Good News

I haven't blogged in a while so I think it's time for me to do so even though I am not sure where this is going to end up. I think i should start out by saying that THE RED RAIDERS ARE #2 BABY. That's right everyone, the boys from Lubbock are the highest ranked team in the Big XII. Not the boys from Oklahoma or the girls from Austin. After watching the last two games (which have been on prime time television...) I have developed a few things...

1.) A little pride in where I go to school. As classless as our student body can be at times, it is pretty easy to find a reason to be pissed at them. It is not just the fact that we are winning. I was truly impressed that we didn't rush the field after that embarrassment of OSU.

2.) A whole new hatred for Kirk Hirbstreet. I mean come on man... when do you give us some love over here. I know you have had to be here for the last two weeks and it's not exactly the best place in the world to visit but can't you at least give us some credit. Okay, I'll give it to you that you gave Harrell a few complements while we were driving...but as soon as the other team does something good I hear the whole "This is the real Cowboys/Longhorns that we are used to seeing" and then a 10 minute rant on how awesome Colt McCoy is. We all know that Graham Harell is the real mccoy! (I will spare you all the resentment I havetoward Lee Corso)

3.) A new understanding of how people live for Saturdays. There is something awesome about the electricity that has filled this town the last few weeks. I really understand how those big time schools get so fired up about football. I mean its all we have been talking about for 2 weeks solid and I dont see it letting up anytime soon.

Okay so thats enough college football for one entry. I think to wrap this up I should probably address the whole new girlfriend issue that seems to have turned a few heads. To clear things up, yes she is my girlfriend, her name is Micah, yes she is my roommates ex (but it has been a little while and I talked to him about it and he is cool about it all so calm down everyone), and yes she is younger than me. If there are any more questions on that just let me know and i will let you know. I think that is all I really have to say... Hope Life is treating you all well.

Harrel for Heisman '08

RAIDER....POWER!!!!!!!!

Howdy Everyone,
Sorry I have been out of pocket for a while. Its been a crazy week or 2 trying to get caught back up. I am close enough now that i can stop and throw something down on here. And I have just one thing to talk about........GET YOUR GUNS UP BABY!! That's right all you longhorn fans... enjoy your last undefeated week. Okay...realistically i am not that confident, but i am pullin' for the raiders as College Game Day comes to town. I am really excited about this game. I usually don't get worked up about Tech football but i guess I am jumpin' on the band wagon right now because this week is HUGE. Anyway, all of you who plan to see me this weekend be prepared to see me decked out in scarlet and black. This weekend is gonna be really great. I am pumped. I highly recommend everyone going out and getting a cool tech T-shirt for Friday or Saturday so you can represent. I will be.

Hello From the Middle of the Gulf

Hey everyone,
I will try to keep this short as i am limited by the minute thing but i thought i would send something off while i had a chance. Life is good aboard the carnival conquest. Great service but rough seas. We are really shaking on here, its pretty crazy really. I am sorry but i left my camera in the room but i will post some of the pictures soon. I am having a good time as it is. I am actually a little lonely, after all this is a very romantic ship but i have recently become single again. Dont get me wrong, i dont want to be back in my old relationship, I simply miss being in A relationship. Anyway, i am really happy to be hear. For those of you that are curious, I have played a little in the casino. Last night I left up about $20. As for tonight, not so lucky, I'm down about $30. I guess the luck left me.

A new testament to humanity

If you listen to every Christian in the world they will tell you that the world is headed…well… straight to hell. Our social standards have dropped drastically and it has become socially acceptable to do things that only the “witches” of the old days would have done. Now it’s true that our society’s ‘moral fiber’ is not as tightly knitted as it used to be but I have run into something that has reconstituted my belief in the human race. That something is the San Antonio Riverwalk. As huge masses of people walk up and down this river, no one ever gets pushed in. There is really nothing between a woman taking a picture for her scrapbook and the nasty water below other than my self control and morality. I struggled with this all weekend as I was in San Antone for my cousin’s wedding, which proved to be extremely fun. Complete with a circling of the family to dance and sing “We are Family,” it may have been one of the most fun dances I have ever attended. Anyway…back to the river walk. My struggles peaked at one specific point. We were leaving Mad Dog’s to try and find another place to watch the Red River Shootout and walking along the river. I look to my right and there are two (not just one, two) decent looking girls standing by the river posing for a picture. Now to make temptation worse, one of them was wearing a burnt orange shirt with the T.U. longhorn in white across the chest. I even noticed that there was a stair case just to the left that would allow me to make a quick getaway. I smiled and simply walked by. I am confident that if such a situation would have presented itself anywhere else I would have succumbed to it. But there is something about that place. It’s like it got stuck in the world of 30 years ago. Everyone there still has a little class. Something about this place keeps out the bustling city around and provides a place where a college kid can truly resist pushing a rival into dirty water.

Last Of a Dying Breed

As a 19 year old who repairs shoes for a living, I think I am one of few who can claim that I can crease a cowboy hat, replace a sole, and has never lived through the great depression. It is pretty clear that there are not too many people who work on shoes, and even fewer under the age of 88. I would seem that the art of my job is leaving based on the ease of just buying a new version of what is broken. It is rare that I don't hear that this is there favorite pair, as they try to justify to me why i should fix it for them. You would be surprised how many favorite pairs of shoes some old ladies really have. Another reason my business is becoming less and less common would be that my clientele is dying. I know it sounds a little harsh put that way but unfortunately it is the truth. Only the penny pinching old people get their shoes fixed. (This makes me respect the power of a grandchild to get their grandparent to buy anything for them considering they are unwilling to pay me $6.50 to fix their purse strap.) Now don't get me wrong, I really enjoy talking to a lot of the people who come into the shop. There is always that cool old man who seems to at least want to believe that i am not a worthless youth and there might be some hope for my generation. They are fun because they want to tell you all about how it was back in the days of their childhood or try relate to my current situation. Of course i smile and crease a little on their hat to where they can tolerate it (its never perfect) hoping the entire time that "she left me for Jesus" doesn't end up next on the playlist. Now for every 3 or 4 of those you have the bitter old man who thinks that i am completely inept and that there is no way i can fix what he needs. Unfortunately he seems to like to ask to see the manager, i simply smile and say "Well, I'm your man then." This inevitable disappoints him but humors me by showing me the problem and asks if i can fix it. This is always followed with "I think I can do something for you." Now this is where it can get a little nasty from time to time. Next, comes one of two things.....How much will that cost?......or are you then one who will be doing the work? The answer is yes i am the one going to do that for you. I have actually had one of these guys walk out because he didn't think i could fix his worn soles to his satisfaction. As far as i know he based that decision on the fact that i was not over 50. The other question is the real fun one. How much will that cost? Nothing is ever cheap enough for these guys. The best story with this one comes from about a year ago when I had this guy come in to fix his wife's high heels. I politely told him that it was going to be $9.95 to replace the heel tap on the back. He looked at me and said "Are you kiddin?" I said no sir.
"You must be, that is a tiny piece of rubber"
"No sir, and it takes work so i have to charge a little labor, not to mention we are trying to make a little money around here."
"Well thats just rediculous"
"I'm sorry sir i dont make the prices"
(This is where it gets funny)
The man looks me right in the eye and says "you have never lived through a great depression have you"
Fighting back a smile I mumble no. (do i look like i have)
After this he decides to tell me that it was me charging that that was sending our country streight to hell and that if i continued to do this we were doomed. In the middle he told me that it wasnt my fault but then proceeded to blame me for everything. So I apologize for crashing our entire economic structure because of my outrageous prices. Oh but that is another subject for another time. Anyway i do get a little boost in life fact that i am pretty sure i am the only student at TTU that can fix a pair of boots or put a zipper in a purse. It is a nice thought at least and it never hurts to have a trade to fall back on. Im afraid that is what is really dying out.

_____ Uncle?

Jessica has announced her pregnancy to the world so i guess i can discuss my future status as an uncle to the world. I have been contemplating what type of uncle i should be. As the uncle the possibilities endless because I don't have any disciplinary or monetary requirements so anything i do will just be sheer fun. I have been thinking and have come up with a few ideas.

Cool Uncle #1 - Now cool uncle number one takes his niece/nephew to enjoyable festivities around town such as movies and cool restaurants and what have you. I think this would be fun because he/she would always like me and enjoy hanging out with me.

Cool Uncle #2 - As cool uncle number 2, instead of taking him/ her places i would just be cool in their presence. Just be the hip in style listen to the cool music and just be a general pop culture specialist. On the other hand i have never been a fan of pop culture so i dont think i can pull that one off.

"gum" Uncle- now this one is in honor of grand-daddy. I could be the uncle who always has a piece or pack of gum for the child. I have been thinking about this because that is a lot of pressure. I mean can you imagine the devastation and confusion if i missed a day. I dont want the child to think i dont love them or forgot about them simply because they didnt get a piece of gum. I dont think i can handle that kind of pressure.

Uncle Bubba- Now this one makes me laugh because of the insane ability of son to inevitably become like his father. I have seen this happen in many of my friends and can see it starting to happen in me a little. Now i guess Uncle bubba just entails me being the same way to this child as i am with my sisters. This one is most likely the one i will go with because it requires little change in life style.

Now there are others that i have considered but these are the finals. Some of the early eliminations included European Uncle, Cowboy Uncle, Crazy Uncle, Cheese uncle (messy), and Last but not least Elvis Uncle. Anyway any recomendations in which uncle i should be will be welcomed.

Standing on the red dot...

You know that point in life where:
You need to redefine who you are,
You are looking for a place to show your weakness,
You finally realize how big some of your small mistakes were,
You are trying to decide how much money you should put back for the future
You can't figure out what you want to do when you grow up
You can't figure out if you really want to grow up
You cant decide whether the lamp would work better on the bed or the nightstand.
Monday Night Football is the biggest distraction from your homework
You realize blogging is your biggest distraction
You can't decide if anyone will really want to read your blog
I am so there.

Fold

I like poker. It is a game of risk and reward. It puts the thing that our society values most (sadly) on the line and requires the player to make a series of choices that can determine whether he gets a return on his risk or looses everything. There is a sort of raw humanity about it. When you are winning its a fun deal. When you get the shit beat out of you enough times you decide that its time to quit playing for a little while(i like to call this vacation). But other than that you just play your hand. The dealer gives you your cards and leaves you with the ability to choose. Sometimes you get that pair of aces and sometimes you get a 3 and a 5. After this point its all you. Bet, check, fold and then pray. Hard. But its its streaky. You win $50 then loose 100. You are always thinking your bad luck will change but never thinking your hot streak its going to end. Anyway i was thinking about something profound to say about all this and decided that everyone know how it relates to life. I really just want to play go fish. It is much less cut throat. Im am kinda tired of tryin to figure out what choices i need to make in order to direct my life down the right path. Its funny how i can sit on the bus and look around and see people and guess their majors and see them in their prospective jobs. (mind you i never check for correctness and i tend to get funny looks from them) but i can see them doing something, yet when i look in the mirror i cant see it. nothing really fits. Maybe it just relates to the fact that i just dont want to work. I have decided that all that bologna about do what you love and you will never work a day in your life is not exactly true. There is not one thing that i can think of that would make me want to get out of bed everyday before 10, (lazy, yes i know)or make me want to do it past 5. Unless there is some profession where i can sit on the beach at Xpu-ha and watch the waves roll in while a nice waiter brings me mojitos, I am really not seein me lovin life everyday. Now mind you i would be happy to sit there through the rain (except hurricanes, I'm not playin that game), and other weird things that happen on a beach, no workers comp. i will tough out the sunburn. So anyone out there lookin for a professional beach bum let me know. Anyway, as far as my current hand goes, I fold. I need a vacation.