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