NFL Draft Day Bash, Jacksonville, FL Recap.

Well folks, NFL Draft Day 2008 is now in the books. Kyrsten and I (and Gigi) joined in the festivities at the Jacksonville Landing. And what a nice, family-oriented party it was as well. It was also the first time Gigi got to meet my mother (Lois), Aslin and her mom Kirsten, Kirsten's life partner Cindy and Grandma Leitha. Gigi took right to everybody.

Gigi also got to meet a lot of the Jaguars ROAR Cheerleaders and we even got to meet the ROAR coach. She answered my question about Junior ROAR and Gigi really wants to do Junior ROAR now. So now time to get her ready for the November game where the Minnesota Vikings come to Jacksonville as that will be Junior ROAR Day.


Kind of funny though wearing my Browns gear to the Draft Day party and the Cleveland Browns don't have a first day draft pick (due to trades). But on Day 2, we got some nifty talent such as Beau Bell, LB, UNLV and Martin Rucker, TE, Univ of Missouri.

Back to Day One and the party. My wife's team, the Jaguars moved up 18 spots in the draft to select Florida defensive end Derrick Harvey. A gamble having to trade to move up but this Derrick Harvey fellow is a great addition to a already-fearsome Jaguars D. Something my Browns and Derek Anderson will have to contend with on Oct 26th.

Speaking of that game, I just secured four nice near front row (Row H) tickets for the Browns vs. Jaguars. Let the fun begin.

Of course I got some good-natured ribbing, mostly from the Jaguars cheerleaders about my Browns jersey. Even the head DJ on stage got into it. He was looking for volunteers for a "quiz show" to win prizes. Of course I volunteered. He looked at me and said. That guy in the Cleveland Browns jersey, do you REALLY think I'd pick you??
"Well I just had to try it anyway" I replied.


And now a few pics from NFL Draft Day 2008 Bash, Jacksonville, FL


Yours Truly at the Landing




Uh oh, the ROAR, they GOT ME!!



Oh aren't we all just enjoying ourselves.




And yes, I have plenty of pics of the family (Kyrsten and Gigi. Laci was a little young for this so she spent the day with Mimi (Kyrsten's mom)). But due to net.stalkers from Lord knows where (cough cough...OBR...cough cough) I'm not posting those up here.

Aslin is Sweet 16 TO-DAY!!!

As Neil Sadaka would put this:

"Tra la la la la la la....Happy Birthday Sweet 16".

Well folks, Aslin has made it (wonder how sometimes) to a teen milestone, today is her Sweet 16th Birthday. Kyrs and I called her on her phone (probably embarassing her big time in front of her friends.
I don't know yet what she did (or plans to do) for her Sweet 16 but Kyrsten and I have a few plans for her on our next trip up to Jacksonville. These might include clothes shopping, cruising the mall (Avenues Mall or Orange Park Mall) and a bouns, the Jaguars NFL Draft Day Bash at the Landing.

We ask ourselves is this the same little 8 year old girl who always had that cute smile and a lot of times wouldn't let yours truly here out of her sight.

Well now she's Sweet 16 and......yes a teen terror no doubt judging from her MySpace page.

We Love You Aslin,

Happy Birthday Sweet 16.

Thursday Thoughts....

Watching the Pope giving Mass at Washington Nationals Stadium. As a Southern Baptist, I think this is a wonderful thing and glad the Pope is here.
Now maybe he could give some lessons in morality to certain politicians and CEOs who want to sell out our country and citizens in the name of political cleansing..aka... political correctness.

Of course I see the disgusting photoslop postings from the 2H Club (Hank Haters). Lordy, I show up with one thread there on TP and the next thing you know the 2H Club descends on the place like a bunch of 13 year old boys descending on a Miley Cyrus bikini modeling photo shoot, only the 2H Club motives are much more disgusting.
At least we know now who has real jobs and who's sitting at home in mommy's basement all day.

And my state of mind is perfectly normal nowadays, for a guy who now must be a Dad for two very energetic, very smart, very beautiful (and very bad at times) kids (Laci and Gigi). During this little break I'm here drinking coffee, throwing cream pies up in the air and catching them on my head while trying to use one of my model rocket engines as a cigar. To say nothing of what poor Kyrsten and poor Aunt Tina, Aunt Hughanne and Aunt Mimi are going thru helping us.
But I can look forward to the day when these intelligent young ladies will someday employ the kids of OBR 2H Clubbers in low-paying, menial jobs.

Almost done with a film scanning assignment, nearly 200 35mm slides dated 1969-1972. Kodachrome can be tricky to scan at times, especially the few 126 slides I have to scan. The infrared cleaning algorithm (called Digital ICE), can be fooled by some of the Kodachrome dyes.

Aslin's mom Kirsten is "feeling like a schoolgirl" nowadays as she and Cindy are going to CrueFest in Jacksonville featuring Motley Crue, Sixx A.M. , Buckcherry, Papa Roach and Trapt...all from the pits. Wonder how Aslin is taking that?

How come every time I hear The Lion Sleeps Tonight on Sirius (Robert John's 1972 remake, not the 1964 cover by the Tokens or the 1939 original by Solomon Linda), I think of Fooseface. Oh, it must be the tuba rendition near the end of the song. Can you just see Foose's bulbous cheeks turning 3 shades of Communist red as he blows.....(pun intended). Almost as funny as a barrel full of mental-deficients from the OBR Rant boards.

And on a H.A.P.P.Y. Note (take of Edwin Starr's hit song H.A.P.P.Y Radio), NFL Draft Day 2008 is nearly here. OK it sucks a little that those Magnificent Men in the Orange Helmets (Cleveland Browns) don't have a first-day draft pick. But its still a excuse for a big party in Jacksonville and this will be the first every Draft Day Party for Gigi and Laci. Aslin might join us as well. Good for Gigi, being as interested in cheerleading as she is, she gets to meet the Jaguars cheerleaders, the Jaguars ROAR.




The 2H Club (Hank Haters) own "Mt Rushmore" (actually a sand casting on the cliffs near Huntington Beach, California).


Apologies for insulting the faces and their creators by associating them with 2Hers'

Thunder Island, 30 years later," Sha la la la la la my lady"

Well folks, this spring marks the 30 year anniversary of a song that shot up the charts back in 1978 called "Thunder Island" by Jay Ferguson. I remember back then living in the cold Cleveland winter listening to that song, and having real dreams at night about being out on some tropical island (like the lyrics in the song) and chasing (and loving) some beautiful girl who would be my lifetime true love. (oh the syrup....).

Here's the song lyrics:

Thunder Island, by Jay Ferguson (slightly modified)

Sha-la-la-la-la-la my lady (Kyrsten)
In the sun with your hair undone
Can you hear me now calling your name
From across the bay
A summer's day laughing and a-hidin'
Chasing love out on Thunder Island

She was the color of the Indian summer
And we shared the hours without number
Until one day when the sky turned dark
And the winds grew wild
Caught by the rain and blinded by the lightnin'
We rode the storm out there on Thunder Island

I held her close
Until the storm passed
And we fell down laughing in the wet grass
Both our bodies drying in the sunshine, sweet sunshine
So, sha-la-la-la-la-la my lady (Kyrsten)
In the sun with your dress undone
Now, ev'ry mile away and ev'ry day
Cuts a little deeper
I'll remember the nights in the cool sand
Making love out on Thunder Island

==========================================

I had always wondered (up until 2000) who the girl was in my "Thunder Island" dreams. That question was answered quite nicely, it was my lovely wife Kyrsten. And we did get to live out that "Thunder Island" fantasy as part of our honeymoon (on Captiva Island in Florida).
(OK so Kyrsten was only 7 back in 1978 but lets just say the dreams were fast forwarded in time).

So....to my lovely wife

"Sha la la la la la my Kyrsten.
In the sun with your hair undone.

Can you hear me now calling your name from across the bay.