Up Close...

Without getting into specific numbers let me just tell you that God has really shown up at work. Things continue to fall out of the sky, under no doing of my own. It is awesome! I can't wait to go to work everyday and see what happens next.

I am looking forward to Bon's first Mother's Day, we will go out for a picnic, weather permiting, and she has already received her gift. (I cannot keep a secret)

I hope Bon is able to go to her women's Bible study tonight so that she can get some time on her own, I think that is important.

We have also made working out commitments, Bon just realized that I have high cholesterol, who doesn't these days? So I am out to get in shape, I heard a TV commentator say the other day, "How many people who live to be 100 are overweight?"

So here we go, let's get it on!

TV Junkie

OK, where to begin. I did not blog much last week b/c I had no internet. The wireless internet that I had been using was no longer giving me a signal, so we decided it was time to do the right thing and order our own. Three months was a good run.

That did not give me a chance to reflect on Day 2 of the Bears draft. I hated it, there are about 2 GM's who know what they are doing consistently, Pittsburgh and New England. I was more pleased with the guys we signed after the draft as free agents.

- Dion Byrum, CB, Ohio University
Baller who single-handedly beat Pitt last year, (returned 2 INT's for touchdowns) and he went to OU!
- Tim Day, TE, Oregon
We desperately needed a TE and this guy is a steal.
- Josh Huston, K, some college in Columbus
Apparently this kid, who was considered the #1 kicker in the draft, goes undrafted and called the Bears. "I only want to play for you" It is too bad he didn't go to a better college

We watched School of Rock last night, that movie is easily in my Top 10...

I started a new course this past Thursday that lasts for 6 weeks. He read to us from 36 Powerpoint slides for 4 hours, pray for me...

New Look...

I have to admit I stole this template from Steve Carr, but I was looking for something cool with a photo. I am now a paying customer of internet service, my "free" wireless is now a thing of the past. More on this later, just got home from class and am wiped.

There are plenty of good stories from the last few days coming to the blog, stay tuned...

Christmas in April

Well the Bears have addressed a couple of needs, but made one mistake in my opinion.

Daniell Manning adds a hitter with speed at the SS position, something that has been nissing since the days of Tony Parrish.

Devan Hester is our own version of Randle El it sounds like. He returns kicks, runs the ball, catches the ball, and plays defensive back. He is wicked fast as well.

Dustin Dvoracek will plug the middle until Tank Johnson is ready to come back. Dvoracek and Tommie Harris played together at Oklahoma.

We had the opportunity to get the #1 WR, Chad Jackson, and still have not addressed TE. The bad thing is all of the "good ones" are now off the board. We need one desperately!

We will see what happens today, wouldn't mind seeing a kicker and a Bobcat go to Chitown today...

Public Office Here I come...

I apologize for the delay, that final kicked my butt this week. I will let you all know when I get my grade. We start a new course next week and have homework due for the first class, are you kidding me?

On a side note in regards to class, I was elected by my classmates as the class representive. Basicaly I will serve as the liasion between our group of 13 and university officials for our 2 years together. I was humbled to even be nominated.

Reese is doing amazing, today she learned how to let out a very high pitched squelch, not a cry or laugh, just a rebel yell. It is awesome...

Apparently Jum is living in a tent right now in Iraq and will have no computer access for the foreseeable future. I will definitely think of him even more this weekend as it is our favorite weekend of the year, the NFL DRAFT! I can't tell you the last time we didn't watch it together.

I will have a draft recap the next 2 days, especially in regards to what the Bears may pull off.

We were signed up by our friend Krista at P&G for a diaper study. Basically we get free Pampers for 2 weeks and a Kroger gift card. All Bon has to do is keep the #1 dipes and weigh them for the study. Sweet deal!

Keep livin' the dream...

Go Bears!

Bibs Y'all

As Chubbs lays at my feet and I wrap up my work on my final for the day, Bon is getting Reese ready for bed.

Today was solid, got to chat with Jum via instant messenger. He is leaving Mosul "soon" and heading about 60 miles west of Baghdad. He is not sure if he will still have computer access so communication may get tough.

Speaking of tough, this final is kicking my booty. I need an 80 out of 100 to get an A for the course.

Keep livin' the dream...

Gametime!

(Jum in his gear, ready for action)

We had a great time at Jase and Amber's today. Jase gave me a great lesson on tuning up a car and we even got to go head to head in some cornhole. It is nice being closer so we can get together alot more often with them.

Big shout out to the mother in-law who celebrates a birthday today. I would tell you how many, but I ain't that dumb. Love ya Beth.

We got our group assembled for my MBA program. Myself excluded we have the strongest players in class. I am very fortunate to be paired with them.

Oh yeah, and the other wicked sweet news. You know how I put on here that I had a phenomenal day at work on Thursday, well Friday was even better. It is an amazing feeling to realize that you are just a vessel that God is working through to make things happen.

Keep living the dream...

Is there any money in here?

She is so cute, ok sorry,

School was good last night and work was unbelievable yesterday. I was able to secure about 30% of my May goal yesterday alone! This is all God at work, I am not smart enough to make this stuff happen on my own...

Maybe we will get cable around the end of August since MNF is now on ESPN...

I wish God would drop a Treo into my lap, those things are awesome...

I am attending a luncheon today for the Christian Business Network at Vineyard Church. They meet once a month and my pal Kevin Schad hooked me into it. I am looking forward to it.

Peace out for now...

From the shadows...

(Jum looking for militants)

Big congrats goes out to our great friend and Parcheesi guru, Amy Russell, who is now engaged to be married in August. This summer is chock full of nuptials...

There is Jamie's, Amy's, and I thought there was one more, oh well, must not have been an important one.

Mad props to myself for scoring a 96 (out of 1oo) on my mid-term.

Back to school tomorrow...

Looking for the bunny...

This is a picture of Reese in her dress on Easter morning.

Today is her 3 month birthday, celebrate!

Not much new here, work has been crazy and we are looking forward to seeing the fam this weekend. Jase is going to give me a tutorial on tuning up a car... (should be entertaining)

As I type this the Tribe are up 13-0, awesome

Keep livin' the dream...

Iraq

Today was a great day. We had a chance to see Mom and show The Reese off to Bon's side of the family.

We also got a call from Jum. He is doing well, crushing it in the "sandbox". He has a digital camera there and was able to send us some pics. I will post some different ones as the days roll by.

Giddeup

She turns 3 months old next week folks...

That is Beth in the background who is not holding her, just on ready alert...

I could go on and on about her stories of super development, but I do not want to be one of those over-hyping parents, ya know...

Not much new here, going to hit the homework today, still waiting on my mid-term grade.

Work is going well, this week coming up sould be huge. We are ready for Easter. Bon has a church outfit and an after church outfit for Reese on Sunday. Both provided by Reese's grandmas...

We are going to see Blake this morning for the first time as well and are very excited about that!

Go Tribe, break out of this funk, (lost 3 in a row)

Keep livin' the dream...

Purple Power!

7-foot-3 Bennett signs with K-State

By HOWARD RICHMAN The Kansas City Star
The first piece of the recruiting puzzle at Kansas State has been solved. And it’s a big piece.
Jason Bennett, a 7-foot-3 center from Arlington Country Day High School in Jacksonville, Fla., signed a letter of intent to play for coach Bob Huggins’ Wildcats. He chose K-State over Auburn.
“It was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make in my life, but I’ve always wanted to play for coach Huggins,” Bennett said. “I had to go with my heart and who I think will get me to the NBA.”

At Arlington Country Day, purple-clad students attended Bennett’s signing ceremony.
“We have a dress code. But students were encouraged to wear purple today,” a secretary who answered the phone at the school said late Wednesday morning. “They were told if they wore purple, they would not get into any trouble.”

Bennett becomes the tallest player in K-State history. The Wildcats had two players 7-1: Nick Pino (1966-68) and Joe Leonard (1998-2001).

A year ago, when Huggins still coached Cincinnati, Bennett made an oral commitment to play for him there.

Bennett averaged 12.5 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocks in leading Country Day to back-to-back Class 2A state championships.

It's a Boy!

William Blake Furnish was born today at 4:45Pm in the 'Nati. He weighed in at 6lbs 11 ozs. Everyone is doing great!

Reese is a liitle bummed because she realized she will have to sit next to a boy in class for the rest of her life, there is not much chance of anyone squeezing between Furnish and Furniss on the class roster. Unless...a boy named Caesar Furniso could always move into the neighborhood...

Congrats Blake you have amazing parents...

Praise God for this wonderful blessing...

Corolla gets facelift

I officially changed the license plates tonight on the Corolla. Our 1997 beast has returned to being tagged by the state of Ohio. Maybe I should sell our Tennessee plate on ebay as memorabilia?

Got a chance to chat with Jum yesterday via instant messenger. He was doing good and had scored some movies in "the sandbox". (That's what he calls Iraq) He was able to get 46 movies on DVD and a haircut for $44! I don't know what is more amazing, the fact that he bought 46 movies or the fact that he had to pay for a haircut!

Bon and her mom put the finishing touches on Reese's room today, and it looks amazing. They could really be professionals. I definitely want thent odesign "Manland" when the time comes.

We have very noisy people living above us now, just heard a thud so I thought I would share.

Go Tribe, another victory.

Keep livin' the dream...

Movie Review

Last night we got a chance to see the Chronicles of Narnia for the first time. Bon and I really liked it, the graphics were way cool and you could really see the christian themes throughout the movie. Two thumbs up

I spent most of the day doing homework and Bon took Reese and her mom shopping. It was the first time Beth had been to Jungle Jim's, so they had a good time. I have a couple of more pieces of homework to finish up and I will be ready for Thursday.

Please keep our "friends", (we consider them family), Brian and Carrie in your prayers. Carrie is due anyday to give birth and we are very excited for them. They have been able to hold out without finding the sex of the baby, so everyone is making predictions. I say boy, just by the law of averages. Girls are taking over!

Tribe win again, and so do the Reds??? I-71 World Series?

I'm Back

I feel like Steve just punked me out by encouraging those bloggers who had become stagnant to pick-up the pace.

I am answering the bell. Let me also point out that I have joined into the "soul patch" club with Mr. Carr, I dig it, it will be hard to shave off this time.

Reese is doing phenomenal, as you can see from this picture. She is getting bigger everyday and really showing her personality.

Bon has been an even better mother than I could have ever imagined, her commitment to Reese on a daily basis and the way it has impacted Reese already is amazing. Thanks Bon...

I am loving my job at the Enquirer, I work with great people and have seen some early success. It all comes from God though, I do not take credit for any of it.

I have been able to correspond with Jum a few times via e-mail, so far he seems to be doing well.

School is rocking, 3 classes in, 99 to go. I am so excited about this journey and where it is going to take us when we get through it.

The Tribe are off to a 3-1 start and Nomar is on the DL, it is definitely baseball season...

Please be seated...

I am a glutton for punishment, what can I say. I began work on a 3rd college degree this week. My MBA class at IWU started on Thursday.

I love it already, the instructor is phenomenal, my classmates are solid, and I know I will learn alot. I have homework already!

Also, we took Reese to have her first professional photos taken last night, they turned out awesome. Was there any doubt? I mean, when the photographer is telling us about next year's beautiful baby contest and how we need to enter because Reese would win, is there anything else to say???

Gotta run, classwork calls...

We have a new college basketball team...

The Furniss family have officially alligned thereselves to Kansas State basketball...

Whattup

Things have been going really well for us. Reese is now 2 months old and making us laugh everyday.

I am loving my new job and actually signed a fairly large contract yesterday with a nightclub.

I start class again on Thursday, you can expect a post with an update on that Friday. One of the more interesting things for me will be meeting the other 12 people in my class. We will go through every class together from now through graduation, which should help me increase the network of business contacts.

I have also registered to attend some luncheons for the Christian Business Network, which is very exciting.

Jum made it to Iraq and Katie has heard from him, we now have an address where we can send letters.

Bon is beating me in our brackets again this year, we each have different pairings in the title game, so I have a feeling it is going to go down to the wire.

They are predicting 5 inches of snow today in the Nati...

Happy Birthday Mom!

Big shout out to mama on celebrating the big 5-0.

More pics of Reese to come soon, having some technical difficulties with my camera.

The job is going sweet, I go back to school next week.

Bon is at a baby shower so Reese and I are settling in for some Idol.

Jum was in Kuwait as of late last night, waiting to be taken to Mosul.

Talk to you soon...

Weekend Update

Happy 25th birthday to Jum,

Sorry for the delay on posting but going back to work is going to take some time to get my schedule in order. I don't have as much "free time" as I used to. On that note, the first week at work was awesome. I really enjoyed it, the people I work with seem to be cool and I have alot of opportunity to succeed. Bonnie and Reese are doing great. Bon's birthday is Thursday, so that will be exciting.

If anything comes up, I will let you know. Gotta get back to the Oscars...

First Day...

Here is the latest photo of my girl.

The first day at the Enquirer went really well. I got my training schedule for the next 3 weeks which is very extensive. I actually got to tour the actual press this morning which was pretty cool. They hooked me up with a laptop today which was pretty sweet. Tomorrow is all sales training from 9-5.

Mad props to Drew Lachey for "representin"...

Back among the working stiffs...

It's official, I have a job!

I will be handling advertising accounts for the Cincinnati Enquirer in Fairfield. What a journey, just when we think we have it all figured out, (I had a 3rd and final interview at UC yesterday) God threw us a curveball, or better yet a fastball!

My first meeting with the Enquirer was Monday, yes 3 days ago. I thought it went well and they told me they had interviews scheduled all week with other candidates and would get back to me next week to let me know "where they were". Well, needless to say I was a bit desheveled because I had heard that one before. I had resigned myself to the fact that I would have to take the UC job and put a financial strain on our family, but somethin' is better than nothin'.

My final interview was scheduled at UC on Tuesday. My contact called first thing that morning and asked to reschedule for Wednesday, I said sure and did not think much of it. But Bon knew better. Immediately she said, "God postponed it to give the Enquirer another day to hire you." I stupidly replied, "Babe, they said it would be next week at the earliest, I am going to have to take the UC job." To that Bon said, "God will only bless you if you believe he has the ability to do so."

Am I married to a prophet? Sure enough the Enquirer did call the next day and made me an offer that I could not refuse. It is the most money I have ever had the opportunity to earn and I am minutes from home. I have to be honest with you, I feel unworthy, why did God bless me with Bonnie and Reese? I would not be where I am today on so many levels without Bonnie. I believe it was thru her faith and conviction that we have received this opportunity. Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts through these past few months. We are humbled by the love of our friends and family.

Praise God for my amazing wife and beautiful daughter...

Update

I had an interview with the Enquirer today, and I think it went really well. They will be making a decision next week.

UC called today as well and scheduled the 3rd and final interview for tomorrow. It is down to myself and one other candidate, they will decide on Wednesday.

Whatever will be, will be.

Reese had a Dr's appointment today and did great, obviously. Everything looks good and she weighed in at 8 pounds 13 ounces. She is already over a month old. Time flys when you are having fun...

How did I end up with these girls in my life? Thank you Lord.

I want to eat to the center of the Earth!

Well it has been a whirlwind interview process. After 3 more on Friday (all second interviews) and one on Thursday with Huntington Bank we are getting down to the nitty-gritty. I have a first interview scheduled for Monday with the Cincinnati Enquirer as well.

Things look really good at UC, I am hoping for an offer early next week.

By the way, I love my daughter.

As the seat bounces...

Today's update:

I was at UPS this morning at 5AM for an interview for part-time work to make some extra money. See the funny story from that below.

I have a second interview with Huntington Bank tomorrow morning.

UC called today and would like for me to come in for another interview on Friday.

I have a second interview with the Berry Company on Friday.

OK, so one of the other guys interviewing at UPS this morning was about 10 minutes late and when he came in he said, "I am sorry I got turned around and lost." OK, I understand, but this location is 2 turns off the highway and he spent the rest of his time there talking about how smart he was and how when he gets his degree in computer networking he has plenty of job opportunities.

I guess making 2 left turns in a car is harder than I think...

Things are happening...

Sorry for the lull over the weekend. We got a chance to go to our old Sunday school class on Sunday and we may have finally recovered from bouts with the crud. Mom came down on Friday night to give us a hand and hang out. We missed out on our trip back to Chi-town and the big wedding. We want to try and hook up with Guido and Emily soon so that they can meet Reese.

Funny side note, we got Reese's first insurance card today and it listed her name as Reese E.(lizabeth), we didn't really think of that. Oh well, my dad's name is Rusty Furniss.

I had 2 interviews that went really well, I may get an offer in the next few days on the UC job. If I get it, expect an extremely celebratory post.

Congrats go out to our friends Steve and Kelly Carr who added a daughter to their family Sunday night, Kaelyn Rhae was a little premature and will spend some time in the Neonatal ICU but looks great! Our thoughts and prayers will stay with their family.

Talk with you all soon,

Mo Money, Mo Problems

I passed my test at Huntington bank and have moved on to the next level of the hiring process. As we go through this journey and look forward to the 2 interviews on Monday I cannot help but think back to how easy it was to score big at blackjack 6 months ago. Do I really need a job if I can score like that every week?

Mad props to Amy Russell for stopping by last night and earning approval from Reese for any future baby-sitting needs. Dinner was delicious. Speaking of dinner, it may be time for Skyline tonight, it has been a few days.

Rubber Ducky...

The latest news is that I have 2 interviews scheduled for Monday. One is at the Professional Development Institute for UC doing field marketing logistics. (Which includes free tuition if I enroll at UC.) The other is with the Berry Company in Dayton doing internet advertising sales. Sill no word from Huntington Bank.

Stay tuned...

Job Potential Overload...

(Amy Russell if you are reading this, please call to re-schedule with Reese, you are fading quickly on her list)

OK, day II at Lasik Plus was OK, but the real news is the fact that I got a call from the Berry Company in Dayton about doing Internet Sales for a new division they are starting and I got an e-mail from a contact at a branch of UC who wants me to call her tomorrow. The interesting part to the Berry Company job is that they are the same parent company who owns the Cincy Bell Yellow Pages and gave me the runaroound in late December. The lady asked if I had ever applied with them before and I told her that the previous correspondence ended after I took a personality test. She said she would get my info from the other office so that I wouldn't have to go through all of the initial stuff again, but if I really did "fail" the personality test obviously I do not want her to reference those results. Just kind of ironic, but if it is meant to be it will happen. Still waiting to hear back from Huntington Bank as well.

Bon is headed to a bible study so Reese and I are going to hunker down for some American Idol. (She loves it when I sing to her)

Later...

Today's post is brought to you by Skyline Chili, "It's Skyline Time..."

Super Bowl I

This is a picture of Reese and I taking in her first Super Bowl. We obviously have the right gear for one of next year's participants. Thanks to Brian and Carrie for the wicked outfit!

The first day on the Lasik job went well. The trainer is cool and it should serve as a nice bridge to the next big thing.

Prediction

Steelers will romp, 31-7.

Update

(Uncle B with The Reese)

The gig at Huntington Bank went well. They had me do a computer simulation of banking transactions that had a 45 minute time limit. I finished in 22, which means I either completely bombed it or knocked it out of the park. They will be in touch this week. (Wait, I have heard that before)

I also had the opportunity to give a half-time devotional for 7 youth basketball games yesterday. It was an awesome experience and I would definitely do it again. No one booed, so that was good. There were 4 girls teams there playing, now I will be completely objective here, but if the level of play in girl's b-ball does not accelerate rather quickly, Reese is going to dominate. (Have you seen her fingers and toes? She is built for speed!)

Later...

Fill the cup to this line please...

Today I got to urinate in a cup. I can't tell you the last time I had to do that. Even though I knew there was no way I would fail, there is still some uh, we will just say "performance anxiety". It is difficult to manage the process of giving them what they need, and transferring the rest to the toilet without making a mess. You can't just stop, as Lloyd Christmas said so eloquently in Dumb and Dumber, "I just can't stop it once I start, it stings!" Interestingly they had me wash my hands prior to the business but did not request it afterwards, (I did on my own accord). And they had tape over the faucet in the room so I could not pull off the 'sound of running water' trick to get things going.

I also got a call today from Huntington Bank and will go in for an interview tomorrow. Check back here tomorrow for updates.

Reese is going to sleep now, so we are too.

Later...

Lasik Anyone?

Isn't she beautiful?...

OK, I have secured some temporary employment, selling Lasik eye surgery to folks in an office here in Cincinnati. It is a blessing in the fact that it actually provides us with some income while I look for something else long-term. Let's be honest, anything that comes along is "temporary" until I finish school in a couple of years.

Bon and I are stoked, the new Survivor starts tonight! Although we are watching it with rabbit ears it will still be alot of fun.

That's all for now, later...

We Are Back!

OK, there has been alot going on, so I will try and bring you up to speed. I will be back on schedule to make regular posts now so check back regularly.

- We are moved, we ended up in West Chester in a great place we are very happy with. We had alot of help with the move and getting settled in, but we could not have done it without Beth and Uncle B. They were with us from "door to door" and went above and beyond. We could never repay them. Kudos also goes out to Brian, who helped secure some old friends from CCM to help us get the new digs painted. Brian was in the new place three evenings in a row prior to the move making things happen, thanks Godfather.

- Reese and Bon are doing awesome! Reese is gaining weight and becoming more alert everyday. She is an amazing blessing and I can't wait to be a part of her life on a daily basis.

- It looks like I am going to be getting my MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University which has a branch right down the road from our new place. Two years from now I will be a CPA, lookout!

- We are still working on the job stuff, will keep you all posted as it progresses. All I can say is that this has been some journey.

- The biggest news of the day and hardest to swallow was getting a call from little bro Jum. He was just transferred to a battalion in Alaska and was notified that by March 1st he will be in Mosul, Iraq. We all knew this was a possibility when he entered the Army but now that it is happening it is kind of surreal. I mean my little brother is going to be in Irag, fighting on the front lines, wow. I am so very proud of him and will pray continually for his safe return.

That's probably enough for now.

Later...

Human Hand Trumpet

Reese has learned to play the hand trumpet, and look at that form! There is going to be a little break here in the blog as we try and get moved over the next few days. When I fire up the blog machine early next week expect more photos of Reese and of our new digs.

Look out Cincinnati, here we come!!!

You know, it is hard work being 3 days old...

My Princess Arrives...

I apologize for the delay in getting everyone the information on our beautiful baby girl. I had no internet access at the hospital and have been gone from Tuesday night thru this afternoon. I could write a book about this experience. I have never been prouder or more in love with Bonnie. She was amazing and impressed the hospital staff with her skillz. Reese is doing wonderful after a tough start. Her heart rate dropped dramatically in the birth canal and our unbelievable doctor made all of the right decisions to give Reese a chance. The cord was wrapped around her neck and she was a deep blue. Luckily the staff was prepared and there were at least 8 nurses in our suite with the proper equipment and they revived my little soldier. Expect frequent updates...

Gameday...

Destination: Baptist Hospital. The site of many births for country music's elite. And today we add our new addition to the distinguished list.

This is the day we have all been waiting for. The docs have decided to take matters into their own hands and induce labor tonight since Bon is just under two weeks over-due.

I have so many emotions right now. Excited, anxious, nervous, etc... The big thing for me is that I cannot stand to see Bonnie in any form of pain, so this is going to be a little tough. Alot of prayers have been said and I am sure many more will come throughout our baby's life, it is extremely reassuring to see the number of loved ones our baby will be surrounded with.

I mean, I cannot be the worst father in the world as long as Michael Jackson is still alive, right?

This one hurts...

This was the most excited I have been for a football game in a very long time. I came away very impressed with Rex and very disappointed with our defense. Some things I realized:

1) We need another WR who can make plays. Bernard Berrian looked very good before leaving with an injury but I believe David Givens woud be a great fit via free agency.

2) We need a CB with size and ball skills. Peanut Tillman is a nickel corner at best. Why not take a run at Charles Woodson in free agency?

3) We need a TE who can stretch the field down the middle. This should be addressed in the draft.

4) We need to upgrade at the kicker and punter positions.

5) Lovie Smith is the answer and I am looking forward to 2006 with a ton of optimism.

BTW, Peyton Manning is a terrible loser and lacks leadership skills. Congrats to Coach LeBeau and the Steelers. I would not be surprised if Tony Dungy retired due to the family issues he is dealing with.

No baby yet...

Time passes by...

We are still waiting for our "bundle of joy." We went to the hospital yesterday for some tests and everything checked out with the baby. If nothing happens before, we are scheduled to be at the hospital on Tuesday night for the induction.

Also, we have secured moving plans and the truck will be heading north on January 27th! Mad props to my Uncle B who is making it happen for us. He is the greatest uncle of all-time, we could not do it without him.

Should have job news this week, I may actually have a job, have a child, and move home in a 10 day period. As Donkey and Puss-n-Boots would say, we are "Livin' la vida loca..."

GO BEARS!!!

T.O., part II

Here is the rumor making rounds:

Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson today denied reports that he was involved in a locker room fight at halftime on Sunday during the Bengals' playoff loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.When asked about a report from the Web site profootballtalk.com that claims Johnson was involved with an altercation with receivers coach Hue Jackson, and then swung at head coach Marvin Lewis, Johnson said nothing happened.“That sounds like drama," Johnson said. "At halftime, I was getting an IV. Nothing happened. Why don’t you talk to the coaches, they’re all down there today.”

The Bengals had no comment.

If this turns out to be true the Bengals have no choice but to cut their ties with the latest Drew Rosenhaus client gone wild. Looking at the market for an elite WR one only needs to look back to last year when Randy Moss was traded by the Vikings. The received the #7 pick in the draft and linebacker Napoleon Harris.

Coincidentally the #7 pick this year is owned by the team that I think should trade for Chad. Chad is a west-coast guy and would seem to be a better fit "in the bay." He could have a chance at breaking all of Jerry Rice's records with the...49ers.

Trading Chad for the #7 pick in the draft and Julian Peterson would be a steal for the Bengals. Peterson is an All-Pro linebacker who is at his lowest value after a couple of injury-plagued seasons. At the #7 pick they may be able to select the #1 defensive tackle available in the form of Haloti Ngata from Oregon.

T.J., Henry and a free agent acquisition or 2nd round draft pick would be more than capable of catching the rock in 2006.

Playoffs

My sympathy goes out to the Bengals Nation, get yourselves a solid TE and a DT that can stop the run, Larry Triplett?, and you will be in great shape for 2006.

Now to Da Bears, it looks like we get the Panthers on Sunday, a team we sacked 8 times earlier this year in a 13-3 victory. We will also be rooting for the Skins on Saturday because that would allow the Bears to host the NFC Championship game.

No baby yet...

MVP

Congrats to Mr. Urlacher who won the NFL Defensive MVP award today. This adds ammunition to my argument with Jum of #54 being the best linebacker in the game.

Personal news, no baby yet, but had another great phone conversation with a different executive at Time Warner Cable this afternoon. It looks promising, the next step is the dreaded personality test. Hope I don't fail...

WOW!

I have watched alot of football in my day. And I can honestly tell you that last night I witnessed the greatest game I have ever seen. In addition, I gained the ultimate respect for Vince Young. Like most people, I have been enamored with Reggie Bush all year and I believe he is an unbelievable talent. But if I started a football franhise today I would begin with Vince. He is like Randall Cunningham on steroids. In my opinion the Texans would be fools not to take him with the #1 pick. He even grew up in Texas for goodness sake! I may be a little biased but I believe anytime you can get a difference maker at QB you are at a great advantage, because they touch the ball EVERY play, whereas someone like Reggie Bush may get 20-25 touches a game. On any given play V-Young could score. He should declare for the draft and become a Houston Texan.

On the personal side of life, still no baby yet, official due date has been determined to be tomorrow. We are so excited and cannot wait to meet our baby! I also had another interview with Time Warner Cable today via phone and I think things went very well. I will be contacted by another executive there tomorrow.

A big shout-out to Steve Carr who I got a chance to talk with today. Bon and I are looking forward to hanging out with his family when we get back to the 'Nati and helping out with his church, Echo Church.

48 hours until the NFL playoffs...

Ouch...

Well that was a hard game to watch, I hope ND gets some speed at CB in the freshmen class. At least Tom Zbikowski played like a wild man, looking forward to 2006...

Bon and I have a Dr.'s appointment this morning and we will see how things have progressed. We are very anxious for the baby to arrive. I also have another phone interview with Time Warner Cable first thing Thursday morning, so I will let you all know how that goes.

Let's Go Irish!

Many of you know my distaste for the OSU Buckeyes and they are getting ready to kick-off with the favorite team of the Furniss household, the Irish. This will be alot of fun...

2006 arrives...

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

We hope you all have an amazing 2006, it looks like the baby has decided to wait until the new year to make an appearance. I also want to wish a belated birthday to Steve Carr, I am not far behind on the big 3-0 brother.

As Bon and I watched some of the festivities on ABC last night, (before crashing at 10PM, CST) we had a thrilling discussion about the amazing longevity of Bon Jovi. I started listening to these guys in 6th grade and they are still putting out good music! They are very under-rated in their contributions to music as a whole. Hope to see you all soon, until then,

"We're Livin' on a Prayer"