With the first pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, the Carolina Panthers will pick...Ryan Mallett?!?

With their loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday, coupled with wins by Cincinnati and Denver, the Carolina Panthers have clinched the first pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. That means it's only a matter of a few months before Andrew Luck is on stage, holding a #1 Carolina Panthers jersey. But wait! We take a page out of the history book, and go thirteen years back in time to the once-lowly Indianapolis Colts.

Indy and San Diego were both teams in need of quarterbacks in this fateful year of 1998. Two finalists in the Heisman Trophy vote won by Michigan's Charles Woodson (the first and only defensive player to win the award) were incredibly talented quarterbacks. Peyton Manning, the frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy that year, was the son of a former NFL quarterback, Archie (and the brother of future QB Eli), and a stud from the orange and white of the University of Tennessee. Ryan Leaf, who finished third in the voting, was a incredibly talented prospect out of Washington State University. Peyton, after famously telling the Colts, "if you don't pick me, I'm gonna whoop your butt for the next fifteen years," was selected first overall and to date has won a record four NFL MVP awards and been to two Super Bowls, winning MVP honors in Super Bowl XLI. Ryan Leaf, on the other hand, was drafted second by the Bolts and was tossed around the league for four years before calling it quits (and kindly asking that you don't talk to him, alright?).

Fast forwarding to the present. Two quarterbacks with huge NFL potential are in the market (and I'm not talking about Cameron "Scam" Newton, he's an entirely different story). One of them didn't make Heisman waves after his team finished with an under-the-radar two-loss season, the other finished second in Heisman voting. The first, Ryan Mallett, led the Arkansas Razorbacks to a 10-2 record, finishing second in the SEC West and earning a Sugar Bowl berth. Andrew Luck, the guy most predict to go first, led his Stanford Cardinal to an 11-1 mark, a second-place finish in the Pac-10, and a spot in the Orange Bowl.

So why do I think the Panthers should take Mallett?

For starters, look at the last names. Luck and Leaf. Mallett and Manning. Similar, no? Plus, like Mr. Leaf, Andrew went to a west-coast school, while Mallett and Mr. Manning both went to schools in the Southeast Conference. I've always liked Ryan Mallett as a pro prospect. More than anything, I've just got a gut feeling Ryan Mallett will make a better NFL quarterback than Andrew Luck.

Which brings us to the question, if Mallett is drafted first, how far will Andrew Luck fall?

Looking at the likely draft order as of now, neither of the next three teams (Denver, Cincinnati, and Buffalo, all 4-11) look like they would bite at a QB. The Broncos traded up to get Timmy T. in the first round last year, and unless the new coaching staff wants to make a big splash and rearrange the whole Denver team (again), there is no way they'd go for Luck. The Bengals' Carson Palmer, with a good coach, should have several more good years ahead of him, so unless they want QB insurance, Cincy will likely pass on a high-ranked QB like Luck. Buffalo seems to think it's found its quarterback of the future in Ryan Fitzpatrick, but a potential 4-12 season might rearrange the Bills' draft thoughts.

But that's a big MIGHT.

Anyhue, should Denver, Cincy, and Buffalo all shockingly upset their opponents (San Diego, Baltimore, and the Jets, respectively), that opens up a realm of 5-win teams that might get the second pick in the 2011 draft....namely Dallas, Minnesota, Detroit (only one of the previous two would potentially finish the season with 5 wins, they face each other next week), San Francisco, Arizona (same scenario with these two), Cleveland, and Houston. Of these teams, only Arizona do I see in dire need of a new quarterback. However, Minnesota and San Fran might get giddy with the prospect of Luck and take him with their selections (the Vikings faced with the return of unproven starter Tavaris Jackson, and the newly coachless 49ers switching between Smiths). Houston might be looking for a big change after a disappointing season, but they have a Pro-Bowl caliber QB in Matt Schaub that they would be foolish to get rid of. The Cowboys are safe for another five to seven years with Tony Romo as long as he doesn't get injured again. The Lions and Browns have their quarterbacks of the future in Matt Stafford and Colt McCoy, respectively.

Let's take another trip back in time, this time to the 2005 draft. The two highly-touted prospects were Cal's Aaron Rodgers and Utah's Alex Smith. Smith ended up drafted first overall by the 49ers, and no other team snapped at a QB until the Packers with the 24th pick took Rodgers. A-Rod, as I fondly refer to him, is a Pro Bowl quarterback who took over in 2008 after Brett Favre's second(?) retirement, while Alex Smith, as I not so fondly refer to him, has fought for the starting job in San Fran ever since being drafted, and should be let go by the team if their new coaching is right in the head.

Back to the present, if Arizona doesn't take a stab at Luck in the first ten picks of the draft, and no one trades up to get him, the next logical team I see that would like to sign him to a deal is Seattle, a west-coast team in need of a quarterback as it is likely Matt Hasselbeck's last year at the helm there. The only question is if the Seahawks will have the 12th pick, or the 21st, as they'll either finish 6-10 without a playoff berth, or 7-9 and losing in the wild card round.

Apart from 'Zona and Seattle, there's not a team with a real quarterback need in this year's draft. Sure, there's a half dozen or so that would probably take a chance at drafting Andrew Luck. I see Minnesota, San Francisco, Miami, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Oakland as teams with QB struggles, but realistically, only SanFran of the six do I think would waste a first-rounder on a guy like Luck. If Al Davis wasn't dead (which he is, how else do you explain that Oakland was in some playoff talks as late as two weeks ago?), I would say the Raiders would go at a big name like Andrew Luck, but now are different times.

So, while it won't be exactly like 1998 (or really at all like it), I still think the Panthers should go with the choice from the SEC, and leave the West-Coast favorite to bust elsewhere.

Just a small tidbit about myself....

I'm an includer. I try my hardest all the time to make sure others feel involved. There's a guy sitting over there by himself, I wanna be the first to go over and make sure he's doing alright. I enjoy having conversations with just about anybody. I guess that might a part of why it always seems like I've "liked" or commented on facebook posts immediately after they are posted, because I like to let folks know they're being recognized and read and such. And it's not just because I'm being nice. If I include you in stuff, chances are I regard you and/or your opinions very highly.

I don't know, but it seems like no one tries very hard to extend the same favor to me. Too often I feel left out of events, conversations, etc. These same people that I have high regards for seem sometimes to not even notice me, as if I don't count, my opinion doesn't matter, or I'm just generally disliked. I don't like that. Maybe I'm just overreacting, but it would be nice, you know, just every once in a while, if people don't hold conversations right in front of me without my involvement, and little things like that.

Let me get this straight, this definitely does not apply to all my friends. There are some of you that always know that I'm around, and let me know that you know. To those friends, that just increases my respect towards you. Know that.

But just as a general thought, I'm feeling left out if you see me doing one or more of the following, especially in a group setting.

• Staring off into random space or searching the area for something aimlessly
• Pull out my headphones and start listening to music
• Get out my phone (I'm normally looking at the text messages I received days ago, because very rarely does anyone except for maybe two or three people ever text me)
• I start blurting out random things that typically pertain in some way to a conversation that is happening around me.
• I just have this miserable, downtrodden look about me.

Again, it might just be me overreacting, but it would be nice if you notice I might be feeling un-included, as it were, to say "hey" or ask how my day's been or something of the sort. Who knows, that might just make my day.

And I really do enjoy it when days are made, whether they're mine or someone else's.

I feel like I should blog again some more.

I think I need to catch you up on my life, and all its many twists and turns.

Number one: College. Many of my younger viewers may ask, "Why, Clayton, how's college?" Of course, now I think about it, many of my older viewers and viewers within my peer group may be wondering the same thing. And my answer to you is: College is great! Here's a flash of my typical Samford week:

Sunday: Wake up, 8:30ish. Why I am up this early after likely staying up until one or two reading Harry Potter or watching college football highlights is beyond me. There is a knock on the door and there is a friend who I arranged to take me to church. The church in question is massive, as are many of the Baptist churches around Birmingham. The service was nothing remarkable, and then was Sunday School. I have not attended a Sunday School session outside of HFUMC since, oh I don't know, eight or ten years ago, probably. It was a very enjoyable experience, I think I might go back just for the Sunday School hour sometime. Arrive back on campus around 12:30, grab some lunch in the caf, then back to the room for an afternoon of NFL football. That's basically what Sunday consists of every week. Lots of football. Then to sleep for class.

Monday: My first class, JMC 200, begins at 10:30. I wake up at about 9 or 9:15, hop in the shower, head to the food court for a chick-fil-a biscuit breakfast, and head on over to class. Take some notes, fight some sleep, and then to Latin. Much of the same, although instead of the "take some notes" part, it's more "try to figure out what in the heck this thing means". Latin ends at 12:50, and that's class on Monday. After Latin, I hit up the caf for lunch, and head back to the room. Once back in the room, I open facebook (which will remain open long into the night), check emails, and get whatever work I have to get done. Today I'll get all my laundry done. I'm thirsty, so I walk to the mini-fridge and pull out a can of Canada Dry Ginger Ale. On this particular Monday afternoon, I pull up the 104.5 The Zone radio broadcast online, because Randy Moss is holding his first media meeting as a Tennessee Titan. I listen to 3hourlunch until 3, and then turn on the TV to NFLNetwork. I throw on my freshly-laundered band t-shirt, a pair of socks, and some tennis shoes, and head over to the band room. I then catch a ride to the gym because I'm playing for the basketball game. I play some music, shout a lot, and eat some pizza. Four hours later, I go back to the room, where I'll play on the computer, watch TV, and do some reading until I fall asleep at about midnight.

On Tuesday, I have one class. However, I am determined to make Convo this morning, even if I sleep through it. I get a can of lemonade from the room, and a chicken biscuit from the food court (I'm trying hard to cut down on my Bulldog Buck spending, I'm fast running out from my Chick-fil-A consumption), and head over to Reid Chapel for the Convocation. Today's convo speaker was surprisingly interesting, a United Methodist clergywoman and yet another great storyteller. Having not gotten my nap or the last four pages of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in, I go to my Tuesday/Thursday class, CP. I get that essay back that I slaved over on the previous Wednesday night. "This is surprisingly well-written," I find Dr. Putt has written on it. "First semester freshmen usually do not write this well. I even suspected plagiarism at first because it is so clearly written! Excellent work!" This brightens up my day immensely, even more than my first convo credit in two or more weeks did. I take about a page-full of notes about Gothic architecture and culture, and then we get out of class at around noon or 12:15. I head straight to the caf for lunch this day, and then after chilling back in the room for a couple of hours, go to band practice. It's our first Christmas band practice, and as I note to the facebook world, "I am fully aware of the irony of the fact that we're practicing Christmas music, and I'm wearing a tshirt and flip flops." The music is different, and moderately challenging. After dinner, I come back to the room, and Patrick is watching the new 30 for 30 film on ESPN about former superstar running back Marcus Dupree. It's a nice little piece, and I enjoyed it. After that, I make sure everything's ready for my Wednesday classes, read some Harry Potter, and go to sleep.

Wednesday is the day I buy my Harry Potter tickets. There's some finagling with Fandango, but eventually everything works out and I'm ready to go. Both of my Wendesday classes included getting tests back. My JMC grade, though not stellar, is still a solid B, which I will take. In Latin, I was expecting bad things from the test, but I end up earning a similar B. While in Latin, unbeknownst to me, there is a bit of a flash-mob rave dance in the caf in order to advertise tomorrow night's freshman class rave. Sadly, I miss it. After lunch, I head to the library to put in a couple hours of work-study time. In the end, I am not able to continue, and I end up staying for only an hour and a quarter. Dinner is yet another caf affair, and I return to the room with just enough time to watch yesterday's episodes of both Glee and NCIS. After my hour and a half of online TV dosage, I head to my small group meeting. It's a particularly good group meeting for me, and I do a little more reading before I go to sleep.

Thursday is a triumphant morning. For the first time in over a month, I am able to wake up in time to get to the caf for breakfast! I also make it to Convo, which is a very nap-worthy lecture about the church in China. Perhaps it goes too long, for I am still in a lethargic state when CP rolls around. The Renaissance is the topic of this class, and it goes until about 12:10, I think. I go back to the room for a 30-minute power nap (haven't had a good one of those in a while, either...) and then lunch in the caf. An hour and a half after I get done with lunch, and it's band practice time again. I'm not really feeling too well during practice, but I manage, and suffer through a small dinner just to keep my appetite regular. By the time I get ready to go to the aforementioned rave, I'm feeling much better and ready for a fun night of dancing. Well, except for the fact that after about forty-five minutes of constant jumping and moving, etc, I felt like my lungs were about to explode, so I headed back to the dorm for a couple puffs of the asthma inhaler and I was generally back to normal. Great dance, then I feel like staying up even later to get in some Harry Potter reading. I decide that I'm not even going to eat breakfast Friday morning, as I only have one one-hour class that day. I go to sleep, exhausted from an exciting day.

On Friday, I stumble out of bed a little before ten, take a shower, and find my way to my JMC class. It's a nice lesson about cable, I jot down a few key points, and class ends. I head to the caf, and have about an hour-and-a-half long lunch (not so much eating as the social aspect of lunch in the caf). After lunch, I spend a while in the room, before choosing to throw in a little bit of work-study in the library before it closes at 5. After I finish in the library, I run into Corey and Clayton playing frisbee. I play with them for a while, and then we all three head up to the caf for dinner. There we meet the likes of Patrick and Josiah, and after a nice evening meal, we decide to head up to the volleyball game, Senior night, at the gym. We are joined by Jamieson and Red Sea points leader Throck (it's a nickname, his last name's Throckmorton). We watch the volleyball girls fall to Georgia Southern 3 sets to 1, but in a valiant effort nonetheless. Some fingerfoods follow, and then Patrick and I so choose to head back to the room and chill for the rest of the night. I find myself, once again, in the midst of a very good Harry Potter Book (Goblet of Fire, which I've been working on the majority of the week) before going to bed once again.

Saturday gets a late start from me. I wake up shortly before 11, shower, watch some college football, and then head to the caf for brunch. There are some conspiracies regarding a birthday party, and I head back to the room. Corey comes in, I end up taking a run to Taco Bell with him and Zach. After we get back and while we are consuming our Taco Bell, Jamieson enters, detailing us about a certain prank to go down. I spend a large part of my afternoon on that effort after my weekly phone call to the parentals. After dinner, I anxiously await the next step of the prank, but we are foiled by someone close to a victim. I have a nice facebook conversation with this un-named source, and find myself compromised somewhat in the war of pranks that is happening throughout Samford. I suppose it feels a little like when countries entered the World Wars a while after they started. I await my just rewards. Meanwhile, I watch the fourth Harry Potter movie, and end up having to stop after a while, because it is so horrendous. I then watch the South Carolina-Florida and Alabama-Mississippi State games before catching the ridiculously awful ending of the fourth Harry Potter movie. Around this point, Patrick returns from the dorm lobby, and we watch SNL and some football and basketball highlights before he calls it a night and I turn to this, my blog.

Well, that's a sample week. Now that you know that, I'll just go on about some trivial stuff...

1. CUPCAKES. And I'm not talking about that thing that looks like a muffin but is much better. I'm talking about teams, like Louisiana-Monroe, like Georgia State, like the University of freaking Notre Dame, that college football teams play two, three, seven games against each season. Those ones that scream "easy win, let's get in here, play a little ball, throw our bench in, and get the hell out of here" on the schedule. It disgusts me. Every team in the SEC has played at least three, and while I'm a big fan of the SEC, I think they need to play easy-win teams that are a little more competitive by name, like Big Ten and ACC schools. Those of you that have been following all my crazy facebook action know my obsession with cupcakes and their complete lack of benefit.

2. We've got Randy freaking Moss!!!! Thats right, boys and girls, Randy's a Titan. Get excited, it's going to be a great ride in Nashville for the second half of the season, and--dare I say it?--playoffs?!?

3. Oh, I gots me a youtube channel now! You can find me at http://www.youtube.com/user/churdle76. I may or may not eventually be posting videos, but it's really just a thing for me to use for comments or liking videos or stuff like that.

4. And I've also gots me a tweeter!! Although I myself am not a twit, and do not tweet, I felt like I should get a twitty-thing to follow some other twits that like tweeting. So if you want me to add you to my followees, tweet me up @churdle76. If you want to add yourself to my followers (or, as I prefer, twitstalkers), just do whatever you do to follow a twitty type by searching the same tweetie-name.

5. What else, what else? Oh, I'm annoyed by Christmas coming before and above Thanksgiving again, I'm in the middle of a little No-Shave November action, and I get some more money in the bank this week. Also, my midseason NFL Picks are as thus: Titans, Texans, Colts, Jaguars AFC South; Steelers, Ravens, Browns, Bengals AFC North; Chiefs, Chargers, Raiders, Broncos AFC West; Jets, Patriots, Dolphins, Bills AFC East; Falcons, Saints, Bucs, Panthers NFC South; Packers, Vikings, Bears, Lions NFC North; Rams, Seahawks, Cardinals, Niners NFC West; Giants, Eagles, Redskins, Cowboys, NFC East. Playoff seedings will be Jets, Steelers, Titans, Chiefs, Ravens, Texans in the AFC; Giants, Falcons, Packers, Rams, Eagles, Saints in the NFC. Wild Card games: Titans over Texans, Ravens over Chiefs, Packers over Saints, Eagles over Rams. Divisional games: Ravens over Jets, Titans over Steelers, Eagles over Giants, Packers over Falcons. Conference championships: Ravens over Titans (you don't know how much it hurts me to say that), Eagles over Packers. To keep to my original pick of Super Bowl Champion, Ravens over Eagles.

Oh, last but not least, congrats to the San Francisco Giants for bringing home the World Series championship for the first time since your west coast move over fifty years ago.

That's it for now, folks, I'll be back with more action sometime later.

-clayton

NFL PREVIEW 2010!!!!!

It's football time again, which means it's time for me to throw out how I think everyone's going to do this season. You might find a surprise or two, let me know what you think's gonna happen!

We'll start off with divisional records and standings.

AFC East

Jets- 12-4

Patriots (WC)- 11-5

Dolphins- 10-6

Bills 5-11

The Revis Holdout ended last night, so the J-E-T-S-JETS-JETS-JETS are going to be your favorites in the division. Watch out for the Pats though, they've still got it. Miami and their Wildcat offense will contend as well. The Bills have a rough rebuilding year ahead of them.

AFC North

Ravens- 12-4

Bengals- 10-6

Steelers- 10-6

Browns- 4-12

The Ochocinco-T.O. marriage works well in Cincy, but not well enough. They miss the playoffs by a tiebreaker, and the Ravens win the division easily. The Steelers struggle early without Roethlisberger, but will make a push as the season progresses. Cleveland has a very tough schedule; they'll play competitively, but will fall short often. I say they're among the best sub-.500 teams in the NFL.

AFC South

Colts- 12-4

Texans (WC)- 10-6

Titans- 10-6

Jaguars- 6-10

The Colts continue dominating this division, as Houston makes its first ever playoff berth. The Titans play well, but fall short against Jacksonville, giving the Texans the tiebreaker they need to claim second in the division. The Jaguars, after another disappointing season, fire Coach Del Rio and begin to think more seriously about relocating.

AFC West

Chargers- 10-6

Broncos- 7-9

Chiefs- 4-12

Raiders- 4-12

There have been some great Chargers, Broncos, and Raiders teams to come out of this division, but as of late, it's been one of the worst divisions in pro football. San Diego gets the top spot in the West, and Denver continues to rebuild (Don't worry, Broncos fans, they'll be back within the next couple of seasons). The Chiefs have another bad year, and the Raiders, trying to regain some dignity, falter in a big way. Cable gets fired, and Al Davis will decide to go back into coaching. Not a good move.

In the AFC playoffs, the standings will look as such.

Colts

Jets

Ravens

Chargers

Patriots

Texans

In the wild card round, Houston will show how inexperienced they are in the postseason as they get clobbered by a very good Ravens team in Baltimore. The Patriots will be just too much for the Chargers, and they come out of SD with another big W.

In the divisional playoffs, the Ravens will take on the Jets in a defensive showdown. Ed Reed will provide scoring for Baltimore as they pull off a 7-6 victory in New York. In what could be the final chapter of a storied rivalry from over the past decade, Peyton Manning will find enough to get past the Pats once more.

The conference championship will feature Baltimore, who lost the game in the 2008 season, and Indianapolis, who made it to the Super Bowl last year. Of course, any time Baltimore faces the Colts, it's the entire city that opposes Indy. Peyton will be retiring within the next five years, and he'll want as many rings to his name as he possibly can. Ray Lewis will most likely call it quits at the end of this season, and he wants to go out on top. What fun those two will be, reliving old memories and making a couple new ones as they try to make it to the biggest stage in sports. The Ravens will prevail and be crowned AFC champions.

Now, to the NFC.

NFC East

Cowboys- 12-4

Redskins (WC)- 11-5

Eagles- 10-6

Giants- 8-8

The NFC East is not just the toughest division in the NFL, it is arguably the best in all of pro sports. Dallas is gearing up for a Super Bowl in its home stadium, while Donovan McNabb, Mike Shanahan, and the Redskins all make a resurgence. The Eagles have a good season, and the Giants struggle, but still do better than many second- and third-place teams in other divisions.

NFC North

Packers- 11-5

Vikings- 10-6

Lions- 4-12

Bears- 2-14

Brett Favre will come back should there be football in 2011. Because he won't even make it to the playoffs. The Pack will get this division, and Aaron Rodgers will win MVP honors. Meanwhile, the Lions will continue their rebuilding, and the Bears will have the most atrocious season in the NFL this year.

NFC South

New Orleans 12-4

Atlanta 12-4

Tampa 5-11

Carolina 3-13

Bye-bye, John Fox! Panthers will have a tough year, but they'll play well through it. Just not well enough to matter. Tampa continues to rebuild, and there's a battle for the top. New Orleans will repeat as division champs.

NFC West

San Francisco- 11-5

Arizona- 8-8

Seattle- 6-10

St. Louis- 3-13

A new group of a familiar team will get to the top of the West for the first time since 2002. The Cardinals will have struggles with a new QB, Seattle will be on the rise, but won't keep Hasselbeck when he becomes a free agent at the end of the season (Look for Mike Holmgren and Cleveland to pick him up). The Rams will struggle, but will do a little better than last year.

And now, my NFC playoff picks.

Homefield throughout, including potentially the Super Bowl, Dallas- 12-4

New Orleans- 12-4

Green Bay- 11-5

San Francisco- 11-5

Atlanta- 12-4

Washington- 11-5

In the wild card round, we see Mike Shanahan and Donovan McNabb traveling to a possibly snowy Lambeau Field to take on NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. I think the Packers will pull out of this one with the insanely close W. It'll be a incredibly fun game to watch.

Atlanta and San Francisco- I am a HUGE Mike Singletary fan, but Matt Ryan and the Falcons have been through the playoff ringer before, and most of Singletary's players have not. So I'm giving the edge to Atlanta on the road in this one.

Divisional round: Green Bay will visit New Orleans, and this year's NFL MVP will face the reigning Super Bowl MVP. This game will also be entertaining. The All-Pro foot of Mason Crosby will send the Packers into the NFC title game.

In Dallas, the top-seeded 'Boys will be put to the test by the 2010 version of the Dirty Birds. Just thinking about this matchup has one remembering (as well as one can remember not actually remembering for him or herself, being quite young at the time) the early 90s when these teams were both in NFC prominence. It'll be fun, but Dallas will advance with not much problem.

The NFC Chamionship game will be magnificent football. I don't think I've been more excited about the NFC ever. I can't even begin to analyze this one, or it'll take me forever to come to a conclusion. So I'll just say Dallas. Get it over with. They'll play the first legitimate home Super Bowl game.

In Super Bowl XLV, the Baltimore Ravens will travel to Dallas to face a blue-and-white washout crowd of 100,000 or more. Oh yeah, and the Cowboys. It will be the most one-sided NFL Championship, spectator-wise, in the history of the Super Bowl. But are you ready for this? The 2010 World Champions will be the Baltimore Ravens who will win by a score of 24-16. Ed Reed will intercept two passes, returning one for a touchdown, and be named the Most Valuable Player of the game. Ray Lewis will retire on top, much like Jerome Bettis five years ago.

This being said, prepare for me to be a HUGE Aaron Rodgers, Packers, Texans, Ravens, and Cowboys fan this year (Although, naturally, not quite as much as I like the Titans)

Comments? Fears, doubts, concerns? Got your own bold predictions? Or maybe you want to join my prognostication mailing list. If any of the aforementioned apply to you, leave me a comment, right down there vvvvv

-c

I just feel like ranting.

*RANT RANT RANT RANT RANT RANT RANT*

There. It doesn't make me feel much better, but I'll keep writing for a while.

Please, please, excuse any vulgarities that might escape my fingers in this blog. I'm THAT upset.

And there's really no need to be, which makes me even more irate.

It's those damn Yankees. Yeah, hate them more than I have in a while. It's just...grrrrr.

Tonight's baseball scores of course top off the 0-3 start to my preseason predictions, first with the cowboys beating cincy in the hall of fame game last sunday, and then with New England beating the Saints and oakland coming from behind in a lack of offensive production from dallas, which enabled the raiders' 17-9 win. Last time I put my faith in that "America's Team" this preseason. field goals the rest of the way for them.

Please help me remember the nation's favorite basketball and hockey teams so I can start rooting against them too.

gasjdpidajpogoajpgpjogdpjogpjogpojgsdapjogsdapjoga

On top of that, no one's playing in what should've been a glorious last three weeks of my lyric game.

I don't know what is up with that. Because no one's letting me know, except for Janie, their intents to stop playing. I'm considering as of now just stopping and not awarding any prizes.

But that conflicts my sense of commitment.

I think it's starting to sink in how close I am to being gone from Hville for an insanely extended length of time for the first time since 1996. I think the longest I haven't been home consecutively is about two weeks, and I'm about to spend two months in birmingham before fall break.

Wait, what!

Yeah, that can make a guy miserable.

On top of that, ***** GRAMMATICAL AND SPELLING ERRORS NEED TO STOP! I will go on a frenzy before long correcting everyone, especially those that are in school already. Bane of my existence.

hmmm...meteor shower tonight. I think I'm going to see if I can't see anything through the bright city lights of middle Tennessee.

And maybe make some sort of wish. Or refuse to believe in such poppycock.

Whatever.

I'm out.

"Can you teach me how to dance real slow?"

Football isn't really slow, now, is it?

NFL picks are coming up, with our first one being Saturday's prognostication for the August 8 hall of fame game.

I'll be posting weekly blogs up, as well as emails to those I know and ask for them. Keep tuned.

Preseason weeks, while I'm getting back in the flow (it's been a season or so since I've done picks), will be one division from each conference (most likely do North one week, South another, etc). I'll do every regular season game though, and all of the postseason.

Get ready for some FOOTBALL!!!!

"You gotta respect my honesty"

Lyric game points for that. Just leave me a fb message/comment.

There was something I wanted to talk about…oh well. I’ll check the last blog in a minute and see if I can remember from there. Cause it was a good one. A really, really good one. I’m rather upset that I can’t remember it. Oh well. Time to check.

Well, darn, I can’t remember. Might’ve been some sort of music playing in the background.

I remember now! ELECTIONS!

That’s right, it’s that time of year for the Sumner County General election and US midterm primary. My buddy Zach is in full force campaigning for his candidates right now, and if you click on his name, I’m fairly certain his blog (on the inferior Wordpress) probably has some stronger opinions than I; he also regularly updates his Twitter, so if you want to follow him check that out (Be forewarned, he really enjoys your Right-wing “nonsense”---my words, his thought).

Anyway, we’re going to throw my endorsements under three main banners, and maybe use some subheadings if necessary. Hopefully, you’ll follow along.

SUMNER COUNTY GENERAL

School Board

This is an insanely important election for the Sumner County Board of Education. They will be determining the next Director of Schools, as Mr. Benny Bills, the current Director, is retiring from forty-something years of public service effective next summer. Mr. Bills and Mr. (Coach) Merrol Hyde, for whom my glorious Alma Mater is named and a personal mentor and friend of mine, are the only two Directors our county has known for the past thirty-plus years, so the fact that we are going in a completely new direction (there’s that Glee reference again!) is a big issue for the Board.

District One

This is a seat that’s been closely observed by the Hurdle family for some time, as Dad ran for it, albeit unsuccessfully, four years ago. The winner of that election, Mr. Mike Fussell, is a pretty good guy who goes to church with us; however, on the board, it’s apparent that he’s had several ulterior motives over his term, and hasn’t always had the students’ best interests in mind (Let it be known that I still like Mr. Fussell despite his school board endeavors). Mr. Fussell has decided it is no longer his place or desire to serve on the board, and thus is not running for reelection this year. The three candidates vying for his spot are lifetime Sumner resident and longtime attorney John Bradley; educator, husband of a local teacher, and father of an upcoming Kindergarten student, who has also earned a Ph.D., Andy Spears, and PTO president-elect and mother of two, Vanessa Silkwood.

Mr. Bradley, who is endorsed by Mr. Fussell and Nancy Thompson, the widow of late Hendersonville mayor and County executive RJ “Hank” Thompson, grew up in the county school system, and has a daughter who is a 2008 alumna of Hendersonville High School. He has been serving as an attorney for a local clientele for many years, and knows our county well. However, being supported by Mr. Fussell, many of us are concerned, and not without reasonable cause, that he will carry Mr. Fussell’s motives onto the board.

Mrs. Silkwood’s campaign treasurer is the respectable Brian Coulter, who’s been a youth minister for me and my peers for quite a while, as well as a good basketball coach. However, it’s not Brian that’s running for school board, so I’ll focus on Mrs. Silkwood for a minute. She is the president-elect of the Indian Lake PTO, and has two sons enrolled in the school (although one might be at Ellis Middle instead of both at ILE). Her big thing is her Conservative viewpoint, and I feel that implies that she really doesn’t have much else to bring to the table. Added to that the fact that I really have a hard time with radicals and radical-leaning Republicans as Mrs. Silkwood seems to be heading with her excessive touting of her political inclination, I don’t feel that she is a good fit for the board.

Mr. Spears, who is married to Mrs. Courtney Spears, the Theater teacher and (State winning) speech and forensics team coach at MHMS, is by far the most qualified candidate for the District One seat. With a Ph.D. in Education Policy, Mr. Spears has taught at several local universities. He is involved in the community as the President of the Sertoma club, as well as being endorsed by not only the teachers, but also the realtors, of Sumner County. He has served as Policy Director for the Stand for Children advocacy group, and has collaborated with Senator Frist and Governor Bredesen on educational issues. In addition to Mr. Spears’s manifold qualifications, he is also supported by my dad and Mr. Herman Lawson, both of whom ran for the District 1 seat in 2006. For these reasons, and, especially, the fact that he has a wife employed as a teacher and a daughter about to be a student of Sumner County Schools, I personally feel Andy Spears to be the best candidate for the seat. Oh, and did I mention he is a big advocate of communication and government transparency?

District Three

The incumbent of this District, covering the northern part of Hendersonville, Cages Bend, and Station Camp regions, is Assistant Mayor Don Long. He is officially running unopposed, but there is another candidate, Dave Andrews, who is campaigning as a write-in. The reason Mr. Andrews is running as a write-in and not an official balloted candidate is because the man who was running against Mr. Long was pressured, by all inclinations by the incumbent board member, out of the race. Therefore, Mr. Andrews was not able to turn in paperwork in time to be placed on the ballot, but he certainly has been gaining ground since declaring his intent to run. Mr. Andrews’s main priority in running against Mr. Long in District 3 is that he wishes to serve his constituents. He has no other motives than to be a servant to the members of his district and do what is best for them. This also means that, like Mr. Spears, he is for government transparency and communication between the board and the citizens. I feel that his reasons for running, compared with Mr. Long’s track record, make Dave Andrews, the District 3 write-in, the better choice. Because he is a write-in, make sure you correctly enter “DAVE ANDREWS” in the write-in box on your ballot on Thursday. (PS, the links lead to two different sites, Dave’s official campaign webpage, and his Facebook group)

District Five

This is Goodlettsville, Zach’s home, so he’s got a better argument for Shannon Dunn than the fact that Bill Ward is putting his signs outside of his district. That and Zach’s support are the only reasons I would prefer Ms. Dunn on the board. But, check out Zach’s blog and twitter, he’ll have more info for you there.

District Seven

I can’t tell you much about your candidates, Gallatin, but I like Andy Daniels in District 7. He is the father of an autistic child, and wants the special education of Sumner County to be more prevalent and available. He believes that everyone has a dream, and a right to achieve said dream. Furthermore, Mr. Daniels is an alum of the great Samford University. He also seems to have a clear focus of the Board’s focus. He is running against Mr. Jim Huffman—a retired minister who didn’t say anything memorable at a July 22 candidate forum, and who didn’t say hardly anything at all in the Gallatin News Examiner’s July 16 Election Guide—and Mr. Don Sadler, who didn’t even show up at the forum on the 22^nd. I would vote Daniels with my little knowledge of that race.

District Nine

This is blatantly simple, as it has been for the past twenty-two years, Vote Will Duncan for school board. The other guy is older than Rev. Duncan, and his platform? Bringing church and state together. I was least impressed by him at the Forum. So, those of you in the Portland, Castalian Springs, and Bethpage areas, go with the popular candidate.

District Eleven

Mr. David Brown is also an incumbent, and running unopposed for Westmoreland’s district. So, go ahead and vote for him if you’re in that area of the county, I haven’t heard anything about him.

County Commission

Basically, there’s either two candidates up in each district, or both incumbents and a challenger. I don’t really know about any of the district races outside of districts 6-11, and all of those are in my first scenario. So if you’re in Districts 1-5 or 12, find out for yourself what’s going on and who you should vote for. Especially in 1, 2, 3, and 5, in which there are more than two candidates.

Now on to the good stuff, Tennessee.

GUBENATORIAL PRIMARIES

The Democratic Primary is basically set, With Mike McWhorter being the only candidate on the ballot. But the Republicans are where it gets interesting.

Republican Primary

Bill Haslam

I would consider Haslam to be my favorite (I’m lazy so I’m not linking anyone anymore, it should be pretty easy from now on, just www.(insertnamehere).com.) He seems legit, and certainly has a good following across the state. He’s had the experience the state needs right now, so I’d go with him.

Ron Ramsey

As our Lieutenant Governor, Ramsey knows what it takes to get the job done. However, I don’t know if he’s as apt to do it as Haslam seems to be.

Zach Wamp

I don’t know much about Mr. Wamp, but I think he’s probably a little too conservative for my tastes.

Basil Marceaux.com

The video says it all. This guy needs to be our next governor. NOT.

STATE HOUSE PRIMARIES

You pretty much have no choice here, if you’re in Congressional district 45, it’s Maggart if you’re voting Republican, Ihrig if you’re voting Democrat. Moving on, since it’s nearly election day.

STATE SENATE PRIMARIES

Again, in the 18^th Senatorial District, there’s only one choice on each side, in the 17^th, I think there’s three, but the only one I can think of off the top of my head is Beavers.

US CONGRESSIONAL PRIMARIES

This one’s gotten really fun, especially in the Republican side.

Republican Primary

The one person you DO NOT want to vote for is Lou Ann Zelenik. She’s crazy. So insanely radical it’s not even funny. Plus she’s been mudslinging like it’s her only hope. Which, in all honesty, it probably is. So, in conclusion to that argument, please do not vote for Lou Ann.

Our next candidate is Diane Black, who I’ve grown up with her as an elected official from Sumner County, first as a Representative, then senator in the state of Tennessee. I also know Senator Black personally, she has visited my home before, and is very active in her church, St. Tims Lutheran in Hendersonville, where Troop 157 is based. I have seen her at many a Scout functions—Eagle courts of honor, other special events the troop’s held over the years—and I think that’s very important. I’ve never had much of a problem with her, so that’s got to be good for the amount of time she’s been serving.

Jim Tracy, of Shelbyville, is the other main candidate in the Republican primary. He’s kept his nose out of the Diane-Lou Ann fracas for the most part, so I think that’s good. I think he’d be a good Congressman, but I don’t know a whole bunch about him. My vote, had I voted in this primary, would’ve gone Diane’s way.

Democratic Primary

I can’t even remember the other people in this race, I believe there’s a George Erdel running, and maybe Dave Evans is a Democrat, but if you vote in the Democratic Congressional Primary tomorrow, please vote for Ben Leming. I think he is a very good person for the job, as a recently retired Marine, Leming is no stranger to protecting our rights and liberties. I’ve also agreed with a lot of the stuff he’s been saying regarding issues that have come up in the past half year. So, vote Leming for congress if you’re going Democrat tomorrow.

Well, I think I’ve got everything, and just remember to check out Zach’s Blog and Twitter for the things I didn’t really cover, especially SB District 5 and Ben Leming.

Toodles, -ct

"I like your beard"

Yeah, too bad I shaved it.

Our next blog---one I’m just rolling with, I might have you know---will encompass moving, transition, and “New Directions” (not the McKinley Glee Club).

So, yeah, there’s been some crazy stuff going on this past month.

Guess really it all started a while ago, one could argue as soon as my great-great-great-great-great grandparents were conceived. (OK, I’m stretching it a little.) But anyway, I’m entering a rather exciting and interesting time in my life. And there’s lots and lots of change going on for that. In addition, on the homefront there’s been some major disruption of normal life, so to speak. We’ll just rock with it, and maybe there’s a moral at the end that I’ll come to.

So. Let’s start with the personal (It’s all rather personal, but we’re talking me being the person with the greatest effect). I’m in the process right now of moving into the other “slave” (aka not master) bedroom. I now live in the smallest bedroom in the house, and I’ve still got all the clutter of the last room (which is really what I should be working on instead of this blog, but, you know…). It’s also starting to hit me that I’m leaving Htown for the bright lights and rolling hills of Birmingham in only two weeks. I’ve been worried about when and how I’m going to get everything done that needs to be done before then, but now I’m stopping and thinking how much I’m going to miss everyone here. It really was a great run, and a blessing to have such great friends here. That kinda sorta brings me to my next paragraph.

So, it’s been an interesting month or so for the youth of HFUMC. When we got back from choir tour (a really falsely dramatic trip. Like, it wasn’t even funny how petty all these people’s “drama” was), Tiffany, our director, was fired. In this exact same meeting that they got rid of Tif, they told Gavin, our youth director, that he had ten days to make improvements, and after apparently changing their minds and not even seeing the improvements Gavin made, fired him the next Thursday. So, the church is in a bit of a transition as well. We are all trying to figure this situation out, and (this is strictly in my opinion) clinging to the past when we need to move on. It’s human nature, we can’t be blamed for it, but either way. So it’s tough. I’ve got a boatload to say about it; if you know me and are interested in what I have to say, feel free to call, email, or fb message me (there’s too much for text message).

But, yeah, it’s been strange. We’re all going in a bit of a different way now. I have faith it’ll all turn out for the better, because that’s just one of the things I believe fully.

Wow, that was intense. Cool. Well, on to more exciting things. Like, maybe some sports.

-c

"I laugh cause it's just so funny"

Yes, I quote Taylor. What of it?

Anyway, so this morning Mother had the ol’ Michael Crawford playing on the cd player (yeah, remember those things before mp3? We still got one.) On this selected compact disc, Michael did a substirring rendition of the Jesus Christ Superstar classic “Gethsemane/I Only Want To Say”. Upon once again hearing Mr. Crawford singing this tune, I thought to myself, and out loud to the maternal, “Just sayin’, but Ted Neeley is a gazillion times better Jesus than Michael Crawford.”

Mother, of course, disagreed with me, but either way, it got me thinking.

I’ve really never been that fond of Michael Crawford. Especially more recently.

Part of it might be that he used to play on tape (remember those, boys and girls? Those are ancient history) to put me to sleep back in the day (well, it was night time, but whatever. On with the story.), but I just don’t really fancy his voice. He overdramatizes his singing, and it just gets on my nerves for some reason. (For the record, he’s most likely the reason I’m not a big Phantom fan either)

So, that being said, bring on Ted Neeley and Carl Anderson. Crawford is so, like, eighties. AKA-old. And just plain odd. But the 80s blog is another complete topic. Maybe later tonight?

-cth

YouTube

So, recently, I’ve been spending ungodly amounts of time (mostly after 10pm) on the famous video sharing website YouTube (you know, Broadcast yourself and all that crap).

Well, I’ve come across some very funny, musical, and otherwise just pretty darn good videos in my recent youtube binges.

Among them would include the absolutely fabulous Meekakitty, whose “I hate sporks!” video appears in the “Clayton striped polo urinal collection” page of http://clayton4ever.tk/. I’m officially a big fan of Tessa (heck, I “like” her on facebook, that’s gotta mean something) and watched all of the 142 videos she’s posted in her time on YouTube. She’s really random, quirky, and fun, something I feel I can relate to. So, check out her channel. She just did a phenomenal music vid for a rather catchy song, that I’ve probably watched five times since she posted it two days ago (yes, I have no life. Ha.)

The next youtube venture I took was exploring mashups of Katy Perry’s California Gurls (great song btw) and Ke$ha’s TiK ToK (another great song). If you’ve been living under a rock for the past year, they’re pretty much exactly the same song, with a couple of tune differences and different lyrics. Anywho, about the second or third vid I came across was a group of six girls doing an acapella mashup. If you know me, you know that I’m a sucker for three- and four- part harmonies (and pretty girls :P), so I was really impressed. Anyway, these are the Cimorelli sisters, and they’ve got a little album out on iTunes and such. Check ‘em out, they’re pretty cool.

Lastly, several several months ago I started watching A Very Potter Musical, and finished up the other night before watching Act One Part One of the Sequel. Last night, I watched the entire rest of AVPS, and I must say, it was quite enjoyable. WARNING: This play would totally be rated PG-13, possibly even R with its language. So you little five year olds trolling the internet, this one isn’t for you. (as an aside, when I was five, I had no peers trolling the internet, much less knowing what it was.)

Anyway, there’s my YouTube ventures recently. Blogs about Michael Crawford, Glee MashUps, and possibly more coming later tonight. Oh, and football. Ha.

NEW WEBSITE!!!

http://clayton4ever.tk

Here’s the coolest website in the history of the world.

Not really, but it is pretty nifty.

It came about as a bit of a joke/competition/etc

One night as we were playing the lyric game I posted a link as a lyric. The link was http://mattl.tk, and created by Merrol Hyde (and fb lyric game)’s own Marton. You’ll have to follow the link to understand what happened as a result, because I’m not telling :P But anyway, Marton, being the nerd and lyric game player he is, then created another site, posting it on my facebook wall with the comment, “Bonus Points?”

I didn’t give him any points, and he has also been outnerded. By the one and only David.

I told David and Andrew all about this story, and David decided, “Hey, I could make a ten million times greater site than that.” So began his task of building an astounding website that would make me sound conceited talking about it. As clayton4ever.tk continued to grow with each Barack Roll, cat, and spork, I became more and more impressed. So, it’s definitely not done improving; like ye olde faceybook, it’ll probably be making constant changes.

If you have any comments about the site, shoot us an email at clayton(at)clayton4ever.tk. Or, if you want to get directly in touch with the wonderful webmaster, he has a separate address which is sitemaster(at)clayton4ever.tk. Or you can always feel welcome to leave a comment on the blog.

Toodles, for now.

-c

hmmm...well I said I'd be getting back to this...

Oh well, a lot's gone on in the past two months.

First, I graduated (yay). That was pretty sweet.

The birds flew the coop within about two weeks. But it was fun watching them while they were here.

Chicago won the Stanley Cup, and nobody cared.

Christopher was in Grease, and did a phenomenal job.

VY got in a bit of an altercation while I was at Orientation. And CJ still needs to sign a contract.

The college football world began a conference shakeup, with Nebraska going to the Big Ten, and the Pac-10 taking away Colorado. Now the Big ten has 12, and the Big 12 has ten...confusing.

Choir tour was absolutely Gleeful and amazing. Will never forget the experience, or the new TV musical comedy addiction.

Went to an Astros-Giant game. Tim Lincecum beat Roy Oswalt in a 3-1 pitchers' duel.

I got texting. Pretty sweet.

LA won the NBA championship again. They beat my Celtics in a very intense series.

The Red Sox got over their April slump and are looking at the AL Wild Card spot if the season ended today.

Lebron James signed with the Heat. Hmmm...about time for football season, right?

Just got done with VBS. Great week, good fun.

Also, the fam is doing well with our flood recovery downstairs renovation.

I'll blog separately about a couple of these.

Get ready, cause here we go.

-cth

I'm having babies!

That title caught your attention, didn't it? (teehee). The babies I'm referring to are in the nest on my windowsill. The nest and eggs had been sitting there for about two weeks; momma robin had been hanging around, so I knew the eggs would hatch. Today went up to put on some jeans so I could mow the yard, looked out the window, and there's a baby robin. Ran down and told dad, came back up after posting it on facebook (I named the bird Christopher), and when I got upstairs, a second egg was hatching! Decided to name that bird Larry, and last time I checked, he's still covered by eggshell, but out of the egg. Waiting for the third and final one to hatch. More will come on this blog, including pictures and stories of my growing babies.

-cth

Sports Illustrated 5/3-Things You Need To See

I'm posting some links to some notable articles in SI magazines. These are the articles that should be read; I'm weeding out the others.

2015:april Footbal Fools by Peter King (NFL)
"They Said It" quote of the week: "Some people watch adult videos on their computer. I go to YouTube and watch Jahvid Best highlight clips. That's what gets me aroused." --Lions Head coach Jim Schwartz on running back Jahvid Best, the team's second 1st round pick (30th overall) out of Cal.
So Far, So Good by Tom Verducci (MLB)
The Colossal Conference Grind-up by Austin Murphy (NCAA football)
Gareth Thomas...The Only Openly Gay Male Athlete by Gary Smith (rugby)- If you don't read anything else, at least look at this.
A New Kind Of Rolle Model by Selena Roberts (NFL)

-All articles and quotes are property of Sports Illustrated, Time Warner, and their noted authors. I am in no way trying to steal credit for them; I just want to pass them along to others.

Sounds Recap

So, my buddy David demanded that I blog about the game we went to on Saturday. So here it is:

the Sounds won 9-3.

That's about as much sports was included in my Saturday night escapade. But I'll kinda give you the slight play-by-play.

Beginning of the month- Dad: "Hey, Clayton, you want to go to a baseball game?"

Me: "Absolutely!"

Fast forward to Friday Night. Storms. Flash Flood warnings (yet again). We're not sure if we're going to end up going. (in the middle of this, we had a fried laptop hard drive, and the Lyric Game start was being postponed). Saturday morning, working on flood relief, the sun began to shine. However, it was short-lived; The rain and thunder started coming at around 3 in the afternoon. So, it was decided that I'd take Christopher to go see Iron man 2 (big whoop). We get back from dinner at Which Wich (good sandwiches), sun's back up. We're going to the baseball game! Mother and Christopher don't come, two extra tickets. We take Todd and David. Which is where the story really begins.

You have to get to know my buddy David a little better. David's like my little brother. Basically, he is. We go to church together, and our families used to carpool to and from school. David's a pretty intelligent and funny guy, although he's got a naturally loud voice and is often incapable of letting things go. David's the type of guy that has a problem with something, and makes sure everyone knows it. His big thing right now is against texting. Anyway, now that you David, let's continue on with the story

We get to the general area of Greer Stadium, have to park all the way at the science center. That's fine, long walk was good for us. Many laughs were had, Gingerbread men were quoted, and we might've started Rick Rolling by that time. Oh well, we get to the gate at the start of the second, GA was right there. so didn't have to go far at all once we got there. got a Sounds hat to show some Nashville pride, and also to add to my growing collection of ballcaps. The park played good music (except for once when they went off track and played Party in the USA, which by the way brings Marshall Brewer to mind every time I hear it now...beware, don't click on the link unless you want to be mentally scarred), some songs many more times than once.

Yours truly decided he'd start being a real creeper/jerk/loser/smart alec/loudmouth/idiot/etc about the second he got out of the car. Therefore, I think I might have worried David slightly. Anyway, the reading club thing that I used to do was there; they had a shirt that read "got books?" eventually I got to responding to each shirt, saying "Yeah, I got books." This quickly turned into an impromptu lame pickup line---"I got books, you wanna come to my place and see 'em?" There was a memorable moment, possibly in the sixth or seventh inning, in which I saw a trio of teenaged girls, shouted, "Look, it's Justin Beiber!" and they looked. That quite possibly made our night right there. Another time I made a complete fool of myself was jumpin' on it to Apache. If you've never seen me dance, be glad. It was atrocious. "Sweet Caroline" was a sweet moment, it's not everyday you get to scream "bum, bum, bum" and "so good, so good, so good" with 9,000 of your closest friends, especially at a baseball game. David's and my themes throughout the night were Ludacris' part in Beiber's "Baby" ("When I was thirteen, I had my first love..") and Rick Astley (never gonna give you up, etc). Knowing what we know about David from earlier in the blog, you can only imagine how many times the two came up in a 4-hour stretch. Speaking of stretch, we sang a particularly nasty rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the Stretch.

There was a fireworks show, in which there were many pop songs played. After the show, the car ride home was filled with quotes from the greatest kid's cartoon television show of all time, more rickrolling, and one more Ludacris reference. David trying to call his mom about a gazillion times, and her finally calling his dad. Great memories; hopefully we'll get a chance to get to another one before i leave in the fall.