Michael Makes Some Great Plays for the Panthers

I was going through some old videos and found these from Michael playing football in high school. They are short clips, but they demonstrate has versatility on the field! I’m hoping to find some of his track stuff.

Snowman Mike Talks Texas and Moscow Snow

Snowman Mike on Staying Cool

Guaranteed White Christmas

Thanx to the internets!  There is a Christmas Blizzard brewing right now pretty much over Lubbock, Texas’ head.  The storm started as rain in California, but brought snow to some areas south of Tucson.  The storm sank further southward than originally expected and the forecast for Lubbock changed from rain and some snow to some rain and more snow!  Right now the Hub City is covered with about 6″ and it’s coming down sideways.  The 7am observation at LBB is:  “Snow, Freezing Fog, Blowing Snow and Windy, 26.”  I’m jealous, especially since I should have been there had I had a few extra $$s.  Thankfully, there is the internets.

This gathering storm is now plowing east.  The kids and grandkids north of Dallas are under a Winter Storm Warning and they could see rain changing to snow by this afternoon and maybe an inch or three just in time for Christmas!

Add this snow to what is already on the ground and a large chuck of the U.S. is fixin’ ta have a White Christmas.  If you aren’t, then just surf some web cams, put on some Bing Crosby and dare to dream!

I’ll Be Home for Christmas

As in right here in my apartment.   It’s a bit odd that I don’t feel that bad about it.   I DO miss my kids and grandkids in Texas, but there is just no way I can swing a Christmas trip this year.  Other than missing them, I am good with laying low this year.

I have friends locally that are going to ask, “What are you doing for Christmas?”  and they might invite me by ’cause they feel sorry for me.  I appreciate it!  But honestly, I am good with some alone time.

It’s not usual, I guess, but I do very well in a crowd, one on one, and by myself.  When I first took the Myers-Briggs personality test when I was a teenager, I was right down the middle extrovert/introvert.  This surprises people I know, because when I am with people, the extrovert comes out.  However, I really need my alone time or I go a little crazy.  Of course, I need my hangin’ with the peeps time too or I go a little crazy.

I am looking forward to the two or three Christmas gatherings I have yet to attend in the next couple of weeks, but I am also looking forward to watching a little football Christmas Day and making some phone calls.  I’ll be home for Christmas.  Celebrating with my Savior on His Birthday observed :-)

December – Cold Start

It’s been a roller coaster ride temperature-wise here in Tucson and here at the apartment in Oro Valley.  May had a hot spell in the middle of the month and ended up warmer than normal.  Then June into July was cooler than normal.  October had a really unusual cold spell the third week of the month and now November has ended as the 3rd warmest on record.

Keeping with the pattern, December is starting out cool and getting colder.  Even though many places in and around Tucson experienced their first freeze in October, almost a month earlier than average, the Tucson International Airport has yet to freeze this season.  That is about to change.  Cold air from Canada, eh, is already invading the South Plains of Eastern New Mexico and Texas and some of that cold air is going to spread westward to Arizona.  Friday looks cold (by Tucson standards) despite full sunshine.  A north breeze will make the upper 50s feel even colder in the shade, although I guess if you can find a sunny, wind sheltered, spot it won’t be nearly as bad.

Friday night/Saturday morning will be the coldest so far this season.  Winds will die down after sunset and clear skies will allow for good radiational cooling.  It should be no problem for temps to fall from the 50s into the 20s to near 30… even at the Tucson International Airport.

Next weeks weather pattern looks good for our dry conditions.  Cool unsettled weather looks to be on the way with valley rain showers and mountain snows possible off and on much of the week.  I hope so.  I really like the rain in the desert and I really am ready to head up to Mt. Lemmon to see some snow!

Meanwhile, AccuWeather is highlighting the expanding December cold with snow expected from the Pacific Northwest to Arizona to Eastern New Mexico to Louisiana to the Great Lakes and East Coast

Dallas/Ft. Worth Snow!

It’s snowing in Dallas/Ft. Worth this morning.  I found this web cam image in Ft. Worth that shows snow sticking to the grass.  Looks like AccuWeather’s Winter forecast is coming true!

UPDATE 9:39 a.m. MST: KDFW in Dallas has a great slide show of this morning’s snow!

Lubbock TV

CBS 13 & ABC 28

Yes, that’s the President. As for my camel hair jacket with purple spot tie? It only proves that I had (have) no fashion sense :-) This was taken when President Bush was running for Governor of Texas.

Why Views on Climate Matter

With temperatures cooling and not rising you’d think that the debate on Global Warming, or Climate Change as the kids are calling it these days, would be more of a debate.  Instead, most of the liberal politicians are ignoring the facts and acting to prevent more warming when much of the globe is freezing!

A great example comes to us from the U.K.  Seems some British politicians are hoping to ban plasma TVs because they use too much energy!  Read it for yourself from the Independent.

Energy-guzzling flatscreen plasma televisions will soon be banned as part of the battle against climate change, ministers have told The Independent on Sunday.

“Minimum energy performance standards” for televisions are expected to be agreed across Europe this spring, they say, and this should lead to “phasing out the most inefficient TVs”. At the same time, a compulsory labelling system will be drawn up to identify the best and worst devices.

How do Brits feel about this? The story doesn’t say.

Could you imagine if this was tried in the United States?  I know a few Texans who might say, “They’ll have to pry the remote from my cold, frozen, global cooled fingers!”

This in the face of the coldest Winter in a decade.  Glaciers grew last year in Alaska.  Snow is falling in the south of France and Madrid, Spain!  The Sun is quiet and Solar Scientists say colder decades are ahead.  We should be drilling for more oil and natural gas and burning it to produce electricity and to stay warm!  Not banning plasma TVs.

It really does matter your view of global warming. If you believe man is causing it then you have to control peoples behavior to combat it. If it’s natural and we are entering a very cold spell then it’s time to prepare by mining, and using, more fossil fuels!

It’s a debate we better have. Otherwise we could waste a lot of time, money, resources, and even lives.

What About Texas?

It’s a little aggravating.  All this talk of Florida being in the National Championship after beating Alabama.  I guess I understand that Florida IS playing great football right now.  They just beat number one at a neutral site.  In fact Florida has been playing great football since their loss to Ol’ Miss.  What?  Ol’ Miss beat Florida?  Yeah.  In the swamp!  AT Florida!  When they were unranked!

Meanwhile, Texas has one loss.  It was on the road against #7 Texas Tech.  Tech beat ‘em on the last play of the game.  Now, it wasn’t all that.  Tech lead the whole game except for 1:29 of the fourth quarter.  However Texas mounted an impressive comeback in the second half of that game before they got beat with :08 on the clock.

Assuming Oklahoma beats Missouri in the Big 12 Championship that is about 2 minutes awy from starting as I type this, then I contend it should be Texas and Oklahoma for the National Championship.  It’s the right and fair thing to do, but I doubt it will happen.

Texas Tech is being left out of the conversation because of the way they lost to Oklahoma on national TV.  But, don’t forget.  Tech has only one loss and they have impressive victories over Texas, Oklahoma State and Kansas in Lawrence.  Not really fair that after that kind of season they should play a Mississippi team that has lost 4 games.  Not a slam on Mississippi.  If that’s the way it is then Tech could have lost a couple of more games and still gone Cotton.

Utah, USC (who lost to Oregon State, who lost to Oregon), Cincinnati all are probably going to be in BCS Bowls and Tech won’t?  I don’t think it’s fair, but maybe I’m just being a fan.

To me it should be Texas and Oklahoma for the National Championship and Texas Tech to the Fiesta Bowl.  They all earned it!

We’ll find out for sure when the Bowl bids are given out I think later tonight.

UPDATE:  Bowl Selection Show is Sunday Night at 8:00 Eastern.  That’s 6:00 pm for me here in Arizona.  College Football needs a playoff.  Take the top 16 teams and play it out through December.  Fun times!

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