_4L05LRzww9L9NEV3HdaBfobFRqzY6dzNex5y7_MJpM9ncNS2Kk0/s1600/stanford.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMUFac_BJ-C3ANbph4j_3r2sSsnk5usKgOMmz_hHUQFiHuUMnP9i413jOM_c4b89BfRnrgxMtsHVY70wCI3EHU1cn_4L05LRzww9L9NEV3HdaBfobFRqzY6dzNex5y7_MJpM9ncNS2Kk0/s320/stanford.jpg" /></a><br />Ten months ago I made a life decision and chose to quit my job at the University of Texas. A change in job duties, constant stress, unhappy workplace and some family health issues created a situation that called for me getting out of college athletics and returning home to Colorado to be near my family.<br /><br />I took a month off to relax and spend Christmas with my family, to attend my grandfather's funeral and along with my dad, haul my grandmother off to Idaho to spend a week with her sister and other family members. After the month-long break I began to look for jobs in Colorado. My focus was on trying to find something close to my sister South of Denver in Parker or Castle Rock. I was open to trying a new career and hoping to land a nice 40-hour per week gig so I could work on some new interests such as fixing up a '49 Studebaker pickup or woodworking. <br /><br />Well a couple of months went by with a couple of interviews. I was called in for an interview to manage a mattress store and when I got there I found out I was one of 20 interviewing at the same time and one of probably hundreds being asked questions that day. Shockingly I did not get a call back but sales is not an ideal position for me anyway. I also interviewed to work at a marketing/sales firm but hated the cheesy, Justin Timberlake suit and tie b.s.ers that greeted me at the door and talked to me. If I wanted to sell used cars I would go work for Ashley Schaeffer and hire Kenny Powers for promotions.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0vewJ_SAg25k-MfJGmIP_0Sx96VLae_pADShSSko_6I_cDePcNkxtLpeNkFexc28s9XeIW3clFX7yafY4_Hd-6AE5HVcooRONVhEX3tFHmPapQIL_oFTM5_EDowyFH6MybZGWE46GrRE/s1600/schaeffer.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0vewJ_SAg25k-MfJGmIP_0Sx96VLae_pADShSSko_6I_cDePcNkxtLpeNkFexc28s9XeIW3clFX7yafY4_Hd-6AE5HVcooRONVhEX3tFHmPapQIL_oFTM5_EDowyFH6MybZGWE46GrRE/s1600/schaeffer.jpg" /></a><br /><br />The other interview I got was not really an interview buy an outright dream job offer. When I was in middle school I dreamed of working for the United States Postal Service. I have no idea why I wanted to do this back then but delivering mail always appealed to me. Maybe it was because I like to receive mail, I don't know. Anyways I was offered a job as a part-time delivery guy in Manitou Springs, Colorado. However, after weighing the options I determined the pay was not enough to live in the city and benefits were non-existent for part-time employees. Thus I let me dream job slip away like a ship in a bottle going out to sea. Who knows what could have happened if I had taken the job but since then a huge fire occurred where I would have lived and a huge flood where I would have worked so I guess I made the right choice. I could have been the next Newman!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6WJvVosqFjPvOl3mguDd_uM8TBkbOE0AkmLsaa_Td0RF819kX9AOxgCypa1Jkv0BvpLOWIjMPe2xlEyFE-YLaJkSgPFMyzaHamGlOePwHAYSVb2lxXz0ItlJEgGBAqpvvBzv_hxAyV0E/s1600/newman.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6WJvVosqFjPvOl3mguDd_uM8TBkbOE0AkmLsaa_Td0RF819kX9AOxgCypa1Jkv0BvpLOWIjMPe2xlEyFE-YLaJkSgPFMyzaHamGlOePwHAYSVb2lxXz0ItlJEgGBAqpvvBzv_hxAyV0E/s1600/newman.jpg" /></a><br /><br />So after applying for a lot of jobs with no success, watching Duke basketball games on TV, going out to Las Vegas for the PAC-12 basketball tournament and doing some part-time internet work for the ACC I decided that I wanted to return to working in college athletics. Although I would have loved to stay in Colorado I knew that getting back to being a SID was what I was good at and what I wanted to do. I had a phone interview with North Georgia that apparently did not go well, but it was a smaller school and was really just the first place I saw that fit the location and city demographics I was interested in. <br /><br />A while later I was a finalist for a job at Purdue. Through help of former co-workers I made the on-campus interview process along with one other person. Several weeks later and several emails saying they had not been able to get everyone together to make a decision and then I got a call from someone in HR (who I never talked to during entire process) saying they hired someone else. I really liked the place but wouldn't recommend it after seeing how they operate in the hiring process.<br /><br />A couple more months went by and several applications later I had phone interviews with Penn State and Bowling Green. Neither matriculated into anything after the phone calls but luckily an email I sent as a joke turned into a great opportunity. I sent a casual email to my old boss, Kurt, (who is now at Stanford) asking if he could hire me and then a couple of weeks later he called to say he pulled some strings and was able to create a spot for me to come in and work temporarily. I didn't jump at it right away but after a day or two I decided I probably wouldn't get an on-campus interview with the other two schools so Stanford would be a great place for me to go. Plus I really wanted to reunite with my former boss and another friend of mine who I worked with at Duke and is now there.<br /><br />All in all I applied for 65 jobs in the last nine months and only interviewed with the ones I listed earlier. I did not get a response from most of them and the ones I went to in person told me I had to apply on the internet instead of doing it right then and there. It was a miserable, frustrating, monotonous process that I would hate to go through again. The funny thing is I applied for 60 jobs coming out of college and Kurt gave me a shot at an internship in New Hampshire and now he is giving me a foot in the door after I was denied 65 times.<br /><br />I couldn't be more excited to be heading to California to do whatever I can to help Kurt and Stanford Athletics out. I am refreshed and reenergized so I know the future will be great. I am grateful for the opportunity that lies ahead and all the assistance my former bosses and co-workers gave me in trying to get back on my feet. For the second time in three years I will be moving to a new city on my birthday. Circumstances are a lot different than when I went to Texas but I feel 100 times better about the future and have zero regrets about leaving that situation I was in.<br /><br />Even though I was very frustrated throughout the job-hunting process I did love being back near family and friends. Seeing my parents and sister every day was pretty awesome. I was fed some great meals a lot and my dad and stepmom gave me a room to crash in for about eight months longer than I intended. I enjoyed seeing my grandparents all the time also, especially having an occasional 3 p.m. Happy Hour consisting of Canadian Whiskey and mountain dew with my grandpa. After missing out on most of my nieces lives I thought it was great to spend a weekend here and there with them and my older sister. I got to see Sidney dance at sporting events and perform in a musical. Those are moments I treasure that I have missed out on for the past 14 years through college and work life. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxjwhn3K_2EIg1l_OwLRtsN4ObW2SHfbftJFFX8ifKVCN09raZ780tgOFvF8vQd0HyFGqyunL-kxWQwawXphIZarM1Gtlekwq-i6OnMNBZuJrea8lAVYFY0dbajDEnmT0GhzByLzQHmas/s1600/photo-3+copy+5.JPG"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxjwhn3K_2EIg1l_OwLRtsN4ObW2SHfbftJFFX8ifKVCN09raZ780tgOFvF8vQd0HyFGqyunL-kxWQwawXphIZarM1Gtlekwq-i6OnMNBZuJrea8lAVYFY0dbajDEnmT0GhzByLzQHmas/s320/photo-3+copy+5.JPG" /></a><br /><br />I can't say enough about what my parents did for me, but it was also outstanding to be back with my best friend, Allen, and his family. His kids grew up a lot also and it was a blast to go watch some t-ball games or buy some girl scout cookies from them. Allen and Chrystal now have five kids after they had a baby boy, Brentley, three months ago. They are all like family to me and the little kids call me Uncle Ben which doesn't seem unnatural at all.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWfJxXZnU7HLmcxdbQB9NvBYAnFbmch2QU0c7B46Iut7Co4uj8zO3FL2qR0afeeDSGQPu4KzQoylf-q_3XeMMnMBnxEKRtEfProEj_ZVk7OWyzWkTtptoplkl9HHW1cDZ8Tgr2S7oDiHk/s1600/photo-3+copy+4.JPG"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWfJxXZnU7HLmcxdbQB9NvBYAnFbmch2QU0c7B46Iut7Co4uj8zO3FL2qR0afeeDSGQPu4KzQoylf-q_3XeMMnMBnxEKRtEfProEj_ZVk7OWyzWkTtptoplkl9HHW1cDZ8Tgr2S7oDiHk/s320/photo-3+copy+4.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Allen also gave me plenty of opportunities to get out of the house. I liked getting outside and doing some work so any chance I could help him move some heavy stuff, feed cows, brand cows (not that much fun haha), take a drive or especially help him build an addition on his house. I am not very knowledgable when it comes to construction but he taught me framing, plumbing and siding among other things. I hope it helped him out having me around but no matter how much I did I couldn't pay him back for letting me store all of my belongings in one of his buildings all the time I have been back home. He also provided many a beer while we were working :) <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiavYSSGSNinH4XgonAifhUiaLhXKFgHmH2ZsAM0EU8s_aZ0mAKlbabrWTDvtYmSVAQolQ4EWQ2U58kWlGfv0Do_WwHm9rh4PDBQoTby-63J598EfpIlH3B_9eFlLq4pBfgk76_YOmZiAo/s1600/photo-3+copy+3.JPG"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiavYSSGSNinH4XgonAifhUiaLhXKFgHmH2ZsAM0EU8s_aZ0mAKlbabrWTDvtYmSVAQolQ4EWQ2U58kWlGfv0Do_WwHm9rh4PDBQoTby-63J598EfpIlH3B_9eFlLq4pBfgk76_YOmZiAo/s320/photo-3+copy+3.JPG" /></a><br /><br />I will definitely miss my family and friends but maybe my career will lead me back this area down the road. Until then I will try to make them proud by working my way back up the ladder.<br /><br /><br />Ben Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16667521261977344098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981202723914929318.post-79206352736955137292013-08-08T14:21:00.001-07:002013-08-08T14:21:08.699-07:00Retirement Becomes Poor FundA little over 10 years ago I bought a large plastic bud light bottle full of popcorn while I was working at K-Mart. Those were the good old days when I was making around $7 an hour which was just about the same hourly wage I was getting if you averaged out my salary and number of hours worked in the eight years since college.<br />
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Any who ... after I ate the stale popcorn I had a decision to make. Throw the large plastic bottle away or keep it for decoration. Like most college kids any form of alcohol decor is a good thing so I put it on top of my entertainment center. This bottle as it turned out had a slit in the cap like it was a piggy bank for drunks so I started using it as such. Thankfully back then there was such a thing as 25 cent beer night at Washington's Bar and Grill in Fort Collins so for every beer I drank I usually came home with 50 cents in change (I was a big tipper back then). That usually added up to around $5 so my drunken piggy started adding up fast.<br />
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My bar change gave me a great idea. I never use change to pay for anything and hate it lying around so whenever I got change I would just throw it in the bottle. I decided that I would let the bottle fill up and then cash it out and put it into my savings as a sort of retirement fund built strictly off change. I was always taught growing up to save money.<br />
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That brings me to today. My plans haven't exactly worked out the way I envisioned them 10 years ago. I have stuck with my bottle all this time, putting change in whenever I acquired it. The problem I face now is I have been self-imposed unemployed for eight months and my savings is starting to run dry. Apparently bill collectors don't understand that when you aren't making any money you shouldn't have to pay off your car payments or your cell phone bills. Thus I decided to prematurely cash in my drunken piggy before it was all the way filled in order to have a little extra money for my bills.<br />
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When I was in elementary school I remember my teacher used to bring in a jar full of jelly beans and the student in the class that guessed closest to the number of jelly beans in the jar would win a cool prize. I thought I would do the same so I polled a few family members close by and offered up a free Frosty from Wendy's to the person who came closest to the change in the bottle. I started the guessing with an estimate (or hope really) that there was $250. My family members were even more optimistic than me as I was the low end of the spectrum. Here are the guesses.<br />
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Ben - $250<br />
My dad - $270<br />
My grandma - $300<br />
My sister - $340<br />
My mom - $400<br />
My stepmom - $423<br />
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The next step to my process was to carry it over to my mom's house where I was going to roll the change. Luckily she is a bank teller and has access to plenty of the little coin papers. I noticed that over the years this bottle has gotten a lot heavier than it was when it contained some old popcorn. So when I hauled it over I threw it on the bathroom scale to see how much it weighed. The result was 46 pounds. I may have needed to start taking PED's to move it if I let it fill all the way to the top.<br />
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I thought there was a lot of change in the bottle but once I dumped it out on the card table it looked like a lot more. I put a $20 bill on the table to show the size of the pile. Yes I did have a 20 spot even though I am broke but only because I have saved it from the $90 I made working part time in the month of June. That is a monthly salary comparable to the stories of wages when my grandparents were my age. Only then it would buy a couple of oxen, a wagon tongue, some salt beef and ammunition to hunt buffalo on the Oregon Trail.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglSNU-Djj66cZVuQbKPP-WoPjITUIDe9rZCU457kzm6oOralVfUbinNzbJtGlYnvwCTguLq18BuYXgEp1RoQz7jJRRGbdHp5ouPF9K8s_fHOihJxW6hx9cAk_9jCZFAzaRYpxTOo1IRc4/s1600/photo-3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglSNU-Djj66cZVuQbKPP-WoPjITUIDe9rZCU457kzm6oOralVfUbinNzbJtGlYnvwCTguLq18BuYXgEp1RoQz7jJRRGbdHp5ouPF9K8s_fHOihJxW6hx9cAk_9jCZFAzaRYpxTOo1IRc4/s320/photo-3.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Well luckily I was wrapping these coins in the afternoon so I had a chance to watch Around the Horn and PTI on ESPN (which ironically are the same topics that are included in hot clicks each day on SI.com) and Seinfeld on TBS. This helped the coin wrapping go a lot faster as it would take me about four hours to sort while my mom would wrap the coins. In the end I was very ecstatic with the results.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFHnMBUCukzk0QYaZLgFXkdG4GYAURfnv5vsAl6-MyurFNX4u27WznfH_L3kC1NPWldSBUWAfrAxq9bTg27jn2qUT0BQwzN8wzxJAKXzvdH8LrTjoJ7LRGyD0wJQGjSpof0FXcQWTDvU4/s1600/photo-4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFHnMBUCukzk0QYaZLgFXkdG4GYAURfnv5vsAl6-MyurFNX4u27WznfH_L3kC1NPWldSBUWAfrAxq9bTg27jn2qUT0BQwzN8wzxJAKXzvdH8LrTjoJ7LRGyD0wJQGjSpof0FXcQWTDvU4/s320/photo-4.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here is what I ended up with ...<br />
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55 rolls and 11 loose pennies for $27.61<br />
13 rolls of nickles for $26.00<br />
18 rolls of dimes for $90.00<br />
32 rolls and five loose quarters for $321.25<br />
4 50 cent pieces<br />
2 gold dollar coins<br />
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For a grand total of ........ <b>$468.86</b><br />
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It looks like I will be able to make my car payments for two more months now. And luckily I have since acquired approximately 99 cents in my bottle so I can make good on the Frosty I owe my step mom. My retirement fund will have to start over again once someone finally hires me.<br />
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<br />Ben Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16667521261977344098noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981202723914929318.post-48349636099819040082013-05-21T14:29:00.002-07:002013-05-21T14:31:23.905-07:00Age MilestonesThis past week my family celebrated two milestones with my grandparents reaching their 60th wedding anniversary and my great grandmother turning 102 years old. To me these are both numbers you don't see that often anymore.<br />
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Last Wednesday we had a small get together at my grandparents' house, consisting of happy hour drinks, cheese and crackers and cake. My grandparents have never really liked receiving gifts so we had a card shower for them. The community and friends/family supplied a large stack of cards wishing them well on their accomplishment. This was a perfect party because my Grandpa Don likes happy hour and it was just a handful of people joking around so they had fun. I don't like buying greeting cards so I made one with my limited resources. I did find this cool picture of them when they were younger.<br />
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My Grandpa Don told a story of how he promised my Grandma Joyce when they got together that they would be together 60 years. He was proud of this story but we all joked about which one had their bags packed first to get away from the other one after they reached that promise. Truthfully though they have never had a lot but they made the most of what they did have and were great to all of us around them.<br />
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I feel very fortunate that both my sets of grandparents were married for at least 60 years. I am now sure if that happens very often or will ever happen again the way people divorce nowadays. My other grandparents were married 65 years and were a few weeks from 66 when my Grandpa passed away in December.<br />
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The second milestone we celebrated was my Great Grandmother Edrie hitting 102. The last two years I have been in North Carolina and Texas when she had parties for 100 and 101 so I was ecstatic that I was able to join her for 102. She is a special lady. She still cooks, cleans and does the laundry although she doesn't move as fast as she used to. She still looks great and still loves the Chicago Cubs and watches them all the time (god bless her).<br />
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We had a family gathering at the train depot in town with a potluck lunch to celebrate. Then we opened up the party to the town so many others who have enjoyed her cinnamon rolls over the years could come say hello. She was a cook at the school for a long time and also at a restaurant in town. Her doughnuts are the most amazing thing I have ever tasted in my 31 years.</div>
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Hitting the century mark is quite an accomplishment and is probably the number one age milestone in my opinion. She has gone two years past that and isn't slowing down a bit. This made me think of what some of the other age milestones are so I did my list of top 10 age milestones and here it is.</div>
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#1: 100</div>
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To me reaching 100 is the top milestone. So few people hit this mark so by difficulty alone it earns the top spot. When you think about the United States only existing for less than 250 years than being alive for 40 percent of that is pretty impressive.</div>
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#2: 16</div>
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After 100 there could be some debate for what is the next best milestone but for me it is 16. Cars are such an integral part of our everyday life that I have a hard time imagining what it was like before I turned 16 and could drive. The excitement of finally being legal to get behind the wheel of the car was something I will never forget. Plus it gave MTV a couple of shows to fill their nonsense programming (My Super Sweet 16, 16 and Pregnant).</div>
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#3: 21</div>
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Many people would put 21 at No. 2 or even No. 1 but I am not an alcoholic so I don't think it was as big of a deal. I enjoy a cold beverage every now and again but I didn't even get drunk when I turned 21. I did the unthinkable and went with my ex-girlfriend to the ESPN Zone in Denver for dinner. Then bought some beer and went back to my apartment. I didn't think getting sick on my birthday sounded like a good time. Silly me! More importantly than being able to drink though is being able to gamble. I do love me some Las Vegas.</div>
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#4: 18</div>
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Two big things happen when you turn 18 years old. Yes you are more than likely finished or are just finishing high school and starting a new chapter in your life but I am talking about becoming eligible to utilize your right to vote and being able to buy cigarettes. You feel like such a rebel when you can walk in for the first time and purchase something people have been telling you for years aren't good for you. I never have smoked cigarettes but a good cigar with a few buddies is nice every now and again.</div>
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#5: 65</div>
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After being around my family for awhile now I have moved 65 up the list. What other age do you hit and start receiving a paycheck for it. Once you reach 65 you are eligible to start receiving Social Security checks. Of course you have been paying into the national Social Security fund for 50 years at this point but isn't it nice to get some extra cash flowing in each month. Of course when I turn 65, all the money I have put in will be gone and I will have to drop 65 off my top 10. Also you can start using medicare benefits which can be either a good or bad thing depending on how you look at it.</div>
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#6: 25</div>
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Turning 25 might not seem like a big deal but it has another added benefit to it. You can rent a car when you turn 25. I am not sure how people came to choosing 25 as the limit for renting cars but if you travel a lot this is sure handy.</div>
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#7: 40</div>
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Any time you creep into a new decade of life it will have meaning. Most people regret having their age start with a new number like going from your 20's to 30's or 30's to 40's. To me 40 has the most meaning of any of these decade transitions because it allows you to do some crazy stuff and call it a mid-life crisis. When I turn 40 I will probably get a drop top convertible, dye my hair blond with highlights and have some 20 year old hanging out with me. The 20 year old will probably be my niece Jordan keeping me company because she is the only one who laughs at my goofiness.</div>
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#8: 1</div>
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Well sure being one year old is a special time for the parents and grandparents but to you it is a meaningless birthday. You have no idea what is going on at that age. You don't know what presents are and are wondering why someone is putting fire on a stick on your cake you can't even eat yet. It does mean your parents are probably not incompetent to the point where they killed you the first year so that is good.</div>
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#9: 2</div>
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You still don't understand a ton by your second birthday but two years old is one of the few ages that have garnered their own nickname. When you hit two years old people remark "oh the terrible twos." Sweet 16 is the other one with a nickname I could think of. You don't hear people say you are in the eager elevens or the fly fifteens so that puts No. 2 in my top 10.</div>
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#10: 30</div>
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For me 30 is my 10th most important age milestone. I don't have any significant reason other than I know my life changed a lot at 30 and my sister freaked out when she reached that age. I moved to Texas on my 30th birthday and nothing has gone right for me since then. Yes I blame it all on Texas because I have not had anything good come from being in that awful state haha. For my sister I am not sure why she hated turning 30 so much but I guess it makes you feel more like an adult and realize your party days may be mostly behind you. </div>
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Ben Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16667521261977344098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981202723914929318.post-90077457531557624082013-05-06T16:31:00.003-07:002013-05-06T16:31:53.518-07:00Small Town Car WaveHere in small town USA a simple movement of a person's hand can make a person feel good inside. This simple movement is a wave of a hand. As you drive along in your family car or farm pickup you wave to passing cars or to people out working in their yard. It is something that doesn't take much thought or effort, but is a common occurrence. It is a friendly gesture to another human being. Whether you like the person or not you wave to be nice. Most of the time you don't even know who is in the other car but you put your hand up to acknowledge their presence. I am surprised they don't include it on the driving test when you turn 16 years old. "That will be a point deduction for failing to wave at oncoming vehicle."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGelKtdPk_1CJlKQRqhh0yedvByOihxYdLM8TaOrotnt4v-oA2ep0rInp8AoMJgSEHcWsH4QU5JorH6-AbKzcgc9FUQhJs-hjdNK6e_7ao6l40ACmotePTCkT5SI8bU-mV7AsuoyY_jKQ/s1600/Online-Driving-Test.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGelKtdPk_1CJlKQRqhh0yedvByOihxYdLM8TaOrotnt4v-oA2ep0rInp8AoMJgSEHcWsH4QU5JorH6-AbKzcgc9FUQhJs-hjdNK6e_7ao6l40ACmotePTCkT5SI8bU-mV7AsuoyY_jKQ/s320/Online-Driving-Test.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Most of us in small towns have driven a car before we were 10 years old anyway and know all about the hand wave. However, it is a habit that is broken when these patrons leave the friendly confines of the 800-person metropolis. I am just now getting back to it after being away for so long.<br />
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As you progress through the years you tend to develop your own type of wave. There are many kinds out there and here is what I refer to them as.<br />
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The most common is the simple straight hand wave I call "High Five" or "Indian How".<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLeernPVHDsJ2O9bvCVJH5sEN6j2qvfzvwQVNezBv2UE_UguNs8CIDZbRLof_rGCp5pF5FhKnAUu7RxtqbU2vn8SUdGt3lhmMyWm3Gkyr-wcb7uaIHiw-vbqcpYeRHX6xmFeATZPwYmb4/s1600/straight-hand-wave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLeernPVHDsJ2O9bvCVJH5sEN6j2qvfzvwQVNezBv2UE_UguNs8CIDZbRLof_rGCp5pF5FhKnAUu7RxtqbU2vn8SUdGt3lhmMyWm3Gkyr-wcb7uaIHiw-vbqcpYeRHX6xmFeATZPwYmb4/s320/straight-hand-wave.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Another popular choice is to have your hand at the 12 o'clock position and raise your index finger. This one I refer to as "Lazy Bird" or "Solo Point"<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKtjZP4DyprF-73CU41sFoXFRAVL4LfTEJ9GM9OUVEKQiox0K8O3zFpMzKsoabN0f6e6ZF6OqNLXBDjPcvoLHyjjjM6t1hHPirRJ3OeFdSRow2ZiDvi7b_R86m7QoQNf3HpmbexTQp7H4/s1600/IMG_3337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKtjZP4DyprF-73CU41sFoXFRAVL4LfTEJ9GM9OUVEKQiox0K8O3zFpMzKsoabN0f6e6ZF6OqNLXBDjPcvoLHyjjjM6t1hHPirRJ3OeFdSRow2ZiDvi7b_R86m7QoQNf3HpmbexTQp7H4/s320/IMG_3337.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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"Giant bling not included for most people"</div>
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Similar to the last one is the two finger wave from atop the steering wheel known as the "Deuce Hello" or "Boy Scout Salute"<br />
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A second two-finger option is the peace sign that I refer to as "Hippie Wave" or "Left-Handed Scissors"<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjF-YPtNqC8mN88juISN5TTVKEzUkI3pFNYuKnhphEhGhFDXsKMm3B-jN7Gvo4M8vRoIIAnz8nNqi-Xs54i1GuZyfSWaGDbmS0KrE5Sq4bUz7r89eBGUjr4lWEkWaS_lV7_59Ji3-LJLA/s1600/driving+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjF-YPtNqC8mN88juISN5TTVKEzUkI3pFNYuKnhphEhGhFDXsKMm3B-jN7Gvo4M8vRoIIAnz8nNqi-Xs54i1GuZyfSWaGDbmS0KrE5Sq4bUz7r89eBGUjr4lWEkWaS_lV7_59Ji3-LJLA/s320/driving+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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For the exuberant personality you get the fast side to side wave with a big smile known as the "Happy Happy Happy" or "Fool's Gesture"<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ4ymvO-anMQLAsy_hJfQ0U1rhpDfXeaf4FNpqWzs6TsgrtiiWkhAcv9P0JIZlzkVkfupHdt5A3EzV9BfUb5h2C6nRnRwOy15j9UKX4jQ_jqjzaqW4BiUCoE_DSRExvmvbwoxMcD1tZ0Y/s1600/handwaving1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ4ymvO-anMQLAsy_hJfQ0U1rhpDfXeaf4FNpqWzs6TsgrtiiWkhAcv9P0JIZlzkVkfupHdt5A3EzV9BfUb5h2C6nRnRwOy15j9UKX4jQ_jqjzaqW4BiUCoE_DSRExvmvbwoxMcD1tZ0Y/s320/handwaving1.jpg" width="220" /></a></div>
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Of course their is always the rude middle finger gesture but that is a more popular wave in New York City and not used to say hello in small towns.<br />
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Those are the most common types of car waves. Some people develop their own wave such as myself. I wanted to put my own stamp on my car wave. What I do is start at the 10 o'clock position and with my index and middle finger on my right hand I do a sweep motion across the top of the steering wheel to the 2 o'clock position.<br />
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Now I know people in the city can't even fathom why someone would want to wave to a complete stranger but maybe that is one reason why our world is being flushed down the toilet. People being friendly to one another through a wave of a hand or shout of good morning is how people should treat each other. I once did my car wave in North Carolina and got a stare from the passerby like I was an alien who just rode a meteor from Mars and landed in the street. I believe people should act this way just as they should wave to someone who lets them in front of them during heavy traffic or someone who stops and lets them walk across the street.<br />
Ben Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16667521261977344098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981202723914929318.post-39834834343283677992012-12-17T13:20:00.001-08:002012-12-17T13:20:41.414-08:00Roy to the World<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On Saturday at around 4 a.m. my grandfather, Roy Wayne Blevins, passed away in a hospital in Aurora, CO. He was 89 years old.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We knew he was in grave condition in the hours leading up to his death and this was extremely hard for me as I was 1,000 miles away in Texas and had my dad and stepmom with me. It was the night before I was leaving Austin to move back home to Colorado. The main reason - to be able to spend more time with family, especially my grandparents. I never got that extra time I was hoping for with my Grandpa but nonetheless a big part of who I am is because of the kind of man he was. This blog titled "Roy to the World" is about the man he was as a husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, uncle, cousin and friend in the 32 years I was able to be around him. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have so many fond memories of my grandfather and it would take forever to describe all of them but hopefully these few short stories will help sum up my feelings. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the exterior he could come across rough to people who didn't know him. He had a tendency to speak his mind no matter what the situation. He did not like being around big crowds of people and was not much of a socializer. One of the funniest stories was he was sitting on a bench in the mall and a lady asked him to move because the bench was reserved for the children who were waiting to see Santa Claus. My grandpa abruptly replied "you can kiss my ass!" While that was him being honest in that situation, for most of the time he was as caring as could be. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There were numerous people throughout the years that he helped out. Despite being in his 60's and 70's he would shovel snow for the elderly neighbors next door, fix things at their house, take care of animals, take them goodies my grandma made and pretty much do anything to help them out. I saw him do this extensively with the Oldhams, Ms. Poole and his brother Bruce who was never in good shape after surviving a plane crash. He never accepted anything in return. He was just doing what he thought was the right thing to do. This is something I have seen a lot from my dad and grandma as well and led me to volunteer my time at Children's Hospitals.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He was also a very loving husband to my grandma Juanita. The two were just a few weeks from celebrating their 66th anniversary. That is an unreachable number for my generation with so many people rushing into marriage for a variety of different reasons and then divorcing at the slightest sign of trouble. My grandparents loved each other and made it work even though things weren't always perfect. Some examples of this love is my grandpa telling my grandma she was still pretty after all those years in the hospital last week. He set aside some money without her knowing about it in case he passed away first so that she would be taken care of financially. He also taught me manners and how to treat a lady. One time we were walking down the street in a neighboring town of their home and he told me "When you are walking on the sidewalk with your girlfriend or wife you should always walk closest to the street." I asked why and he said "If a car drives by and splashes a puddle then her pretty little dress wouldn't get ruined." I have never to this day heard anybody else talk about doing this but my grandma says he always walked closest to the street in the 65 years they were married.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I was little and with my grandparents, I always wanted to be with my grandpa no matter what he was doing. He was very smart and really interested in finding out how things worked so he would tear apart fans, clocks and other things to try and fix them if they were broken. I had no clue what was happening but I would stand by him in his shop the entire time and watch him. If he was laying on the carpet taking a nap, I would lay down next to him. When he was working as a locksmith I would go spend an afternoon with him at work and watch him make keys. I am not a cowboy at all but my grandpa loved watching western movies and it made me as happy as can be to this day to sit with him and watch westerns because all I wanted to do was be with him. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Camping trips were some of my favorite times with my grandpa and dad. We would find sticks and turn them into walking sticks. My grandpa would make toast and jelly on the camping stove which I still love to make at home. He always tried to scare us or probably warn us about bears in the mountains. The best memory I have is when it was just me and my grandma and grandpa and we went to a cabin on a lake. We were sitting outside on the porch steps and he taught me how to play the game mumbley peg. It is a simple game played with a pocket knife but I loved playing it with him and I probably asked him to play that entire trip after he showed me. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Growing up I loved sports. Most of my family was not really into it very much but my grandpa liked to watch football, especially the Broncos, with me. He would also go in to the backyard and play with me as much as he could. He would throw the football to me and let me make diving catches or hit pop flys with a wiffle ball bat so I could pretend like I was an outfielder. I didn't have any brothers but my grandpa would always come out and play with me in the yard.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With my grandpa passing at this time of year it is especially tough because he loved Christmas. He always told me that the two of us were going to try and catch Santa Claus when he showed up at the house. We slept next to the tree the night before Christmas with cookies as bait. Although sometimes I would wake up in the middle of the night and think I heard something we never did catch him but it was something we did for a long time. My grandpa really loved opening gifts too. He would shake and rattle them to try and guess what he was getting. He never really wanted much but he sure did love anything he got. I don't know how Christmas is going to be without him but it just won't be the same that is for sure.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My grandpa enjoyed drinking his coffee, old instrumental music (he did not like music with people singing), reading and watching westerns, having a nice yard, a good chocolate milkshake, building and fixing things in his shop, the local news, my grandma's cooking (like me he loved pancakes) and helping out neighbors and family. For anybody who knew my grandpa like I did, he was one of the sweetest, most caring men there is and will be greatly missed. </span></div>
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Ben Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16667521261977344098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981202723914929318.post-13711436618294293862012-11-06T12:14:00.001-08:002012-11-06T12:31:02.549-08:00Election DayIn the spirit of election day, our office decided to host an election between our monkey and fish to determine which one would become the official mascot of our office.<br />
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The back story to these two is that they really despise each other. The monkey has been around since April while the fish (Sir Chester Wilson Marbles III) only came into existence a couple of months ago. The fish immediately started stealing attention from the message-giving monkey, thus causing an all-out battle between the two. Death threats emerged from the monkey towards the fish, while the fish returned sarcastic laughter at the threats.<br />
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Come halloween the two each chose to dress up as the other one.<br />
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The monkey dressed up as a dead fish in a fish bowl ...<br />
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The fish dressed up as a stupid monkey<br />
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That brings us to the present. The campaigns got off to a fast start using social media. Both hit up facebook. The monkey just told people to vote while the fish presented its beliefs and issues in a well thought out ploy. The fish obviously had the better campaign and immediately gained a crucial edge in the online votes. The monkey relied more on its personal connections for its campaign. Having known staff and students a lot longer and putting its face out there more often, the monkey seized this edge to garner a majority of the written votes. Final tallies were ...<br />
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Monkey - 15<br />
Fish - 14<br />
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The fish held a 10-4 advantage in online votes while the monkey carried a dominating 11-4 in-house vote.<br />
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With the win the monkey gains its own twitter account. You can follow it at - MonkeyvFish<br />
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The monkey was ecstatic and here is the acceptance speech I gave for it.<br />
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With every elected official there is a chance of assassination but in this ongoing battle to the death there was that chance long ago. Stay tuned to what happens next in the classic tale of monkey vs. fish.<br />
<br />Ben Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16667521261977344098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981202723914929318.post-63696827746979108832012-10-03T08:41:00.002-07:002012-10-03T08:41:47.525-07:00The Monkey's Tale part oneBack in early April, morale was down around the office after one of the worst weeks of the year as far as number of hours worked for everybody. I alone worked 100 hours that week and our student workers put in a ton of time as well with every sport in season hosting 1-4 days of events over a four-day span it seemed. I knew the best way to get them through the week was the promise of a party when it was all said and done. I talked up this party pretty good all week so when the next Monday rolled around I knew I had to do something good. I took a few hours off of work and hit up my personal stash of party items from Oriental Trading Company and made a trip to Party City to arrange some fun.<br />
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Enter the Monkey<br />
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Part of the plan was to have a pinata and the best one I found was a monkey holding a banana. This was the time for the Monkey to shine. It was its destiny to be beaten until broken. It is what it was raised to be and now it was time to fulfill that dream.<br />
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Hung by a string from the upstairs balcony it floated in midair awaiting crunch time. It was full of joy and candy as a mixed bag from the grocery store was emptied out into its insides. One hour went by, two hours went by, three hours went by and then finally a flock of students came around the corner with a plastic bat in hand.<br />
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The first hit drew no candy and the monkey laughed and taunted the students as if it were mocking them for not getting him on the first attempt. The next student the same and then again nothing. Finally the whacks took their toll and candy exploded from a hole opened up beneath the back of the head. Alas with candy in hand the students withdrew from inflicting pain and went on to discuss where they were going to go for the after party party.<br />
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The Monkey survived but was it a good thing? Over the next few months the Monkey sat in the student work area, each day reliving the torture and being mocked by not fulfilling its destiny of dying a good death as every pinata should. Just like Lieutenant Dan in Forest Gump, pain swelled up for not continuing the family legacy which for the Monkey was perishing at a party. The Monkey's mother, father, brother and sister had all suffered an end to its existence but not the Monkey.<br />
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Seconds lasted minutes, minutes lasted hours, hours lasted days and days lasted weeks as time stood still for the Monkey. At the end of June he looked around and something was happening. Things were changing and items from the room disappearing. Then all of a sudden the Monkey was whisked away from its spot on top of a bookshelf, thrown in a box, hauled to another building and placed in an area that looked like a conference room.<br />
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After noticing glaring looks from passerbys, a feeling of being disliked was added to the feeling of shame. His time in the room was shortlived, however, as he was soon moved into a room next door.<br />
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Deciding to make the most of his time and stop feeling sorry for himself, the Monkey chose to pass on wisdom to people walking by with short messages such as chinese proverbs or intelligent sayings.<br />
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Things were going great for the Monkey as he became fond of his three best friends in the video office. He started to see all of them wearing headphones a lot and so to fit in decided to put headphones on himself. The messages were well received and the Monkey turned his sad, despressed lifestyle into one with joy.<br />
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Then one day a new member of the office was introduced and things turned again for the Monkey. A Beta fish named Sir Chester Wilson Marbles III came and started getting all the attention. Instagram photos were now being taken of the fish instead of the Monkey, days would go by without messages being posted and the fish was being fed. The Monkey never received food.<br />
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The fish laughed at the Monkey for all the attention it had taken away from him. Every day the fish would swim back and forth laughing away. This drove the Monkey crazy and hatred swelled up. The Monkey knew that the only way to make things right again was to kill Sir Chester Wilson Marbles III. As seen by the fish chalk outline the Monkey's message is getting across.<br />
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This story to be continued .....<br />
Ben Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16667521261977344098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981202723914929318.post-30932256983737485072012-09-23T19:08:00.002-07:002012-09-23T19:12:20.142-07:00What is up with my 30's birthdays?So far I have experienced two birthdays in my 30's and neither has been all that great. Yet at the same time both have been special in their own way.<br />
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For many years in my 20's I chose to not only celebrate Sept. 18 on my real birthday but I chose to celebrate for seven total days in what I called a birthday week. I wanted to go to dinner, to a movie, bowling or just hang out with friends at home with a few cold beers each day for seven days. Why celebrate for just one day? That was my thought but long gone are the birthday weeks and I have paid the price for the dismissal of the week-long celebration.<br />
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A lot of people dread turning 30 years old. I for one welcomed the opportunity as I considered a leap into the grown up world finally. I thought with a new decade of years would come a growth in my career, mind and overall life. In some regards that has happened I guess. On my 30th birthday I was driving six hours in my blue truck to complete my move from North Carolina to Texas. I was starting a new job at UT with hopes of taking a step forward in my career. I was totally wrong on that looking back over the last year but I won't get into that much. This past year has tested me in many ways and I have failed in some but the experiences has made me feel more grown up. I no longer party like I used to and certainly think more about my health and finances than ever before. I miss the old me but felt these changes were necessary.<br />
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Back to my actual 30th birthday. Moving and driving to an unknown place with so many questions rushing through your head is not an easy thing to do. I was not only changing jobs but packing up and moving halfway across the U.S. to a new city, new state, new timezone and a place I knew nobody all after having just a few days to make a decision to move or not. Add on to that I was leaving a place where I had developed some really great friendships and had a great job. It was not easy to do but felt like I could move up in the business by doing it. Leaving my friends was a lot harder than I thought it would be. The two days prior to leaving weighed heavy on my heart and made me depressed. It would last for several months which was a sign I shouldn't have left in my mind. This made my birthday even tougher as I had planned a reverse surprise birthday party which was my way of giving back to all my friends as my own birthday present. Canceling the party and not spending my b-day with them was rough.<br />
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A few things really turned my birthday around however. As I was having breakfast in a hotel in Longwood, Texas, I received a call from my friend Ashley, one of those friends I had left behind in N.C. I answered and it was her aunt singing me happy birthday. I had gotten to know her aunt and other members of her family through their generosity of having me to their house for Thanksgiving and a summer weekend at the lake. This turned a frown upside down in a hurry and made the environment in old blue for the six hour drive look more like a unicorn prancing on a rainbow than a ship lost at sea on a drury, rainy afternoon. Before I had left I discovered I had family in Austin and planned to meet them for dinner when I arrived. This cheered me up even more as they came to a place down the road from my hotel, bought me dinner and even brought birthday treats. Family always makes things better no matter how well you know them and for me family is the most important thing in my world. So what wasn't the best birthday I ever had turned into a pretty good one with those two things and the numerous texts/calls/emails I received as well.<br />
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One year later I am more settled in and not moving when I turn 31. Things were a lot different from a year prior but I was adjusting to life in the 30's no matter how different it was from my glory days in 20-29. Par for the course I got called in for an early meeting at work. Whenever I get called into a meeting it is never a good thing so I knew that was bad for starters but I also missed out on my chance at stopping for a chicken biscuit, one of the few pleasures I look forward to anymore.<br />
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Things picked up after the meeting as Margaret, our administrative assistant, had hung a happy birthday banner on the outside of our office. I quickly forgot about the meeting and moved forward with my day. Many calls and texts later had me walking on sunshine. After work I went with some friends to a local establishment for some trivia. Just prior to leaving I had a sharp pain in my chest but I thought it was because I was still at work at 6 p.m. on my birthday. I dismissed the pain and went to have a few beers and hang out with office mates.<br />
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Two beers, 15 missed questions and three hours later the pain in my chest had increased and became more frequent. I complained vocally and must have caused worry from my friends. They insisted I get it checked out and since it was by my heart I didn't fight the idea. We ended up finding a hospital nearby and both Michael (Tomko) and Mary went with me to the ER. I felt guilty going to the ER when I was certain it was probably nothing. However, you shouldn't mess around with pain near the heart of all places. Over one hour in we were still making fun of my hospital gown as I sat in the lobby. Then I finally got called into the hospital exam area. At this time Tomko took Mary home but I really appreciated the concern and worry she expressed for me for the two hours she kept me company. As I went through more tests Tomko returned and met me in the exam room. An exhausting four more hours went by before I was dismissed just before 4 a.m. Tomko was by my side the entire time and luckily good news came from the tests as it turned out to be a weird muscular injury where muscle broke down and seeped into my blood. Not the best way to end my birthday. Usually you would think being drunk as a skunk would put you in the ER if anything would on your birthday but not this time. It was still a decent birthday, however, because of the support of friends during a time where I was pretty freaked out. Thanks so much Tomko and Mary!!!<br />
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I hope the remaining birthdays in my 30's are a lot better but no matter what happens on them I will walk away with a smile as long as I have friends and family doing the little things to make them special.<br />
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<br />Ben Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16667521261977344098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981202723914929318.post-46269746785915315582012-07-09T15:29:00.000-07:002012-07-09T16:01:24.265-07:00The Great Turtle RaceRemember the story of the tortoise and the hare, the Aesop fable where the hare kept saying how fast it could run and beat the tortoise easily but the tortoise won anyway. This brought the saying slow and steady wins the race. <br />
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Well there was no hare in the race I witnessed on Friday night. It was all turtles - six of them in fact - in what would be some of the most exciting and unpredictable races ever. <br />
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Little Woodrows in Austin provided this entertainment for a large crowd of turtle racing enthusiasts. Ok maybe they had never seen a turtle race before like myself but the energy in the place was outstanding. First let me explain how this works.<br />
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Six turtles, all with great names such as Pearl Snap, Frank the Tank, Boris, Turbo, Testudo and Soup, are placed in the center of the ring inside a bucket. Prior to the race you get a raffle ticket and can pick which turtle you think will win. The raffle ticket is placed in the numbered bucket matching the number on the turtle. If that turtle wins a ticket is drawn from the bucket and a prize awarded. <br />
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At the start of the race the bucket is lifted leaving a mad dash for the first turtle to cross outside the line of the circle. The champion is not crowned right away as a turtle has to win twice to be declared the winner. It could be two quick races or as many as seven to name a winner.<br />
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Once the bucket was lifted it was utter chaos. One turtle sprinted out to the lead, turning around and heading back to the middle. A turtle jumping in front of another turtle to cut off the path of victory. Three turtles barely moving a muscle and wanting to climb inside their shell because they can't handle the spotlight. This is where you see what turtles are made of. Turtle races separate the best from the rest. </div>
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For a look at how great this is check out my video.</div>
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Turtle racing goes all the way back to 1902 when the first turtle race was held in Chicago (Thanks Wikipedia). It was dubbed the "Strangest race ever run" by the Chicago Tribune. Apparently Longville, Minnesota's claim to fame is they are the Turtle Racing Capital of the World so I need to make a trip there one summer. They have been running turtle races since the 1950's.</div>
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Now that I have witnessed this wonderful spectacle I plan on going back again and again. The Little Woodrows by my apartment does it every Tuesday night and the one downtown is every Friday night through the summer. Come visit and we can go watch the turtle races together!</div>
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<br /></div>Ben Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16667521261977344098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981202723914929318.post-36980683372993257022012-06-26T13:29:00.002-07:002012-06-26T13:30:22.461-07:00Walk a mile in her shoes or run 3,000 barefootDoes everyone remember the song by the Proclaimers called I would walk 500 miles? Well I read a story about a girl who is doing a lot more than that. She is running across the United States. Not only is she running across the country but she is doing it barefoot.<br />
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Rae Heim, an 18-year old from Iowa, is running barefoot from Boston to Huntington Beach, Calif. She left Boston in April and plans to get to Huntington Beach in October. She started out just to do this and prove to people that she could run but it has turned into a fundraiser for Soles4Shoes, a charity that supplies shoes to needy children. <br />
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I think about what she is doing at 18 years old and then try to think about what I was doing at the same age. I was a freshman in college, wide-eyed and driven. I tried to get my hands in about as much as I could including being a sports anchor on TV, calling high school football games on the radio, writing a movie review column for a newspaper, singing in a barbershop choir (that one might surprise some people) but those are all pretty minor compared to running across the United States to raise money for a charity.<br />
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Now I hate running. Well it isn't so much that I hate running but I hate how my legs feel during and after runs because they are carrying around my beer gut that I spent years in heavy training to achieve. I also have the lung capacity of a chipmunk and have to stop every little bit because I am breathing harder than I am running.<br />
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All that aside I would love to do something like what Rae Heim is doing. Maybe the answer is not running but I have thought before about doing an around-the-world trip. Doing it in 80 days is not near as much of a feat as when Jules Verne dreamed it up so that angle is shot. I do like a lot of the ideas from the story though so my twist that I would like to do is pick a sum of money (maybe $10,000) and do an around-the-world trip in less than that amount. It would be challenging and I would have to be creative in finding ways to move about but fun none-the-less.<br />
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Until I get the money, or more importantly the time ,to undertake this challenge I will be left admiring what an 18-year old from Iowa is doing this summer. She started out running about 40 miles per day until she twisted her ankle and cut it to about 20 per day. She stops and rests for a day or two every now and then but a 3,000-mile run is nothing to sneeze at no matter how you break it down.<br />
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If you to want to follow Rae's journey here is the website I found ... <a href="http://flavors.me/raeainslee">http://flavors.me/raeainslee</a> Ben Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16667521261977344098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981202723914929318.post-69992800264574102092012-05-29T09:43:00.001-07:002012-05-29T09:43:08.119-07:00Blevinicus: Work and EatIn my two glorious days off this weekend following a three-day NCAA Track meet I had the pleasure (haha) of hosting, I went back and rewatched the TV show Spartacus: Blood and Sand. While the quality of several of the scenes is laughable I am entrenched in the plot lines of the show. Granted it is a show filled mostly of blood and nudity which is not normally my cup of tea. However, it contains so much more than that built in the storylines of the characters. To those who have not seen it, it is about a man who goes off to fight a war in conjunction with the Romans and after some betrayel from the Romans and some killing of the Roman army he has his wife taken away and he is sold as a slave to a place that trains gladiators. <br />
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It is one of those shows that you get so involved with you start picturing yourself as a part of the show, going through what ifs in your head. When I am done thinking about how poor of a gladiator I would be, I begin to carry forth the premis of the show to my own life.<br />
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This show would be called Blevinicus: Work and Eat. Whereas all the gladiator show contains is blood and sand (and nudity) for the most part, my show (or life) pretty much contains work and eat. There may be a little bit of sleep mixed in there but even that is rare. Spartacus' entire being was driven by his one true love, Sura. He would give anything including his life to be with her for eternity. I have no equal to this as I have not found the lady to strike me this way. I picture the day when such love exists and I have one to call my own. For now the thing that drives me the most is getting to a day off. I fight through the weeks on end of consecutive work only to taste the sweetness of one day where I am not called, emailed or texted about work. These days are so uncommon that when they do come I struggle to think of how to spend them and end up watching 20 some hours of a gladiator TV show. These days off are my Sura or if you compare it to Braveheart, my freedom. Spartacus got through most days thinking of the time he would be with his wife again. I get through most days thinking of lunch and getting out of the office to go eat.<br />
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In the TV show, the gladiators fight in the arena, some for fame and money, others to stay alive and gain their freedom. I fight the battles of hosting events and dealing with others. In my job there is a lot we can't control. We have no control over the outcome of an event and often have to wait on others constantly to get what we need done. I would say for something that takes 10 minutes I usually wait an hour's time. There is no fame or money in our job no matter how much we dream of it so I guess that leaves me just trying to stay alive and gain the freedom of one day off every couple of months. <br />
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Some of my favorite movies are the ones where there is a very well-though out plan. This is one of the reasons why the A-Team was such a great show. Every episode included a plan to carry out to save somebody and destroy the bad guy. And like Hannibal Smith, I love it when a plan comes together. Spartacus had a couple of genious plans to kill everybody and escape slavery. I like to think that I would have the capability to come up with such a plan and maybe one day I could write for movies doing just such a think. The Oceans 11, 12 and 13 movies all had great plans as did the Thomas Crown Affair. I plan in my head all the time ways that I can enjoy my day off but I always fail to execute and end up on my couch watching movies. <br />
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I am not really sure if any of this makes sense but I seem to be in full Blevinicus: Work and Eat mode right now. I am still one month away from not being crazy busy with work and although I lost a lot of weight due to stress awhile back, the LB's are coming back because now all I do is eat and have developed a clear mind like what happened to the main character in Office Space. I sort of zone out, not to the point where I don't know what is happening, but just to the point that nothing worries me anymore. I felt very sick with stress in March and can't go back to that feeling so no matter what happens I will not get concerned over it.<br />
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I also find myself talking like they did in the Spartacus TV show. The other day I mentioned in a series of interviews that it was time for the Primus. Everyone looked at me like I had two heads. I had to explain that it meant the marquee event, the person they were all waiting to talk to was coming up next. In the show the Primus was the main event of the gladiator games and usually featured the top fighters. It would be the championship title match of Wrestlemania or the Kentucky Derby after a full day of races before it. I also refer to money as coin now like the show and refer often to things happening because of the Gods such as "the sky will open up and rain will fall if the gods have it so." <br />Ben Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16667521261977344098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981202723914929318.post-53404457337478867402012-05-10T22:12:00.001-07:002012-05-10T22:15:20.753-07:00Big Ben meets Big BenI recently spent 10 days in Europe for my last master's class at Virginia Commonwealth University. Most people question my degree because of this class but to me it was well deserved after trying to mix in an average 50-60 hour work week with two classes per semester and all the work that went into doing well in those classes. Since so much came out of this class in Dublin, Liverpool, London and Paris I decided to break it down by categories for this blog. <br />
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<strong>Big Ben vs. Big Ben</strong><br />
I would like to start with the obvious highlight of the trip. Myself "Big Ben" finally met face-to-face with the famously named Big Ben in London. I feel there was mutual respect between the two. I had no idea that Big Ben was a bell and not the giant clock but the bell tolls for thee. I have tried to live down the National Lampoon's line "Look kids, Big Ben, Parliament" for quite a few years but my experience was similar. As was the case with much of the trip it was a quick view and then on to the next thing. I would have loved to spend some time there but I was just happy we got to see so many things in such a short amount of time. <br />
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Big Ben vs. Big Ben</div>
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<strong>Dublin</strong></div>
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I was really excited about going to Dublin and drinking like an Irishman. However, the city was even better than I imagined. One of my favorite things was the cobblestone streets that went through the Temple bar district. It would not be fun to run a marathon on but lucky for me I don't like running period so I was ok. It was my first experience with traffic flowing in the opposite direction of the U.S. though. Good thing I was taught to look both ways before crossing the street because the tendency to look left first was still intact. </div>
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Cobblestone Streets</div>
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<strong>Dublin Drinking</strong></div>
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Now I still accomplished my goal for drinking in Dublin. However, the first night I had five beers and stumbled back to the hotel. I blame it on the jet lag and having not slept more than four hours in the previous 36 hours but it could have been that I am getting old and can't hang like I used to. After three I felt a little buzzed and started to head back to the hotel. The beers ran through me quickly and I had to stop twice at a pub along the way to use the restroom and of course get another beer. I was proud that I tried different beers every place I went the entire trip. My internal GPS did get me back to the hotel eventually and luckily my roomate, Greg, was in the lobby to help me find the room. The next night I did much better, drinking just as many beers or one or two more and not feeling buzzed at all. </div>
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<span style="color: black;">I</span> enjoyed my Guinness</div>
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<strong>Guinness Storehouse</strong></div>
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The coolest thing we did in Dublin was go to the Guinness Storehouse. We were pushing closing time as our previous tour ran long but managed to call ahead and have the tickets waiting for us. As we were about to go on the tour, we found out the free beers were about to close up shop as well so we skipped the tour and went for the important stuff. Greg and I were apparently the only ones who listened to the announcement that the fourth floor was learn how to pour the perfect pint and the sixth was the bar. We went and learned the tricks of the trade, gaining a certificate of excellence afterwards to go with our perfectly-poured beer. Everyone else just went and some other person pour it for them. I don't like Guinness but that is U.S. Guinness. Dublinites tell me it is the water but whatever the reason Guinness is very good in Ireland. I filled my second night with pints of Guinness in fact. One of those was free as the bar on the sixth floor was about to close and our small group talked the bartender into giving us the extra ones she had poured. She kept pouring more after as a private group came in but we didn't want to push our luck by trying a second time. This was at the Gravity Bar which had a great view from the top of the tower overlooking the city of Dublin. </div>
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The Perfect Pour</div>
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<strong>Dublin Sports</strong></div>
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Contrary to how this blog has started out we did do a lot related to sports. In Dublin we toured Aviva Stadium (soccer stadium), Croke Park where Gaelic Football and Hurling occur and the National Aquatic Centre. Aviva is only a few years old and was very cool. It was our first of a few experiences where we got to walk out of the tunnel to crowd noise and music to the pitch (field). At Croke Park we learned that hurling is the fastest moving sport alive and ridiculous while Gaelic Football is not to be taken lightly either. The cool thing at the National Aquatic Centre was we got to watch swimming Olympic Trials races for the tri-nations although they were slower than collegiate races in the U.S.</div>
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Aviva Stadium</div>
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<strong>Liverpool</strong></div>
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I will be honest. I did not have high expectations for Liverpool. The only thing I knew about it was the Beatles had some connection to the city. It was the most pleasantly surprising part of my trip as I had a blast. First of all the drive there was spectacular and everything I pictured in my head about England only with a lot more sheep. Much like driving through Eastern Colorado and seeing a ton of cows in every pasture, in England it was hundreds of sheep everywhere you looked.</div>
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Holy Sheep!</div>
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<strong>Best Day Everton</strong></div>
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The first thing we did before even going to the hotel in Liverpool was go to the English Premier League game between Everton and Fullham. This game was a lot of fun as the hometown Everton won 4-0. Six minutes in to the game they scored on a penalty kick after a player was tackled in the box. The equivalnet of 4-0 is like a 50-0 football game = beatdown. Two Americans were on the field. With a shutout performance, Everton goalie Tim Howard made us proud. Also the most exciting thing for me was watching Clint Dempsey as he looks just like my buddy Tomko. Holla Tomko! I could not zoom in enough to get a picture in focus but he is wearing pink shoes. Unfortunately Dempsey/Tomko was on the losing team. The game was so much fun our grouped came up with the slogan "Best Day Everton" which was used a lot throughout the trip. </div>
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Best Day Everton</div>
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Michael Tomko and Clint Dempsey</div>
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<strong>Liverpooligan</strong></div>
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The term I came up with from being in Liverpool was Liverpooligan. We all partied hard like hooligans but did not stir up any trouble (that I know of). We were staying at Albert Docks which reminded me of the Inner Harbor in Baltimore somewhat. There were several restaurants and bars to enjoy. I knew there would be some crazy stuff when the name of a bar included Freak Show in its title. Yes, I ended up there and after having several drinks I witnessed two girls in scimpy outfits grinding metal to shoot sparks all over the place. The sparks did not feel good so I got out of the way but some embraced it and danced underneath. People were dressed up like it was New Year's Eve in New York. I don't get that dressed up, well except for the ESPYs. I did not fit in but still had fun. </div>
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Albert Docks - Home of the Freak Show</div>
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<strong>Cavern Club</strong></div>
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The best part of Liverpool for me was the Cavern Club. This is where the Beatles got their start apparently. The second day we were there was a day off but it was pouring rain. I foolishly walked to find the Cavern Club and meet up with some people. It was hard to find and my directions were poor so I ended up walking for over an hour and was drenched when I found it. I had a couple of beers at the Cavern Pub first and figured I missed the group but then went across the street to the Cavern Club. I went down three or four floors beneath street level to find a jovial group that had twice as many beers as me hanging out in a cave essentially. I had some catching up to do so I started downing beers. The music was awesome and the band played several Beatles songs. Then almost the entire class showed up and it was a great time. </div>
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Help! It was a Hard Day's Night!</div>
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<strong>Liverpool Sports</strong></div>
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Outside of the soccer game we did not do a lot with sports in Liverpool. On our way out of town we stopped to visit the Everton Youth Academy and found out it is legal to sell nine-year olds. We also found out that the Everton players make good money because we saw the cars they drive in the parking lot as we were leaving. After that we went to Loughborough University to take a tour. It was interesting to see the different sports at a University level in Europe and we got to see some cricket players taking some whacks in essentially the equivalent of a baseball batting cage. My favorite part, however, was the Sir David Wallace building. If any of you watch The Office you get the humor in this.</div>
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Dunder Mifflin knighthood</div>
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<strong>London</strong></div>
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I was really looking forward to going to London but was actually disappointed which was the reversal from Liverpool. Don't get me wrong I loved London and want to go back but I really was excited about touring the Olympic venues. Unfortunately construction is still going on and all we got to do was look at them from afar.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG5SnI7B8ARLCYqUwRfM5Cly8TlaFQGqZzwa9opUNgGjVKOP_jKWWqhwLHCbWNznWGtoWsvh0Dcckkhqdo0d7nhi7N0bDyA_ucuDiOeNcO73YSN9E8CBSwfgDFWYvIE7Yv6Gw0TK6jGyg/s1600/photo+066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dba="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG5SnI7B8ARLCYqUwRfM5Cly8TlaFQGqZzwa9opUNgGjVKOP_jKWWqhwLHCbWNznWGtoWsvh0Dcckkhqdo0d7nhi7N0bDyA_ucuDiOeNcO73YSN9E8CBSwfgDFWYvIE7Yv6Gw0TK6jGyg/s320/photo+066.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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2012 Summer Olympics</div>
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<strong>Furry Hats</strong></div>
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I was also excited about getting a picture taken with a guy in a furry hat. However, those weren't around so I settled for one with a guy in a pointy hat. I read that if you touch them they will beat the bloody hell out of you so I kept my distance. However, the changing of the horse guard was starting so he stomped his foot real hard and scared the crap out of me as I was yelled at by another guy to move away. Later on we saw the furry hats in the changing of the guard for Buckingham Palace. I was satisfied with that.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimB-dX9eVcTSVQlbCFvsLD93cVJWWDOyss46VxkWYPV-Jo56aRoMP8rCiGsDZbUD7XZupFHibgnXGcmu8S7LE7-TdR-i10wQJ54KRgCp4OKKC9qKF3JfYKpYzD0h8M-ZpcTl09Bxd0IGc/s1600/photo+025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dba="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimB-dX9eVcTSVQlbCFvsLD93cVJWWDOyss46VxkWYPV-Jo56aRoMP8rCiGsDZbUD7XZupFHibgnXGcmu8S7LE7-TdR-i10wQJ54KRgCp4OKKC9qKF3JfYKpYzD0h8M-ZpcTl09Bxd0IGc/s320/photo+025.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Cheer up! I am an annoying tourist.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ytfkBRplobvtACjMFYHtrZVTtD3rUt0XuaeNMmuyMZcjsCKSrW3DfKagkFVEDbaTmqnCE42NwZzZYzJjKdwjrYWgYeTRf4UJ5wJ5fUZwHfPtnczuLFIcb0QdJ9TwhQyYykb49kWx7s0/s1600/photo+050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dba="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ytfkBRplobvtACjMFYHtrZVTtD3rUt0XuaeNMmuyMZcjsCKSrW3DfKagkFVEDbaTmqnCE42NwZzZYzJjKdwjrYWgYeTRf4UJ5wJ5fUZwHfPtnczuLFIcb0QdJ9TwhQyYykb49kWx7s0/s320/photo+050.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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There are the furry hats</div>
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Picadilly Circus</div>
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The final night in London was free. Some people were going to see Platform 9 3/4 from Harry Potter (we took the train from there the next day) but I couldn't decide what I wanted to do. I ended up taking the train to Picadilly Circus. It was basically like New York's Times Square and unfortunately not a real circus. Although the street lined with strip clubs and sex shops could have had some circus performer types. I avoided that street and went to a pub that was four stories or so tall and had a giant tree in the middle of it. A bartender at place I ate dinner told me about it and I ended up hanging out with a man and two gorgeous ladies from New Zealand that now live in London. Another good night.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7S1i_pUNP1JIB4JADnVpwqEZB9vPyRyYVtz6hwbwXiQXge5jyeQSeRuq_HdFUA2Tft8Fk88vrrJU1Yi5lVcPSmZT-S2w_0-9jpXBw9mKJ-UpMhajm9Lla0OgI9aSsgurDq1LZwYSqmMc/s1600/IMG_0145%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dba="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7S1i_pUNP1JIB4JADnVpwqEZB9vPyRyYVtz6hwbwXiQXge5jyeQSeRuq_HdFUA2Tft8Fk88vrrJU1Yi5lVcPSmZT-S2w_0-9jpXBw9mKJ-UpMhajm9Lla0OgI9aSsgurDq1LZwYSqmMc/s320/IMG_0145%5B1%5D.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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A tree in a bar?</div>
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<strong>London Sports</strong></div>
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Outside of the Olympics the only thing we did with sports in London was tour Wembley Stadium. This is the home of the English soccer National Team. It was nice to see the stadium and Wayne Rooney's jersey but the cool thing was that the press conference to announce the National Team head coach was taking place while our tour was going on and we went right by the room. We also got to take our picture with the FA Cup but I was too cheap to pay for the picture.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNwv2uue9v_k0HzZZGeFw2q8SpbaN5bHoZtM5B3BYTxxetwsuce5grSsj6EPzS7wChOZm41eRFEf4MHm47olZKy0zZCmjfpcvrjMToYhEMCe9pIIdImu9DO-0s82Y8kG0WRMIZXSnHG3Q/s1600/photo+094.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dba="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNwv2uue9v_k0HzZZGeFw2q8SpbaN5bHoZtM5B3BYTxxetwsuce5grSsj6EPzS7wChOZm41eRFEf4MHm47olZKy0zZCmjfpcvrjMToYhEMCe9pIIdImu9DO-0s82Y8kG0WRMIZXSnHG3Q/s320/photo+094.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Wembley, not to be confused with Wimbledon</div>
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<strong>Paris</strong></div>
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Paris did not get off to a great start for our entire group. We took the high speed train from London that travels around 150 mph and goes underneath the English Channel which is pretty cool but the view around the Paris train station showed a lot of graffiti and the city was very dirty. Also our hotel was not in the best location. I chose to walk around and kill a little time when we got there but I felt like I was going to get jumped for about 10 straight blocks. Three to five guys were hanging out in front of every store and would just stare at me as I walked by. It was very uncomfortable but I made it back to the hotel unscathed. When we all got on the bus to go to a soccer game I sensed everyone felt the same way I did about Paris. However, the mood quickly changed when we reached a different part of town that was a lot nicer. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNNHgnEOxEF_PlyJPEeW9JC8IYhUjj6CzyTv-7NVQYFoVPNRIVwtyDLpc3quP9V7pmj2zPdTiyc7L447xofVxkf4mPU2zUYG_X1mlaNCcIWjyFIeyMHb1c3Gb4uDklkuFUE4y8a-MKuBg/s1600/IMG_0297%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dba="true" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNNHgnEOxEF_PlyJPEeW9JC8IYhUjj6CzyTv-7NVQYFoVPNRIVwtyDLpc3quP9V7pmj2zPdTiyc7L447xofVxkf4mPU2zUYG_X1mlaNCcIWjyFIeyMHb1c3Gb4uDklkuFUE4y8a-MKuBg/s320/IMG_0297%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Louvre changed Paris for the better</div>
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<strong>Robert</strong></div>
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For the first three cities we visited our bus driver's name was Robert. He was a cool dude who was very friendly and maneuvered the bus around like a geo metro. He drove with precision and quickness that impressed all of us students. When we got to France we missed Robert and the new bus drivers didn't help any. They were all rude, obnoxious, crazy drivers and smoked like freight trains. I wish Robert could have come with us to Paris. </div>
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<strong>Montmartre</strong></div>
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On the first free night we had in Paris, most everyone decided to go to the Eiffel Tower. I ended up going to Montmartre with the trip leaders. It is a part of the city up on top of a hill that has a view overlooking the entire city and has some quaint cafes and shops. It put me in a very good mood and I don't know if I was feeling adventurous from the area or not but I tried foods I normally would not try. We had escargot (snails) for appetizers and then I ordered frog legs for my main course. The escargot looked green and slimy but I ignored the look and they weren't bad. Same with the frog legs but the garlic butter probably helped the taste. I had seven frog legs so seven frogs had to die for my meal. Not bad for a meat and potatoes guy from the land where beef is every meal. It was a great night as we walked back down the hill past some more shops, stopping for wine at a couple of places along the way.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUvnB4_LYoEOIUc_MFIvkZVUsPBBY_kjqKmBbuGKcYYsmywgS3xpyOC-qecgDkKze7p1MvVHxIUqjpKK9Y_pjoAtUQS4P6MmN7WzaR0FhyOEyWsevH25foTblfLWscrrRpTXMKJOFLFe4/s1600/frog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dba="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUvnB4_LYoEOIUc_MFIvkZVUsPBBY_kjqKmBbuGKcYYsmywgS3xpyOC-qecgDkKze7p1MvVHxIUqjpKK9Y_pjoAtUQS4P6MmN7WzaR0FhyOEyWsevH25foTblfLWscrrRpTXMKJOFLFe4/s320/frog.jpg" width="312" /></a></div>
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Seven of these guys died for my meal</div>
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<strong>Versailles</strong></div>
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We bused about an hour from Paris to Versailles which is the royal palace of France. We only had an hour to go through it but I could have spend an entire day. A lot of the ceilings and walls were hand painted which made the inside of the palace amazing to look at. The outside was even more impressive as the gardens were at least 10 times the size of the palace and all groomed like an Alice in Wonderland maze. We did happen to hear some gun shots outside while checking out the gardens. I wish I could have taken a golf cart to see all the gardens. There were single shots and some automatic fire. Either there was a gun range nearby or they were out hunting frogs for the cafe at Montmartre. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq8rRUOxo9dkv2-Ll6DDT7CSmnjKZuqCp5XN1plfEOXBS6JwAh9oeKWNRUmt1FnBHFtYUysKOhwuy50IeHFxCb49EaVPG1z3UQY_XAs9CoJccVj1kbh_aqI-VjuXuJJ0GooP1mkjRwYKw/s1600/IMG_0165%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dba="true" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq8rRUOxo9dkv2-Ll6DDT7CSmnjKZuqCp5XN1plfEOXBS6JwAh9oeKWNRUmt1FnBHFtYUysKOhwuy50IeHFxCb49EaVPG1z3UQY_XAs9CoJccVj1kbh_aqI-VjuXuJJ0GooP1mkjRwYKw/s320/IMG_0165%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Paint by Number?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjRBbCZllpSQdYQmAkHuKXNE5mgV50AE-5UlSPwDFJ6jYc3BXEYhUyO_UMYJkxhxMzS5fN5CZ93620P6lVnTSuifopzFYiNVfIgrail9kjml094C08l_tPKbdFAYkwn31S1AT0fbrfPEs/s1600/IMG_0254%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dba="true" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjRBbCZllpSQdYQmAkHuKXNE5mgV50AE-5UlSPwDFJ6jYc3BXEYhUyO_UMYJkxhxMzS5fN5CZ93620P6lVnTSuifopzFYiNVfIgrail9kjml094C08l_tPKbdFAYkwn31S1AT0fbrfPEs/s320/IMG_0254%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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How does your garden grow?</div>
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Last Day</div>
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We essentially had the entire last day in Paris free. I wanted to make the most of it so I got up at 6 a.m. to go see the Statue of Liberty. When I was little I remember going to New York and we just missed the ferry to the Statue of Liberty so my mom was upset we only got to see the back of it. I have since made it back and showed her pictures of the front and now, for you Mom, here is the front of the Paris Statue of Liberty as well. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiae4frTgUQeGth8go1-tJu3Bbh8-3Zlei5dFXiaBX206Rf27yDFF0Hs4q1gjglxZ0rvdwzSQLVFACsEkTSP8TSgFElBTVtezM0TplJArQB1K3enzkzRfjKcEb55gX6yxazZECDikZrXgI/s1600/IMG_0275%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dba="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiae4frTgUQeGth8go1-tJu3Bbh8-3Zlei5dFXiaBX206Rf27yDFF0Hs4q1gjglxZ0rvdwzSQLVFACsEkTSP8TSgFElBTVtezM0TplJArQB1K3enzkzRfjKcEb55gX6yxazZECDikZrXgI/s320/IMG_0275%5B1%5D.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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After looking at the Statue of Liberty I decided to go and climb to the top of the Eiffel Tower. It wasn't open yet so I waited an hour in line and another half hour after that to get my ticket before finally ascending to the top. I weaved through old ladies and young children at a fastened pace all the way to the top. It is a lot like the Empire State Building with a view overlooking the city. I enjoyed the view but the time it took was unfortunate as it cost me a chance to walk through the Louvre. Oh well I did what every tourist should do and that is go up the Eiffel Tower.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT6EEsHKWGxnK3mrFkKIFObtkS-yq65N4eSxYJ9zMKyZVHcT0sn_9nx0Vb7amGE7mWJM26QFPK55JrdXlQX2fZ5DEJ9tXtCfUHpjEtaI6EWl7KO9M2q6yV9_5J8x7tgVY3gqnY9rHbUII/s1600/IMG_0277%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dba="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT6EEsHKWGxnK3mrFkKIFObtkS-yq65N4eSxYJ9zMKyZVHcT0sn_9nx0Vb7amGE7mWJM26QFPK55JrdXlQX2fZ5DEJ9tXtCfUHpjEtaI6EWl7KO9M2q6yV9_5J8x7tgVY3gqnY9rHbUII/s320/IMG_0277%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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American tourist in the way of a great view</div>
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<strong>Official Dinner</strong></div>
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I guess every year on this trip there is an official dinner. We had the choice of duck or salmon and I chose to try duck. It was awesome and I ended up getting it the next night at dinner as well. We also had plenty of wine as the waiters kept the glasses full. It was a great night but there is a side story that goes along with it. I was told to dress nice for the dinner but I didn't know they meant suit nice. I discovered, luckily, the day before that all the guys brought suits with them. I didn't want to look shabby so I found a suit store around the corner from our hotel. I found a great french suit for only 49 euros which is like 65 dollars probably. I was stylin for dinner that night and now own a suit from France.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSK8xRzszieOe2d1BgXI65epl2Z402MR8yWUOd1_z9l1vOIpyV7W4YrUyChR2EIQnUfzWP2OaA97eWAqwsdxTTppSyOjOZpQI-DCQXhS3xWY4XvucYNep7K6oDMGsMzVoiO8uPYwAXsYk/s1600/IMG_0272%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dba="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSK8xRzszieOe2d1BgXI65epl2Z402MR8yWUOd1_z9l1vOIpyV7W4YrUyChR2EIQnUfzWP2OaA97eWAqwsdxTTppSyOjOZpQI-DCQXhS3xWY4XvucYNep7K6oDMGsMzVoiO8uPYwAXsYk/s320/IMG_0272%5B1%5D.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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<strong>Paris Sport</strong></div>
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The sports aspect of Paris was also pretty good. We went to see Paris Saint Germain vs. Saint Etiene soccer match. The atmosphere was really good with the fans doing chants throughout. Paris Saint Germain won 2-0 and scored on a penalty kick. Who would have thought we would see a PK in both games we went to. The only downside to this game was everybody around us smoked nonstop so we probably all got the black lung. </div>
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<i>Allez Paris-Saint-Germain !</i></div>
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We went to INSEP which is the home of the French Olympic training facilities. A couple of cool things happened here. We got to have lunch with a ton of Olympians. Being in the room with so many possible medalists was exciting for me. Here are the elite athletes of France and me all together. It would be like having lunch with the USA Basketball team, Michael Phelps and Justin Gatlin for example. The other cool thing was they loaned us a field for us to play our own soccer game. Not to brag but my team won 3-1. They must have known my soccer prowess as they put me at right back. I played lockdown D to help shutdown the opponents fastbreak attack on numerous occasions. Best thing was I did not pull a hamstring. The final sport activity for us was a rugby game between Paris Rugby and Racing Metro. We received a lecture from Paris Rugby the day before and they gave us flags to wave. I enjoyed watching rugby and experiencing a new sport. The greatest thing was they had a remote control car to take the tee out for kicks.<br />
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This blog is probably way too long but I had such a great trip and wanted to share my experience to the five followers I have. Although there is a new stats feature with my blog and it turns out I have had over 1,000 views, including people from India, China and Russia. In fact I have quite the following in Russia. By the way Rocky > Ivan Drago. For the people in India, ignore that we eat mostly beef in rural Colorado. Now that my blog is worldwide I am glad I can write about worldly experiences.</div>
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<br /></div>Ben Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16667521261977344098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981202723914929318.post-25873267566427352182012-04-13T08:20:00.000-07:002012-04-13T08:20:11.249-07:00True Love?This morning when I got to work I was checking out some links on cnn.com. After going down the list of ones labeled North Korea about to test a nuke, a New Hampshire police chief killed, three killed in Ohio restaurant shooting, two coast guard members killed in Alaska (sensing a pattern?), I finally came across one titled "A love story made at Chick-fil-A". I really enjoy reading people's stories about falling in love but this one was a video. Apparantly there is a group of people who go around and camp out for the opening of a Chick-fil-A. Now I love chicken biscuits possibly more than anything in this world but I wouldn't camp out for one because I can get them every day. I even had two before going to work this morning. <br />
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<a href="http://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_t2#/video/us/2012/04/13/dnt-md-chick-fil-a-love-story.cnn">http://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_t2#/video/us/2012/04/13/dnt-md-chick-fil-a-love-story.cnn</a><br />
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These two lovebirds were camping out for an opening and they kept staring at each other until finally getting up the nerve to talk. When you watch the video you will be shocked at how many Chick-fil-A openings they have gone to. This love story got me thinking about random encounters. Could it be the next time I am waiting in the checkout line at Target that I find my one and only or I could be pumping gas next to my soul mate. With my luck the perfect someone is held up in a chinese prison because of a typo on her passport.<br />
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These random encounters that could lead to 60 years or 60 days of marriage can happen anywhere I guess. Another video I watched recently courtesy of my cousin Erica (Thanks Erica!) was from a show called SoulPancake. The name of the episode was chatterbox and what they did was put a ball pit on a street corner with a sign above it saying "Take a seat and make a new friend". What a great idea! I love ball pits and I could sit in one all day. I would love to put a ball pit in my house one day. Anyway to help the process along there were questions the people could ask each other written on bigger balls in the pit. (That's what she said!).<br />
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<a href="http://cozyhunter.com/musings/chatterbox/">http://cozyhunter.com/musings/chatterbox/</a><br />
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One of my favorite references to true love was made by Westley or the Dread Pirate Roberts in the movie Princess Bride. If you haven't seen it the movie has fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love and miracles according to the storyteller. A couple of my favorite quotes from the movie about true love are "Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while" and "His true love is marrying another tonight, so who else has the cause for ultimate suffering?"<br />
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I have always thought of my grandparents as the ultimate true love example. They have been married 65 years now and are still going strong. Well they aren't as strong as they used to be because of age but they are certainly a great example for me and my siblings. Whether we follow that example or not has been another story.<br />
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I consider myself quite the romantic, using simple things to make an impression. With my bucket full of ideas and my recent urge to write a lot I have started to write my own love story. It will quite possibly be the greatest love story of all time and I am sure once the five subscribers to this blog pass the story on to friends of theirs and they pass it on to friends of theirs it will be picked up by Random House and then made into a movie by Paramount within the month. I won't provide details yet but the story will make a lot of girls cry and Pretty Woman will no longer be their favorite movie. They will have to pull this book off the shelfs.<br />
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Ben Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16667521261977344098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981202723914929318.post-37350340679582461082012-04-08T14:56:00.000-07:002012-04-08T14:56:33.981-07:00Pink Flamingo has risenWith it being Easter and knowing the true meaning of the holiday, you know hunting easter eggs to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Well nobody really knows how the two are connected but I have found a way to connect them through my blog. <br />
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I would like to tell a little story about the birth or rising of my Pink Flamingo. Awhile back I found a pink egg for sale with directions on how to hatch the Pink Flamingo inside. I placed the egg in some water as directed and waited for the process to begin. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjax44RzyMEIH1p-5fNYLul0CDuUCICU3oG2cI6BEkpFE9O8aIa0WlO6ANsJtAKczsFiN7NfYyhoy_lLrG-w9oMkhuU53lA7JJGMiZHTse3oyfEsAGaXCQNTEskXqSGbCBJU2O5ZHfZiCA/s1600/SDIM0092.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjax44RzyMEIH1p-5fNYLul0CDuUCICU3oG2cI6BEkpFE9O8aIa0WlO6ANsJtAKczsFiN7NfYyhoy_lLrG-w9oMkhuU53lA7JJGMiZHTse3oyfEsAGaXCQNTEskXqSGbCBJU2O5ZHfZiCA/s320/SDIM0092.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The excitement of this entire process was hard to contain. I wanted my pink flamingo to be born right then and had no idea how long it would take. I bought the egg over a weekend and each day and night I hoped progress would be made. I checked it when I woke up in the morning and when I went to bed at night. After no progress the first day I decided to try and speed the process along so I incubated the egg by moving it under the floor lamp for a little while. Sure enough the next morning there was the first crack!<br />
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Worried about the late birth of the pink flamingo I thought it would be wise to get it checked out. Since the ultrasound app on my Iphone cost money I went with the free x-ray app. Everything seemed to appear 100 percent good so I was pleased. The crack slowly started to spread over the next couple of days and you could see the neck and body show through.<br />
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When the head popped out I decided it would be good to transfer the egg over to a larger container in order to give the pink flamingo more space to breathe. Not wanting to jeopardise the egg or pink flamingo in any way I used some ice cube tongs wrapped in bubble wrap to move the egg from the glass to a bowl.<br />
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A few days later the pink flamingo had emerged from the egg. I now was the very proud owner of one of the rarest species of pink flamingo. <br />
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As most of the birthing process took place in a Guiness glass I decided to name it Guiness. Here it is in its new home next to my black bear that is trying to avoid being stabbed by a japanese knife.<br />
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Now don't you see the significance of the relationship between this story and Easter.Ben Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16667521261977344098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981202723914929318.post-41142671680349739802012-01-30T13:33:00.000-08:002012-01-30T13:34:26.179-08:00Case of the MondaysRemember in Office Space when the guy says "sounds like someone's got a case of the Mondays". I have heard a lot of people talk about it being Monday and them not getting the week off to a good start. Meanwhile I am as happy as a clam like this guy.<br />
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I have never really hated Mondays and let me explain my theories of why I don't think it is as bad as everyone thinks. First of all people seem to think that Monday is the start of the week. Yes there is a lot of pressure to get your week started off the right way and it is hard to do with having to go to work after the weekend but it is my belief that Monday is not the first day of the week. Stay with me here.<br />
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It makes since to me that Sunday is the first day of the week. Why do you ask? Take a look at a calendar and tell me what day of the week is on the far left .... Sunday. Doesn't it make sense that the calendar would put the first day of the week on the first column. <br />
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It makes sense because it is true. Sunday is the first day of the week based on religious reasons I don't know for sure but google it. Thus why do they consider Sunday part of the weekend? Wouldn't everyone feel better if they knew each week started and ended with a day off. What a better way to start your week then watching football or lying around on your couch watching movies. You never hear "sounds like someone's got a case of the Sundays". <br />
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Of course for us in college athletics sometimes you go months without a day off so it is really just one very long week. Even still I don't mind Mondays. I don't really even have a favortite day of the week although I mostly think of any day off as my favorite day. For some reason though I felt like I needed to write about it because so many people complained about it being Monday. I am trying to be happy and joyful at all times now so for me it is just another great second day of the week.Ben Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16667521261977344098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981202723914929318.post-78374878687436689292012-01-23T15:19:00.000-08:002012-01-23T15:19:06.781-08:00Closer to my green jacketI found out today that I am that much closer to obtaining my Master's degree in Education from VCU as I passed my comprehensive exam I took in December. Now for winning the Master's don't you get a green jacket?<br />
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Green jacket, gold jacket, who gives a shit? I now only have to pass my last two classes and that degree is mine. I will have paid something like $15,000 for a sweet piece of paper that will go in the back of my closet with my other two multi-thousand dollar pieces of paper. The bright side is I will not get any more money at work and won't get promoted. So I have that going for me. My dad did tell me I would get my picture in the paper so to the town of Hugo - look forward to that.<br />
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As for passing my final two classes - it shouldn't be a problem. This spring I have a sports business class with an awesome professor. I took a class with him last year and he was great. I have a book review and a couple of open book, open notes exams so I should pass that with the flying colors of the rainbow ... you know ROY G BIV. That is made in the shade because my grandpa's name is Roy so mark it down. My other class is a two-week trip to Europe. If they give credit for how many beers I can drink in Dublin I will easily pass. If not then I should get an "A" because we are going to London for a celebrity death match between Big Ben the clock and Big Ben the red, white and blue American. Team USA always wins just like you will see again in August in the London Olympics. I might even take my shirt off, carry my 2x4 and chant USA, USA just like one of my heroes Hacksaw Jim Duggan. Paris could be my downfall although I do like french toast and french fries so if they have those I will do alright. <br />
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Things are looking up in the world of this Big Ben. I am closer to finishing school and two buddies from High School visited last weekend to provide a lot of fun and entertainment for me to help 2012 kick off the right way.Ben Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16667521261977344098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981202723914929318.post-14806722385293936202012-01-16T08:49:00.000-08:002012-01-16T08:49:24.308-08:00Quite the MorningToday started out just like any other Monday normally does. For most people it is the start of the week but for us in college athletics it is just the continuation of one really long week that seems like it starts in August and ends in June.<br />
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However, this Monday I was excited. In relation to last week's blog today was the day to get rid of my cable. The Broncos lost on Saturday, well lost puts it lightly, more like got Tom Brady and Gronkowski laid for the next week with some Boston jersey chasers. After getting ready for work I packed up the cable box and never looked back as I headed off to work.<br />
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Here is where my day became a lot more interesting. First of all it was raining slightly but as I have learned in a few months, people in Austin drive crazy when it rains like people in North Carolina do when it lightly snows. There is something that makes these people think they will wreck with the tiniest bit of moisture on the ground. Right as I go to turn on I-35 (AKA the parking lot), of course there is a wreck being cleared on the on ramp. So even with an empty lane to go around this everyone slams on their breaks and fish tail around a little.<br />
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I luckily hit the eye of the storm in morning traffic so I thought and easily cruised at 45 mph past where I normally turn off for work. I decided to drop the cable box off first thing and be done with it. Now I knew where the place was at but Austin loves its frontage roads, one-way exits and streets and divided interstates so getting there was less than easy. For some reason the interstate splits into a high/low divided interstate with some exits off the high and some off the low. My experience with the frontage roads have made me learn to get off two exits early because they are one way and you end up circling around two or three times to try and get to the other side of the interstate. <br />
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Today it didn't matter I took the low I-35 and the exit I needed was still off the high one. I went down the frontage road and tried to do a u-turn but it was a one-way street so I couldn't even turn around. I was forced to get back on I-35 and go to the next exit about four miles away. This put me on the frontage road again and another mile or two down I finally got to u-turn. I got off on the 51st street exit and decided to take the frontage road to 41st where Time Warner's office is. However, the exit just went to 51st street and not to the frontage road. Thus I turned on 51st and then made a left on Airport to try and take that road. This took me right back to I-35 so I got back on hoping the next exit is what I needed. It was but that would have been on the lower I-35 and I was on the higher so I ended up going all the way back towards my work exit. I went to get off but construction cones blocked the exit so I had to go a couple of miles down to the next exit and take the frontage road past the capital into downtown, circle around and head back towards work. <br />
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It was smooth sailing from there to Time Warner but I was cursing the entire time, flipping off every building and street in Austin and yelling at a few idiots for driving stupid because they couldn't wait to talk to their BFF on their cell phone until five minutes later when they weren't driving. I pull in to the parking lot, grab the cable box, get out, walk to the door and there it is. A sign reading "We will be closed January 16 for Martin Luther King Day" <br />
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My reply, "F*cking F*ck, chicken beaters". Yes I need to work on my language but Austin has that effect on me. But c'mon really.<br />
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Well after that I just counted my losses and headed back to work. Of course one lane was closed going back for no apparenet reason other than some jackass decided to put 100 orange cones in the middle of one of the lanes. With it for sure being a day campus would be closed and nobody with a life would be working at least I could park in the upper administration's parking spaces. I went past the street where I usually park to go there but sure enough the road was closed and there were probably 5,000 people with banners and crap walking towards me in some stupid parade.<br />
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I am now in my office for what will be about 30 minutes before I give up on this day. No matter how much work I have to do it can wait because I am afraid of what will happen next if I don't go home. Ben Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16667521261977344098noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981202723914929318.post-11088266880557015212012-01-10T10:02:00.000-08:002012-01-10T10:02:23.992-08:00End of CableThe decision has been made - I am cutting my ties with Time Warner Cable. I may miss a couple of things but overall this is a good move. I decided that once the Broncos were out of the playoffs I would no longer need to watch TV. I, like many of you, don't know what life will be like without sitcoms, reality TV shows, sports or the same movie showing every two hours on TBS and TNT Friday through Sunday.<br />
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Of course the Broncos won on an 80-yard touchdown pass in overtime against the Steelers last weekend so I will have cable at least one more week. However, here is how I see my AC (after cable) years.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS_5GWiZo85opuo8e_bzDYSoWq3uy7egzUYvR3OQ0c6XEyyzOdBzCaopGqbhoSIeWmQjGttkgI3Xv9qzKhjVmna3kFYoCn1KUlbJDOpPPiTJkOrCdJihkyhbwjOfE3GhCafbw4i507KkA/s1600/DenverBroncos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS_5GWiZo85opuo8e_bzDYSoWq3uy7egzUYvR3OQ0c6XEyyzOdBzCaopGqbhoSIeWmQjGttkgI3Xv9qzKhjVmna3kFYoCn1KUlbJDOpPPiTJkOrCdJihkyhbwjOfE3GhCafbw4i507KkA/s1600/DenverBroncos.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Netflix - I have signed up for Netflix and can now view tons of movies and TV shows whenever I want. With my limited time at home these days anyway I can easily fill a couple of hours with a movie on Netflix or one of my hundred DVDs I own.<br />
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Friday Night Lights - I have to mention this because it is the best TV show of all time and there will never be another show like it. I own every season and can just keep watching episodes over and over again. The only show I watch now on TV is Gold Rush on the discovery channel and the season is almost over.<br />
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Sports - I still will be paying for internet so with my Watch ESPN website I can catch almost all Duke games or any other college hoops game online. For any other sporting event it will make me leave my apartment to go grab a brew at a local sports bar.<br />
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Cost savings - Time Warner has ridiculously increased prices to over $100 a month so I started thinking about what I could do with $1,200 a year. Some options for where that money can go include my trip to Europe for my final Master's class this spring, buying a new car this summer, eating at Sonic four times a week instead of two or paying homage to the Landing Strip from Friday Night Lights but that would also be throwing money away so I won't do that.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFS_0pEARSoJJynjTfC6wA5Xk_hyphenhyphenU1vv6MbLfXlZNMB3AkcCrCZYWhyphenhyphenMJJlbKZX2Mns5xmEhALGSCWFtbj5ykVxCOa9msjHonUjjyOo-1FjQ0xqI4TyehPg32460Q4YAYbT0uUJEexipg/s1600/landing-strip-austin-exteri.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFS_0pEARSoJJynjTfC6wA5Xk_hyphenhyphenU1vv6MbLfXlZNMB3AkcCrCZYWhyphenhyphenMJJlbKZX2Mns5xmEhALGSCWFtbj5ykVxCOa9msjHonUjjyOo-1FjQ0xqI4TyehPg32460Q4YAYbT0uUJEexipg/s1600/landing-strip-austin-exteri.jpg" /></a></div><br />
In my mind it makes perfect sense to cancel cable even though I hated not having it when I moved to Texas and didn't have a TV for a month. I feel like I need to get out more though and if I don't have TV then I really have no reason to be home other than to sleep and entertain during my dinner parties. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFybxqMSp4nElxjvcn0DGzDnERweF7mNmHsv4haUqWmXRCW8S1U0ogHc0e9mSORu0_MQI_L4sqaZf89HNp_G7cAiJx3c4sjqIA8Uh32Tl6pXIv2m0OEIeZQc-Q6rb2hjQhqUd0dX152ew/s1600/the-great-gatsby-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFybxqMSp4nElxjvcn0DGzDnERweF7mNmHsv4haUqWmXRCW8S1U0ogHc0e9mSORu0_MQI_L4sqaZf89HNp_G7cAiJx3c4sjqIA8Uh32Tl6pXIv2m0OEIeZQc-Q6rb2hjQhqUd0dX152ew/s320/the-great-gatsby-001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Oh wait I am not the Great Gatsby so really I just need to sleep at home. Ben Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16667521261977344098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981202723914929318.post-37766548758818351182011-11-22T11:52:00.000-08:002011-11-22T11:52:37.181-08:00Great Human Interest StoryLast night I experienced possibly the last ever Hex Rally. It is a pep rally for Texas held at the tower before every Texas-Texas A&M football game. The experience was really cool and was easily the best pep rally I have ever been to. There were about 10,000 people there, all going crazy when the team walked through the crowd and two seniors spoke. My man Fozzy Whittaker got a huge ovation when he crutched his way through. It was great to hear Mack Brown address the crowd and see everyone in the crowd lighting red candles to put a hex on the Aggies. It was a one-of-a-kind event in collegiate athletics.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguXBz8yD8SbB_kPjheebUBgPQvVUaAovUiez6afcj72pVLXoR_t4zS2u2Q5bUKY4vVTtew6YD3fLUaYVlIm1AQanCk69PY6zIHq2PekfwqLYE8X1K_KnjPia0v24ZlelF8KBFEoUF-eYc/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hda="true" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguXBz8yD8SbB_kPjheebUBgPQvVUaAovUiez6afcj72pVLXoR_t4zS2u2Q5bUKY4vVTtew6YD3fLUaYVlIm1AQanCk69PY6zIHq2PekfwqLYE8X1K_KnjPia0v24ZlelF8KBFEoUF-eYc/s320/photo.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
As great as the Hex Rally was it was what came after that really impressed me. I was trying to get coach Brown through the mob of people who wanted to take their picture with him or have him sign an autograph while still trying to keep a watchful eye on the Longhorn Network cameras and our players. Mack is way too nice and wouldn't stop greeting people and I lost the crew so things were not going well.<br />
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After I finally found the LHN guys I escorted them from the football facility and went back to see if any players or coach were getting hounded by media. As I walked down the street I found Coach Brown and two of our offensive lineman, Luke Poehlmann and Sedrick Flowers, with a little girl who was crying. The little girl was around 8-10 years old probably and had been separated from her dad amidst the chaos of 10,000 people trying to exit the rally.<br />
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Coach Brown was on the phone with the girl's mother because amazingly enough the girl remembered her phone number. Mack was trying to get a number for the father but the two were divorced and the mom didn't know his number and hadn't seen him in a year. It was a weird circumstance but all along the two players were talking to the little girl and keeping her calm and comfortable. It was the two players who originally found the girl by herself crying and stopped to see what was wrong.<br />
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Eventually I assume the dad was located because he found his way to where we were at and all was well again. This entire thing was really eye-opening to how great coach and the two players were. They had been on campus since the 6 a.m. team meetings and through a day of press conference, practice and the pep rally it was at this point 10:30 p.m. and yet they still were willing to do the right thing. I applaud them for that.<br />
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I will end this blog with two quotes from the dad who did not leave the greatest impression when he arrived.<br />
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On finally locating his daughter<br />
"This is quite a way to get to meet coach Brown"<br />
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Response to Coach Brown telling him he had to buy the little girl ice cream<br />
"Only if you beat Texas A&M"Ben Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16667521261977344098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981202723914929318.post-61015740218755700772011-11-20T13:58:00.000-08:002011-11-20T13:58:39.366-08:00Fear of the Drive ByFor starters I have never crossed anybody in the wrong circle that I know of but for some reason I have always feared drive-by-shootings. The fear first came about when I was living in Alabama probably. I was sitting on my couch in the living room which was even with the big glass window that led out to the patio of my apartment. I heard some loud noises outside and started wondering if there was some shenanigans going on. Then I started to think what if there was some fighting and someone pulled out a gun and started shooting. An errant bullet could easily come flying through my window and I would be the broad side of the barn chillin on my couch. Boom ... donezo. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJkivGEGS8q_1kxAj7DAOC1oHqbtT7Uld_mJlbmufMfO7Qz7jBK5xbK1LQcW-mUfsEisDilOPoy5u-7Zgq4xW1-TIqovtk_mbhhA7TaEY0mF5XKemYOPztn06XR2wcs3VVZenKJA5BLq4/s1600/drive-by-shooting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hda="true" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJkivGEGS8q_1kxAj7DAOC1oHqbtT7Uld_mJlbmufMfO7Qz7jBK5xbK1LQcW-mUfsEisDilOPoy5u-7Zgq4xW1-TIqovtk_mbhhA7TaEY0mF5XKemYOPztn06XR2wcs3VVZenKJA5BLq4/s320/drive-by-shooting.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I am never afraid of someone coming after me but when living in an apartment or housing complex with minimal distance between you and your neighbor you never know. The neighbor could be involved in trafficking drugs or is in deep with a bookie and owes a lot of money. He/she may have slept with someones spouse or committed a crime that would end in a police standoff. It is my extreme lack of faith in the character of the general population that has driven my concern for such things.<br />
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Part of this all may stem from watching movies where this happens. The car full of gang members creeps up on a place from around the corner and opens fire, peppering the walls of a rival gang's house with rapid fire bullets. Most likely holding the gun sideways they are either out to send a message, defend their turf or get revenge. At least that is what is the usual for movies.<br />
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My answer has been to be out of harms way. When I lived in my first floor apartments all these years I would place my couch somewhere so it wasn't directly in front of the window. Either that or I would lay on the floor to watch TV, being underneath the window sill level and away from the glass. In my Durham Townhouse I felt much safer because the street was almost like a full room away from the areas where I spent all my time as the dining room and kitchen were behind the garage, the living room on the backside of the house and the guest bedroom facing the street instead of my room. Because I rarely have guests, I was never concerned for their safety with the guest room. Now I live on the second floor and would be more worried about an idiot living below me setting a fire and being unable to escape then I would be a drive by.<br />
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I wonder if the best thing to do would be to decorate my house year long with Christmas lights and decorations. I have never seen a movie where someone's house was shot up in a drive by during the holidays. If someone knows of this happening let me know so I can withdraw this idea from my bank of thoughts. Ben Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16667521261977344098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981202723914929318.post-27755144713591406082011-11-13T13:42:00.000-08:002011-11-13T13:42:15.370-08:00Golden Girls was legitThe Golden Girls was a great show. I may take some slack for saying it but I don't care. It may not have been everyone's cup of tea but what other show compares to it when you sit down and think about it. How many other shows are based solely about the elderly population. When I think of sitcoms only three categories really come to mind. Either shows about families, crime shows or hospital dramas. Since I don't like crime shows or hospital dramas those two are elminated and most family shows are all basically the same thing. Then you have the Golden Girls. <br />
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Dorothy, Rose, Blanche and Sofia were the four main characters on the show. As my grandfather once put it there was an idiot (Rose), slut (Blanche), funny old lady (Sofia) and Dorothy. These four characters experienced many of the things that most elderly do experience I would imagine but the comedy was underrated. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisabRbeVaFHDz-Yo0t8IGwMAUZJHHljFiicojT-f8Qys93WYNmI7hcm7ve2bK4NmvulQlRjw2tMZAe3cds1UxPqZIj1BcbYkt1OpVKFDkrG31LTum-VBm5lBDIq1rm_YP-0chg8lVyCCk/s1600/the-golden-girls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisabRbeVaFHDz-Yo0t8IGwMAUZJHHljFiicojT-f8Qys93WYNmI7hcm7ve2bK4NmvulQlRjw2tMZAe3cds1UxPqZIj1BcbYkt1OpVKFDkrG31LTum-VBm5lBDIq1rm_YP-0chg8lVyCCk/s320/the-golden-girls.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The storyline was great as it had four older ladies living together in a house. All four had been married at one point and were either widows or divorced. I would like to say I had a favorite character but they were all equally great. Betty White played Rose and she may be one of the funniest women in TV history. Lake Placid is a stretch for a storyline but she is hilarious in it. Blanche enjoyed her men and had many suitors. She was a southern belle which is about as good as it gets in my mind. Sophia was Dorothy's mother. She was sarcastic, humurous and spoke her mind but you could tell life experiences made her very wise and her comments to Rose were some of the best lines on the show. <br />
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Think about the show in today's world, 20 years after it ran its course. If they did a remake who would you get to be in it? Meryl Streep could be in it, maybe Helen Miron or Jane Seymour. None of them really compare though. Then think about 40 years down the road ... would you have Paris Hilton, Lindsey Lohan, Brittany Spears and Miley Cyrus as the cast? I don't think so. <br />
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I strongly believe that there will never be another show quite like the Golden Girls. There will always be another show like friends or modern family, or ER and CSI-Any City in the Country, but who would have the guts to make a show using an entire elderly cast? Thank you Susan Harris for creating the show.Ben Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16667521261977344098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981202723914929318.post-19049955269738101722011-11-06T18:15:00.000-08:002011-11-06T18:15:56.551-08:00Why should I shave?Lately when I wake up in the morning I have less than zero interest in shaving. I am not sure if this is because I don't get much sleep with all the hours I am working, if I just don't think about it or if I am at the point where I honestly don't care what I look like. This is a question I started asking myself on Saturday.<br />
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We had an 11 a.m. football game so naturally I had to be up by 7 a.m. I had worked the night before until 10 p.m., extending my 12 hour day streak. If this continues my streak will be way more impressive than Cal Ripken's. How many hours a day did he have to work, 5-6? Anyways on Saturday it was 7 a.m. and I was out of it, seeing things about as clearly as if Iwas running full speed through a pitch black night in the middle of a rain forest. I had gone several days without shaving because for a lack of a better reason I didn't want to take the time. My face was no longer like a babies bottom and more like sand paper. What I should have said to myself was "I should shave since it is gameday" but instead I said "Who gives a crap? Nobody will say anything anyway."<br />
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My real time voice was correct because I didn't shave and nobody said a word. About 10 minutes before kickoff I happened to see the end of College Gameday and the guest picker was Brian Wilson. He is not only one of funniest men I have ever seen but also has a really great beard. Seeing him got my thoughts way off track of college football and I started to think about what might happen if I just stopped shaving for good. <br />
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I have never really been able to grow great facial hair. The hair on my neck and side burns grow really well but my mustache comes in blonde and the rest brown. I also can't grow any hair beneath the corners of my lower lip either so a full beard is out of the question. But since I didn't really care what I looked like Saturday, maybe I won't care what I look like the rest of the year or even the rest of next year.<br />
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In fact I might decide to let myself go. It is for instance the time of year when swimmers don't shave their legs because they want slower times now than in March. It is also starting to get colder so men like to grow facial hair to keep themselves warm and go hunting (facial hair and beer are necessary to shoot animals is what I have learned). I know my beard would not be considered one of the greatest facial hairs in history (see below for my top 10) but I do think I might just it go.<br />
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Ben's Top 10 Facial Hair<br />
1. My dad - had a beard ever since I have been alive and would look strange without one<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDc2qxyyfaj6YhZAuXgE3UqNTAUasqHC-sndhNi9DilEVg-7GRVXsLKEzujR097dIbYxdYGLq5J0xBBf4z-xZftJPsf_trVOJoEauLmKonZP9b0HTdyP0GsJW-Y6OH-vPLmK-fVtzYIU4/s1600/In+the+pickup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDc2qxyyfaj6YhZAuXgE3UqNTAUasqHC-sndhNi9DilEVg-7GRVXsLKEzujR097dIbYxdYGLq5J0xBBf4z-xZftJPsf_trVOJoEauLmKonZP9b0HTdyP0GsJW-Y6OH-vPLmK-fVtzYIU4/s320/In+the+pickup.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>2. William Lee Golden - Oak Ridge Boys singer with deep voice who is similar to ZZ Top<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqSxPiP01myie2CAKs1UsY2LhnFMvA1UtxkmyAc0DJP_zFsO7kyW_vzJ6kvw1tqtlPA7hHdFtzp4Ox-1ndds50U5lkuvP56C9Wh47-ERE6ebYemitIW8zymbz9tVPUVwsenFUYNIDzGf4/s1600/goldenwl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqSxPiP01myie2CAKs1UsY2LhnFMvA1UtxkmyAc0DJP_zFsO7kyW_vzJ6kvw1tqtlPA7hHdFtzp4Ox-1ndds50U5lkuvP56C9Wh47-ERE6ebYemitIW8zymbz9tVPUVwsenFUYNIDzGf4/s320/goldenwl.jpg" width="249" /></a></div>3. ZZ Top - the longer the better<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGzbOPRXMkpKoldYO1gU98hee4ha_cIo50fQNMAnsF9lbVK-hxKcxpoz-meZ5ZiDzcH59va-hNPKRIBfida70w8vs9d03x7HK_2Qv3Y0qAJ992rp4RcSBH4U9LNu4DA-yhh3rEhNfcXNY/s1600/zz-top.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGzbOPRXMkpKoldYO1gU98hee4ha_cIo50fQNMAnsF9lbVK-hxKcxpoz-meZ5ZiDzcH59va-hNPKRIBfida70w8vs9d03x7HK_2Qv3Y0qAJ992rp4RcSBH4U9LNu4DA-yhh3rEhNfcXNY/s320/zz-top.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>4. Brian Wilson - comedy and a beard is a win-win combination<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8FcpafYgMFyCgLIqcoR5j05JjDAcWdUo1yXLipX9V0I3Deza4YPX-TogwWFgYFNRWZgDGc5wmGNdimJMxb3RoyvBsNPtZl_rFsVoRij76zpSnPgtggiLswqmaGLdyVxMVnvXQDbFCbqI/s1600/Brian-Wilson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8FcpafYgMFyCgLIqcoR5j05JjDAcWdUo1yXLipX9V0I3Deza4YPX-TogwWFgYFNRWZgDGc5wmGNdimJMxb3RoyvBsNPtZl_rFsVoRij76zpSnPgtggiLswqmaGLdyVxMVnvXQDbFCbqI/s320/Brian-Wilson.jpg" width="308" /></a></div>5. Every single person who entered and tried to win the World Beard and Mustache Championship<br />
<a href="http://www.worldbeardchampionships.com/">http://www.worldbeardchampionships.com/</a><br />
6. Uncle Jesse from Dukes of Hazard - all white and full of wisdom <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuycm21k5CbUcat-Zw7GsK7vC8Whyphenhypheny5Iq2d-Q6NZfqaBaOx4Tf4sUaLOwmmvEVZUsmeR1hkVPga_LlBjTgztOs9pP3VCyZBFkspPUA5PHHGQidD4pUrsEOg9295_YfVPKFr4c9JYBlhgw/s1600/UncleJesse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuycm21k5CbUcat-Zw7GsK7vC8Whyphenhypheny5Iq2d-Q6NZfqaBaOx4Tf4sUaLOwmmvEVZUsmeR1hkVPga_LlBjTgztOs9pP3VCyZBFkspPUA5PHHGQidD4pUrsEOg9295_YfVPKFr4c9JYBlhgw/s1600/UncleJesse.jpg" /></a></div>7. Sean Connery - the best James Bond and a great beard<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnMtUG8kiuohA0gSobCXpLDmmBf09_Wol6F_-5GqUB0T1-pv60uQpDh3_hY7rHlRcy5UxZy7ifGSM4ToKIYUqqWotNletOSxtR5v8wZuarLY2xFo6dfmS0HYfUJX_qi5x8YNp1sjoXMDY/s1600/connery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnMtUG8kiuohA0gSobCXpLDmmBf09_Wol6F_-5GqUB0T1-pv60uQpDh3_hY7rHlRcy5UxZy7ifGSM4ToKIYUqqWotNletOSxtR5v8wZuarLY2xFo6dfmS0HYfUJX_qi5x8YNp1sjoXMDY/s1600/connery.jpg" /></a></div>8. Zach Galifianakis - see reason for Brian Wilson<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYj72mYkKiSd6I_jn6_1_2wM0HzPf5Xy_cNGEskW765z0nota1bbU_osCWdr6LLv5o6I2ZJJi_fU2lhKeQMsIW5zypfyibGH0ireArq8IvApCoyckVf85PZwAyQdDA9yumzvd6eRrVwXk/s1600/galifianakis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYj72mYkKiSd6I_jn6_1_2wM0HzPf5Xy_cNGEskW765z0nota1bbU_osCWdr6LLv5o6I2ZJJi_fU2lhKeQMsIW5zypfyibGH0ireArq8IvApCoyckVf85PZwAyQdDA9yumzvd6eRrVwXk/s320/galifianakis.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>9. Rollie Fingers - played for the Oakland A's <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0z6ABVsO-eVRqPVIJI64ILGrZp7EJ6hQsDN9x0Y22MSjZjfvu5oUdkugPoU_9sUzuaIxZsuzKtnOJynZf2g7rcWg76jAmeM6wM1Nq2g6aSQ4lna5dq24EtUuOILJ6T4btFa9LlmeY0R4/s1600/fingers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0z6ABVsO-eVRqPVIJI64ILGrZp7EJ6hQsDN9x0Y22MSjZjfvu5oUdkugPoU_9sUzuaIxZsuzKtnOJynZf2g7rcWg76jAmeM6wM1Nq2g6aSQ4lna5dq24EtUuOILJ6T4btFa9LlmeY0R4/s320/fingers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>10. Ian McKellen - Lord of the Rings white wizzard<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiVjVkL80uV1sLe1dbbVcY2l_yrG352lFzu_WqeTV9cXXASnzcwaDXTe50udByFI3rtlUZrR1Ljgbo6fEYxBD51J6EIyWyPfeawwf0CEP1EQ49vaiY6LUrOINDqwd0LfqUtcNVBxO5dpQ/s1600/lordofrings3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiVjVkL80uV1sLe1dbbVcY2l_yrG352lFzu_WqeTV9cXXASnzcwaDXTe50udByFI3rtlUZrR1Ljgbo6fEYxBD51J6EIyWyPfeawwf0CEP1EQ49vaiY6LUrOINDqwd0LfqUtcNVBxO5dpQ/s320/lordofrings3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Honorable Mention: <br />
Abraham Lincoln - famous beard but not one of my top 10 although he kind of counts in the civil war<br />
Sam Elliott - from the movie Tombstone which had a lot of great mustaches<br />
Hulk Hogan - great mustache and loved him growing up<br />
Alexi Lalas - would have made the top 10 if he wasn't a soccer player<br />
Conan O'Brien - he shaved it for awhile so lost points<br />
Chuck Norris: Walker Texas Ranger<br />
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Not sure how I got to the list but it may have saved this blog topic.Ben Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16667521261977344098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981202723914929318.post-3906358376824717832011-10-30T18:14:00.000-07:002011-10-30T18:14:15.817-07:00I don't understand the baseball traditionI am a big sports fan and love watching baseball but ever since I was little there was one thing I never understood. Why do managers wear the uniforms like the players? A lot of them are fat, old guys who I can relate to but I can't relate to wearing the uniform. I have brought this up to several friends of mine in the past but a link I saw the other day refreshed my memory on the subject.<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/23/opinion/greene-baseball-manager-uniforms/index.html?hpt=hp_bn9"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/23/opinion/greene-baseball-manager-uniforms/index.html?hpt=hp_bn9</span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHHsSwr2r3W_QmwsgSKcSvOMAt5jFkDH2wBn0ilV26ze5UWTYWa9YlQM-lMG9YUq6c0x54uIJ7u8bMALBIWhVesN1PM2bI9ksU5ljoic_VT5jGLRtoCH80rrh96rXoBTBLpnBS9ao6pt0/s1600/Larussa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHHsSwr2r3W_QmwsgSKcSvOMAt5jFkDH2wBn0ilV26ze5UWTYWa9YlQM-lMG9YUq6c0x54uIJ7u8bMALBIWhVesN1PM2bI9ksU5ljoic_VT5jGLRtoCH80rrh96rXoBTBLpnBS9ao6pt0/s320/Larussa.jpg" width="246" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">I am right with this guy all the way. Tony Larussa just won the world series and is my favorite manager of all time because of when he managed the A's but he looks ridiculous. Can you imagine if coaches had to wear uniforms in every sport. I would love to see Rex Ryan throwing on football pads and a helmet. He would look like a big green version of the Stay Puffed Marshmallow Man. Or in basketball if Coach K had real baggy shorts and a jersey with no t-shirt underneath. He would look a lot like one of his campers during K Academy and that is not a pretty site let me tell you no matter how much you work out when you get older. Now what are some of the sports where this would be the funniest? How about a swim coach putting on a speedo and nothing else? The last U.S. swimming coach is here at Texas and he is around 70 years old. There might be some volleyball coaches I would like to see in the tight spandex but definitely not any of the male ones. The only other coaches that remotely come close to wearing what the players do are tennis and golf but everyone who is a country clubber only has a selection of five ugly shirts and pants to choose from at the pro shop.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Going back to baseball ... I understand why managers had uniforms back in the 20's and 30's because most of them were the veteran guys on the team who coached and played both. However, when it became a job that was strictly coaching and not playing they should have went the sweater vest route like Tressel or the hooded sweatshirt like Belichek if nothing else. I think everybody that works with the team should get to wear the uniform, not just the manager, coaching staff and bat boy. I would like to see the guy playing the organ in a full uniform, stepping on the foot pedal with his golden spikes. Maybe the guy selling beer could wear batting gloves so he doesn't drop any. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">This is the thing in sports that disturbs me the most besides ESPN but who am I to be the rational one. Let these old guys feel youthful and attached to the game by wearing uniforms. I am shocked Nolan Ryan didn't have on a uniform as a GM sitting at the World Series. At least he earned the right unlike some of the other managers in baseball.</div>Ben Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16667521261977344098noreply@blogger.com0