Musings

Hey all, sorry I have not been better about updating this, but here are some random thoughts, things that have been going on:



Dallas Cowboys



So I am a pretty big Cowboys fan, and am always excited for the start of a new season. Unfortunately, things have not been going super well this season. I really like Tony Romo, so much in fact that my fantasy team is named The Romosexuals. As my older brother likes to tell me, I have a weird fascination on mediocre white quarterbacks, and I thought Tony Romo was different. Unfortunately, I am starting to wonder about him. He is extremely inconsistent, has a tendency to choke in big games, but can still make amazing things happen. For every stupid pass, he has that crazy how did he do that play? I am just not sure what to think at this point. After the Philadelphia game last season he vowed to be a different player this year, to take care of the ball and not make bad decisions. Well unfortunately, last night against the Eagles he was the same Tony Romo from that game. I can only hope he rights the ship. I am a little mad, but a good game next week can put us back on good terms.


Houston Astros

Well this season has been disastrous for my favorite baseball team. I have been excited to see Bud Norris get the opportunity to pitch, as well as Tommy Manzella and Chris Johnson get called up. Unfortunately, Berkman hasn't had a good year, Roy O hasn't had his good stuff all year, Carlos Lee has been pretty good, as has Wandy Rodriguez, but Kaz Matsui and Mike Hampton have not. Today the Astros fired manager Cecil Cooper and replaced him with third base coach Dave Clark. This should come as a surprise to no one, he lost the clubhouse, and hasn't made smart baseball decisions. What stands out the most to me was the time early in the season when he filled out the scorecard wrong so Michael Bourn, who has been a very pleasant surprise by the way, was called out for hitting out of order. Instead of owning up to his mistake and telling Bourn what happened, Geoff Blum who was on the on deck circle, had to explain it. That is not a way to instill confidence with your players. Hopefully next year will go better, the Astros need to give Tommy and Johnson a chance to win a starting job, they need to get rid of Kaz Matsui, continue to give the ball to Bud Norris, Wandy, Roy O, and Felipe Paulino. I think Brian Bogusevic, Reggie Abercrombie, JR Towles, Jason Castro, and some of the young pitchers need to get a long look in Spring Training. They also need to bring in a smart manager who will control the clubhouse. Tim Bogar, Dave Clark, and Brad Ausmus should all be talked to. Here is what I would like to see next year: CF - Bourn, RF - Pence, LF- Lee, 1B - Berkman, 2B - Maysonet/Vallejo, SS - Manzella, 3B - C. Johnson/Tejada, C - Towles/Quintero. SP - Roy O, Wandy, Bud Norris, Moehler, Bazardo.


Random Thoughts

• So I have been having this problem recently at multiple different stores, people keep thinking I work there. Wal-mart, Kohl's, and even Academy I have had people walk up to me and ask me where something is or if I can help them find something. It's very strange.
• Today I was eating lunch in the Commons by myself, as I will often do if I am in a hurry or just need some time to clear my head. I don't think there's anything wrong with this, and I often think it's rude to eat and run if I am eating with other people. Well today someone walked by and said "You over here eating all by yourself? What's wrong with you?" And not in a joking way, I was a little taken aback. So if you ever see someone eating by themselves, don't make this comment.
• I was watching Shark Week this summer, and as you know I am crazy scared of sharks, and they were talking about how there were X number of unprovoked shark attacks in 2003. Has there ever been a provoked shark attack? What would that look like?
• Many congratulations go out to my good friends Aaron and Lacy on their awesome twin boys, and to Brent and Amanda on the birth of their baby girl. It's so amazing that my friends are parents now, I know they will all be phenomenal.

So that is all for now, but look for an upcoming blog about summer concerts and other fun summer activities.

Summer Update

I like the summer. It's usually quiet around campus and I get to leave work when the sun is still out, which is weird. I get to read more and it's usually nice enough to spend some time outside. I am looking forward to this summer, I have no big travel plans, but it should still be a good summer. Here are a few updates from my life:

• I get to see my nephews this weekend and I am really excited about it. Supposedly Tyler is crawling now, and so it should be fun to hang out with them for a little while.
• I started playing softball with a few friends of mine, and it has been a lot of fun. Our team has not won a game so far, but I am hitting .636 (7-11) with 15 RBIs. I am enjoying playing and haven't hurt myself yet, so that's a plus!
• I have been to three concerts in the past two weeks and expect to write a more in-depth review of them soon, but they have all been great! Plus, rumor has it that the Counting Crows will be playing in Austin sometime soon, which would make my summer.
• My insomnia seems to have gotten worse. For the past week I haven't been able to get to sleep before 4am, which has caused me to be very tired at work. I don't know what it is that has made it worse, but I hope it gets better soon.

To PhD or not to Phd....

... that is my current question. Ever since I finished my Master's Degree in December, I have been contemplating on what's next in my life. While I have enjoyed not being in school and being able to read whatever I want to, I am tempted to continue my educational endeavors. So I have begun looking at programs to get my PhD, but am still unsure of the program. Do I want to do Organizational Leadership (which I have my Master's in) or do I want to try Higher Education Administration (since that is what I want to do with my life)? The OL program would allow me to do quite a bit more if I ever decide to get out of Higher Education, but the Higher Ed degree would probably allow me to move up higher in my profession. I did find a very intriguing program through Regents University in Virginia which would allow me to get my Doctorate of Philosophy in Organizational Leadership through distance learning. I know I would not be able to do a program like this full time, so a distance program was a priority. So I don't think this is anything that I will attempt in the near future, but I think I have decided that one day I want to have a PhD.

Other thoughts:
- My friend Brent just bought a house and so this weekend I went and helped him fix it up. It was a lot of hard work, but I enjoyed it. I was able to learn a little bit about home repair, spend time with a friend, and help accomplish something.
- I have a job interview this week and am actually kind of nervous about it. It is the first one I have had since I completed my Master's and is for a very good position. Any good thoughts you all could send me on Wednesday would be greatly appreciated.
- I can not believe how fast this year is going by, it's already mid-April! It feels like it was January yesterday.
- The Astros and Express seasons have started and while neither has been off to a great start, I still love baseball. I have been to 2 Express games and they won both of them! Life always seems better when you're at a ballgame.

Astros Spring Training

Ever since I graduated from college (2003), I have been planning on taking a trip to Astros Spring Training. I had heard so many people talk about how neat the experience was, and how the players are eager to sign autographs and interact with the fans. I have come close to booking a flight a few times, but I finally got the chance to attend a Spring Training game on Friday, March 20, 2009. Let me tell you, the experience did not disappoint. I had a blast! I ended up going to Orlando for other reasons, but knew that Kissimmee was only about 30 minutes away, so I bought myself a ticket. My seat was down the third base line, in the first row, and right behind the bench for the bullpen. I was able to talk with several of them and listen to them crack jokes on each other, share information, and give the fans a hard time. Before the game I was able to get a few autographs and actually chatted with pitcher Chris Sampson for a little bit. The Astros ended up winning, but I will take the memories of the interactions with me more than the final score. I guarantee that I will make it to another Spring Training game in the future. Here are a few pictures that I took:

Catcher J.R. Towles, one of my favorite Astros, even though he will be playing for the Round Rock Express this season. You can see Berkman batting in the background of this picture. I like this picture because it shows how close I was to the bench.

Hunter Pence made an appearance at camp. He didn't play due to an injury, so he hung out in the bullpen area for most of the game. The guys were giving him a hard time because of his high socks.

Carlos Lee, or "El Caballo," taking a break in the bullpen during the Astros at bats. Instead of running all the way to the dugout, he just ran to the bullpen bench and sat there. This lead to one very entertaining moment when he had to sprint to the dugout because he was supposed to be in the on deck circle. The other thing I like about this picture is that you can tell the Lee is the only one not wearing a batting practice cap.

Craig Biggio made an appearance in camp, which was completely unexpected. Here he is sharing some of his expertise with catcher Lou Santangelo. They stood in my way for about 1o minutes, but I didn't complain because it allowed me to get this picture. It was incredible to hear how much he knows about all aspects of the game.

Overall, it was amazing and so much fun. I can't put in to words how exciting the whole things was. I would recommend to any baseball fan that they attend Spring Training at some point. You get to see the stars of today and the future stars play in a smaller park. It's like watching major leaguers play in a minor league park. I have a ton more pictures, but these were the best of the bunch, I hope you enjoy them.

What in the????

For as long as I can remember I have been a Dallas Cowboys fan. I remember the Super Bowls in the 1990's, the one win seasons, and the heart breaking playoff losses the last few years. But there is one thing I am not, and that is a fair weather fan. Even when the Cowboys struggled to make the playoffs and when they got killed by the Ravens and Eagles at the end of last season, I still cheered and proudly wore my Cowboys jersey.

But count me as one of the very confused about the moves Jerry Jones has made over the past week. I understand the signing of Keith Brooking, he's a younger, bigger Zach Thomas who fills a hole at Middle Linebacker. Smart moves: 1, Dumb moves: 0. Here are the ones I don't understand: trading the only corner you had that started all 16 games last season for a back-up quarterback who has the same salary cap hit and hopefully won't hit the field. Smart moves: 1, Dumb Moves: 1. The release of Roy L. Williams, the strong-safety who came in to the league and tore the place up in his first few years, was a perennial Pro Bowler, and rising star. Yes he has had a rough couple of seasons, but can it really be all his fault? He is still as athletic, strong, and smart of a football player as he was three years ago, so what changed? The coaching staff made some mistakes and tried to turn him in to a cover safety which is exactly what he isn't. That's like me taking over the Astros and telling Roy Oswalt to go play centerfield and bat fifth in the lineup. Smart moves: 1, Dumb moves: 2. Finally, the release of mercurial wideout Terrell Owens. Now I was not that excited when we picked TO up and I definitely wouldn't call myself a fan of TO. But what he does on the field is amazing. He is a game-changer and has more experience then all of our other receivers combined. Now does that mean the Cowboys should put up with his off-field antics? I think they finally were too much this past year. Plus, I believe it is time to give Roy Williams (the receiver not the safety) more of a role in the offense with a healthy Tony Romo. So let's count that as a half smart, half dumb move. So the final score is Smart moves: 1.5, Dumb moves: 2.5.

Now if Jerry Jones goes out and does something amazing like trade for Anquan Boldin or sign another shut-down corner, then I can forgive him for the last week. But I have gotten to the point where one more dumb move by Jerry Jones could result in me becoming a Texans fan. Luckily, Spring Training has started and so that has kept most of my attention of the horrible off-season that the Cowboys have had.

History in the Making!

I didn't want to be cliche and like every other blogger out there and post about the inauguration of Barack Obama. However, I feel like it's something I should talk about. I really didn't think I would care a whole lot about it or be moved by it, but I was. I was charged with helping to plan a watch party for our campus, so I looked at it more as a work event than something I would enjoy. As someone who graduated with a degree in political science, I am always interested in elections, speeches, and things like that. This event did not disappoint. Seeing all those former presidents and vice presidents in attendance was neat. I mean, who would have thought Walter Mondale would be there! I literally got chills after Obama was inaugurated. I feel like this country is energized more than ever before. More people care about politics and believe in the election process, especially young people.

I really enjoyed Obama's inaugural address as well. He is a great public speaker and is very engaging. I think he gets a very important message out there, letting people know that there is still a lot of work to do. His election isn't the end of the road, it's the beginning of a political process which will hopefully make us a better country. I hope that those who worked so hard to get him elected will continue to work to see his ideas turn into reality.

There were only two things that bothered me about the event: 1) Why is everyone saying that Obama is the 44th president? He is really only the 43rd. Grover Cleveland served two different terms (1885-1889 and 1893-1897), and is labeled as the 22nd and 24th president? But isn't he one person that should just be counted as the 22nd? Yes it was the 44th Inauguration, but Obama is really only the 43rd person to serve as president. 2) MSNBC was the only station we could get to work to show the coverage and Chris Matthews was awful! He made some inappropriate comments and I didn't enjoy him. But overall it was an amazing moment, one that I will never forget, and it made me add "attend a presidential inauguration" to my list of things to do before I die.

It's about time!

So I know it's been a while since I posted, but that's what happens when you are trying to finish up a Master's thesis while working a full time job at the same time. It was a pretty good semester, a few challenges as normal, but overall good. I enjoyed my holiday break, I am happy to work in the world of education where we get two weeks off for the holidays. Some of the highlights included:

• Getting to spend a week with my nephews Max (4 years old), and Tyler (5 months old). They are a lot of fun and Tyler is growing up so fast.
• Hanging out with the family in general. It's not often we all get together, so we have fun hanging out.
• Going to see Marley & Me with my parents on Christmas Day. It brought back a lot of good memories of my dog Magic. We had Magic for 17 years and he really was my best friend.
• Finishing my Master's Degree! It feels good to be done, and it only took 2 and a half years. Now I have to figure out if I want to try and get a PhD.
• I got to go to the Texans game when they played the Bears. It was cold and rainy, but a great game. Plus, me and my brothers got on TV!
• Seeing my only living grandparent, whom I haven't seen in a few years because of all the stuff my parents went through. She is still truckin' along.

Those are just a few of the highlights, but you get the point. I have high expectations for 2009, and so far it is off to a good start. I wish each of you success and happiness in the new year.

Cheers,

Jason