Outstanding

F1

Another young driver gets his first win - Vettel takes pole, and wins in the red cars' back yard.

All the podium finishers are young drivers who will be the champions of the future.

Dawgs

Well, it was ugly, but they come away with a W over the anti-christ himself. It will not get any easier, and Richt will be forced to find a new motivation every week. The most bothersome side to the performance is the continued lack of any meaningful pass defence; that will be the downfall, I'm afraid.

Hockey Mom

It is VERY hard to believe the republitards chose her for the #2 slot ... good grief !!!

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/09/22/080922fa_fact_gourevitch

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2008/09/15/080915ta_talk_lizza?yrail

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise !

Let's take this in some sembelance of order:



F1
McLaren/Hamilton robbed again. Hamilton gets penalized 25 seconds after winning the Belium GP and his final finishing position is 3rd. He did something others did during the race, and he complied with the regs and allowed the red car to regain its position before overtaking for good. I really believe FIA has a SERIOUS grudge against McLaren, and will do whatever possible to keep them from winning the manufacturer's AND driver's championships.



On another note ... kudos to Heidfeld for gambling on a change to wet tires with 2 laps to go.





Summer on the coast

Thought we might evacuate for Hanna, but got a pass. Ike is still churning across the Carribean, and could still come this way. Time to organize the evacuation plan.

Election
Unbelievable that McCain picks Sarah Palin ... her track record of decisions isn't the best. I speak from personal knowledge regarding her pick to become the new head of the Alaska State Trroper: multiple sexual harassment complaints, a known adulterer, and who knows what else. I think she selected him because he agreed (in advance) to fire a state trooper she had a personal beef with. Wonderful way to run an administration.

Baisbol

It appears the Braves had best look to next year ... pay whatever is needed to get some adequate pitching, and consistent hitting.

Dawgs
Two wins against minor league teams ... now the real season begins and I'm afraid it won't be pretty. Except for Tennessee, future opponents this year looked pretty good so far. The newest UGA looks pretty good:

A BIG ONE

F1
A very good season so far: The red team and McLaren about ten points apart, with BMW lurking close by; Points being won by teams/drivers you wouldn't expect; so far, nothing "political" screwing things up. And, according to a London court, apparently Mosely's aberrant sado-masochistic behavior as a whacked-out nazi isn't a bad thing for F1. Good grief.

FLETC
The "Center of Excellence" is becoming less a mystery day by day. I wish I could say the same for issues I have to deal with on the personnel side ... I knew the job was complex, but the current conditions I'm dealing with are NOT fun.

Baisbol
Braves are mid-pack and show no tendencies of improving. The pitching staff ain't much and even with the team hitting well most days it will be a long time before the season ends ... sigh.

DAWGS
Well, most pre-season polls show the Dawgs #1 -- I expect this to be the usual kiss of death. We'll see.

The Great Land
We're off to AK next friday; I have two days of meetings, and we'll see friends until flying back on the 23rd. Bittersweet.

BMW History

F1
BMW gets its' first win !! Due in no small part to Hamilton's immaturity which eliminated both he and Raikkonen , F1's first Polish driver gets his first for BMW. However, it was well deserved, and I'm sure this will not be BMW's last this year; the machines are seemingly bullet-proof, and both drivers are talented. Overall an excellent race, and thank the Lord that FOX (quite unbelievably) had the smarts to keep the SPEEDTV announcers -- a F1 race being called and commented on without "the boys" (Varsha, Hobbs, and Machett) would have made the Canadian, French, and British races unbearable to watch.

D' Braves
This season is a roller coaster ride of ominous proportions ... pitching staff decimated, injuries galore, Chipper leading the league with a .400+ average, brief shining moments from the rest, and it gets too painful to follow at times.

Life in South GA
It's not even July, and we've seen 90+ degrees a few days already. It forces me to mow grass early in the morning, and tend to other outside chores after 6pm. Our first summer will be brutal, but we'll survive better than we did the last time we lived down here, and didn't have the luxury of air-conditioning.

Ballard Street

One of favorite comic strips ... this guy thinks WAY outside the box ! And, in regard to the strip below, I'm one of those wierd males who actually like cats ... this is just FUNNY.

Thunder Alley

F1
Red, Silver, Red ....and I'm surprised the silver car made the top three. McLaren is NOT figuring out the tires and it's too far into the season to be guessing on tires and getting the most out of them. During the european swing and Canada, this type of issue should not be of concern... is it that the two young drivers can't evaluate and talk with the engineers ?
Monaco, Canada, France, Britain, Germany, Hungary, European, Belgium, and Italy: if the silver cars don't take at least 50-60 points over that 9 race stretch, it is over. If that occurs, BMW is my bet for 2nd in manufacturer's points.

d'Braves
"A pitching rotation: my kingdom for a rotation". Gotta be what Cox and Scherholz(sp?) are crying. Hudson erratic, Glavine and Schmotltz aging rapidly, Hampton an albatross ... Chipper, Texeria and Kotsay can't carry the load alone.

Guvmint
Learning the political ways of FLETC is a challenge; add to that my boss thinking I can work miracles on the internal Div. Refuge LE side of my job in one year, AND a personnel issue which is fraught with very thin ice. So goes my first 5 months on the job. Can I make it another 2-3 years without committing bureaucratic seppuku ?

Livin' In South GA
The title of this blog and the accompanying link gives an idea of today's weather. We forgotten just how impressive the thunderstorms can be. The front yard was a pond, lightning and thunder were constant for about 2 hours, and it isn't even summer yet. Food is still good, people are friendly and amazingly polite, and the house is slowly coming together inside and out.

Yes, it's been a while ...

Moving to Jawjuh

We drove into Brunswick, GA about 3pm on the 21st of December, after leaving Sterling on 7 Dec. We were so fortunate that the temps abated a little (only -15 in Tok) and the roads were ice-free the entire way through Alaska and Canada. The 4 day ferry ride to Bellingham was good for both of us ... nothing to do but eat, sleep, and amuse ourselves. Oh, and check on Buster whenever we were allowed down on the car deck. He's a real trooper cat -- I think he's still grateful that Lisa rescued him from living outside in that Alaska winter.

After arriving in Bellingham at 10am, buying non-studded tires and doing laundry delayed our departure until @2pm. We had dinner with Riley in one of her favorite restaurants then continued south. Again, we were fortunate to be driving between two winter storm systems, so we missed some nasty weather. To make up for "lost" driving time while on the ferry, one day we did 670 miles - brutal ! We had lunch with our mortgage lender in Tuscaloosa, AL; we had received the verbal offer on our house on Lisa's cell about one hour south of Tupelo, MS, so the timing was great.

We stayed in a condo for nearly 2 months while Lisa investigated available houses in Brunswick. She found a very nice house in an older subdivision, and the furniture was unloaded 27 February. One broken table, and two pictures with broken glass. Hopefully, we'll get reimbursed. Lisa has painted the living & dining rooms, our bedroom, the guest bedroom & bath, as well as the entry foyer... I'm sure she isn't done. We went to Jesup, GA recently and purtchased a bed/mattress/night stand for the guest room, and a new stand for the TV, as we noticed the current one is sagging below the TV.

Lisa has renewed her swimming routine (outdoor heated pool), and is now a cast member in "Best Little Whorehouse" put on by the local theater group. Bill is getting more familiar with his new job every day; lots to learn and problems to correct, but he's making progress. Buster seems to be adapting, but prefers to venture outdoors in the dark; daylight apparently presents dangers unseen by human eyes.

More on our new life in coastal GA in future posts.

F1
Two races completed and Ferrari and MacLaren have taken up where 07 ended ... the new player is BMW-Sauber. I think BMW will will take the top spot on the podium more than once this year, and MIGHT even challenge for the title. Heidfeld & Kubica are solid, fast drivers who now have a reliable car that is very close to the silver & red cars in times. It should be an interesting season.

Recent news that Bernie & Tony are talking again is good news, at least for those north americans who would like to seem them back at Indy. Ohh, if that track only had some elevation changes !!

BAISBOL
D'Braves are a puzzle to me: Old, young, speed, big & small ball hitters... looks like they have a good chance. But the latest news about Smoltz' sore shoulder is disquieting ... if he, Glavine & Hudson aren't all strong, the years is lost. Stay Tuned.