"Reflections of Grey" at a Discount

Reflections of Grey by J.C. Phelps

One of my favorite Smashwords authors, J. C. Phelps, is running a promotion for her "Reflections of Grey" novel until May 6. If you use coupon code "ER72W," then the price at Smashwords is only $0.99. 

"Reflections of Grey" is the third book in the Alexis Stanton Chronicles.  The first book in the series (Color Me Grey) is FREE on Smashwords while the second book in the series (Shades of Grey) is just $3.99.  I give both the first and second book in the series a 4-star (out of 5) rating. This 4-star rating corresponds to an about an 8 or 9 on my "Read Again Scale" from the old book review system.

If you are looking for a Robert Ludlumesque main character, you will find it in Ms. Grey. However, I don't think Ludlum would have written about Ms. Grey because all his main characters were men. I highly recommend giving this series a chance - especially since the introductory novel is free.

Does It Matter?

Four years ago, I spent election night in a fit of depression. I had been forced to vote for McCain/Palin because I believed (and still do) that Barack Obama was a statist. He believes that it is the government's role and responsibility to make things "fair" for everyone. The idea of fairness is a funny concept. Thomas Sowell, one of the great thinkers of our era, has written extensively on the concept of fairness and what it really means. I believe exactly as Andrew Klaven writes about the concept:

Free people can treat each other justly, but they can't make life fair. To get rid of the unfairness among individuals, you have to exercise power over them. The more fairness you want, the more power you need. Thus, all dreams of fairness become dreams of tyranny in the end.

I have said all of that to say this. The outcome of the election does not matter in the lives of people who do not put their hope in government or Presidents. If we are honest with ourselves, a whole truckload of money was spent to bring back the status quo. These things are true on January 1 regardless of the winner.

• EVERY worker (notice I did not say every American) will have their taxes goes up by 2%.
• The payroll (FICA) tax rises from 4.2% to 6.2%.
• There is no thought by either party to prevent this.
• If you make $50,000/year, your take home pay WILL BE reduced by $1,000 (~$85/month).
• EVERY taxpayer (notice I did not say every American) will have their rates return to the pre-Bush tax cut rates.
• In terms of dollars, the higher earners did receive larger dollar amounts in cuts. I never argued otherwise. However, the overall percentage of total tax bill paid by high earners INCREASED - stick that in your pipe and smoke it (but only in Washington and Colorado).
• In terms of effect, the lower brackets will be impacted in a more significant way - particularly because Bush brought in a 10% bracket (going away) and also removed many families from the income tax rolls by raising personal exceptions and increasing the child tax credit.
• I don't think there is the will to roll this back. There has been no movement on this in 4 years AND the players (Obama, Boehner, and Reid) will be the same.
• We still have a $16 trillion debt and a $1 trillion+ budget deficit. We have not passed a budget in the Senate in over 3 years.
• The current Administration is responsible for 1/3 of the debt during a relative time of peace.
• This is a significant problem and the can is getting too big to kick down the road.
• While I did not support the sequester (and still don't), I will not get bunched up if it happens. The pain is spread evenly.
• Mandatory cuts may be the only way to get cuts. However, I don't think that cutting across the board (without looking at the individual program) is a good idea. I say that, but I know that every government program has waste, so maybe across the board cuts may begin to pare some of that back.

A few final thoughts and then I will leave you to your celebration or mourning. First, I feel really sorry for those that voted for Obama in the hopes that he will bring something to your life that is missing. You are likely to disappointed 4 years from now. Don't depend on Obama or anyone to do something to change your situation - do something for yourself. Second, we will now see what would have happened to our economy without Ronald Reagan 32 years ago. I am absolutely certain that we will find out that he wasn't just the beneficiary of fluctuations in natural economic cycles. Third, after the loss of a son, the struggles with keeping Sophie healthy, and Kristy's ongoing health issues, I have more important things to worry about than money or freedom. My hope is in a risen Christ - NOT men and political parties. I have not been guaranteed an easy life or freedom from struggles, but I have been promised things that men cannot take away. Finally, although he was not my choice, I will be praying regularly for President Obama - for wisdom, humility, and his ultimate salvation. It is my prayer that he finds a true redemption rather than his concept of collective redemption.

Now, let's move on to more important things like the Texas A&M game against Alabama, and the second season in Texas - football recruiting.

Day 20 - Day 22

Since none of the workouts are new until next week, I thought that I would summarize these 3 days of my Insanity challenge into one post. Saturday (Plyometric Cardio Circuit) was a tough one for me. The calf injury started to reappear late in that workout. I nailed the session scheduled for Sunday (OFF), but we have already discussed that the OFF sessions were my specialty for at least 10 years.

Today was the much despised Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs workout. I am continuing to improve on the effort that goes into it, but I can't see ever looking forward to it. Tomorrow is another Cardio Power & Resistance session, but I will be in Walgreen's in the morning looking for a way to keep my calf and Achilles tendon from hurting so much.

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We are getting a new family member tomorrow. Bentley currently lives in Ft. Smith with a couple that has to travel a ton, so boarding him is expensive and he hates it. Sophie is so excited that she can hardly control herself (not really all that different from non-excited Sophie). Eliza loved chasing Lily (the Wheaten terrier down the street) a couple of weeks ago. Hopefully, we have happy girls and a happy dog this time tomorrow night.

Day 18 - Ibuprofen & Cardio Recovery

Today, I skipped hanging out with all the scientists and engineers to take my box lunch in my room AFTER I did the "Cardio Recovery" session of Insanity series during the lunch break. My calf muscle is still a little sore, but the gentle stretching, ibuprofen, and recovery exercises helped out a great deal. I am hoping to be at least at 95% for my "Cardio Power & Resistance" session on Day 19.

I have been thinking about doing a study of the total weight differential between the beginning and end of a conference. I am certain that the weight gain on snacks and meals is astronomical. I have more trouble on conference weeks than over the holidays.

The reason I participate on conference committees was reinforced tonight when I spent quite a bit of time talking with Mark Derzon (from Sandia). We talked about lots of things that will likely make my career at Sandia National Labs even more productive than it has been the last 10 years. He also offered to either mentor me (or find someone to mentor me) in writing proposals for the Laboratory-Directed Research & Development program.

Anyway, I have stayed with my Insanity challenge while on the road while making the right connections and getting my committee responsibilities completed -- that's a pretty good week. I am really missing my girls, and I am ready to be home. I get to jet out of here Saturday at 6 am.

Day 15 - Retest

Day 15 of the Insanity challenge is a "Fit Test" session to determine if you have made any progress in the last 2 weeks. Before getting to the results, let's just say "WOW!" I knew that I was changing my fitness level, but I didn't really understand the difference. On Saturday night before my OFF day, I did a weekly weigh - 189 lbs. That weight means that I am down 4 lbs from the start, AND I am certain that it is an actual loss of at least a couple of lbs rather than the 1-2 lbs variation that I usually see.

Here are the results from today's Fit Test workout along with the results from Day 1 for comparison:

Exercise	Day 1 Reps	Day 15 Reps
Switch Kicks	35	38
Power Jacks	26	40
Power Knees	53	73
Power Jumps	22	25
Globe Jumps	6	8
Suicide Jumps	8	13
Push-Up Jacks	11	17
Low Plank Oblique	22	30

Since I did this workout on the 2nd floor of a building of the Hyatt Regency Monterey, I was hesitant to go all out on the Power Jumps and Globe Jumps. After the workout, I toured the hotel below and found that the rooms below me are storage and utility rooms. So, I will not worry about disturbing anyone below me during the rest of the week.

As I mentioned on Day 1, the Switch Kick number was an estimate. I am pretty sure that I over-estimated by quite a few because I know that I did much better today. The numbers in the table give me some sense of accomplishment and fortifies my resolve to keep going. Tomorrow (Day 16) is a "Plyometric Cardio Circuit" session.

Day 13 - Pure Cardio With a Side Of Stomach Pain

I just completed Day 13 of the Insanity Challenge. It was my least favorite session, "Pure Cardio," with the "Cardio Abs" done after that. I don't think that I got as much out of the abs routines as I would have without the initial session. At the end of that session, I was again flat out on the floor wiped out.

I got a text from my college friend and current pastor at the Grove Church (cloften) earlier this evening, "Sometimes as a fitness professional I wonder why I do the things that I do." That is a Shaun T quote from the "Pure Cardio" disc. The next text told me that he had burned 1050 calories during a session similar to mine. If my caloric output was similar, I can have that ChocoTaco that's waiting in the freezer for me.

Now that I finished that workout and since tomorrow is OFF, I am 2/9 or 22.22222...% of the way through the challenge. I won't post tomorrow because of travel, but Monday is a repeat of Day #1. I will see if I have improved since 2 weeks ago.  

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Today, we celebrated my little Cupcake's 1st birthday with a party. She demolished her individual cupcake. I think she is going to have a sweet tooth like her big sister. The party was more for Sophie than Eliza. EK really liked both of the toys that she got to open. On the other hand, Kristy and I were ready to hit the sauce pretty hard after the kids went home. I think that they were probably more exhausting than that workout.

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We lose an hour tonight. I HATE switching back and forth from daylight savings time. We should just pick one (I don't care which), and then freaking leave it alone.

Day 11 - Recovery?

Day 11 of the Insanity challenge is a "Cardio Recovery" session. This is only the 2nd of these sessions, but I can honestly tell you that it is a very nice change of pace. There are some strength and balance exercises in this session, but it seems more like a work out the sore places kind of stretch day. I think it is probably included so that the "OFF" word doesn't show up too many times on the 60-day calendar. It is geared to getting you in the habit of a daily workout regardless of how intense the workout is.

I don't know if I have recovered because my left knee feels pretty sore most of the day. My body feels alright for the stress I have been putting it through. I was expecting a lot more delayed onset muscle soreness than I have experienced so far. I will probably regret putting that in writing in a couple of weeks.

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day - I have work. Eliza and I are going to a baseball game. Sophie has a "50's themed elementary school dance, and Day 12 of the Insanity challenge is another "Cardio Power & Resistance" session.

Day 10 - What Is That Last Exercise?

I just finished Day 10 of Insanity which is a "Plyometric Cardio Circuit" session. By finished, I mean that I was lying on the floor in the fetal position asking, "What drill are we doing now." Now that Day 10 is over, I am just over 15% through the 9 week Insanity Challenge. Looking at the "60-Day Workout Calendar" (which actually has 63 days on it), I see that there are workouts scheduled for all but 8 days. I guess even Shaun T believes in a Sabbath rest.

Here is the key feature of today's workout. Kristy entered the room at the end of the warm-up, saw that I was dripping with sweat, and assumed the workout was almost over. That's when I got to tell her that the warm-up was just ending. She looked mortified or scared for me or something and left the room.

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In other news, today was Eliza Kate's 1st birthday. It is hard to believe that it has been a year. Kristy is the real writer in the family, and she tells little Cupcake's story very well on her blog today (Tales from the Krit). Happy Birthday, EK!

Friday Funny - THINK Before You Name

Actual sign on Interpretation By Design Site.

It is likely that I am just a little punch drunk from three and a half weeks with very little sleep, but I found a sign on the road between Mena and Hot Springs hilarious.  We were driving to Little Rock last Sunday to have a short (~3 hours) visit with Eliza's birth-mother, and we saw a sign that said "Little Hope Baptist Church - 2 miles".  First, I had to ask Kristy if she saw the same sign.  Then, I just started laughing (prompting the "Please don't kill us over a sign." commentary from the passenger seat).

As it turns out, others have found the "Little Hope Baptist Church" sign humorous.  I found a picture of the sign on another blog. What were the church planters thinking?

I should mention that it doesn't surprise me too much that a church would get named this if the largest "town" close to you is Pine Ridge, Arkansas (home of the famous Lum & Abner radio team). If you spent much time in Oden, Pine Ridge, or Pencil Bluff, you would probably think that you had little hope as well. It DOES surprise me that there other churches in the country named the same thing (Canton, Texas; Tuomsuba, Mississippi; Madera, California). I am certain that I can find others.

Am I delirious or does anyone else find this funny?

Vote for Pedro!

For the fans/haters of Napoleon Dynamite out there, you know that this is the battle call to get out the vote for your favorite cause. For the next few days (15 to be exact), I am going to Parents Connect to nominate Kristy's blog (Tales from the Krit) for the 2010 Best Parenting Blog. You can join me there to vote once per day.


You can click on the badge in the top left sidebar of this blog, and it will take to her picture which will be highlighted in yellow. On your first visit to the site, you will have to register. After that, you simply vote each day.


The Parents Connect website claims that Kristy's blog is one of the "up-and-comers" in the blogging world and I really believe that. She held her own against some really BIG blogs in the 2008 Weblog Awards. Since then, her writing has only gotten better. Back then, I nominated her for the Weblog Award with the comment that "Sophie provides the material and Kristy makes it hilarious."


Even if you aren't going to be rocking the vote on Parents Connect, I do suggest subscribing to Kristy's feed with your favorite feed reader (click here to subscribe). It is an easy way to get her latest posts. Don't forget to comment on her posts. She LOVES that!

Reversals

Guys, I don't feel like I am all alone out there any more. Several groups are either backing down from previous greenhouse gas positions (National Wheat Growers Association) or rethinking their position on anthropogenic global warming (American Physical Society). Another group is trying to have the editor of their society journal removed because of his views on AGW and climate change (American Chemical Society). The response of some ACS members really warms my heart (FYI, in the quotes below, Baum is the editor under fire) :

• “I think it’s time to find a new editor.” -- ACS member Thomas E. D’Ambra
• “Your editorial was a disgrace. It was filled with misinformation, half-truths, and ad hominem attacks on those who dare disagree with you. Shameful!” -- ACS member Dennis Malpass
• “Baum’s remarks are particularly disquieting because of his hostility toward skepticism, which is part of every scientist’s soul. Let’s cut to the chase with some questions for Baum: Which of the 20-odd major climate models has settled the science, such that all of the rest are now discarded? [...] Do you refer to ‘climate change’ instead of ‘global warming’ because the claim of anthropogenic global warming has become increasingly contrary to fact?” -- ACS member Dr. Howard Hayden

There were other comments just as scathing. It is great to see that scientists (most of whom have had doubts all along) are speaking out when the issue comes home to their particular professional society. It seems that they might be worried that their credibility will be sullied by association with the claims of the AGW believers.

BTW, Greenpeace is now admitting that the Arctic will NOT be ice-free by 2030. However, they justify the LIE by saying that they were "emotionalizing" the issue.

Good News and Stuff

Guys, we finally made it home from the Mayo Clinic at about 11:45 Christmas Eve. Kristy finally saw a doctor that knew what was wrong with her. So, after about a year of hearing that she was normal (according to the test results) while not feeling anything close to normal, someone told her that he understood what was causing her such problems. We have some tough "vestibular rehabilitation" ahead but at least we know that there is a path to true normality (well, as close as Kristy gets to that).

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For those that don't already know, I had a no-holds barred battle with 4 (that's right, FOUR!) corneal ulcers during our trip to Minnesota. Thanks to those ulcers, both of the adults in our DePriest clan now have Mayo Clinic patient numbers. If you want to hear about a awful course of treatment, try this one on for size: Place one drop of Vigamox (ophthalmic solution) in left eye every hour for 7 days. That was the description on the prescription bottle. It included the hours during the night while sane people are sleeping. So, for two days, I woke up every hour and put a drop of magic eye potion in my left eye. After those first couple of days, I was able to reduce the frequency to just before bed and right as I woke up. So, that was a really restful few days of the holiday season.

Things are essentially back to normal now with the exception of maintenance drops every few hours and an oral antibiotic. I am just glad that I am not being fitted with a "glass" eye as my Christmas miracle. I had decided that if I lost the eye, then I would go with a glass eye with a laser beam that shoots out (sort of like the Terminator).

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In a previous post, I let you know about nominating Kristy for a 2008 Weblog award. It turns out that she is a finalist for the "Best Parenting Blog." Voting begins on January 5 and ends on January 12. Please be sure to stop by the Weblog Award Voting Site and vote for "Life on the Reflux Rollercoaster".

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I hope that I will get back to writing about the stuff that started this blog early in 2009. Life, politics, and economics have taken a priority over bad science for a few months. Maybe as Kristy begins to feel better, I will have the time to out the bad science that I see regularly in the media and scientific journals.

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Happy New Year!

Nominations Complete & Other Stuff

UPDATE on 2008 Weblog Awards:

Guys, the nominations for the 2008 Weblog awards are complete for the "Best Parenting" category. Kristy ended up with a "Score" of 30. In that category, that puts her at #4 out of 79 nominees. Over the next week or so, the finalists in each category will be notified, and the voting will begin on December 8. I will let you know if Kristy is a finalist so that you can vote for her.

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As many of you know, I am in Minnesota this week. Kristy is being examined by the doctors at the Mayo Clinic. This facility is world class and occupies the greater part of downtown Rochester. I have been impressed by how nice these people are. It is quite obvious to me that Mayo spends money on getting the best people and doesn't worry about having the newest possible examination tables (see below). That tells me that they care more about patient care than image. We are very hopeful that these docs can find out what has been plaguing her for the better part of a year.






Another thing that I should mention is that many people feel that Fibromyalgia is a crap diagnosis or made-up syndrome. Before this week, I will admit that I was one of them. After spending over 2 hours here with the experts at Mayo, I was sure that was going to be the diagnosis because no one can seem to find out what the deal is with her. The woman calmly explained that, while she has some elements that fall into the syndrome, Kristy doesn't fit with fibromyalgia. That impressed me. I think that the diagnosis is probably misapplied in a lot of places, but here in Minnesota, I think that they have it right.
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I watched #2 Texas TCEH get massacred by Oklahoma tonight. While I am always happy when the Red Raiders get embarrassed, I just wish that the Sooners were not involved.
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I guess that is enough random stuff for one post.

Nominate Kristy's Blog!

Ok! I know you like my blog, but I know who the best writer in the family is. The nominations for the Weblog Awards have started, and I think she writes the best parenting blog on the web. Sophie provides the material, and Kristy makes it hilarious.

I have started the nomination process, but you can nominate her as well. Here is the link for the nomination. Scroll down a little to find "Best Parenting Blog" and either 2nd my nomination or add your own. If you login via one of the supported authentication services (Typekey, WordPress, OpenID, Yahoo, AIM, etc.), your nomination will appear instantly. I don't have one of those accounts, so you probably won't see my nomination for about a day.

What Can Replace Petroleum?

I saw this article about 4 weeks ago, so I apologize if you have seen this already. Since I first read this article, I have been too busy doing other things (like this) to write about it. It is also a little bit perkier than the stuff I normally write about. The article appeared in the Times Online and discusses the fact that some researchers in Silicon Valley have engineered bacteria that excrete substances very similar to petroleum.

Apparently, a company called LS9 has been asking a very intriguing question. They have been asking, "If you removed all constraints, what would the ideal biofuel be?" Interestingly enough, they came up with petroleum as the answer to that question. So, some genetic engineers, biochemists, synthetic biologists, metabolic engineers, bioinformatic specialists, and chemical engineers got together with venture capitalists to make petroleum derived from biological organisms. The initial results seem to suggest that they have done it, but we will find out for sure over the next couple of years.

This is the silver lining to $4/gallon gasoline and $140/barrel oil. High energy costs leads bright and daring people to come up with innovative ideas like this. The initial projections based on pilot production is that with optimum feedstock (like sugar cane), the company projects that it can break even if the price for the end product (bio-petroleum) is approximately $50/barrel. The equations are more difficult when the initial feedstock is something less the optimal, but there is a tremendous amount cheap (or waste) biomass available.

As you might expect, there are questions about the scale up to commercial production. Others (like Walt) might wonder when the greedy oil companies are going to get together and buy the patents and company to make this apparent solution disappear like they did with the water car and the spaceship from Roswell. The basic question I have for the LS9 people is whether the bacteria can be modified to efficiently use cellulose based materials as the feedstock.

In any case, I think the answer to the question of what will replace petroleum in the future is ...(drumroll please) ... PETROLEUM. I guess we will need that 12 step program for oil addiction recovery just a little bit longer. WHOOP!

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As a side note, I have added to my list of 101 Things About Me.

Nuclear Renaissance?

A common question that arises when people find out that I am a nuclear engineer is, "Do you think that nuclear power will make a comeback in the U.S. after such a long time since the last nuclear plant was built?" I suppose this question comes up because the "new" energy policy that brought us the silly idea of ethanol as part of the solution to our energy problems also included the idea that next few nuclear power plants (the next generation) built should receive a LARGE subsidy from the Department of Energy. While I disagree with the idea of subsidies (whether energy, agricultural, or cultural), I am beginning to wonder if the renaissance in the nuclear industry discussed in Nuclear News is real.

Why do I think there might be a real change in the energy portfolio in the U.S.? Well, I can think of two really good reasons:

1. The diffusion of a finite number of anti-nuclear activists across multiple proposed projects will make the success of each of the projects more likely.
2. The "presumptive" nominees of both major political parties seem to buy the snake oil that Al Gore and his buddies are selling.

To elaborate a little further on the anti-nuclear activists, I have always believed that there were only a small number of hard-core activists. The reason that they have been successful is because they could show up at every proposed nuclear site and make a good show of "community" concern. As the number of proposed sites increases, the disruptive nature of this small group of dedicated activists is diffused. Another change (pre-certification of standardized designs) in the regulatory climate that takes away all technical issues except site specific ones has taken away another tool of this group: the endless delay tactic that costs the utilities time and money.

Why does the global warming stance of the major political candidates matter for a new nuclear future? Well, the likely outcome of this November's election will be a Democrat controlled legislature with a President whose stated beliefs will lead us to some form of carbon taxation. This means that nuclear capacity that doesn't generate carbon dioxide may move from just being clean, safe, and reliable to being the economic choice as well. A study (results published in Nuclear News) has shown that a $45/metric ton tax on carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation will make the nuclear option economically favored over both coal and natural gas for new capacity.

Let's be clear. I don't actually believe the idea that nuclear power needs carbon taxation to be economical. However, if the opportunity presents itself to demonstrate its capability due to this ridiculous policy, I am all for it. And, in answer to the original question, I really do think that nuclear power will make a comeback.

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For the curious among you, there are currently 15 submitted Construction and Operating License Applications (COLA) and 15 that are classified as "Forthcoming" COLA. Here is a breakdown of their locations:

• Submitted
• 4 in South Carolina
• 2 in Texas
• 2 in Alabama
• 2 in North Carolina
• 2 in Georgia
• 1 in Maryland
• 1 in Virginia
• 1 in Mississippi
• Forthcoming
• 5 in Texas
• 4 in Florida
• 1 in Idaho
• 1 in Michigan
• 1 in New York
• 1 in Louisiana
• 1 in Pennsylvania
• 1 in Missouri

A Perfect Day*

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Last Thursday night, my best friend (Brett) arrived from North Carolina to attend an Arkansas Razorback baseball series with his dad and me. Although I met Brett at Boys' State in the summer of 1991, I really got to know him as a freshman at Hendrix College where we spent most of our waking hours together that first term as we attended Calculus I classes with Dr. Eslinger ("Stay with us, Brett."), Chemistry I classes with the legendary Dr. Warfield Teague ("Jaybird said to tell you,'Hey!'"), baseball practice, and flag football games. [As an aside, Brett, Shawn Mathis, and I formed the four year nucleus of the best flag football team in the history of the world. The story of putting together that team is a series of blog posts by itself.]

Anyway, Brett and I are generally about as similar as our hometowns, Pine Bluff (Arkansas) and Mena (Arkansas). If you have questions about how alike these towns are, think about how similar New York City and a farm in the middle of Iowa are. However, despite our differences, we get along very well somehow. Brett knew about Kristy's blog (and mine), and he asked to write a post on her blog after the Friday night game. Kristy and I fought over who would get to "host" his post, and we both won. So, here it is. Enjoy!




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*Post by Guest Blogger Brett Yates

May 9, 2008—Fayetteville, AR.

Okay, so I completely understand that it is rather shallow (and quite possibly frivolous) to say that one of the best days of my life revolved primarily around a college baseball game. I know most peoples’ “best day ever” usually involves a religious / spiritual event, a wedding, or the birth of a child. And, as this is my first attempt at writing a blog post (yep—that’s right, I’m a virgin blogger!), I hope this small 24-hour excerpt of my life isn’t subjected to eye-rolls and ho-hums from the people that frequent this back road of the information superhighway. However, as Russ has allowed me to guest-blog, please allow me to reset what happened today . . . a day as perfect as any that I can remember.

It started simply enough to the innocent bystander—drinking a cup of coffee and staring at the rolling foothills of the Ozark Mountains. However, it was the morning of my first day of vacation. . . A well deserved vacation. I had just finished up the commissioning efforts of a $250 million pharmaceutical project at BiogenIdec in Research Triangle Park, NC. So, this was a particularly sweet cup of coffee—it was one that wasn’t going to be followed by fighting a deadline and dealing with co-workers, subcontractors, e-mails, and other Dilbert-esque scenarios. And, I was getting to hang with Russell, Kristy, and a little girl that MUST be the cutest 3-year old on the face of the planet. Things were off to a good start. And, to top it off, my Dad was coming up to watch the weekend Razorback baseball series against the South Carolina Gamecocks with Russell and me.

Following a morning that included a trip to the grocery store with Sophie and Russell (a blog post in and of itself!), I went to go pick up my dad. The journey back to Northwest Arkansas to see Arkansas play baseball has evolved into a father-son tradition over the last three years. It started in 2005, when he and I saw the Hogs sweep Auburn in a three-game set. In total, this is my 5th trip in 3 years; however, since the first trip, the games had been laden with disappointment. Losses in the regional tournament in 2005, against LSU in 2006, and the regional tournament in 2006 had left the bitter taste of disappointment in my mouth. Would this be the trip that the Hogs turned it around on the diamond? Probability told me not, as this team was struggling for wins. So, I had already preliminarily determined that this trip would provide more enjoyment in just seeing my friends and family. And, if we did steal a win against South Carolina, it would only add to my joy, as I just can’t stand the state of South Carolina. If South Texas is considered the “rear end” of the United States, then South Carolina is the armpit. If you are one of the nice, civilized people from South Carolina reading this . . . then I apologize—and make sure you tell the other two that I’m sorry.

My dad’s face lit up as Russell and I pulled up in the parking lot to pick him up. We returned to the house for a couple of adult beverages and some catching up conversation before making the trek to Baum Stadium. Knowing that a win was integral for the Diamond Hogs to continue their season, a sense of confidence began to spread thru our loins. The green grass and perfectly manicured field sent chill bumps up and down my arms and back. And, after hearing the fight song, calling the Hogs, and hearing the national anthem, we were ready for a little bit of “America’s favorite pastime.”

(WARNING: For non-baseball fans, here’s where it gets a little boring.)

The game started on a positive note—two solo home runs in the 1st inning gave the Hogs a 2-0 lead; but, it was short-lived. S. Carolina countered with 2 of their own in the next inning, and then took the lead in the 3rd. The Hogs tied it up in the bottom half of the 3rd, but things went sour staring the 4th inning. Two Arkansas errors and timely Gamecock hitting extended the lead out to 9-3, and later 11-5 in the top of the 7th inning. It looked as if my journey from the east coast would again have a loss tainting an otherwise enjoyable visit. This team just didn’t seem to have the winning mentality that I had seen in past Arkansas baseball squads. I decided I would just have to chalk the trip up an experience that was better than my usual work-related pharmaceutical documentation. Rumor had it that the team had arranged for a big fireworks show after the game—an event that young Sophie was looking forward to as much as I had been looking forward to the game. Well, at least that would bring a little highlight to the night!

The bottom of the fifth and sixth innings had provided a couple of conversation catalysts. Our spunky 2nd baseman Ben Tschepikow had gotten an infield single and magically moved to 2nd base. (Later, thanks to the internet, Russell and I determined he had advanced on a balk for which we are yet to find an explanation) He scored on an error one batter later—a run that seemed pretty insignificant at the time, but later would symbolize the miracle behind the night. How had Ben gotten to second base? Oh well . . . it didn’t matter . . . probably not important, right? Also, one inning later, Logan Forsythe belted his 2nd homer of the game, again slightly aided by the breeze blowing out to right field . . . at least HE was having a good game.

The rest of the 6th inning, as well as the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings, were a blurry whirlwind. Russell, Dad, and I continued to obviously state that we sure could use a few more homeruns. Russell, using all 7 years of his Ph.D. education had deduced that if we could only get a couple of runs an inning, we would be back in this game. (Hats off to the new math!) The Razorback batters left the bases loaded twice and two runners on once. We had left more men “on” than Lindsey Lohan and Tara Reed after a night of clubbing. The South Carolina bullpen pitchers were up and down more than Ron Jeremy’s you-know-what during the making of an adult film. And, after the Hogs shutdown the South Carolina hitters in the 8th and 9th, we came up to bat with one more chance down 11-8.

Ironically, back in the 3rd inning, the guy behind me had sarcastically stated, “Man, I hope this doesn’t end up to be another 11-10 game.” My thoughts drifted back to the Nostradamus-like prediction—using Russell’s new math to deduce that this would result in a catastrophic and disheartening loss. I decided to change seats, moving back a row to sit behind my dad and Russ in seat # 23 (my old college baseball number). This, I determined would be my “good luck seat.” Would it work?

Wilkins slammed a 2-2 pitch to right for his 4th hit of the game. Brett Eibner drew a walk, giving us runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs, and bringing the tying run to the plate and our hopes to a new level. Our aspirations for a win were quickly squashed after a strikeout and Tscheipikow’s line out to right after hitting it “on the screws.” We almost started leaving for the car, but I gazed back at the lucky seat sporting “23,” and sat down for one more batter. Chase Leavitt, who had hit the cut-off man as many times as the 3-year old Sophie had on this night, corked a slow dribbler to a sprawling Gamecock 2nd baseman and beat out the infield single by inches. This should have brought Sean Jones to the plate—an Arkansas player hitting .162, but had a homer and a single on the night.

“Now hitting for the Razorbacks, the freshman, Jacob House!” the public address announcer proclaimed. House . . . House . . . my mental rolodex starting flipping—the name didn’t ring a bell. “Is this the time to be bringing in an 18 year old freshman to pinch hit?” I asked my dad and Russell. They shrugged their shoulders, and the South Carolina bullpen continued to work harder than a dentist in West Virginia. My mind began to race to what the most disappointing finish could be: 1) the kid gets a double, and the runner on first gets hosed at the plate trying to tie the game; 2) we tie it up, and lose in extra innings—not only extending the night, but also delaying the fireworks for Sophie; 3) we leave the bases loaded for the third time in four innings.

But then, on a 1-0 pitch, the hand of God reached down from the heavens and touched the bat of the teenage Razorback hitter from Mansfield, TX. Young House struck the cowhide sphere, lifting a fly ball into the air into right field. I hope God had call-waiting, because his prayer line was immediately flooded with the pleas of 7,500 cardinal and white clad Hog fans—“Get out of here!” we all said in unison. The scientist in me kicked in . . . it’s too high, the 5-10 mph breeze that had been blowing for the first 8 innings sending a chill into my father's legs had vanished, and the Ozark air had grown heavy and humid. During the flight of the ball, I must have glanced back and forth a dozen times between the parabolic flight of the ball and the right fielder drifting back, arm out looking for the fence. Did it have the distance?

To tell the truth, I never saw the ball go over the fence—that’s right, the game winning grand slam landed in the South Carolina bullpen, clearing the wall by a yard stick. I never saw the stunned, jaw-dropped expression on my father’s and Russell’s face. Like Elvis, I had “left the building.” I sprinted up the stairs from our 2nd row seats and out into the street screaming like someone on fire. I jumped up and down, throwing my fist into the air like I had just won the powerball lottery. I ran back into the stadium, down the steps back into Section 99 to see that my father and Russell were still leaping in excitement. I hugged my dad—I tackled Russell. Unbelievable . . . magical . . . miraculous. The best ending to a sporting event I had ever witnessed in my 33 years.

(Okay, non-baseball fans—wake up! Time for the meaningful and exciting conclusion.)

And just when I didn’t think the night could get any better, it did. An experience that really brought me back to reality—a slap in my smiling exuberant fact that reminded me of what is really important in the world. Moments later, after calling the Hogs and singing the fight song, we found Kristy and Sophie. . . . Yes, of course, after the win, we were going to stay and watch the post-game fireworks.

I had forgotten how exciting fireworks were to a small child—as adults, we get calloused to things after we have seen them dozens, even hundreds of times. But, during the 15-minute pyrotechnics display, I focused more on the face of a smiling child as the “bombs bursted in air.” My father had offered to hold Sophie during the show, and locked his 71 year old arthritic arms around her as she “oooohed” and “ahhhed” and announced "that's my favorite one!" hundreds of times. I don’t know who was smiling more—Sophie or Dad?

When the grand slam won the game for the Hogs, a 33-year old acted like he was 3, and celebrated the proverbial game-winning fireworks. But, what really made the day perfect was watching my dad and Sophie watch the real fireworks. It’s the little things that end up being really important—like a balk call in the 5th inning. Sophie will forget about this day in a few years. Probably sooner, as other exciting moments vie for position in her little memory.

For me, it was one of the best days ever.

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Postscript: Unlike the South Carolina right fielder, #15 Harley Lail ("Not your fault, One-Five!"), we had an extremely enjoyable weekend. In addition to a great time with friends, the Hogs won all three games this weekend. Here is a link to the YouTube video of the rally.