We Remember

Todays Blog: Memorial Day.  I went to Pickwick Lake this weekend to celebrate Memorial Day Weekend.  Is it just today or an actual weekend...I've heard both.  I actually just went to hang out with friends but on the way back it dawned on me that I didn't know exactly what I did to celebrate the holiday.  I wondered: "How did I celebrate the holiday?" and "What did I do to honor America's fallen soldiers?"  After my thought process was finished, I came up with what most large crowds do when someone has passed on, a moment of silence.  While this was kinda silly to do by myself, I settled on saying a prayer.  I can't exactly remember my exact words but I thanked the Lord for all our the people who have fought for and continue to fight for our country, and died so that we could have many of the freedoms that we do now.  In my opinion, there is a reason we are the most powerful nation in the world: Our country's motto is United We Stand.  I truly believe in this statement.  We all come from different backgrounds and have different beliefs but if there is one thing most of us love it is our country.  So if you feel guilty for not honoring our country's fallen soldiers or don't have another way of celebrating the holiday, then feel free to copy me and many others by saying a prayer in remembrance of them.  On to Good, Bad and Funny.
Memorial Day

1. Good: By just thinking of the Holiday, it is kind of sad to think about what it really stands for.  But if you look at it outside the box, the main reason people go to the lake or go to festivals or have other ways of celebrating it, it's there way of celebrating the lives of our fallen soldiers.  To me, by celebrating your own life with family/friends, its kind of a way of saying thank you to the ones who can't anymore.(I hope that makes sense because I think I just had an epiphany about it...I love epiphanies, they make you feel really smart)  Another thing that is good about memorial day.  When I look at all the past statues, memorials and monuments like this one, I get chills.  My dad and I took a trip to D.C. on Memorial Day 6 years ago and we looked at all this stuff.  We both sort of choked up talking about it.(I highly recommend a trip to D.C. to see all the cool statues..it puts a lot into perspective....Arlington alone is worth the trip.)
2. Bad: Obviously, Memorial Day can be a tough day for those who have lost a loved one in the war.  I know its tough when any of us lose someone, but there is not a national holiday dedicated to it.  I also don't really like it when people push the holiday to the side like its not important.  I'm not a warmonger by any means but I do have a tremendous respect for those who have fought for our great country.  
3. Funny: A funny thing about Memorial Day is how you get the urge to cookout.  I got home from pickwick and immediately walk up our back steps and saw the grill....a sudden urge just hit me like it was the normal thing to do.(We had grilled chicken, sweet potatoes and broccoli...were gonna have squash but there wasn't enough to pick out of our garden.)

Link of the day: I've been real lazy with this so I found a good one today. Its a website dedicated solely to the holiday.  Go check it out.
Thanks for reading
McKinley

The Lake House....Not the Movie

Todays Blog: A Day at the Lake.  I'm very fortunate to be able to blog today.(Thanks to Vandy Stubbs for inviting me to stay at his cabin and thanks to  George Curry...vandy stubbs wireless internet sharer at pickwick)  Never would I thought I would have gotten internet access at Pickwick Lake.  I'm blogging on a day at the lake because i'm at pickwick lake....obviously.  I really like coming up here.(I have to mooch off peoples cabins now because my grandfather sold his the year I was born....gee sure could have used a cabin to take friends to...thanks big big)  I"ve got a big juicy burger waiting on me so I'll continue on to Good, Bad and Funny.
A Day at the Lake

1. Good: There are plenty of things that are great about the lake.  It's a chance to hang out with friends,(old and new) a chance to get some sun(not that I care about sun), a chance to listen to country music where it is fully accepted(I can't imagine anyone from Tishomingo County doesn't like country...let me say tish county to further prove my point.) a chance to get in the water and use primal instincts(It's not the swimming pool, so you can't see your limbs when you are swimming...this wouldn't be a big deal but I'm not a strong swimmer.) and most important a chance to let loose and have fun.(this is my last weekend free..for the most part...this summer due to legion baseball.  So I have took full advantage of it and really enjoyed myself)
2. Bad:  There is plenty of bad at the lake.  It's so generic to listen to certain types of music at the lake.(I do it anyway because..well it's just what you do at Pickwick....you pull up to a random destination and for some reason you are bumping the new Lil Wayne track to get attention from other boats on the lake)  Also apparently people love showing there bodies off at pickwick lake.(I saw plenty of people today that for some reason had 8 packs and 7 tattoos.....this is perfectly fine but do you have to flex and be talking about the muscles on your shoulders while drinking beer with friends....come on.) 
3. Funny: The funniest thing to me about being at the lake is the mindset you take on when you get there.(I'm guilty of this sometimes but I try my best to be myself at all times, but there is something about this place that makes you act a certain way.)  For instance: you become more country all of the sudden,(a guy you might know forever will act exceptionally more redneck on Pickwick Lake because for some odd reason it's more acceptable.)  You're also extra excited and saying things that would normally get you called out such as: "Dude we gotta get on the water...or...Dude you can't come to pickwick if you don't know how to drink."  These comments are the norm at a day on the lake.

Link of the Day: No link today.....I'm out of options here...I really want to get a burger before they are all gone.

Thanks for reading
McKinley

Sweet Dreams

Todays Blog: Dreams.  When I woke up this morning, I was groggy and noticed that my mom had not come to wake me up and it was a little before 9.  I went downstairs, let the dogs out to potty, got the paper and read it on the side porch.  My mom finally came out and told me she felt awful.  She found a tick on her forehead minutes later and started feeling really sick.(For a second she thought it might be lyme disease or rocky mountain spotted fever..I know farfetched and the latter is a mouthful)  So I took care of her for a while then went to the wellness center.  She had taken a full nap by the time I got back.  I woke her up and asked her if she needed anything.  Instead of asking me for anything, she began to tell me the most bizarre dream that she just had.(Ask me about it sometime because its way to long to tell in a blog...some of you might have been in it)  This gave me the idea to blog about dreams today.  I wish I had one every night but I don't.  I don't know what you need to do in order to have a dream, but I would definitely take action if someone found the true cause.(Weird sidenote: I've been told that you only dream from somewhere between 10-30 minutes before you wake up.(I don't know if thats true or not but its strange thinking about it because you feel like you've been dreaming for hours.) When I think of dreams I think of 2 things: What you think about when your sleeping and What you hope to happen with your life.  We all have them when we are awake and only sometimes when we're asleep.  It's kind of weird how these 2 interpretations intersect with each other.  For example: Have you ever had a dream while sleeping of something that you hoped happened or will happen in real life?(thats deep right there) On to Good, Bad and Funny.
Dreams

1. Good: As far as awake dreams go, I think they are things that are essential to us.  They are like goals.  They help keep you sharp and focused throughout your life.  My personal dreams are simple: to be a successful teacher and coach, and a good husband,father and friend.  Not exactly world changing to many but to me I can say I've died happy if I've done these things.  The best thing about a dream when your asleep is when you wake up feeling good about whatever it is you dreamed about...like it really happened.  A warm, fuzzy feeling comes over you.(Until you put your feet on the ground beside your bed and realize that you have gout....actually this only happens to me and 40+ year old men)
2. Bad:  Sometimes sleeping dreams are awful.  You dream that you are dying or something really bad happens.  I don't have many of these but I've woken up in a cold sweat before.  For instance: One time I had this dream where this guy was following me everywhere I went(I was in Australia).  I'd see him outside my house at night, at work etc... whenever I saw him, he was always crying.  Finally I saw him one day and slammed him to the ground and asked him why he was following me.  He then said that my family had been kidnapped and given one week to live and I had to travel the world to find them before they were killed.(This really creeped me out and I don't know how I thought about it)  I woke up only to realize it was not real but it really freaked me out.
3. Funny:  I've had plenty of funny dreams before.  I think when you take advil or a sleeping medicine(like Ambien CR...you better get really still if you take one of these...otherwise you'll get looney and talk about the most random stuff) before you go to bed, that there is something in there that causes you to have weird dreams.(Just my theory)  I've dreamed before about being a gymnast, talking to my dog and even being myself but in another persons body.  I always try to remember the details as soon as I wake up so I can tell somebody.

Link of the Day:  This was really cool to me...I really want to try it now
Thanks for reading...I really hope I get the chance to blog tomorrow but I'll be at pickwick lake so stay tuned..Will the every day blog streak continue?

McKinley

Fashion

Todays' Blog: Fashion This is a really stupid topic because it means nothing to me(for the most part) but I think its an issue that needs to be talked about.  My fashion of choice, I would say would be...umm comfortable.  Right now I have on a T-shirt a friend of my sister made, gym shorts, and tennis shoes.  You could say that this is my everyday attire.  I couldn't tell you the last time I had khaki pants on.  I do not like to wear or buy expensive clothing.(I've got about 5 nice shirts to my name and for what it's worth my mom buys 90% of the clothing I wear at those outlet malls when she goes to the casino...such a good mom)  I'm definitely in my element when I've got on what I do right now.(to go even further I really like to be in just boxers if at all possible)  On to Good, Bad and Funny.
Fashion

1. Good: I can't really think of many things that are good about fashion(to me), there are a few however: White tip fingernails on girls(so attractive), nike(really because there clothing is really comfortable to me and they have a surplus of big and tall clothing), old navy underwear(also comfortable), jerseys(probably bout to get this one) I guess clothing line owners are employed because of fashion which is a good thing.  But that is such a cop out job. (Except for that guy that donates food or money to the starving kids in third world countries because of the shoes that he sells....but even then, people that buy those aren't buying them for the cause. They are buying them because everyone else is) 
2. Bad: There is plenty of bad about fashion.  Fashion is what drives America these days.  People always have to know what the best and newest clothes and accessories that celebrities are wearing are.(I think its because people who do this want to be famous so if they dress like a celeb then people will look at them as local celebrities or elite.)
3. Funny: It's funny to me when two girls walk up to one another and they say "girl you look cute!"  This never changes.  It seems like it's a lie 75% of the time and that they just say it to reciprocate the first to say it when they meet. Like when the first girl comes up and says the about quote.  The next one immediately says "thanks you too".  Does she really mean it?  What if you have on a dickies jumpsuit?  Another funny thing about fashion is the stuff my dad wears.  I can sit here and type that I don't care about fashion but he really doesn't.  He wears premade tank tops for men and velcro shoes to cut the yard and do errands around town.  I love the looks he gets.(It doesnt matter to him how he looks, he just walks up to people and talks to them as if they don't notice what hes got on.(They have looks on their faces that make it look like they are thinking.."Damn, Steve what do you got on? You might smell so I don't want to get too close to you.")

Link of the day: no link today. I can't come up with one.

Thanks for reading
McKinley

Workin Hard for a Living

Today's blog: Hard Work/Labor  Last night I told my mom to wake me up when she left for work(7:45) in hopes that I could get my sleeping habits back on track.(Been sleeping in til 9/10 some days...one time I would have considered that early.)  I stayed up really late(3am watching stupid tv shows and playing video games) so that I knew I would be really tired today.  I was thinking that I was just gonna go play disc golf and walk at Ballard Park then maybe swim, play racquetball and work on stuff for my mom around the house.  Well I got a call about 830 from my dad on my way to Phillips Lawn and Garden Center to buy discs...he said why don't you come in and help Charles(his 71 year old handy man at the funeral home...they don't make him like him any more) do some stuff.  So immediately after I got through Oprah- walking 2.75 miles and playing 18 holes of disc golf(had fun Laura) I headed for the funeral home.  I thought I would just help him by vacuuming or washing windows but it was one of those days I would eventually be exhausted with very quickly.  My job: mow the whole funeral home lot with Charles and put down grave markers in Tupelo and Okolona(Boones Chapel Cemetery actually but only people that I'll talk about in this blog will know where that is.)  After doing these odd jobs seeing people working outside at Phillips, watching farmers look over their crops on the highway, and going to Marvins to get concrete mixture I figured why not blog about hard work/labor today.  On to Good, Bad and Funny.
Hard Work/Labor

1. Good: Plenty of good comes out of Labor work.  You have a feeling of accomplishment when your day is done.(Not saying that other jobs don't but this is a different type of feeling...It's like "man I'm physically exhausted but the world is better for what I did today"...No one with a desk job can get this feeling.) You get to work outdoors.  Most of the guys and girls that do this type of work are "do-it-all" types.(Kind of like a swiss army knife)  They can do everything from build fences to fix your carburetor.  Another great thing about people that work these jobs is that the "good ones" hardly ever complain about the hardships that they go through that other people would whine about in the first 5 minutes of the job.  We should all be thankful for these people.(Construction workers, janitors, mechanics, farmers etc...)  Imagine what the world would be like if no one did these jobs?(Not exactly a head scratcher)
2. Bad: Some bad things about Labor work: Hours are long(I mean seriously some people work from sun up to sun down), weather(for instance today it was so hot and humid I felt like I was wrapped in one of those blankets(these) that cheap hotels have while at a nursing home on christmas day......I always take them off..well for that matter I usually just use the sheet.), sometimes long-time workers are unkind or impatient with rookies(I mean how am I supposed to know what corrugated wire brushes are supposed to look like? Stop getting so mad), lastly most of these people are stubborn and only let you do things if it's done their way.It makes sense but for instance today Charles was using post-hole diggers then had to break after 5 turns(which is not many) and told me to have a go at it.  Then I started at it was doing it fine, then he said "you're not doing it right, wiggle it when you grasp the mud" "Oh nevermind I'll do it".(It probably cost us another 20 minutes in the blistering heat...I was doing the same thing he was, just different.)
3. Funny: I'm not going to get into the dialect of some of these guys that work these jobs but I have picked up a few words that I like to use from working with Charles and at construction a few summers back.(Loud: used to talk about a strange or bad smell not sound or Might: means alot like I'm a might hungry)  Also some of these guys get so serious about the stories they tell you, no matter how far-fetched they sound, you think "this guy is telling the truth."(Charles told me a crazy story about an armadillo in his septic tank last week...it was outrageous and the damndest thing I'd ever heard but I believed him)  Also these guys always eat lunch in like 5 minutes and then stare at you when you are still eating yours.  Sometimes lunch to them are "nabs".  Not acceptable for me.  Lastly, the funniest thing to me about labor work is this: where is it written into law that you have to wear pants at all times?  How these guys and girls have pants instead of shorts on in this heat is beyond me and to top it all off it's usually the same pair they wear everyday.

Link of the day: I leave you with George Strait (Your welcome Wesley McCullough)

Thanks for reading and pat yourself on the back if read this whole thing...it was really long.  Guess I just wanted to put in hard work on it to be consistent today.(Haha that was so cheesy)

McKinley

A Whole New World

Todays Blog: Technology.  No real excuse for this blog.  It just hit me in the middle of the day.  I used to be a dinosaur in terms of changing with the rest of the world as new technology came out.  I'm still against some of the things used today to communicate and receive information.  I have told people before that new technology(cell phones, smart phones, facebook, twitter, blogging, text messaging, skype, ipads) is stupid and a waste of time only to fall in love with it later.(I really wanna explore the last two)  I was one of those people that didn't have texting or a smart phone until November 2008.  I begged my mother to get us a texting plan because of a girl that I was somewhat talking to kept texting me and I kept having to call her back.(We went on a few dates then that trick explained to me over facebook that I was a plan B and she'd been seeing another guy.  I'm better for it though, she wasn't for me.)  In the Fall of 2009 I finally got caught up with the rest of the world.  I got a HTC Hero powered by Android and of course I couldn't put it down the first 3 weeks.(Still can't sometimes and of course my friends give me good natured ribbing about it.  On to Good, Bad and Funny.
Technology

1. Good:  Technology is the name of the game today.  If you are behind on it then you are behind on the rest of the world.(My dad will argue this.)  I think we should all be grateful at some of the blessings the Technological Gods have given our generation.  Can you imagine calling people on landlines and payphones being the primary ways to communicate these days?  It would be such a hassle.  I bet the people who make phone books are so pissed that there product is put to the curb these days.  Prime example of technology being awesome: Yesterday I synced songs from my computer to my phone, got an email from a guy I coach  with as an  excel document, had a calender update, checked twitter(12 times a day...best feeling in the world when you have that little bird in the top right corner of your phone meaning I've been mentioned), texted, checked the Braves score(frustrated that Kenshin Kawakami is still in the pitching rotation..He's 0-7), browsed the internet and played games all in one day.  Unreal the time I saved myself and how much more convenient life is now.
2. Bad: As I mentioned earlier, I check my phone and have my nose in it way too much from time to time.  We sometimes become computers ourselves and lose all our primal and humanistic qualities.  I don't want this to happen to me because I think I'm at my best when my mind and soul are without technology.(If that makes any sense...man I got emotional right there.)  One thing that really bothers me about technology is the use of texting, email and facebook chat when discussing a touchy subject with someone else.  Example: I don't want to have an important conversation with someone through text messages because you can't hear voice tone.  They might interpret you being mean or cruel when you are actually not.  I would never ask out or break up with a girl over a text message.  Its easier for people to communicate through text because the bad response you might give them won't have the affect that your voice would have.  Another example: I love you through a text is meaningless because you don't know if the other person is just going through the motions saying it or if they really mean it.(Man emotional again.)
3. Funny:  The funniest thing about technology is how old people react to it.  Example: My dad, Jared Koon and I ate at Papa V's(I know that place is my jam and I talk about it too much) on Gumtree Weekend.  My dad went to the bathroom, came back out and said "My lord, have yall ever been to the bathroom here?", Us: No sir Him: "Man everything in there is hands free, the only thing you need your hands for is wiping"(Of course I almost spit gravy on Koon from laughing)  My dad also doesn't know how to look at text.  He can't send them out but he can receive them.  I looked at his phone the other day and he had 93 unread messages.This is what he looks like with a cell phone(come on Steve get with the program..He still uses a Smith and Corona Typewriter to write letters to people instead of email which, to be frank, I think is really cool and I wanna start doing it if the info I'm sending is worth a crap)

Link of the day: I'm never gonna be able to afford any of this stuff but heres a cool site.  Cool Gadgets
Done blogging for today.
Thanks for reading
McKinley

The Thunder Rolls

I was without power in Plantersville for 7 to 10 hours this afternoon due to a 15 minute hurricane and I'm just now getting back on the internet.  Multiple trees were knocked to the ground in town and with my luck, one just happened to knock the power lines down 50 feet from my house.  With that being said today I will blog about storms. I'm tired so I will make this quick.  On to Good, Bad and Funny.
Storms

1. Good: Not much good can come from a storm.  But lets think outside the box.  Storms provide us the opportunity to maybe help someone rebuild a house, some people refer to great performances by teams and organizations the "perfect storm"(sad movie by the way), I personally think they are really cool to look at...like this for example(I'm not the guy to chase em around but I don't mind looking at neat cloud formations).
2. Bad: Plenty of bad can come from a storm. We all remember how Katrina and the recent storms have affected our state and how the Ice Storm in 94' affected us in Lee County.(My Uncle Perry got a t-shirt that said I Survived the Ice Storm...so redneck but I love him to death...more on him later.) Storms are the worst in terms of preparing for outdoor sports.  I will never forget having to put the tarp over the infield of THS Field last summer with only 1 other person(Brandon Saylors) there who knew how to do it.  Another Example is tonight, we(Plantersville United Methodist Pirates...3-1 on the young season might I add) were playing The Orchard in softball for three innings tonight before the game got called on account of lightning.(This really frustrated me among others because I am the type to play in rain, sleet or snow)
3. Funny: People talk about the weather everyday.  It gets old but man it sure can be funny sometimes.  Here's a monologue I've heard before over breakfast at Shockleys Restaurant, I'll never forget it: Guy One: "Out of all the rain from the storms we got last night, me and Patricia didn't see a drop".  Guy Two: "The hell you say, there was trout fishing on Main Street."  

Link of the Day: Back to Good Ole Uncle Perry. I watch this video for a laugh.  It might not amuse you but just listening to how he says hickory springs tickles me. Uncle Perry after his 18 wheeler was tipped over in a tornado last year
Thats all for today.  I'm trying to build up to a monumental blog topic, so hopefully one day that topic will find me.
Thanks for reading
McKinley