ROLL SEC

The SEC (Southeastern Conference) is the greatest conference in football, and if you disagree with me, I won't be your friend. I love Alabama. I grew up on Alabama football and I remember the last championship like it was yesterday, so I guess I 'll just act like it was that recent. ROLL TIDE!!!

Wow, I sound really sarcastic writing that. Living down here in Alabama, and loving football, has led to quite a few conversations. The people down here love their football, especially the collegiate variety. I'm pretty sure the Iron Bowl (Auburn-Alabama) is bigger than the Super Bowl in this state. And in many ways it is a lot of fun. The games are neat to watch. That is, until I run into the fanhood. I can be quite the obnoxious fan, and I need to watch out, especially after watching Alabama fans especially. Their ability to talk trash is second to none. But their ability to win is second to Auburn. A fun joke I learned down here goes something like this...

How do you get an Alabama fan to stop being an alcoholic?
Paint his beers all orange and blue. He won't be able to touch them for 6 years.

I think I've been really worn down by the presumptuously cocky nature of a program that has been as successful as Illinois recently.

Then I try to tell them that Big 10 football is football too (Ohio State is not helping me), and I get an earful. Check out this little comment from ESPN.com

Since 2003, the SEC is 30-31 in out of conference games against BCS conference schools. Out of the 30 wins, only 14 came on the road. I believe a win is a win, but Georgia beating Ga Tech at Ga Tech and Fla beating Fla St in Tallahassee are not extremely impressive lately - that accounts 5 of the road wins. Georgia and LSU are the two schools that stand out in out of conference wins against BCS conference schools - though no big win has been away from Athens or Baton Rouge. By contrast since 2003, the Big Ten is 43-31 in non-conference games against BCS schools. 19 of the wins have been on the road. Similarly, the big wins are usually at home with the exception being my Buckeyes win at Texas in 2006. The SEC's win/loss OOC record against BCS schools suggests the SEC is like every other conference - great on the top, avg in the middle and pretty awful on the bottom. The one difference is defensive line play - not skill players, not DB's, not speed, it is the D-line. Very impressive. I presume this is why Tressel recruited and got the best OL this year.

Oh, and in defense of Ohio State, let's play the national championship in the midwest, so a Big 10 team can have a home game.

I'm not sure what the whole point of me writing this was, other than to get it off my chest. I'm really frustrated by that aspect of the south, and I can't wait until Illinois rises to the occasion. You know Zook has a chip on his shoulder, and he's ready to beat on a conference that he wasn't 'good enough' for.

ZOOK 'EM

The Green Hat

In American socio-economics, for the last few decades at the very least, there has existed the working and business class, the white collar and the blue collar, and any other way you could split it. Generally, you would get to know those who were along side you and didn't spend a lot of time with the others. If you worked at a GM plant, chances are you didn't associate with the bankers in the community. And vice versa is often true as well. Now, this isn't to say that the division is in stone, but it definitely seems to exist.

Now, I am over-simplifying all of that, but let me finish...

Nucor Steel (the company I am working for this summer), has in many ways, spit in the face of socio-economics. This is in a lot of ways due to the vision of Ken Iverson, and those who joined with him and those who followed in his footsteps. His book, Plain Talk, is a good, quick, and fascinating read. In the steel industry, this split of cultures has existed for a long time. In Bethlehem steel, the issue was so intense that the corporate folks had their own golf course, and operations had their own separate one. They didn't interact with each other, and blue and white collar were divided. Based upon your rank, people in steel wear different colored hats based upon rank, execs get special treatment, etc.

Not so much at Nucor. No special treatment for those who wear polo shirts. They park in the same spot as guys who wear dirty greens (the common wear in a steel mill). These once separate two classes are not just asked to interact, but they enjoy it. It is realized that this is best for business, and it really is the most human thing to do. This culture is fascinating to me, and since everybody gets paid and treated well, there has been no need for workers to organize a union.

Anyway, I'm not here to dode on a company. After all, it definitely is not the most important thing in my life, the business world that is. In any case...

I got a green hat today. It was a big honor. New hires and interns are given a yellow hat for safety reasons, so people can watch out for them and make sure they're in a safe place. But today, when I returned to my desk from the mill, I had a shiny green hat on my desk with my name on it. It was a huge honor to receive it. I tried it on, and felt kind of like I didn't deserve it. I am just an intern. After being assured I had earned it though, I will wear it for my last week proudly. I am now 'one of the guys,' and I love that feeling. The camaraderie of people coming together for a common cause is a beautiful thing. We must carry these ideals into the business world, and I would argue that many of them are Christ-like values even (I know, be careful Alan. I mean the part about treating people fairly and equally and with respect, even love.) to live in life.

I will wear my green hat proudly as a Nucor employee intern.

Sports and such

Well, MLB has passed a big event in the season. The trade deadline. This season has been one of the more active in my memory, with many big named players changing cities, leagues, and looking to either help a contender or rot in obscurity.

This intense trade pattern started with the Milwaukee Brewers picking up C.C. Sabathia from the Indians, who promptly changed his name to CC Sabathia. The Cubs counter punched with the pick up of high risk, high reward pitcher, Rich Harden, from Oakland. Both pitchers have performed very well for their respective new teams. Harden has an ERA for the Cubs hovering around 1, and has had around 9 strikeouts per start. Sabathia pitched 3 complete game wins. More on this little gem of a story later.

The trade deadline then came upon us today, and big names were flying across the map. Mark Teixeira went from Atlanta to the best team in the majors, the Angels. Pudge Rodriguez traveled from Detriot to New York and the Yankees, Ken Griffey Jr. left longtime home Cincinatti to go to Chicago and the Sox, and Manny Ramirez went coast to coast to the Dodgers from the Red Sox. These are all big name trades that definitely help to redraw some lines in baseball. I'd watch for all these teams to push for their division leads even stronger and to hold them as well.

Back to the Cubs and Brewers. CC came to Milwaukee to help get a struggling Brew Crew over the hump to the playoffs. And it looked that way, until the Cubs came into Miller Park, and forced a no decision out of CC and beat the Brewers in the first game of a four game series. This led to more beating by Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster, and Rich Harden, who finally got the run support to help his low ERA actually win a game. The Cubs swept the second place Brewers today and depending on how Saint Louis does in Atlanta today, they could drop to third in the division. Pretty great time to be a Cubs fan. Let's hope this momentum flows for a while.


On to more awful matters. Brett Favre. I know, if you watch sports, you're tired of it, and if you don't, you just don't care. But, being a Pack fan, I have an opinion. Here is what I told a buddy of mine today.

I think Ted Thompson is a dirt bag who wants to help Ted win and Green Bay be Ted's team. If all the things I see are true, he has tried to bribe a legend to sit on the couch, rather than trying to win right now. The NFL doesn't work on risks of winning now vs. maybe winning later. You try to win now, even if that means your handpicked QB (Rodgers) leaves after the season. You drafted Brohm for a reason, didn't you? I think Favre was forced into retirement, just like I think he was being forced out for the last 3 season. I haven't liked Ted Thompson, even though we were 13-3. That says more for McCarthy and Favre and the D than Thompson. We have signed like 3 free agents in 3 seasons. The biggest was Charles Woodson (which was good), but Moss was available twice. It is frustrating. I wish they would take Brett back and let their be a QB competition. If they think Aaron is so good, let him win his position. And if you don't want him back, send him away in a trade, and I hope that team does very well..VERY WELL, even if Chicago. I have a loyalty to a franchise, not Ted Thompson

That should be enough to get my thoughts out there. AND SERIOUSLY...a 20 million dollar bribe to not play. You really must be desperate to not be embarassed Ted Thompson. But by trying to cover your own butt, you are becoming a very shady character. Oh, and yes Brett did retire. But would Microsoft turn down Bill Gates for his replacement since he has retired. NO! They'd find a way to fit him in. Obviously this is a bit different, as you can only have one starting QB, but think about it. Brett gives you the best chance to win, and he wants to come back.

Anyway, I hadn't written about sports in a while, but this is what I have been seeing.

Good Stuff

I've been hard at work computing the last couple days. I just bought a new laptop (the bad kind) and I can now edit photos at about warp 12 compared to my old computer. I've gotten a chance to take some photos of some of the neater events this summer, so come check out this preview with me. There will be more posted in facebook albums and more importantly on flickr as time goes along. So enjoy these and keep looking.


This is a slab of steel coming out of our caster. It is very hot at this point in time, hence the orange glow.
This is the space shuttle simulator Pathfinder. This never made it into space, but it is still really neat. The photo effects I used were a bunch of messing around steps that created this painted effect that I think is just awesome.

I decided to try some more light painting. This one was one of my favorites because it is just so blunt.
This is taken from the Ave Maria Grotto in Cullman, AL. There, a monk built nearly 150 miniatures of buildings around the world.

This was taken during a Tennessee Valley Vipers Arena 2 game. It was fun, and I'd never been to an arena game. The score was a blowout though...

Arkansas and mind blown

This week, for part of it, I am in Blytheville, Arkansas. This bustling metropolis is where Nucor is having a little intern get together. Should be a good time. Anyway, I am taking advantage of the free wi-fi at the hotel and my mind has been blown. New Facebook at www.new.facebook.com. I couldn't get it to work through the hyperlink. It is up and running. Check it out and don't waste too much time. I'm not sure what I think of it yet, but it seems like a general improvement so far. Lemme know what you think.

Much time has passed

Well, it is over halfway through July, and this is my first post of my summer. Some of the things you may have wondered:

"Maybe Alan died of a horrific crocodile bite."
"Maybe Alan got too cool for the internets."
"Maybe nothing has happened in Alan's life and he doesn't need to write about it."
"Maybe Alan is too busy reading LOLcats."


Well, you would be wrong. On most accounts. Work has me busy (and firewalled tightly), and I don't typically have internet around me when I'm not at work. So as a result, my blogging, facebooking, and flickring have taken hits across the board.

As a result, any meaningful update about my summer, disappointed rant about Brett Favre, excited praise for the Cubs, or semi-deep thought that I want to write has been either spoken, kept internal, written in a journal, or died without ever gracing this page. Perhaps that is a good thing.


I've taken photos. I've experienced activities. I've met people. I've worked with steel. I've traveled. I've seen the joy of weddings. I've learned southern slag. I've grown closer to God in unique ways.

I could write page after page about this summer, and to some of you I have. I could tell you about every little thing, but that would be boring. So, it'll be quick instead. A bullet list of some things I've done.

• interned at Nucor Steel Decatur, AL
• hung with 4 other interns and a couple young employees
• seafood festival
• seen 5-6 movies in theaters
• space and rocket center in huntsville
• in two friends' weddings
• read many books
• played rock band
• photographed things
• arena league 2 football game
• swam
• found some excellent new musicians
  
• visited a sweet grotto with miniature buildings
• random roadtrips
• AND MORE!!!

I've got a lot of thoughts and ideas too that have come from this summer. The biggest ones focus on my second trimester of the rest of my life. Where will I be in 6 months? I do not know, but I do know that I want it to be an adventure. I really do want to come alive.

Other important thoughts center around the idea of Love. Love for others through many things. Service, care, listening, assisting, being there, giving, engaging, reassuring, encouraging. These are all ways to love. That is my challenge that I think I've received. At all costs, love; be different; shock the world. And through this, not only will others come alive, but you too will be amazed.

OK, I've written far too much for one post. I leave you with a G.K. Chesterton quote I noticed on a friend's facebook wall and fell in love with.

"An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered; an adventure is an inconvenience rightly considered." - G. K. Chesterton

Confusion about control

Here I go into sports. I haven't written about them in a while, so let's go...

Deron Williams. #8 on the court and #1 in my heart. Deron was a superstar basketballer at the University of Illinois and my freshman year he went nuts along with his teammates to go 37-2. That was a fascinating season that I will remember for the rest of my life. One of Deron's signature moments came in the NCAA Midwest Regional Final against Arizona where he nailed a shot to tie the game after being down 15 with 4 minutes left.

Deron left the college ranks for the NBA after that season, and ended up as the 3rd overall pick in the NBA draft for the Utah Jazz. Singlehandedly, (with a bit of help from my roommate Jonathan) he has helped bring me into the watching the NBA. It has been a joy to watch him excel to the level of one of the two best point guards in the NBA.

Tonight I watched game 2 of the Lakers-Jazz series and the Jazz lost to go down 2-0 in the series. The series returns to Salt Lake City on Friday for the 3rd game. The Jazz lost 120-110 and Deron had 25 points and 10 assists. So the box score looks like he played fantastic, and yet I am left disappointed. Having watched Deron play for a few years now, I am convinced that he can totally CONTROL a game if he chooses to, but instead he wants to be unselfish and play soft. Then something clicks and he goes GaGa in the game. This happened today multiple times. You can see the determination in his eyes at times and I know it can be there more. I really hope the man can get his head on straight for the next 2 home games, because they need him to take control.