Dishing Motrin

The RSG Vilstal Classic

2006-09-18T01:51:00.000-07:00

This was my last race for the season. It was also the hardest. The club, RSG Vilstal, that sponsors our local military racing team was having their club championships, and invited us to join in on the fun. The even created a seperate category for us.

The course was a 20 kilometer course out in the country. Absolutely beautiful yet hardcore course. It started in a small town called Kofering, did a quick downhill followed by a 9 minute climb. That was followed by 5k of rolling hills, then another 5 k of flat, then another good climb coming back into Kofering. The first lap we were all together, and on the first climb apparently we dropped the other Americans, so it was just me and a bunch of Germans. On the second lap, I got dropped on the main climb, so I went into time trial mode.

I was definitely outclassed by the German racers on this day. It just shows me how much I have to work in the "off-season" so that I don't lose what I gained this year, and so that I can improve next season.

On a positive note, I did beat the second place American by 12 minutes, so I got another cool trophy to go with the collection. After not riding for 15 months, only starting to ride again in mid-April, I have been pleasantly surprised with my performance this year. 3 first places, two fifths.

Just wait til next year.

I Hate Not Having a Car

2006-09-07T03:53:00.000-07:00

So I don't get to go to the race this weekend because my ride fell through. I hate not having a car. Next year it won't be an issue though.

Putting All The Pieces Together

2006-09-06T04:27:00.000-07:00

1 Corinthians 9:24a: You've all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard.

Last race of the Flyte1.com USAFE Cycling Series is this Saturday. Right now, I'm second by one point to Chris F. from Aviano. He's got 20 points, and I have 19. Here's hoping that he shows up so that we can battle it out on the track. That's right, I said track. This series has a little bit of everything for every rider. The first race, in Aviano, is a circuit race. I wasn't there this year. The next one in Spangdahlem is a time trial one day, and then a road race the next on rolling courses. The third is a criterium on a really challenging course. This last one in Sembach is going to be a 4km time trial on the 400 meter track with slight banking, and then a points race in the afternoon.

My buddy Bobber told me the first time we ever rode together up in STL back in January of 2003 that I would be great on a track because of my build and my thighs. Well, the thighs want to bring the thunder Saturday, and I might as well let them.

The verse on the top of the blog is just the first part of that verse. I like it a lot because I do train to ride fast, and when I'm out there racing, I only want to ride to win. However, the second part of the verse means a lot more to me:

"They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You're after one that's gold eternally."

I was looking at a couple of the trophies I'd won this year this morning while I was doing my daily Bible reading, and a thought entered my head. "You know Shawn, winning is fun, and the training is even more fun, but really, that stuff is pretty worthless. Put more effort into your walk with God, and then you will see what true winning is all about."

Shout out to Newsong's youth group in the Richmond, VA, and their weird spelling, but totally amazing youth pastor. He may not be able to spell that great, but he's still the man.

SD

The First Annual TEAM VSK Century

2006-09-02T00:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday four other guys from the team and myself did a one hundred mile ride. It was a really challenging because of a lot of hills, but we still averaged 17mph for the entire ride so we were able to make it under 6 hours. I was so proud of the guys. A lot of people try and try again to get a century in under 6 hours and never accomplish it. This was the first century for three of the guys, myself and another guy have already done one, and they did it on their first try. I drove the train for the last 10 miles so that we could do it. Our official team time was 5:51. It was awesome. It's been all rainy and cold all week, and then yesterday after about 1030 the sun came out and it warmed up into the 70's. It was awesome.

Last night our top sponsor, First Command Financial Planning, gave us a meal at this Italian restaraunt. Good food, and a lot of fun with the team and families. A good time was had by all.

Have a great weekend. It's a four day for us because of Labor Day.

You Got to Know Where to Look

2006-08-29T03:07:00.000-07:00

What is up toute le monde? I hope that all is well with you guys. I had a fun filled weekend with a bunch of Catholics, and while some of it was cool, it didn't change my opinion on the religion of Catholicism much at all. Thank God that I was raised AG, because I don't know if I could handle doing the same exact thing at church each and every week, regardless of where I was at. I only had to go to two masses, and I was already jonesing for some Cape First or even Central A/G in SPFD. One of the masses though was in this HUGE cathedral in Cologne, and that was pretty cool. Retreats for catholics are like retreats for A/G youth though, little sleep. I was glad that I had taken a four day pass so that yesterday I could use it to recover. Other than going on a 2.5 mile run in the afternoon, all I did was chill in the bed, reading and watching tv. So I woke up this morning ready for the pharmacy.

One of the Club Beyond community directors that was there and also not catholic was Ms. Barlow's (PE teacher at RVA) niece. Her best friend in college was from RVA, and she also ended up knowing the Bransford's. Plus she wasn't bad to look at. So, yeah, I got her email address. One of the kids who's a senior, on the way back said, "Only Shawn could go to a Catholic retreat, find a protestant girl, and get her number." What can I say, I got skills.

I'd Rather Be Racing Tomorrow

2006-08-14T04:06:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow's a big day for me. It's the August Soldier of the Month competition, and I've been studying like crazy for it. There is so much to know, and my mind is pretty much mush right now. I just pray that when the board starts asking me the questions, that I can recall all that I have studied.

Friday morning was one of the best training rides that I've had in a while. I always am happy about having a training holiday, and so I started the ride in a good mood despite the temps being in the high 40's. I ended up doing 3 hours with an avg of 17.5mph. I wasn't too worn out either, and that's a good thing because the males of Club Beyond had a lockin Friday night, so I ended up not going to bed (in this case a floor) until 0530. So Saturday became a non training day, but I made up for it on Sunday.

Arm Warmers in August?

2006-08-09T00:06:00.000-07:00

Tuesdays have become kind of a tough ride day for those of us on TEAM VSK. It's something that we all have come to cherish, and fear. Yesterday what I had in store for the boys took things to a new level for some of them. We rode easy down the Edelfels hill, where we would ride up it for 3 minutes getting our hearts up to zone 5 on each climb. 3 minute recoveries between each hill repeat. Then after our last one, we recovered out to Irlbach where we turned around and TT'ed in the aero in zones 4 and 5. We have a couple of guys who are wheel suckers, so I made sure to mention a few times before we started that there would be no drafting. Drafting would defeat the purpose. I let everyone get about a 30 second head start on me, then ended up beating them all back to Schlict by anywhere from 20 to 45 seconds. The legs were happy. Today though, they are more than tired and they did not enjoy the 2 mile run this morning at PT.

The wildest thing about the ride yesterday is that for the first time in my riding career, I had to put arm warmers on in August. I could not believe it.

Some Pics from the Crit

2006-08-06T23:39:00.000-07:00

Bischoff Bier Coaster and Criteriums.

2006-08-06T03:27:00.000-07:00

The Scenario: Dansenberger Criterium Points race brought to you by Ramstein Air Force Base
The Course: 1.4km course with a hill similar to Greentree Crit in STL coming up to the start/finish line.
The length: 30 laps, or 42km.

Do to time, every year when they do this criterium they put the open(ages 20-29 and whoever else wants to be in the open) with the Seniors (30-39). The Seniors are undoubtedly the strongest field in the USAFE Flyte1.com Cycling Series. Many of the top guys in the Senior division were there including Tom Essek, who would go on to win the Senior division.

In German division racing, you start out as a class C. To go to class B you must first win five races in the C class. One of the fellow racers, James Sharp, who's a cat 1 in the states compares it this way. Class C is similar to a cat 3/4 race, Class B are your 1/2's, and Class A are your elite 1's (think Brad Huff during his Mercy days), and domestic pros. The senior division has five guys that are class B. Pretty tough dudes. I knew that if I hung with them for the first fourth of the race, I would be well in contention to be beating the others in the Open cat.

When the race started, it started hard. There was no feeling out the group today. I believe that the reason behind this is that there was rain the entire day, and the top 10 seniors wanted to shell out the sketchy people so as to not have to worry about wrecks on the technical course. So when we started, we started hard. Within the first five laps I had already lapped one of the guys in the open category. By the seventh lap, the lead group was myself, and 8 other guys. The 8 guys were all in the Senior category. I had the open win if I kept riding smart and hard. It was off to go lap people.

By the way, in a points race crit here in Germany, you don't get pulled off. You actually also get counted for how many laps you do.

I ended lapping everyone in the open multiple times. I even lapped the guy who got second place twice, so that was pretty cool. I did the 42km race in 1:05.27 minutes, and boy was I feeling it when all was said and done. I sure do miss those nice little 30min plus laps cat 5 crits back in the states. The trophy is sweet, and once the promoter puts pictures up on the series website I'll post a couple of pics from the crit plus the podium pic.

The funny thing, is that on Friday night, I knew that things were looking good for me. My buddy 1st Sergeant Retired Boyd Tracy and I wanted to eat at an Italian restaraunt, and the one we found had a big Bischoff Bier sign at the entrance. I got a couple of coasters for Dan back in STL, and then at the race, guess which beer co. was there as the sponsor. That's right Bischoff Bier. It almost seemed like the crew back in STL were looking out for me.

Ramstein vs. TEAM VSK

2006-08-03T07:04:00.000-07:00

The battle is all set and ready to go down. At 1415, in the small German village of Dansenberger, on a 42km crit, six boys from the Air Force will go mano y mano with 4 dudes from TEAM VSK. Will these six Ramstein guys bring their A game? Will TEAM VSK, in their first race together as a team, be able to put it all together? I don't know, but we are sure going to try.

Of course, you can't forget about others that will be there. The wheelsucker from Mannheim. The heavy set guy from Hanau. They will be there. However, when Ramstein brings a crew, and this being their home race, you know that they are going to bring it. TEAM VSK has to be the ones to respond.

The solo training has been put in. The team training has gotten us together. Will we put it all together Saturday? That's the question that is on all of our minds.

The Countdown Begins

2006-08-01T04:57:00.000-07:00

We are only four days away from the Ramstein Criterium. This one is going to be pretty fun though because it's part of a fest for a local village in the area. The open race (which is 18-29) will be 42 kilometers, or thirty laps. Each fifth lap, the top four will get points (5,3,2,1). The challenging thing about the USAFE Flyte.com Cycling Series is that it's by age group and not by category or ability level. So we have everything from guys that are cat 2's to guys that are just now starting out. You just don't know what's going to happen.

A mistake I made in the Spangdahlem road race and time trial is that I went in with the mindset that I wanted to finish in the top five in the open. Guess where I placed. That's right: Fifth. When I did the Pioneer crit on Memorial Day weekend I went in with the mindset that I was going to go for the win. What did I do that day? I won the open category.

So I'm already preparing myself mentally, that I won't settle for anything less than a victory this weekend. The base is there after my year off of the bike, and I know that my legs are there. The first week I rode this year, I tested myself on a hill that the commander calls the "10 minute hill" because that's how long it takes him to get up it. My first time I did it in 9:02. Saturday, after a 35 minute warmup I did it in 7:37. I couldn't believe it. I was pumped and it was quite the confidence boost for this weekend.

Shout out to Ted Mcrae, cat 3 State TT champ in Missouri. He started out one year before me, and was cat 5 with me for a little bit. Bugman, watching you shows me what's possible with some training and work. Can't wait til 2008 so that I can get some Missouri racing in with you guys.

So I'm Posting Again

2006-07-28T00:30:00.000-07:00

A certain patient of mine, very kindly pointed out to me that I haven't been blogging for awhile. It's true. I haven't. Maybe it was just because I liked having my picture from the Pioneer Crit up on top. I don't know.

So a couple of months have gone by. I'm now 29 years old, but in the best shape of my life. I'm lighter (185lbs) than I've been since junior high. Next year in the military racing series over here I'll be racing in the 30-39 age group. That's just crazy wild to me.

So at Spangdahlem, competition was tough. I ended up fifth in the open category. The course was a challenging rolling course, with not a singe true blue section of flatness in the 10.5 km loop. We did 5 loops on it. All the climbing was big ring, but I was sure feeling it hard in the legs the last two laps. It wasn't the best course for me, but I tried to make the most out of it. The top four guys in the open gapped me on the fourth lap, and I just couldn't close it the rest of the way.

I have been working with Club Beyond, which is the military youth ministry, for a month now, and it's truly the best thing that has happened to me since I moved to Vilseck. It's just awesome being around third culture kids, and I hope that I can minister to them, and show them the love of Christ and how much He can change one's life.

Next weekend is the Rammstien Crit, and it's going to be a little different. Instead of your traditional crit, it's going to be a 30 lap (42k) points race where every fifth lap, the top four guys get points and the winner of the race is the one who has the most points at the end. Let's hope for the best.

Have a safe trip Erin Rages. It's not going to be the same at PT without our daily Erin Rages sighting.

Check me out

2006-05-30T05:06:00.000-07:00

Here is a pic from the race that I reported on below.

Pioneer Criterium-The Adonis is Back

2006-05-30T00:47:00.000-07:00

My comeback started this last weekend at the Pioneer Criterium in Hanau, Germany. It was my first real race since the Mercy Classic back in September of '04. I had no idea what my legs would have, but I was in for a surprise.

They had age groups for the race Saturday, but still had us do a mass start. They had us do 45 minutes plus 10 laps. Crazy thing, is that they made me and the top guy for the 40-49 age group do an extra lap because we came across the line at 45.01. I had already lapped the second place guy for my age group twice, so I didn't raise a fuss. Extra training right?

So when we got up to the start line they had a roll call for each age group. This guy from my age group told me that he was a cat3 and had raced for West Point. I told him that there were no reasons to attack, we would just ride together. Little did he know what was in store for him later. So for the first twenty minutes, we just rode side by side. This guy named Jim Sharp took off, but he's in the 40+ age group, and he's a cat 2 just waiting for his upgrade papers to come in, so there was no need to go with him. At 20 minutes, I noticed that West point guy had shut up and wasn't talking at all. Rafi was riding behind me since it was really windy, and West Point guy started to slow down so that he could get in the draft. There was no way I was going to let him sit on our wheel, and then try to outsprint me in the end. I had to see what he had. I heard him coasting, so I took off like a bat out of heck. I caught up with Jim, and we worked together for the next 25 minutes until the 10 laps, and he took off with some crazy speed.

I ended up lapping everybody but Jim. The guy who won the 30-39 group, I lapped once. The west point guy, I lapped twice, and everybody else I lapped 3 or more times. It was a great course for me, plus it was windy, so I was in heaven. Got a nice looking trophy and a tshirt. It was a fun day.

Now it's time to start getting ready for Spangdahlem.

BELIEVE IT

Still Alive

2006-05-23T01:09:00.000-07:00

So I miss blogging bad I guess. I had been using my xanga blog because most of the missionary kids that I keep in contact with have those, but you can't get to that with a govt computer, but I can get to this one, so here you go.

This last weekend was awesome. The family life chaplain put together a single soldiers retreat up in Garmisch where the military has a resort. It is up there in the Bavarian alps, and it is beyond beautiful. The sessions were pretty awesome, but the company I kept made the weekend that much better.

SD

Out You Go Mike Vandercrap

2006-01-18T04:22:00.000-08:00

What is up everyone? Can you believe these playoffs so far? In one game you have Shaun Alexander going down early with a concussion, and the Seahawks still not having a problem with the Skins. Then you got the Bears D just choking, which probably means that Ron Rivera will not be getting any head coaching job this offseason. The Patriots finally came down to earth and played the way that they are actually capable of playing with the "talent" that they have. Broncos look awesome though.

All of that pales in comparison though to the Steelers-Colts game. The Colts just did not have any intentions of playing all out in this game. I have no idea what they were thinking when the showed up to the RCA dome. I know they weren't planning on playing a football game, because they didn't show up to play until the fourth quarter. I can't believe that I spent 3 and a half hours of my life rooting for the Colts for this one. I put more into it than they did.

So where do the Colts go from here? Vanderjagt has to go, and it's going to happen because he's a free agent and you know Bill Polian will not be paying his worth after what happened Sunday. They have to re-sign James, but with that, they may have to let Wayne go. That will stink because I think Wayne is the future, and Harrison can't play forever.

What I can't wait for though, is baseball season.

Big Ups to Steve Smith's monster game against the Bears.
Big Ups to Economics class being pretty cool so far.
Big Ups to Duke for remaining undefeated.
Big Ups to Mizzou for winning against KU.
Big Ups to the Windsor in Nairobi for giving my dad a great place to stay for his 55th birthday.

OUT

This Year's Predictions

2006-01-10T04:15:00.000-08:00

I accidentally wrote in my predictions for next year on my last post. My bad. Next year is when the Giants and Colts will have the Manning Bowl, errr, the Super Bowl. Sorry about all the confusion. You all must have thought that I was nuts when I picked that game.

Can we ask Tagliabue to not have a Super Bowl this year. The NFC is atrocious. I think that the Colts, Patriots, and Broncos could beat all of the NFC teams easy. I feel sorry for the company that will be laying down 2.6 million for a 30 second commercial in the second half of this year's game. It will be a blowout. Our only hope for a close Super Bowl is if the Steelers play out of their minds the next two weeks, and then come back to earth for the Super Bowl. If not, we're looking at a 40-something to 14 game.

I'm just not sold on anyone in the NFC. That's why I thought about picking the Giants, because I thought that they could get on a roll. I can't pick Seattle, because you stop Alexander, and you stop them. The Bears D, the Panthers D, and the Skins D can all stop him. I can't pick the Skins because of their inability to score. I can't pick the Bears because they have Rex Grossman. They do have Lovie Smith though, and I'm a big fan of his, but even he has his problems. He was brought in the forefront while being the defensive coordinator for the Rams during the Mike Martz era. What do we know about the Mike Martz era? Great regular seasons, then choke city in the playoffs. Which leads up to Carolina. They win the NFC by default. They are the best of this load.

I still pick the Colts out of the AFC, and the AFC Championship game is where it's at this year. The Colts will also win the Super Bowl, with Reggie Wayne having two touchdowns, but Peyton still getting the MVP.

Big ups to another four day weekend coming up.
Big ups to the Rose Barracks fitness center for being the best in Germany.
Big ups to AFN for putting the PBA bowling stuff on tv.
Big ups to Mick Foley's new novel Scooter.
Big ups to EDGE, the new WWE Champ

OUT

Playoffs?

2006-01-04T04:03:00.000-08:00

Can anyone ever forget the great Jim Mora and the way he said "Playoffs? I just hope we win a game?" That was the last year that he coached at Indy and they were having a horrible year. Then ended up 6-10, but haven't had a losing season since. Maybe the best thing that could have happened to them was having that losing season because it got him canned, and brought in Tony Dungy. I'm a big Dungy guy. I've been a fan of his since he was the Defensive Coordinator for the Vikings. Then when I found out that he was a man of faith, that just made me like him that much more.

So the big question is: Is this the year of Dungy?

The playoffs start this weekend with the Wild Card games. I'm not really excited for any of the matchups except for the Bengals-Steelers tussle. This is the rubber match for the two, and it's a really tough game to pick. I got to go with the young Bengals though. I think that they will come out swinging.

I believe that the Giants, Redskins, Patriots, and Bengals come out of this weekend alive. I'm really impressed with the Giants this year, and am probably going to shock some people when you get to the end of this post.

For the AFC, I believe that this is finally the year that Dungy and the Colts get to the Super Bowl.

For the NFC, it's all Giants.

COLTS WIN IT ALL.

OUT.

End to a Great Year

2005-12-30T04:29:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe that the year is about over. 2005 has been an amazing year for me and my life. I ended 2004, which was probably the worst year of my life (although it could be a tossup between that year and 2003), not knowing where I was going in my life. Signing up for the Army was a decision that I made, knowing that I had no other option. I'm so glad that I made that choice. I'm one year into a four year contract, and I can't believe that it has gone as well as it has.

Basic Training humbled me like no other experience that I've ever gone through. While I was still fighting the depression that I'd been battling for over a year, I put on an air of superiority, also known as cockiness. The drill sergeants did a wonderful job of kicking that cockiness to the curb, and replacing it with a sense of self, discipline and confidence that are such a vital tool in life.

AIT put all of that to the test. Put in a leadership position because of my rank, I had to make hard decisions. The hardest decisions were the ones where I had to choose whether I would do the right thing, or do what would make me liked. Each time, I made the decision to do the right thing, regardless of what I could lose in the process. I lost a girlfriend, and some friends, but I walked out of there with my head held high, and my integrity in full. I left being respected by the ones that I respected most, my instructors, SSG Hamilton, SSG Jaboneta, SFC Traq, SFC Maye, SSG Mars, SSG Brodeur, and my hero Mr. Sosa.

Now, I'm in Vilseck, Germany, and love it here. I have great leadership that have gone out of their way to help me adjust to living over here, and I know have my best interests at heart. I couldn't ask for a better place to be.

2005 has been a turning point year for me. I end it not looking back at the year it was, but the years that are ahead of me, knowing the future is so bright and the opportunities so great.

Thank you God for bringing me to the point of making the decision that brought me here.

Big Ups to my parents for believing in me.
Big Ups to DS Rogers, Jackson and Scott for humbling me and teaching me to be a leader.
Big Ups to the instructors mentioned above for teaching me more than just how to be a pharmacy tech.
Big Ups to the MK office of the AG for all that they have done for me.
Big Ups to God for making this all happen.

OUT

Sports Movies, I Love them TOO Much

2005-12-17T04:12:00.000-08:00

The PX finally had the new edition of Bad News Bears in stock yesterday, and I promptly picked it up. I could not wait for work to end so that I could get back to the room and watch it. It was a riot, and I enjoyed it immensely. Does anybody play a better loser character than Billy Bob Thornton. I didn't think that anyone could top Walter Matthau's Buttermaker, but BBT did it and then some.

The number one aspect about the new edition that I like is that it really shows the melting pot that the US has become, but how everybody is truly an American. What's more American than playing little league baseball. There were a couple of Mexicans, an Armenian, and even a kid in a wheelchair. They had rich kids, poor kids, and of course, my favorite, the fat kid.

Maybe since I was the fat kid playing catcher, I always appreciate their characters so much more. There was the fat kid playing catcher in The Sandlot, and the fat kid in this movie as well. I can never remember their names, except that they are the fat kid catchers, that have the best home run trot in baseball. What seperated this fat kid from all other fat kid characters is how he was an angry fat kid. He wasn't the loveable belly like jelly kid. He said things that normally us full figured ones only think. Every big boned person out there must love this guy.

After watching it, it got me to thinking. We are in the midst of the best sports movie decade in the history of sports movies. The 80's gave us Caddyshack, the 90's gave us Blue Chips, but there are a lot more misses than hits in the decades that I've been around. Just this year alone we've had Fever Pitch, Cinderella Man, The Greatest Game Ever Played, and Bad News Bears. In past years there have been quality movies like Driven, Miracle, Coach Carter, and For Love of the Game. Hopefully it only gets better from here.

While I know I promised picks for today, I'm really thinking that I should sit on my laurels with my perfect 5 and 0 record. So those of you in Vegas that were eagerly awaiting my picks: Sorry.

OUT.

Rambling Thoughts

2005-12-14T04:11:00.000-08:00

It's midweek, and I was first planning on writing a review of the new version of The Bad News Bears which came out on DVD yesterday. However, the PX did not have it, which disappointed me greatly, so I'll just give you some rambling thoughts and opinions for my midweek report.

I watched the Winky Wright-Sam Soliman fight this weekend. The defensive approach that Wright fights with isn't fun to watch, but it is very affective. I don't know how he ever could knock a top flight fighter out though, and his style pretty much makes each fight he's in go the distance. That puts the onus on the judges, and I can see this hindering him a lot when he goes up against Jermain Taylor.

I've watched both guys on consecutive weeks. I'm not ready to jump on the Wright bandwagon either. I didn't see his fight against Tito Trinidad, but apparently he was quite impressive in that bout. The only thing that's wrong with that, is that it was Tito's first fight after being retired. He wasn't the Tito of old. I would like to see Wright's fights with Shane Mosley though so that I could better assess his abilities.

If I had to pick a winner between the two of them right now, I would have to go with Taylor. I think that he could be very affective against Wright's style, as he has proven that he can fight against someone with a defensive style and win, by beating Hopkins twice. Hopefully the fight will happen next year, sooner rather than later.

I did watch Raw last night, and after last week's amazing episode, I was expecting more of the same. I was to be very disappointed yet again. I looked at my clock at one point, thinking that it was almost over, and it had only been on one hour. I still had another hour to sit through. Some of the matches were good, but no storyline was advanced at all last night. Vince fell short of expectations by not announcing a new GM, and I have a feeling that he just wanted a little more spotlight for himself. That guy is beyond egotistical. I'll be royally pissed if Shane or Stephanie McMahon get the position. Give it to Dusty Rhodes, and have some fun with his character.

Another thing that I think that the WWE needs on both shows is a group like the 4 Horseman, Nation of Domination, Evolution or Degeneration X. When there are groups like that, so many great storylines can come out. I would love to see a reemergence of the 4 Horseman with Flair, Murdoch, and a quality tag team. They could be the new GM's enforcers, and could have either Ashley or Candace as their valet. The WWE should really hire me to be a writer part time while I fulfill my duties as a soldier.

Until this weekend, and some more wonderful NFL picks, I'm out of here.

I'm Out.

2005-12-10T03:22:00.000-08:00

Another weekend is upon us, and the weather in Vilseck couldn't be any better. Three days in a row to not wear a jacket. That has to be some sort of record or something for December. The sun is even out today. I'm pumped up.

Last night was the clinic Christmas party. It was much better than I expected. I was expecting some crazy drunk fest, but it was actually pretty tame. Great food, and getting to know the Roberts, Perrys, and Stehrs more was definitely a plus. There are some really great people stationed here, and I just happen to work with a few of them. It sure makes going to work everyday much more enjoyable.

So tonight the Heisman is going to be given to either Reggie Bush, Vince Young, or Matt Leinart. All three could win the award. Bush came on strong at the end, especially with his performance against Fresno St, in which he ran for over 500 all purpose yards. That stat to me is just mind boggling, and that game alone is what I believe took him to the top of the Heisman charts and will have him leaving NYC with the trophy. He deserves it, and the three of these guys I believe will have the closest vote in the history of the Heisman.

Also tonight is the most anticipated early matchup in college basketball. My Duke Blue Devils are facing off against number 2 Texas. The top 2 teams never play this early, and we get this NCAA tournement matchup in December. It comes on at 1930 tonight on AFN Sports, and you know I will be cheering on the Blue Devils. It's going to be a matter of whether Texas can shut down Duke's guards, or if Duke can shut down Texas' interior game. I give the nod to Duke, because I see Josh McRoberts coming into his own tonight and having a solid 15 point, 15 rebound game. Williams and Redick will combine for 45 points and the rest of the guys will fill in the gaps. PJ Tucker scares me the most, but I think McRoberts and Williams can shut him down.

My inspiration for writing about sports and other nonsense is the Sports Guy, Bill Simmons. He's the reason that I'm trying to make this more like a column than a normal diary type blog. Just like the Sports Guy, I'm going to try my hand at picking NFL games for all 3 of you loyal readers. On Monday, when all 5 of these picks come true, you'll see why they don't let me in Vegas. So here are my picks for this week:

Houston at Tennesee: Poor David Carr and his teammates somehow always find a way to lose games at the end. 2 weeks ago they give up a monster lead to the Rams, and this last week they can't put away B'more. The Titans are quite a weak team too. I wonder if the NFL could just have these two teams play a game of Monopoly instead. I'll pick the Titans.

Chicago at Pitt: Monster game. I think that this game is the highlight game of the week. Big Ben has a hurt thumb, but he's still about 19 times the QB that Orton or Grossman is. Chicago's D is awesome, but Gado got some yards on them last week rushing, and he's no Willy Parker or Jerome Bettis. Orton gets benched in this game, and Grossman throws a couple of pics, and the Steelers win.

Rams and Vikings: Two dome teams, but Minnesota is hot. It couldn't happen to a nicer guy than Brad Johnson too. This guy deserves about 78% of the credit for the turnaround. Mike Tice should give a hug to Brad every time that he sees him, because without him, Tice would be chilling with Mariucci on the unemployment line. As much as it hurts me to say this, the Rams are horrible. This is the year that I've been dreading for awhile, the year is all just breaks down because of age, injuries and the curse of Mike Martz. Martz not even being there hasn't been enough to right the ship. It's time that weirdo Georgia Frontiers dismantle this team and start all over. Vikings win big.

San Fran at Seattle: This one is too obvious. Seattle coming off the monster win against the Beagles. Shaun Alexander runs circles around the pitiful 49ers D and Seattle wins by at least 20 points.

Indy at Jacksonville: Is this the week that Indy finally loses. Jacksonville only lost 10-3 to them earlier in the season, but now they are starting their backup QB and their backup RB. It sure looks good for the Colts, but I believe that it will be "close" for them. They only win by 14.

Finally, here are my big ups for the week.

Big Ups to my mom and dad for sending me Christmas presents.
Big Ups for Cinderella Man. Great movie. Watch it.
Big Ups for the PX finally having the Stewie Griffin story.
Big Ups for the ISMK giving us MK Alumni a website.
Big Ups to the Health Clinic for feeding me so well at the party last night.

OUT.

So Much Time to Read

2005-12-05T05:30:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone. Things are going really well here in Vilseck. I absolutely love it here. In the states one of my favorite places to hang out was Barnes and Noble, mainly because of how quiet it was and I could read books and magazines to my hearts content. Rose Barracks here in Vilseck is like a big Barnes and Noble to me, without the Starbucks. I check out books at the library, take them back to the room, and read, read, and read some more. I even check out the tv a bit too, but one thing that I got out of Basic and AIT is that I don't watch as much tv anymore like I used to. Not getting to read books other than the soldier's manual and the Bible(which only getting to read that was a good thing for me) made me realize how much I missed reading, and it gave me a renewed love of reading.

So since last time, here are the books I have read. Predator, by Patricia Cornwell. Not her best effort. I've been reading her Kay Scarpetta stuff since Spud recommended Cruel and Unusual to me when we were seniors in High school so many years ago. While it was still an enjoyable read, the way it ended it seemed to me like Cornwell thought to herself, "How am I going to end this? Let's just throw this in there." I was like, "Pat, you failed me." If I told you why it bothered me so much it would ruin the bad ending for you, but needless to say, Cornwell should start a new series. Kay, Lucy, and Pete's characters have run their course.

Brian Gimenez's first book, The Color of Law was a lot better than I expected. The only complaint that I have with it, is that he has the nine year old talking like she's got a degree from Harvard one minute, and the next, like an actual nine year old. I love how he alludes to To Kill a Mockingbird though. The first 200 pages were okay, but the last 200 pages were excellent in every way. This guy has a great future if he keeps writing.

I also read golfer Peter Jacobsen's book, Embedded Balls on Saturday. It's just a bunch of stories from the PGA and Senior PGA tour. It was a lot of fun to read, and I laughed a bunch reading this one.

The last one that I "read" was History of Violence. It's the graphic novel that they used to base the movie on. I've never read comics all that much, but this one was pretty interesting, and the illustrations were amazing. I have to watch the movie and see this baby come to life.

So now for my big ups.

Big ups to Jermain Taylor for his big win in his rematch with Bernard Hopkins.
Big ups for a Winky Wright-Taylor fight next Spring.
Big ups to ISMK for giving my peeps a great retreat.
Big ups to Newsong for making a great praise and worship cd.
Big ups to Matt B. for keeping Malorie.

Out.

Great Steak, Turkey, and Trickster gods

2005-11-25T05:54:00.000-08:00

What is up everybody? Sorry for not having posted in a little while, but it's been kind of a hectic week. It all started Friday when I went up to Hanau to see KC, and be up there for the whole weekend. I wouldn't say that it was a waste of a trip because I had the best steak that I have ever had at a German restaurant in downtown Hanau. KC and I spent a lot of time together and after the weekend it was pretty obvious that the two of us should not date. I'm still figuring it all out for myself, but once I have I'll be able to answer any questions you all have.

Then I started working for real this week. I love doing this pharmacy stuff. There is nothing like taking a patient who has had a bad day already, and them having to come see me last, and putting a smile on their face. I haven't had to break out the Mr. Deal Happy Song yet, but if the circumstance arrives, I'll do it.

So now for the book review of Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman. I read this book on my train trips to and fro Hanau, and it surprised me how much I enjoyed it. Gaiman's creativity was absoulutely brilliant, and it just reminds me of how much I enjoy British sense of humor, and the style in which they write and view many things in life.

I believe the best part of the whole thing is how you couldn't really see what was going to be happening all of the time. The end surprised me, but it wasn't a bad surprise. The end was somewhat corny, but when I closed the book I had a smile on my face and was happy for the two Anansi boys.

I say read it, you'll enjoy it.

Hope you all had as good of a Thanksgiving as I did.

Big Ups to the Roberts for having me over.
Big Ups to Susan R. for her brilliant use of turkey and stuffing together.
Big Ups to pumpkin pie pudding.
Big Ups to everyone who reads this.

Out.

Book Review: The Lincoln Lawyer

2005-11-17T07:09:00.000-08:00

Here's something I want to start doing from now on. I read so many books, and with the library being my favorite place to go to here at Vilseck after the gym, I read a ton. So I'm going to start reviewing the books that I read and hopefully some of you will be motivated to read some of the books, if not all. Call it The Dishing Motrin Book Club.

I just finished The Lincoln Lawyer last night. It was an amazing read. It's about a defense lawyer who works out of his Lincoln Town Car, driven by one of his former clients. He barely had enough money each month to keep going, even though he was always working. Most of his clients were repeat customers, and they were usually from the wrong side of the streets.

One day however, a franchise client came into his life. A Beverly Hills playboy, who loved women a little too much had been accused of beating a woman at her house and trying to rape her. It looks like a case that is just too easy to win, and the money that he's going to get is too nice, so Mickey Haller signs up to play. Little did he know that his life was about to get a lot more complicated.

I enjoyed this book immensely. I'm going to have to keep reading some more of Michael Connely's work. If his other books are even close to as good as The Lincoln Lawyer was, I'm in for some good times.

I'm going to be starting the book, Anansi Boys tonight, so we'll see how it is. Heading to Hanau for the weekend to be with Kacee, and that will be good. Might not be doing to much reading for the next few days.

Til next time, I'm out.

The Ball's Right There Torry

2005-11-15T03:43:00.000-08:00

Man, what a rough miss of a catch on Sunday's game. When Bulger dropped back to throw, and then I saw Holt out there running like a gazelle, I was pumped. Then for some reason, Holt forgot what he was supposed to do after running. That had to be kind of embarassing for him.

Everyday this week I will be in the class to familiarize myself with the German language and culture. It's not too bad, but some people in the class are quite American with some of the things that they say. It's kind of embarassing really. Maybe the experience over here will change all of that though. We'll see.

That's all I got for you for now.

No Martz, No Problem

2005-11-13T03:24:00.000-08:00

Many of you know how much I detest the coaching abilities of Mike Martz. After last year's disappointing season I told many a friend that I refused to root for the Rams until Martz was no longer coaching them. I didn't think that sickness would be what would make that happen. I was just wanting him to be relieved of his duties. I had no idea who this Vitt guy was, but what I did know was that he wasn't Mike Martz, and Martz wasn't coaching my Rams anymore this year. They again got the backing of one Shawn Deal. If that means anything.

Today is the biggest game of Vitt's short tenure as coach of the Rams. They take on the Seattle Seahawks, and if the 'Hawks win, they will then have a three game advantage over the Rams in the West. If the Rams win however, they will have one 3 of the last 4, and be on their way to taking over.

They will have to do a lot better job against the run today than they did 2 weeks ago against the Jags. The Jags ran all over them, and Shaun Alexander is having a monster year. He is close to 1000 yards already only halfway through the season. If the Rams can hold him to under 100 yards rushing, and hold Hasselbeck to under 250 yards passing, then they will definitely win the game.

Having Bulger, Holt, and Bruce back will be great for the offense, and Bulger will have to shake off any rust fast for the Rams to win this one. It's going to be a shootout, and I have a feeling that whoever has the ball last will win this one.

GO RAMS!!!

FOUR DAY WEEKEND BABY

2005-11-10T03:16:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone. Tomorrow is Veteran's day, so much love to all of those that went before me and made it so that I can have what I do have as an American soldier. Without you, I know we wouldn't have as good as we have it. And we have it quite good.

It's been another good week here in Germany. Kacee is on her way, probably has even gotten on a plane by now and is going nuts on it. Actually, she's probably totally zonked out right now.

I'm about to get a fat paycheck on Tuesday because I'm receiving a bunch of back pay that I'm owed, so it looks like the bike will be purchased a lot sooner than I had thought. I'm going to go with a German MTB called Ghost. I can't wait until 2008 when I come back to the States and saddle up on my Ghost wearing my HUB jersey and tear up some STL mtb racing, if it still exists by then. Used to be MTB racing was huge and road racing was small. Now it's the other way around. Maybe with Lance out of the picture, MTB racing will start getting more popular again. Who knows. I think that both are great.

Just a matter of days until I will be with the two women in my life, the bike and Kacee. Things are looking good.

I'd Race For HUB

2005-11-08T05:30:00.000-08:00

If I were in STL, or Missouri, or even in Arkansas right now I'd be getting ready for the road racing season that will be starting in the end of February. I'd be racing for the greatest up and coming team in the STL area, HUB CYCLING TEAM, since they are the coolest and are lead the BOMBASTIC BISCHOFF BROS. They are going to look too cool for school in those green jerseys. No rumor to the fact that Bill H. will be racing for them so he can finally race for a team in which the jersey matches the bike he rides.

As for me, this area only has mountain bike races, and I've already been asked to race next season for the post team here at Vilseck. I don't even have a mtb yet, but I'm hoping that my plug for the greatest bike shop and team, HUB CYCLING, will mean a little shipment will be crossing the water soon. HINT HINT DANNO.

Germany kicks butt though, and KC will be here Thursday. I can't wait dude.

First week in Germany

2005-11-06T03:53:00.000-08:00

Well, I've just finished my first week in Germany. It's wild to me, that just last Sunday I was getting on a plane in Atlanta and heading this way. It feels like I've been here longer that one week. It's so beautiful here and quite peaceful. This is a small post, but I like it a lot. Everything is in walking distance, and since my only form of transportation right now are my feet, that suits me just fine. I need to get a bike here pretty soon though.

Some random thoughts that I have though, since with Armed Forces network, I get to watch Sportcenter, Seinfeld, and Fox News.

What is TO up to? This guy could have ended up in the hall of fame someday. He's definitely either number 1 or 2 as far as wide receievers go in the NFL, but he is such an individual, it kills him. Right now, I'd rather have Dane Looker over him anyday of the week.

Marvin Harrison is too underrated. His stats more than stack up against TO and Randy Moss, but he doesn't get the press because all he does is just PLAY.

I hope that Hillary is not our next president.

The govt. sure does take care of us soldiers pretty well.

I miss racing my bike.

I miss Kacee Coddington, but she'll be here in a week, so I can make it.

That's about it for now. Check later for more random thoughts.

Vilseck, Here I Am

2005-11-02T09:03:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to tell you all that I am now in Vilseck,Germany. So far, despite the cold, I love it. It's so beautiful up here. On the drive from Frankfurt to here it almost felt like I was driving through Colorado on my way to ski retreat. Then I would see German signs, and I would be reminded where I was at. I've been in the army now for 10 months, and I absolutely love it. All that I went through to get me here was worth it, but it's great being in a place that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God wants me here. It's awesome. So if any of you ever need to have an excuse to go toGermany, I'll take care of you. World Cup of soccer is here next year, so I know you fellow soccer fans will be all for coming.

Last Night in West Memphis

2005-10-28T15:03:00.000-07:00

10 years ago, I had to take a Greyhound bus from Springfield to Cuba, Missouri. Not a long trip, but long enough for me. I decided after that trip that I would never, ever go on a Greyhound bus again for the rest of my life. Well, I guess I shouldn't have said never.

I went down to Springfield to be with my little bro, sis in law, and my dad. I also was able to see some friends. It was great to see Kyle Martin, Jerus Durene, Brit Betzer, Curtis McConnell, Mara "Lindsey Lohan's Twin" Bell, and Janelle "She's Always TOO GOOD LOOKING" Thacker. Later on that night my best friend Tony came over with his girl and all of us had a great time.

So my dad somehow forgot that I was flying out of Memphis Saturday on my way to Germany. So I had to be back here today, Friday. I knew that Dad would be flying to Salt Lake City today, so I figured that he would drive me back on Thursday. So guess what he does. He schedules a service for Thursday night in Northern Missouri. So there was only one option to get me back to West Memphis. That's right, my ban on Greyhound had to end.

The journey started in Springfield at 10. I waited for the bus to leave until 12:15. That got us into St. Louis at 3:30am. I found a little place in a corner, and made a pillow out of my bag and fell asleep right there til 7. The bus for Memphis was supposed to leave at 7:30, but ended up not leaving until 8:30. We finally got to Memphis at 3:15. So the trip, which takes 4 and a half hours in a car took me, when you combine layover time, 17 hours. What an experience.

Now, I'm less than 24 hours from my journey to Germany starts. I'll keep you posted on my life over there.

On the Home Stretch

2005-10-24T07:18:00.000-07:00

I'm just a few days away from going to Germany. I can't believe it. I've been trying to get into contact with some of my old buddies before I leave. I hope that they all know how much they mean to me. It's been great talkin to Danno the Manno Bischoff, KC, and all my buddies in Springfield. I can't wait to actually see them the next couple of days.

This last weekend I raced the Tour de Heart for the third year in a row. I love the race. I got second in my age group, and really surprised myself because I had only ridden my bike 4 times since I got back from all of my army training. So I had only ridden 4 times in the entire year. I didn't realize how much that I missed racing. It was so much fun, even though I had hair on my legs.

The Best God Ever Mad

2005-10-22T13:11:00.000-07:00

For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Eph. 2:10 (New Living Translation)

I’m not much of an artist, but I’m sure that a lot of you reading this are. Have you ever thought about you yourself being an art project? Did you realize that you are God’s art project? He sculpted you, planned you out, to create you the way he wanted to. Just like you probably have your great drawing, painting, or sculpture on display, he has his on display too. While yours is probably on your mom’s fridge or hanging up in your room, His is a living breathing display acting out His plan.
While there have been times that you have made something, and decided to eventually throw it away because it’s not the best that you have done, God wants you to know that YOU are the best that He’s ever made. Paul wrote about that in Ephesians. YOU are God’s masterpiece. What is a masterpiece?
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines masterpiece as, “The greatest work, as of an artist.” You are God’s masterpiece, so guess what? You are the best God ever made. You are not the second best He’s ever made, or just an average job he did. You were the best.
So how do you view yourself? What do you see when you look in the mirror? Do you see your imperfections? Do you look at yourself and not like what you see? Or do yourself as God sees you, and how He wants you to see him. You are the best He’s ever made, and when you accept that truth, your life will be transformed like you could never imagine.

Just Like a Tree

2005-10-21T14:50:00.000-07:00

I'm writing some devotions for a book that the Assembly of God is doing for missionary kids. I thought that I would put them here to get some feedback. Thanks.

Just Like a Tree

But blessed is the man who trusts me, God, the woman who sticks with God. They’re like trees replanted in Eden, putting down roots near the rivers, never a worry through the hottest summers, never dropping a leaf, serene and calm through droughts, bearing fresh fruit every season.
Jer. 17:7, 8 (The Message)

At Rift Valley Academy those of us who played sports had our own creative way of motivating each other on our trips to wherever we were playing. It did not matter which sport it was, we did the same songs and “warrior chants” for each trip. One though stuck with me more than all the others. Just Like a Tree.

Just like a, just like a
TREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Planted by the living water,
We shall not be moved.

That little chorus has kept me going through many tough times. When we sang it as a team, we would do it to encourage each individual that with that person, we would not be defeated. We would not be moved.
A couple of years ago, I was going through a really tough time in my life. I was so hurt by the church, and was so disillusioned with myself that I did not think that I could go on. When I opened up to my fellow mk’s in that ski lodge in Colorado, one of my friends prayed a prayer for me that I will never forget. He prayed:

Just like a, just like a
TREEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Planted by the living water,
SHAWN will not be moved.

The devil wanted to separate me from the love of God, and he didn’t want me sticking with God because that is what he does. He wants to isolate you, so that then he can steal, kill, and destroy the destiny that God has in store for you. If you stick with God though, you will be like that tree planted by the living water. You won’t be moved.

Last Day of Hometown Recruiting

2005-10-19T07:49:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that it's finally here. Tomorrow I officially start my leave days. I'm looking forward to just chilling for a few days. I got my ticket yesterday to fly to Atlanta on the 29th so I have no way of missing my flight on the 30th to Germany. I'm ready to get over there and leave EF far behind me.