Where did that come from

Have you ever been highly emotional while spewing words from your mouth such as "that stupid SOB"? Maybe someone makes a remark that normally would not upset you but for some reason this time it dose.These momentary lapse of emotional balance can happen anytime but usually come when one is stressed out or over reacting to a situation.
I handle stress pretty well. I guess I must have ask for a second helping of "laid back" when God passed out emotions because my ability to maintain an emotional keel is almost unsinkable. Most peoples capacity to handle stress diminishes with age but for me my capacity to handle stress gets better the older I get. I attribute that not to age but to giving up alcohol. When I drank I was one of those stupid SOB but by sustaining from the use of alcohol and drugs I am less susceptible to emotional imbalance. Plenty of sleep, a somewhat good diet, not too much caffeine and a physical life style all helps when I am faced with a challenging situation that may cause stress in my life.
This week I celebrate eight years of sobriety. To celebrate that feat I will pamper my emotional self. I'll keep whats important and shed the rest. I'll honor what is meaningful in my life whether it's friends, special projects or other things of significance. I'll think positive and focus on what can be done and what is good on this day.
Learning to express my emotions only came when I accepted myself and accepted what is present in my life. I will always be on the look out for emotional imbalance no matter how many years of sobriety I celebrate. Weeding out the fears of life sure help to reduce stress. The older I get I realize how critical it is to take care of the mind just as much as it is to take care of the body.

No cookies before supper

Cheating in the NFL! Oh really. I don't think anyone is surprised about that. It's been very obvious for a long time that every team tries to steal the other's signals. But what is the NFL to do about it? They could rule that the only thing the video cam guy could record is cleavage, now I would be in favor of that rule. On the cheating scale of 1-10 this latest New England scandal is a 20. The only thing worse is if Rocky Balboa was caught with steroids in his dressing room and the big shots from Hollywood were to ban all Rocky movies.
My favorite NFL cheating scandal involved you guest it, the New England Patriots. Twenty five years ago during a snow storm in Foxboro the Patriots were tied with the New York Jets 0-0 with only a few minutes left in the game. The winner would advance to the play offs and the loser would be finished for the year. The Patriots had the ball somewhere around the Jets 20 yard line and it was fourth down. The Patriots head coach ordered a snow plow onto the field to clear a place for his kicker and to make the situation a little more bazaar, the snow plow was driver by a convict who was on work release. You know a convict is going to do what authorities tell him to do so no one questioned the Coach's order. The thirty three yard kick was good and the Patriots won the game 3-0. The Jets protested the game but all the NFL did was ban snow plows from the field in any further games, the Patriots were never penalized.
This time the NFL at least slapped the wrist of the Patriots coach. Coach Belichick was fined $500,000. Big deal! That's about one tenth of his 4.5 million dollar yearly pay check. I don't think he will have any problems paying his alimony. The NFL commissioner is acting like he really flexed his muscles on this one but really all he did was use a powder puff instead of a hammer to administer punishment to New England.
Coach Belichick said his interpretation of the video taping rule was different than the NFL's interpretation. So just what was his interpretation? Was it simply that the rule did not apply to the Patriots. There will always be a kid who claims not to understand the rules. The kid who grabs a hand full of cookies before supper even though his mother has told him not to. That kid always has the same excuse "this isn't before supper, it's after lunch".
In the long run, this latest New England cheating scandal will be almost forgotten. It will just be a footnote to the Patriots dynasty. Just a funny story like when some of the old Packers get together and talk about how the gouged their opponents genitalia at the bottom of a fumble pile.

Penthouse-Doghouse-Outhouse-Jailhouse

Michael Vick is changing addresses faster than a homeless person. Come December he will settle into his own little dog pen and I bet the Fed's pen is cleaner than any pen Vick ever put his dogs in.
I have tried to see both sides of this issue if there really are two sides. One side says dogs have no souls and don't go to heaven, therefore the amount of outrage against Michael Vick is unwarranted. The other side, me included would like to see Vick thrown to a pack of hungry killer trained dogs and see how the guy who takes the field in pads and a helmet, handles a little tooth and skin combat. Or better yet, let him play Quarterback for the Falcons and electrocute him the first time the Falcons lose.
Michael has apologized to everyone who has been hurt by this matter. Does that include the dogs he killed and countless others he abused? I hope the judge throws the book at him and the NFL bans him forever. No one is going to tune in to watch Vick throw a football ever again. No parent in his right mind should let their children root for this cruel and vicious dog killer. I don't know Michael Vick but I do know that after he has served his time, he does not belong on National TV. When ever he does leave prison the PETA people will be waiting him and they will hound him every place he tries to earn a dollar. I have never wrapped a four legged friend in a sweater or put padded booties on the little darling's paws when the temperature dropped but I side with the PETA crowd on the Vick issue and say " Messing with fellow man is one thing but with man's best friend is quite another". The PETA legion is huge and they are mad as hell, they will bark at him to the day he dies.
Michael Vick will eventually get out of prison but this scandal will follow him for the rest of his life. He will never get rid of the smell because he'll never be able to completely clean the dog droppings from the bottom of his shoes.

Walker's Creek Reunion

Every year in September I visit an area of Milam County Texas that was named for a creek that runs through that part of Milam County. As a youth I traveled over Walker's Creek on my way to and from my uncle's cabin where I spent summers. The old wooden plank iron trus bridge that used to span the creek is long gone and has been replaced with a modern concrete bridge.
On the Sunday before Labor Day a group of people gather about a mile south of the creek at the site where the Walker's Creek First Baptish Church and the Walker's Creek School once stood. Lots of people who attend the reunion have kin folk buried in the Walker's Creek Cemetery which is a just up the road from the reunion site. It is a nice cemetery and someday I will be buried there. When that day arrives I will rest in peace knowing that each year on the Sunday before Labor day, people will visit my grave. Every year between 75 and 100 people show up for the reunion. Every one visits and shares lunch under the big oak trees. This year the oldest person in attendance was 92 years of age and the person driving the longest distance to attend the reunion drove 600 miles.I always have a good time at the reunion but I miss the Sunday service in the Walker's Creek Church and miss going inside the Walker's Creek one room school. Both Buildings are long gone and just like my youth they will never come around again.