What President Obama Means to me.

I often tell the story of the time I disappointed my dad the most. It was back in 1980's when Rev. Jesse Jackson was running for president. I was on my way out the door to hang out with my friends when my dad stopped me and asked if I wanted to wanted to watch some of the news coverage of Rev. Jackson's campaign. I replied "why would I want to do that he is just wasting every ones time and money anyway. They are never going to elect him or any other black man". My father immediately set me straight. He told me that without men like Jesse that we(black people) wouldn't have the rights that we have now. He said that win or lose we have to try to do more and be more and not settle. I was amazed that this man who grew up in the 50's, went to segregated schools and lived through the civil rights movement could have such a positive attitude about this. Seeing everything that he had seen in his life surely he didn't really think that a black man could be President.

That attitude is why yesterdays events are some important. An African American becoming President seemed unattainable then. As black children growing up in the 70's and 80's becoming President of the United States wasn't something that we aspired to be. I saw the KKK ride through town on their way to a rally. I remember seeing pictures of that rally the next day in the newspaper. I also remember seeing the Klan march in a neighboring town in protest of interracial relationships. I remember black children being cut from sports teams or being benched in order to make room for white children. I could go on and on. We were always told that we could be anything that we wanted to be but why would we believe that when our day to day lives told us something different

Those days are now gone. Children of all races now not only think that they could be President they really can be. I am happy for my children, my nieces and my nephews. They get to grow up in a world where they can really aspire to be anything. My father believed it was possible all those years ago and my father was right.

I'm Baaaaaaaaaaaaack!!! and I'm Married

Well, it’s been a while since I have posted here and a lot has happened. First and foremost Kim and I got married on September 29th. The whole day was a blur. I got up and took my daughters to get their done around 8am and the day didn’t stop until about 2 or 3 the next morning when Kim and I finally went to bed. We were so tired we didn’t even have sex. Although there were some bumps in the road the wedding went pretty well. First, a friend of mine that was supposed to sing during our sand ceremony cancelled that morning. He called another guy to fill in but this guy didn’t work out either. So, we had the dj play music during that portion of the wedding. Speaking of the dj, he had some problems as well. First of all he was running late and didn’t place the speakers in the correct location. So some of the guest heard us some of them didn’t. He also started playing the wrong music once and the minister’s microphone kept cutting in and out. It was one of those voice activated mics. It didn’t work well. I could go on and on about the things that went wrong (including my still photographer being an idiot) but most people didn’t notice and at the end of the day we were married. Everyone seemed to have a good time. We came back down to Rocky Top with everyone shaking orange and white shakers. It was a cool sight. The part of the night that was the most fun was the first dance. Kim wanted to do a choreographed routine which seemed like a good idea until she stepped on a sewing needle and had to have foot surgery 3 weeks before the wedding. However, we pulled it off anyway. I edited the music so that it would start off slow with “Have I told you Lately” by Rod Stewart. Then about a minute in I made it sound like the cd was skipping and the music change to Heavy D’s “Now that we found love”. It caught the whole audience off guard and they were eating it up. I'll post it here when I can.

Later that night we hit the town for a couple of hours then went to bed because we had an 8am flight to New Orleans to start our honeymoon. (Where we finally took care of the consummation part) We spent the night in the Big Easy then boarded a cruise bound for the Caribbean. We had a fantastic time and met some really cool people. A few of which we have kept in touch with. We climbed the Mayan ruins in Progresso and went snuba diving (it’s like scuba but the air tanks float on a raft) in Cozumel, Mexico. If you ever make it down there I highly recommend a bar/restaurant called Carlos n Charles. It is a beer drinking, nipple pinching, butt smacking and table dancing good time. Other than getting sea sick the first morning, I don’t have any complaints. Since then we have been enjoying our lives together and trying to get our house ready for the market. We want to move by summer hopefully to either Wilson or Williamson counties.

Racism in Small Town Tennessee

My fiancee and I both grew up in small towns within the same county in east Tennessee. It was a nice place to grow up. Everybody knows each other, traffic is light and taxes are low. Those are all good things but let's face it there are still a lot of racist rednecks running around in that area. My parents put our wedding announcement in the county paper. There happy for me and they want everyone to know about this milestone in my life. However, it did cause a bit of a stir in her home town because of the biracial nature of our relationship. Her father has taken the brunt of it. He used to be a local politician. and that alone is enough to have enemies. However, his time in office was marred with scandal and a lengthy court battle. In the end he was found not to be responsible for the things that he was being accused of and it was dropped legally. Unfortunately a few of his constituents don't see things that way and they take every chance they get to cause him grief. There is this one guy in particular that is always bothering him and has now taken my impending nuptials as an opportunity to take pot shots him. He has been prank calling his home and also leaving messages wishing him many grandchildren(read between the lines). This of course infuriates her dad. It's one thing to have some idiot bothering you all the time but to use ones children as ammunition is salt in the wound. Others just make little remarks in passing like "it's all over now" whatever the hell that means. I advised him first and foremost that these people aren't worth going to jail over. So don't do anything crazy. Also, to blow as much sunshine up there butts as he could stomach. Tell them that he was extremely happy with the situation. Take their power away. It does make any since to continue doing something that isn't working.

Although her father has been nothing but nice and accepting to me I know that our relationship hasn't been easy on him. After all he was raised by the same man that told Kim that she had better not ever bring home a black man or he would disown her. Our relationship goes against what he was taught as a boy. With that said you have to respect a man who can change his way of thinking and walk his daughter down the isle and give her to a black man. I doubt the people bothering him would show the same loyalty in the same situation. I hope this whole situation has made him look back and think about some of the things he may have said or done in his life as it relates to dealing with other cultures. I think we all could stand to do that.

Death of the N-word

Monday the NAACP conducted a mock funeral to bury the N-Word during its 98th Annual National Convention in Detroit, Michigan. Much like it did in 1944 symbolically burying the Jim Crow Laws(separate but equal). It is part of the NAACP's STOP Campaign. Which basically wants everyone particularly the media and entertainers from portraying African Americans especially women in a negative light. This of course in the wake of the Michael Richards and Don Imus controversies. (More on the mock funeral) Video

I guess I can applaud the efforts of the NAACP in what is essentially a racial public relations move. I just wonder how effective it will be. I admit I cringe at sound of the word no matter who's mouth it comes out of. I do not use the N-word, nigga, nigger or any other form of the word. It is a personal choice about my own behavior and I hope the behavior of my family. I remember the first time someone called me that to my face. I was 18 years old at a get together of co-workers from the local restaurant I was working at the time. I happen to be the only black person there but I really wasn't bothered by that. I was used to being in situations where I was the only black face in the room. One of the girls there was having a fight with her boyfriend and he turned violent against one of my friends from work. Then out the blue with no provocation he directs a comment my way calling me the now deceased racial epithet. I was stunned. I kind of just stood there looking at him in disbelief. I had heard of people being talk to in that way but it had never happened to me. I was quickly ushered into the nearest bedroom for fear of what I might do once the shock wore off. Which it did and like most young black men I wanted to beat the guy so bad that he would trembled at the thought of calling anybody that again.

Now, twenty years later it doesn't effect me the same way. That word holds no power over me. I have risen above worrying about some good ole boy trying to get a rise out of me by calling my that. I'm not saying that it wouldn't anger me but I refuse to let them see that it does. I think that's where all races have to get too. Whether the slur is the N-word, spic, rag head or wop. Take away the words power. I think you should have your own burial inside your own spirit. Not only that you will not use this language but also that you won't let it affect you.

How effective can something like this really be? Is this going stop red necks and rappers from using that word? I doubt it. Is it worth all the time and effort? I don't know only time will tell. What if it reached the souls of just a few people here and there and those people reached a few others and those reached a few more. And all of those people raised there children that way and so on and so on. Then yes I would say it was worth it. A long journey starts with a single step.

Pacman Cartoon

Bang cartoons has made a Adam "Pacman Jones cartoon that is so funny I couldn't stop laughing at it. It portrays Jones as a super hero with all the music and sound effects from the old Batman series. Chris Henry the suspended wide receiver from the Bengals plays the Robin character and Jeff Fisher the head coach of the Titans is their butler. You gotta see this!

Picture of the Week

Found this picture on stumbleupon.com and I thought it was funny. Their facial expressions are priceless.

This is so funny!!!

I know this movie is old and came out last year but I found a website for this movie that is just too much fun. I am of course referring to Snakes on a Plane. There is a website where you can have Samuel L. Jackson call a friend and prompt them to see the movie. This isn't just a generic call like you get from Bill Clinton or other politicians during election time. These are custom made to the person you are sending it to. It even calls them by name. You go through 5 or 6 drop down menus that ask you questions about the person you are sending it to and it tailors the message to fit them. If they have a bald head. Sam will comment on that. He will comment on there job, appearance, transportation and hobbies. I sent one to my dad, brother, sister, friends and even my future father in law.
Give it a try

The Death of Phillip Workman

I wouldn't call myself a death penalty supporter. Nor would I say I'm against it. I do think that in some cases it is justified. Mass murder, the murder of a child, torturing and murdering a victim and serial murders are all good situations for execution. It should never be an eye for an eye. In the case of Phillip Workman this is exactly what happened. In 2004, Fallon Tallent was convicted of two charges of first-degree murder for killing two policemen by deliberately running them down with her car. The sentence was life imprisonment. Phillip killed one officer while robbing a fast food restaurant. Both committed their crimes in the attempted to avoid capture. Why should Fallon get to live while Phillip must die. Neither case was premeditated. Workman didn't plan to kill anyone. He was just a common crook but under the law in which he was judged he had to pay his debt with his life. Don't get me wrong I'm not defending Workman. He is guilty and should pay for his crime. I don't even care if it was his bullet or not. He is still responsible. He shot at police during a robbery and it caused a man to lose his life. It doesn't matter if it were Phillips bullet or friendly fire. The result is still the same.
Lt. Ronald Oliver

Getting Hitched

They said it couldn't be done but now it has. It being me being dragged kicking screaming to the alter. Yep, that's me last weekend proposing to my girlfriend Kim and she said yes. No dragging needed. Every year her family has a spring tradition where they get together and play games like egg toss, water balloon toss and guess the number of jelly beans. Depending on your placement you get a certain number of points and at the end of the day they crown a winner. Well this years had a little something extra. At lunch before we said grace I gave Kim a gift with her whole family watching. It was a Tennessee Volunteers football jersey with the number 00 and my last name on the back. It matched the one that she gave me for Christmas a couple of years ago. So, she opened it saw the name and I said "Damn they put the wrong name on it. It should have had your name on it". Then I went on to say "guess there's only one way to fix it". Then I pulled out the ring and dropped to one knee and proposed. Her family went nuts. No one on the plant knew it was coming except her grandmother and I only told her about an hour before I did it. Everyone is of course ecstatic and we have set the date for September 29th. We have booked the atrium and the loft at The Mill at Lebanon. The ceremony will be held in the atrium with the reception following up in the loft. We feel very blessed to have found a good venue with such a short engagement. Our families wanted us to get married in east Tennessee but we felt strongly about having it in the Nashville area. We have set up a Lewis and Kim wedding blog to keep our family and friends up to date with the planning. So far things are going well and I am looking forward to spending my life with my best friend.

I'm One Proud Papa

When I was in school I was an average (sometimes below average) student. I did pretty well in college. I was on the deans lists a time or two. However, nothing I did ever compared to what my 9 and 10 year ole daughters are doing right now. Especially my youngest child. Today I had a special meeting at her school. Not because she was in trouble. It was quite the opposite. They have determined through tests and evaluations that my daughter is academically gifted. She and her sister have always done well in school. My oldest daughter has been on the A honor roll the last two six weeks(I'm very proud of her also). I have been to so many meeting about my son under achieving in school it was so refreshing to have a child not only do well but to excel to a high level. I can't stop smiling about it.

It is especially good for this child because we have struggled to find her "thing". You know everyone has that special thing/things that they are good at. That makes you feel special. Her older sister does well at most things she tries academically or athletically. I think we may have finally found her thing. One day a week she will be attending Robertson Academy for the gifted and talented here in Nashville through the encore program. It's been a good day in Dadsville.

English First Drivers License

I thought I would weigh in on this topic. I am surprised at the number people who are against it. Us silly Tennesseans wanting all license drivers to speak English considering all the road signs are in what language again. Oh yes it was English. I’m just waiting for one of these non-English speaking people to miss the sign that says Bridge Out. I joke but I don’t care that much if drivers speak English or not. I just don’t want illegal immigrants to be able to drive legally. What kind of since does that make to be able to live here illegally but be able to drive legally? Even if you steal someone’s identity it wouldn't matter if you can’t read the test. Driving is a privilege! If you are here illegally then you don’t get that privilege. The same goes for buying and registering vehicles. "If we do that then there will be more people driving illegally". So, what! When there non-English speaking asses don’t obey traffic laws because they can’t read English then they’ll get pulled over. Then arrested and then deported. It works for me. Last time I checked you can get anywhere in the city by bus. I also could careless if it makes Tennessee look unfriendly. Anyone who knows anything about Tennessee knows that’s not true. Hell we could stand to be a little meaner when it comes to illegal immigration.

Ask The Wife

I recently went to the doctor. I was getting a consultation on some elective surgery. My girlfriend went with me because she is of course concerned about me and my health. While there we saw some things that were in our opinion were just weird. There were a few married couples waiting and filling out the mountain of paper work that always seems to come with a doctors visit. We noticed that I was the only male filling out his own papers. All the married guys had there wives doing it for them. Not only were they handle the papers they were on the phone with the referring doctors offices and handling insurance issues. All the while the men sat and read magazines. I thought to myself is this what happens when you get married? Do you become incapable of doing things for yourself? Then I thought about the married men in my family. My mom doesn't take complete care of my dad but she does keep him on the straight and narrow with his health. Things like keeping up with his doctors visits and taking his medications. I think my brother would be totally lost without his wife. She is the organized one that keeps the house running and the bills paid. A few short years ago he was single and taking care of these things himself. I can't tell you how many times I have heard him say that he goes to work and his wife takes care of the money. Do we just get tired of taking care of ourselves? Do we miss our mommy's and want a women to take care of us? If I were to ask my girlfriend she would have filled out my papers for me. We live together and she knows everything about me. Even she was shocked at the sight of this one wife that was carrying her husbands cell phone for him. The phone rang she took out of her purse and handed to him. She didn't even look to see who was calling. It was amazing.

I'm not sure I could ever be like these men. I have come accustomed to doing things for myself. Maybe it has something to do with being a single parent. Perhaps we misunderstood those situations. Everyone in a family has their roll to play. Maybe the role of these women was to take the burden of these things off their husbands. Maybe by the same logic when they get home their husbands chop wood and fix cars and other manly things. Kind of an old fashion type of family. Regardless I don't see me doing this. Don't get me wrong I don't see a problem with a wife taking care of her husband and maybe when my children are grown I will change my way of thinking. It's hard not to be a take control type of person when so many depend on you. I think the first thing I would let go of is cooking. I cook for my children every night and it would be nice to have a wife to take care of some of that. Not to mention the hair stylist duties that come with being a single father of two girls.

And the Emmy goes to ME!!!!

This year’s win was the most gratifying of all the accolades I have received. I had won 2 previous Emmys for technical director but I had never won one for directing. This was my seventh nomination for Director/News (insert Susan Lucci joke here) and I couldn’t have been more surprised. I know people always say “this is so unexpected”. This year for me it was. I kind of just sat there for a second asking myself did he just say me. On the previous nominations I was always confident that I would win. I always thought my shows were top notch but this year I didn’t feel that way. I usually have some sort of acceptance speech in my head but this year as luck would have it I had nothing. It turned out fine considering it was all off the top of my head. If you would like to see what I came up with take a look at the show. I’m about 10 to 15 minutes in. This year was also the first time that I hadn’t directed the Emmy telecast in about 5 years. Although, I do enjoy directing that show it was nice to sit out in the audience for a change and relax instead of working. Well, mostly relax I of course critiqued the directing the whole show. It may be a little cocky of me but I think I do a much better job. Congratulations to Anne Holt on winning The Governors’ Award for Lifetime Achievement. I have worked with Anne for years and she is one of my best industry friends. I am very happy for her. Also, congratulations to Lisa Patton, Bob Mueller, Davis Nolan and Anne Holt on their win for Daytime Newscasts. Lisa and Davis worked their butts off when severe weather comes and they deserve some recognition. Here are some pictures we took.

Resolution in the Memory of my Cousin

I have never been much into resolutions. I believe in just doing what needs to be done. I don’t need a promise to myself to make changes in my life. I am making an exception this year. I am making a late resolution to stay more in touch with family and friends back home. Yesterday I learned that my cousin past away suddenly. She had been sick lately but I don’t think anyone saw this coming. We saw a lot of each other growing up but our encounters became few and far between after we grew up and I moved away. She had two sons that I really don’t even know. There have been far too many times that I have lost touch people only to have our paths finally cross under tragic circumstances. My half brother died several years ago and it had been nearly 15 years since we had seen or spoken to each other. It’s not that we didn't get along. He moved to Texas and I moved to Nashville and our paths never crossed again. He would come into town when I didn’t and vice versa. The point is I have to do a better job keeping in touch with people. I will see some relatives at the funeral that I haven’t seen in years and they live in the same county as my parents. I just don’t take the time to seek them out when I’m in town or call and let them know that I am coming. I am making a resolution to do better and if most people thought about it they probably could do a better job keeping in touch with family and friends themselves. I encourage anyone reading this to evaluate there personal relationships and see if there are people that they have lost touch with. If so make an effort this week to reach out to someone you love that you haven’t spoken to in awhile. You never know it might be your last chance.

Sleeping with the Enemy

Make no bones about it. I hate the Florida Gators. Their fans are by far the worst in the SEC. I have put up with years of abuse at the hands of these fans. There rude, cocky and obnoxious. I just got back from the Outback Bowl in Florida where the Tennessee Volunteers played Penn State. Do you think the Gator fans were supportive of the SEC fans who were there to take on a Big 10 team. No! Every where I went there was some Gator fan gator chomping at me. I wasn't bothering any of them. We weren't even there to play them. That's why I hate them so much. They always have to be a-holes. That's why up till now I was hoping that they get their butts kicked really bad tonight in the national championship game. The rest of family has been on board from the beginning. Saying that we support the other SEC teams. Which usually do but those Gators just tick me off. My brother had to make it a point to make friends with every Gator fan he saw in Florida. Even the ones chomping at us. I told them they were number one alright but not as nice as he did.(if you know what I mean) With that said I have found myself starting to change a little. The more I hear people picking against Florida the more it feels like they are picking against the SEC and that doesn't sit well with me. The SEC is the toughest conference in the country no doubt about it. Most people will tell you that. It's bad enough that the Vols lost to a big 10 team. We don't want them to beat another SEC team for the championship. So, I won't say go Gators but I will say GO SEC!!!

Best New Year's Eve Ever

I spent this past New Year's Eve in Tampa, Florida at the Outback Bowl with my dad, brother, girlfriend and sister and her boyfriend. To bad the game didn't go as well as the night before. We spent the early part of the day at channel side. Having lunch, a few beers and good conversation. There was a cruise ship getting ready to depart. It's amazing how something so big can still float. My dad especially loved that part. He has been after us for years to take a family cruise. Maybe next year. That night we took the trolley to Ybor city for the Outback Bowl Parade. The parade wasn't anything special both it was a good atmosphere with the fans from both teams present. The best part was after the Tennessee band went through. They were the last element in the parade and after they went by all the Tennessee fans flooded the street and followed them to the pep rally. Singing Rocky Top all the way. It was cool to be apart of that. Working in TV you get used to covering things like that but not getting a chance to take part in it. At the pep rally the UT and Penn State bands played and the cheerleaders danced on stage. Each band had an announcer to introduce each song. Retired anchor Bill Williams of WBIR channel 10 in Knoxville did the honors for Tennessee.

We stayed at the pep rally for about a half hour then found a bar to ring in the new year. This place was cool the dj played almost exclusively old school R & B with a little rock ,rap and Spanish music mixed in every once in awhile. Through the night he would play each teams fight song and challenge the fans to out do each other. I have to say the Tennessee fans won that battle all night long. The place was full of Vols fans. We did shots with a group of them and rang in the new year. If not for the early kick off the next day we probably would have stayed out all night. Great time great memories. Here are a few pictures from the trip. Go Vols in 2007!

Vandalism Update

I have posted here (1 2 3 ) before about the vandalism I had to endure last month. Updating this saga the 19 year old kid that was involved has now been arrested in this case and now he has a weapons charge to go along with it. He was on his way to the work last Monday when he pasted an officer without his seat belt on and not using his blinker. The officer pulled him over and then of course found that a warrant had been issued for his arrest. Upon being asked if he had any weapons on him or in his car he told he did and the officer found a LOADED gun. How scary is that. Just last month I was chasing this same kid through my neighbors back yard and he could have be packing heat.

My girlfriend and I had to go to a hearing the Friday before Christmaws where we both had to testify. The judge did find there was enough evidence to send him to the grand jury. She also shot down a request to lower his $35,000 bond. So he probably spent Christmas in jail unless his family came up with $3,500.

Although I am still really mad about what happen I can't help but feel a little sorry for him and a lot sorry for his parents. I met them the day after this happened and they seem like really nice, church going people and I know this has to be really tough for them. The day they came over I could see the heartbreak in his mothers eyes. I'm not sure why I feel sorry for him. He was being a little shit on the phone the day after and I would love to have 15 minutes alone with him in a back room some where. Maybe it's a black thing. There are so many black kids that go down the wrong path I hate to see one start his adulthood with the deck already stacked against him with a felony over something stupid like this.

The Nashville Child Support System Sucks

I know what your thinking. Your thinking here's another upset dad who is being taken to the cleaners by the mother of his children. You couldn't be further from the truth. I am a single dad of three kids who can't seem to get child support. I have had full custody for about 3 years. Now, there mother has been ordered to pay but she doesn't. You would think that they would keep up with that over at Juvenile Court but they don't. You have probably seen the news stories spouting record child support collects. Some of us fall between the cracks. The way they get these people to pay up is by taking away licenses. Like hunting and drivers. Well my BM (babies mom) doesn't hunt and she hasn't had a drivers license or any other type of license in years. So, how am I supposed to get her to pay up. Back in Oak Ridge where my brother lives and pays child support they contact him immediately if her gets behind but not here in good ole Davidson. I have two choices. I can go over to Juvenile Court and pay them about $120 to take her back to court for contempt or I can contact child support services and let them handle it. I chose the latter. Why should I have to pay the state over a hundred dollars to get them to do their job. I am already completely financially responsible for the kids. Even when she did pay up it wasn't much money. Not for three kids anyway. It doesn't even cover what I have to pay for their medical insurance. My brother pays double what she's been ordered but for only two kids.

So, back in September I went down to the Child Support Services office to take care of things. I filled out a application, turned it in and they told me that I would receive something in the mail within 3 three weeks about coming back in for an appointment. Four weeks later I called and I was told that they weren't sure why I hadn't heard anything but I would here something in about a week and a half. I called back 3 weeks later after not being contacted yet again. They told me that they could see it but it would reach there system for a couple days and that I should here something next week. Care to guess if I heard something or not. NO I didn't. I called them back and the lady rudely asked me if I had given them my court order. I told her that I had filled out the application and that... She interrupts me and asks me again if I had given them my court order. " That's what I am trying to tell you ma'am". She interrupts again" I'm just telling you that we can't do anything until we have that. At this point I get mad and tell that they hadn't asked for it and that I had it when I came downtown and I would have gladly given to them then but they didn't ask for it. I went on to say that I didn't appreciate her insinuating that I was the hold up when I had been trying for months to resolve this. She gives me a half hearted apology and the fax number to there office. I fax it over and in a few weeks I receive a letter stating that they were going to wage assign her payment and also go after the back pay. A week or so later I get a check for a whopping $31. My BM is a waitress and that is the most they can take out of her check. She doesn't make her living from her paycheck. She makes it from her tips.

So today I called to see if they could file the paper work to find her in contempt and they tell me that they can't do anything for 90 days. Three more months of waiting on someone to hold her accountable. Makes me understand why so many single mothers just give up. They make you go threw a lot of hassle. My brother works 2 and 3 jobs to pay his child support and what does he get for doing the right thing. They raise his child support because of an increase in income. He has a 1 year old child at home and they only give him a $300 credit for him. That is $300 dollars a year not a month. It sucks that he works so hard to do what is right and they continue to hassle him. My BM doesn't even try and I'm the one who gets all the hassle. Is it because I am a man?

No Santa

Some of the best memories I have of childhood are of Christmas. Writing and mailing a letter to Santa. Decorating the tree with my Mom. Lying in bed not being able to sleep in anticipation of what was under that tree. Asking my parents every hour "can we get up now". This Christmas will have a new memory. It will be the first Christmas in 17 years that I won't be Santa. Don't get me wrong I am buying presents but my kids no longer believe in Ole Saint Nick. I confirmed what I'm sure they have already heard from there friends. It makes my sad. I'm going to miss all the Santa questions. "How does Santa make it around the world in one night daddy". "What would happen if we had fire in the fire place daddy. Would Santa skip our house". I will especially miss pretending to call Santa when they are bad. It's not without it's good points. I don't have to buy gifts from me and Santa. This year everything is from good ole dad. I am handling it much better than I thought I would. It's not easy to tell children that you have lied to them their whole life. My oldest daughter being the inquisitive type wanted to why we lied about it. I told her because of "tradition" and that it makes Christmas more fun. She seemed satisfied with that answer.

Why do my babies have to grow up? I think the thing that makes me the saddest is the thought of all the other things that they will soon out grow. Trick or treating, sitting on my lab, hugging and kissing my goodnight. Where does it end? Next thing you know some boy will be coming over to take one of them on a date. Hmm I better get a gun.

So, this year no writing letters to Santa. No getting up in the middle of the night to put presents under the tree. No leaving milk and cookies for Santa. No fun!

Bad Santa

A friend sent me this link to a site where you type in orders and Santa does what you say. It's a real guy in a Santa suit. If you type in jump. He jumps. If you type in beer. Yes Santa gets a beer. He seems particularly fond of that one. Santa will also get naughty. Some fun ones to try are get busy, pee, butt, naked, fart or just type in the word Santa. His response can very when you type in Santa but expect a tongue lashing.Give it a try.

Vandalism Update

The painters came out last week and did a pretty good job. There is still a little black paint on one of the window frames that they need to take care of. Let's hope that I don't have a hard time getting them back out there. The insurance company shouldn't cut them a check until I sign off on it. No new word on court for the suspects. They haven't picked up the adult suspect to my knowledge. I called to check a few weeks ago and they said if I found out that he was home that I could call and they would send someone because it is a low priority. Mean while back at the ranch I'm out $1,000 dollars in deductibles. HO HO HO

Britney not so Hot!

Yesterday a co-worker told me about the partially nude photos of Britney Spears that are posted thesuperficial.com. My first thought (to borrow a line from Paris Hilton) that's hot. However, when I got there and looked at her bare vagina laid out for the world to see my thoughts were anything but hot. I guess there is still that since of novelty since she is this mega star but these pictures are definitely not bringing sexy back. I'm guessing that she must have had a cesarean with one of her children. If not that is on mother of a stretch mark. It's kind of funny that in all the footage of her, Paris and Lindsay Lohan hanging out that Paris is the one dressed conservative. Is Britney having a Mid-twenties crisis. Is she hearing the footsteps of father time creeping up behind her at the ripe old age of 25. This girl needs an honest friend. Judge for yourself. If you're at work wait until you get home. If you're at home send the kids out of the room. 1 2 3

General Nathan Bedford Forrest and MTSU

I have been following this story about the MTSU students wanting to change the name of the ROTC building. Currently it is called Forrest Hall. After General Nathan Bedford Forrest who was a Calvary general in the civil war and was of course from Tennessee. The reason for the petition is because he is also known as a slave trader and for having a role in the formation of the Ku Klux Klan. I have what some would see as a surprising opinion about this considering I'm black. I graduated from MTSU and I remember that building. I never thought twice about it when I was there. The reason being is that his name isn't on that building because of his involvement in the KKK. It's on there because of his service in the military. Everything that I have read has described him as a military genius. I also understand that many of his ideals are still being taught to toady's military. One thing has nothing to do with the other. George Washington owned slaves. You don't see anyone trying to take his face off the one dollar bill. Andrew Jackson owned slaves but you don't see people protesting at the Hermitage. Hell, let's take him off the twenty while we're at it. Don't get me wrong I'm not defending Forrest. The Klan was responsible for many acts of terrorism and I'm sure that he had much to do with it. You also have to remember the time in which he lived. It isn't like he was doing this back in the 70's. Funny thing is I don't recall seeing any of these protesters wearing an ROTC uniform. Makes me think that outsiders are the ones pushing for this and the actual members are alright with it. These kids just need to let sleeping dogs lie. They should be gone in 4 to 5 years anyway.

The Real Michael Richards

The Micheal Richards video was very disappointing to me. I must admit I am a fan of the Seinfeld show and Richards. Hearing him took me back to another time in my life. A time when I didn't always take white guys at face value. A time when white guys had to really earn my trust. I draw these parallels because when someone loses it like that it gives us a glimpse into their real heart. Not the face that they choose to show us everyday. When I was a younger man in my late teens early twenties there were a couple situations that struck me the same way. One was a situation where I heard a white guy I knew saying unflattering things about black people when I was on the phone with his sister. He never knew that the person on the other end was black. Another was the first time I was ever called a nigger to my face. This was by a guy I didn't know well but still never thought he had it in him. Especially when it was unprovoked.I have of course have grown up since then and have different views. I don't have that immediate distrust but there is of course caution around those who fit the build of a racist. Those are the people I can deal with. A good ole rebel flag waving redneck with a white sheet in the back is easy to pin point. It's those like Richards that scare me. The ones that you can't pick out of crowd. No I'm not saying that all redneck rebel flag waivers are racist. I went to college with a guy just like that and he was one of the coolest guys I ever met. Even invited me home with him. I didn't go but not for distrust of him. I didn't trust all the rednecks in his home town that I didn't know.

If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck then it is so. Only a racist would say something like that. He wasn't drunk or high he was being his true self. He let his guard down long enough to let the real Micheal show through. By contrast to most I don't feel he owes the whole world an apology. He doesn't owe me one. He owes it to the people to which the comments were directed to. As well as the other people in the audience that he offended. So, all these comics that are trying to get face time by coming to the defense of black people need to stop. Get some publicity some where else. Damn opportunist.
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Save a Horse Ride a Commodore

I'm usually not one to talk smack but Vandy deserve it. Last year they beat my Vols for the first time in 23 years and would not shut up about it. I didn't know this until this weekend but they put the win on DVD. How sad is your program when you put a win over a 5 and 6 team on DVD. I remember this one Vandy fan called into a radio station last year and said that Tennessee always says that their a football team during basketball season. "Now I guess we can say that we are a football team" he said. That team went 5-6 also. I guess this year he can say their even bigger losers because they went 4-8 with 3 of those wins being over division 2 TSU,Temple who went 1-11 this year and the 0 and 11 Duke Blue Devils. I hadn't planned on going but my girlfriend happened upon some tickets late and wanted to go. I'm glad I did. I went expecting to see my Vols beat the crap out of Vandy and that's just what they did.

I have to say that Vanderbilt stadium may be the worse I have ever been in. They are just not equipped to handle full capacity. When we parked the parking attendant apologized because they were unorganized "we not used to it being this busy" she said. There was a line to get into the stadium because they don't have enough gates. There was a line in the vomitory just to get to your seat. We were in the vomitory 5 minutes before kick off and we missed 3 minutes of the first quarter. A bad stadium for a bad program.

On the way in a Vandy fan told a rowdy Tennessee fan that "you can't spell county jail with out UT".Well, you can't spell winning season with VU.

I Like It Live

I’ve worked in TV for more than 13 years and I have to say I like live TV the best. I’ll do 4 shows today and one of them will be taped. I hate doing taped TV. Guests don’t show up on time or they socialize past taping time. Producers either don’t do everything they should or they half do it. That of course makes my job harder. Then you have the “oops can we start again”. No let’s just air it with you saying “oops can we start again”. The best thing about live TV is not post show editing. Last week I did a taped program that had a fixable mistake. It could have aired the way it was but I thought I would go the extra mile. Wouldn’t you know it golf ran over and it didn’t air. It is supposed to air this weekend but it still stung at the time. With live TV everyone get’s in place, master control counts us down, we do the show in one take and then get up and leave.

Vandalism Update

I got my car back from the body shop Friday and it looks great. It hasn’t look this good in years. It sucks that I had to get vandalized to get it that way. They were able to get it all off with chemicals rather than re-painting. Unfortunately it cost me a $500 dollar deductible. I have a contractor coming out Friday to look at the house. It would be nice to have it cleaned up before Thanksgiving but I don’t think it will be. This unfortunately will cost me another $500 dollar deductible. So, there you have a thousand dollars out of my pocket right at Christmas. Santa is pissed! A guy at work told me about some stuff that might take the spray paint off my van. Until recently it wasn’t running so I dropped the comprehensive coverage. So, it’s up to me to get it fixed. The paint on it was crap anyway and I don’t want to spend anymore money on this right now. I haven't heard anything new on the suspects. The DA told me they would subpoena me when they set a court date for the minor. I’m not sure if they have picked up the adult. I took out the warrant about a week and a half ago.

Ray Lewis plays the Race Card

I've posted here before about my distaste for black people using the race card where it doesn't apply. Remember the old children's book "The Boy That Cried Wolf". Eventually when he really did need help and nobody came. We are getting close to that in the black community. People think we are just calling wolf because we have over played this card. A new example is by Baltimore Ravens Linebacker Ray Lewis. In a recent interview he hinted at racism wondering if the Tennessee Titans would have treated a white QB like Brett Farve or Peyton Manning the same way as they did Steve Mcnair. I have followed the Titans for a long time. I work on their pre-season games and I've directed the Jeff Fisher show for years. I don't see the racism here. Hey Ray in case you missed it Vince Young is BLACK! Also Billy Volek is white and they shipped his butt to San Diego. Kerry Collins is white and they benched him for Young. Hay Ray you ever heard of a former Oiler QB named Warren Moon?

He is right about one thing Peyton Manning and Brett Favre wouldn't be treated this way. That's because Manning is a 2 time MVP winner and the best QB in the league. Favre is the only three time MVP winner in the history of the NFL. They are both probably first ballot hall of famers. I think it's safe to say that they earned the right to go out on their on terms.

Funny in any order

With a line up like this the Tennessee Volunteers never stood a chance Saturday aginst the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Vols Announce Starter for Saturdays Game

From News 2:

Big orange fans it is official. Coach Phillip Fulmer just announced that Jonathan Crompton will be the starting quarterback this Saturday against Arkansas. Crompton came into last Saturday's game against LSU after starting QB Erik Ainge left with an ankle injury. Crompton tossed two touchdown passes and almost led the vols to victory. He has known all along that being a backup, you are one injury away from playing