Oh My Goodness!

Time to celebrate my friends, my Stats class is over and the Spice Girls are back!

Have a great weekend everyone, I know I will.

Gizmo?

Bon has returned from her Walk to Emmaus weekend, and Reese and I are so excited. We missed her terribly, although, as expected, it sounds like she had a phenomenal time. Thank you to everyone who sent her a letter.

I have been working on a couple of big school projects, as this Thursday is our final class of Stats. (This has been my least favorite course in the curriculum)

Thanks to Jum, I have decided to try out a new nickname for Reese. When she giggles it sounds just like Gizmo from the Gremlins movie. I asked her if she likes the name and she said, "NAAHHHH". I swear she has a southern accent sometimes.

I been saying it all along...

Firstborn sons have higher IQs, Norway study finds

By Ishani Ganguli2 hours, 13 minutes ago

Firstborn sons have higher IQs than their younger brothers, and their social status within the family may explain why, researchers reported on Thursday.

A study that used military draft records for more than 240,000 Norwegian men found that firstborns had an edge of 2.3 IQ points on their next oldest brothers, who in turn beat brothers born third by 1.1 points on average.

Men who had been raised as the eldest, whether they were born first, second, or third, had IQs to match their first-born peers. The same was true for those raised or born second, Petter Kristensen and colleagues at the University of Oslo report in the journals Science and Intelligence.

"This study provides evidence that the relation between birth order and IQ score is dependent on the social rank in the family and not birth order as such," Kristensen's team wrote in Science.

Their studies confirmed what many scientists had suspected for more than a century -- that firstborns have an edge.

But attempts to prove the effect have been disputed, in part because the circumstances of each family are different.

To compensate for this, Kristensen's team studied brothers raised in the same families.

And some scientists argue that birth order IQ differences arise in the womb, while others point to family interactions.

Emmaus, Part II

First off, I want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers for Katey's Dad Chris. It is way cool that many of you, who have never met him, continue to keep him in your thoughts and prayers. He is doing well, following his final surgery yesterday and all signs point to an almost full recovery.

Took Jum and Katey up to Beaver Junction this morning where my man Slim took over and transported them the rest of the way. It was great to see them, cannot wait until they are moved back here.

Reese and I are flying solo this weekend as Bon heads on her Walk to Emmaus. We will miss her terribly, but this experience will be awesome for her.

Can this be for real?

http://www.diet-water.com/index.htm

Keep it real...

Throw Some Up

We need some prayers for my sister-in-law Katie's Dad, Chris.

He was in a severe motorcycle accident yesterday and suffered a long list of injuries which include: a broken arm, neck, back, compound fracture of his wrist, dislocated hip, and bleeding on his brain. Witnesses say a van pulled out in front of him.

He is in UK Medical Center.

Camp

There is OU Football Camp tonight at King's high school, so I am going to swing over and hang with Guido for a while. Definitely looking forward to seeing him and any possible future Bobcats.

Just a little head's up that the blog may be getting a little deeper at certain points in the near future as Bon and I face some different things.

The first one, which is not as serious, but interesting, is who I decide to throw my support to in the 2008 election. I am still trying to do the research before I come public, but it seems to be a little tougher this year to decide. No one is a slam dunk at this point. For those of you who may not know, I intend to run for public office someday, I feel it is my American duty.

Another will be possible job changes and where we believe God is leading us to make an impact.

And thirdly, is just dealing with the time crunches in our daily lives and how a possible new baby would affect that. Let me be clear, there is no baby currently on the way, we are just talking about it.

I leave you with this funny anecdote about how goofy I was as a kid. I once shaved my football number in the back of my head. (My head was carrying a mullet at the time as well)

Peace out

BTW, check out this pic of my girl which appeared one year ago on this blog

New Church

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Four Corners has moved into the new digs, and Sunday was pretty strong. You can check out a video of the transformation here:

http://4cornerschurch.com/etc/Extreme_Makeover.mov

It is amazing to see the amount of work people put into this process, and for no personal gain, giving of themselves for something bigger. Straight up God work, awesome to see.

I also have a pretty funny story for you. I walk in the house yesterday to get lunch with my girls when Bon says, "Hey turn around again". Now either no one had noticed, or they had failed to tell me, but I had a huge hole in the right cheek buttocks area of my pants. Now I am pretty sure it was not there when I pulled them on yesterday morning and I did not hear a rip throughout the morning, so I am really unsure of how it got there. But needless to say, someone probably got an eyeful of boxer briefs yesterday morning.

Also, we will have a new neighbor this weekend, looking forward to meeting her. All we really know is that she is a huge Nascar fan.

Peace out

What a Blessing

I can relate

Wanted to touch on a subject which has been in the sports news headlines. The leap from Billy Donovan to the Magic and back again to Florida. You can get more details at this link: http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/6875046.

While I completely agree with my boy Colin Cowherd, I can agree with the other side as well. Cowherd says that you should think about all factors before deciding to sign a contract and once you sign a deal, you need to honor it.

In contrast, I know how it feels to make a decision and regret it fairly quickly. My first day at Dave Ramsey I knew I had made a mistake and needed to find a way to rectify it. Sometimes things sound better than the really are, and once you leap into the water, you may find that the temperature just is not right.

Funny side story. I was sitting in the parking lot waiting for Mr. Dipes, N2, Trey and Natureboy, having lunch at Willie's yesterday. Some of the homes down there rest on a fairly steep hill, so I assume using a standard lawnmower is not an option. The reason I say this is because he was mowing the yard with a weed trimmer. I wish I had a camera with me to post that photo up for you all, classic...

Peace out

Drenched

The Reese was feeling a little under the weather last night so I stayed back with her to chill while Bon went to the new church digs to throw up some colors (paint). We had a great time, including the popular bath festival. Last night she decided to take one of her toys, which can hold water, and douse me with aqua. My shirt was literally ringing wet, but she had a blast and even busted out the deep laugh where you don't breathe for a second, so it was all worth it.

You know, it is very difficult to beat holding your child in your arms. I love spending time with her.

Be sure to check out the newly inserted blog links which can hook you up to Hartsock, Steve and Trent. All good stuff to read.

Heading to the Emmaus reunion tonight with The Godfather.

Peace out

Weak

Now, I am no Hercules, but I could not let this one go. At the pre-draft combine for the NBA the guy in this photo, Kevin Durant, who is 220 lb's, could not bench press 185 pounds one time.

The R-I-C

Almost too much to write after my weekend trip to Richmond, VA to see my main man, $$$.

It was really good to see him and crush Madden '05, old-school style. Got the chance to see the kids who are growing like crazy and bust out some old tag lines. "Why are you being so sensitive?", classic S-Braine-ism. Cannot wait for him to come up and visit us, I know alot of peeps would love to see him and he needs to meet The Reese.

Side note, he has a phenomenal business idea which I will tell you more about as I am able.

Bon is off playing volleyball tonight so I am trying to catch up on some homework now that "monkey" has gone to sleep.

There are also some big things shaking with 4 Corners as we are headed to a new location this week, very exciting stuff. If anyone needs proof that God is real and he works in amazing ways, I would like to share some stories with you.

I did not find drugs under my seat on the Skybus flight, it is legit.

You see a lot of interesting things on airplanes and in airports. For example, a couple of people get up to stand in line at the door to get on the plane, so everyone else does. I got a kick out of staying in my chair and reading my latest edition of Entrepreneur magazine while they all stood there for 20 minutes.

I also realized how unhappy most people seem, it is pretty sad.

Check out the new link to the right for your very own mullet gear, it's a little business that Slim is running.

Peace out, for now

That Floor is Beautiful

(Photo is not the actual office...yet)

Mad props go out to Jase for helping me throw down the new flooring in our office, and to Bon for doing 95% of the painting. I am telling you all, the amount of work Bon does on a daily basis makes me look like a posh Miami grad.

Lots went on this weekend, hangin' with Slim's possee, we had a great time.

More to come, stay tuned...

New Rubber

We were outside last night, playing with Reese and hanging out when I noticed that my tire had gone a little too flat. Talked with the guys at the shop and they said they could get me in at 7am this morning. So I put on the donut last night with Bon's help and headed over to Big O Tires at the crack of dawn.

I had some dry-rot issues and I honestly could not tell you the last time I bought new tires. It was easily five years ago. So after reviewing their bald state with the technician I decided to take the plunge and put new tires on the beast.

She is riding like a dream...

Better Than Ever

What an amazing weekend.

As most of you know I went on the Walk to Emmaus this past weekend and words cannot describe my experience. I learned things about Christ, myself, and others that have changed my life. I could never thank The Godfather and Carrie enough for their role in this experience.

I did miss my girls a lot, but I know I will be a better husband and father for them moving forward thanks to this experience.

In addition, a few weeks ago I had scheduled a client experience at the Reds game last night, not realizing it was the date coming off of Emmaus. We had a great time though, sitting four rows behind home plate and you could get a pretty good look at Squibb and I on TV. (I saw us on the Sportscenter highlights this morning)

Getting back in the swing of things now with a renewed focus and passion, to all of you who read this I want to thank you for your friendship.

The Heat is on...

Hiatus

The blog will be taking a break until next Tuesday, so I wanted to leave you with something to enjoy...

Check this out...

From 1998 this appeared on CNNSI's web-site!

Things like this link pop-up when you google your own name...


Getting Picky About the NFL Draft

Posted: Wed April 15, 1998
Peter King's NFL Mailbag

The most exciting time of the offseason is at hand, and SI's football guru returns to answer your questions.

What is the status of the Sean Gilbert trade?
—Dave Bristol, Wilmington, N.C.

I talked to Washington coach Norv Turner Wednesday, and he told me in no uncertain terms that Carolina has to include its first-round pick in any trade package for Gilbert. I think the Panthers, who are holding out for a lesser package of picks, will have to give up the first-rounder. Carolina has little choice. By not getting this done before the draft, the Panthers risk paying higher compensation in 1999 draft terms or Washington killing the deal entirely. I see this getting done by midnight Friday, the night before the draft.

Given the fact the Patriots are not in a rebuilding mode, does it make sense for them to trade up for better picks?
—Len Berkowitz, North Easton, Mass.

Len, it makes sense for the Patriots to do two things in this draft—get a very good corner and a cornerstone running back. I don't think they'll trade up to get Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson, nor do I think they'll trade up to get Penn State running back Curtis Enis. If I were them, I'd trade up with Dallas at No. 8 and try to get Florida's Fred Taylor. When was the last time you saw a 230-pound running back who could run a legitimate 4.35 40—on grass?

Looking at the big picture, if I'm Bobby Grier on draft day, I don't pay a ransom for anyone. With the 1998 and '99 drafts, New England is in the unique position of being able to provide a talent base for the franchise for the next decade. The Pats have 10 picks in the first three rounds of the next two drafts, and if fewer than six of those picks make an impact, then Grier has failed to take advantage of hitting the lottery with all of the Jets draft choices.


Do you think that the Bears would be best served to pass on Randy Moss, just for the reason that they don't have a quality QB to keep both he and Curtis Conway happy?
—Jeremy Furniss, Frankfort, Ohio

I don't think there's any way the Bears take Moss, nor should they. This is not a throwing team. They don't have a strong-armed quarterback, and who knows how long Erik Kramer's going to be there anyway. I like what I think they're going to do: take the best offer they can get for the fifth pick Saturday, either from St. Louis or Jacksonville, then move down and get a player who can serve as the nucleus for their defense.

Game on

Looks like my trip is on, and you get to see a new pic of my girl.

An e-mail I received on Friday:

Skybus is pleased to announce that we've received our federal certification to fly!

Mom's Weekend

Happy Monday everyone. It was a jam-packed weekend that started Friday night with a mowing festival as soon as I got home from work. She ran like a dream and we had no issues, which was awesome! It was the first time I had used the bagger, we had a lot of dead grass kind of laying around. 3 hours later I finished the 8th 42 gallon bag full of grass that now rests against the side of the house until trash day! I am still sore.

Saturday started off with a visit from Mom and Grandma and lunch at Johnny Carino's. We all dig italian and wanted something a little different than Olive Garden. It is always good to see my momma.

Saturday night I headed back to Johnny Carino's again to hook up with a group of friends from 4 Corners. We were not able to secure a babysitter for The Reese, so Bon stayed behind. Although this time, they had a balloon magician at the restaurant! He could make 500 different animals! (credit for that statement goes to Trent). I feel terrible that Bon could not make it and she missed hanging out with everyone.

One last thing, a shout out to my man Justin Swartwout, who was stricken by the 4 Corners four-wheelin' injury bug. He severely broke his leg, and I am guessing will be out for softball this year. Take care dawg.

That is all for now, tomorrow I will review the movie "Pursuit of Happyness" for you

Friday Music Pick

Looking forward to Mom and Grandma coming to see us tomorrow and also mowing with my OWN mower tonight!

Enjoy the show, love these guys...