My Roo Hoo!

Opening night for Seussical was tonight, and though I'm prejudice, I thought it was great! My Hannah Hoo plays the Sour Kangaroo. It's been quite a while since I've heard her sing, and the girl's got pipes! As she has matured, she's gone from first soprano to a high alto and her voice is so strong.

Hannah has been Hannah Hoo ever since playing Cindy Loo Hoo when she was part of the Knoxville Children's Choir. I am so proud of her! I think her greatest accomplishment has not been any role on stage or achievement in the classroom, but simply her courage to just be herself. One of the things I never expected when my kids were little is that they would one day be my heroes.

BTW, I didn't get to hug Barry's neck. He did a great job playing Thing 1. Hug him for me when you go see the show.

Fight TCS!

We recently found out that my nephew Hunter has been struck down with TCS - Terminal Cute Syndrome. While all children suffer from milder forms of the syndrome, they normally out grow their symptoms. In the more severe cases, permanant and painful damage can occur leading to it's most horrific form, DAMED, or Donnie and Marie Entertainment Disorder.

Hunter first started displaying symptoms at about age two. He couldn't say his own name and called himself "Hun Toe". Too cute. Like most TCS suffers, he is unaware of his cute actions, as evidenced by the above picture of his falling asleep on the family hound. We first became concerned that Hunter might have the more frightening form of TCS when after hearing a really good fart from uncle Frank, Hunter replied "That's common!". No scarier words have ever been uttered by a four year old boy.

His dad is doing all he can to combat the disease. He's teaching him the joy of "pull my finger" jokes, the convenience of not bathing, and the love of football. However, his mother (my sister Laura) is an enabler. As a little girl we worried that Laura might suffer from TCS. She referred to cows as "M&M's" and M&M candy as "TeePee TeePee's". As she got older her symptoms faded, but apparently she went on to be a carrier. Now she perpetuates the disease by sending out emails of his latest cute escapade, making sure his hair is always properly combed, and pointing out his cuteness whenever she can. She's all but dooming the boy to be a little bit rock & roll!

Barry Lied

Barry was lamenting a long rehearsal of Seussical and said his mantra was "I love theater, I love theatre..."

I don't think Barry was being honest. I've known Barry since 1994, and watched him work with kids of all ages for a long time. He does a fantastic job. Hannah is in Seussical, and worked with Barry a bunch while we are Bearden UMC. I think Barry puts himself through all this not so much for theater, but for the kids. Now sure, lied is probably too strong a word. Denial may be more accurate. Barry brings the same energy bare whether he's working with a group of kindergarteners or actors at the Oak Ridge Playhouse. Not an easy feat.

Ironically, Hannah's first time on stage was with Barry. We were doing a talent show at church as a fund raiser, and Hannah sang "Tomorrow". She thought Barry messed up, and made him start over. Humor.

Thanks Barry!

Go see Seussical! Or else...

Tish will be there.

I'm a Pour Editor

Clara Grace has been in Madisonville, and when she came home she wanted to see what I had posted. In showing her my recent posts, I found at least one mistake in every post. I normally post late at night, but truth be known, I just a bad editor.

Almost Kinda Like Near Death (Virtually)

On my way to a job Friday morning I look up to see a white car out of control. I could see the person inside trying to regain control flirting with the road's shoulder, and then the yellow line. Just before he reached me, the shoulder won the battle and he went crashing into the woods. I stopped and got out of my car to find his upside down. Fortunately, he was unhurt. The weird thing was I was listening to the Beatle's Sgt. Pepper album, specifically "A Day in the Life". Somebody get me Rod Serling.

Room Service At the Inn

Barry delivered a meme. This is my rookie meming since I didn't get to respond the last time Tish tagged me.
WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? I am Elbert Lane Willson, IV. This means that my family is either really unimaginative or really lazy. My son Quent got his name for being number V.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Saturday. I was sad for a friend whose husband is very sick and her struggles to deal the stress of his illness. (He's much better now.)

DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? I like my signature. Other than that, I've almost lost the ability to write in cursive. My script handwriting is mundane.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Roast Beef

DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Hannah (19), Quent (17), and Clara Grace (9) They are my beloved hoodlums.

IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Unfortunately I sometimes make it difficult for those trying to be my friend. I'm a likable enough bloke, but I tend to isolated and friends often seem to fade from my life like the colors in an old flag.

DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Me? Sarcasm? Surely you jest.


DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Negative. Ripped um out before I was 3.


WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? I would like to think I would, but oddly the older I get the more heights bother me.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Frosted Flakes. They're great!

DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Rarely. I only one pair that even have laces.

DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? No. My back blew up in 1996, and since then I've been like Sampson after a trip to the barber.


WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Anything Mayfields. Growing up in Athens (Mayfield's home) it was against my religion to eat anything else. I must confess, that last few years I've grown to love Ben & Jerry's

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Eyes and smile. I'm a sucker for a pretty smile.


RED OR PINK? Red

WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? Being impulsive. It always gets me in trouble.

WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My grandparents. Like many folks I neglected them when they were alive.

WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? I am wearing neither. I'm currently boxer blogging.

WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? A peanut butter Powerbar.

WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? MASH.

IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Forest Green

FAVORITE SMELLS? The way Fall smells when the weather starts to get cold.

WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Hannah Hoo

FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Football. I'll watch everything from high school football to arena football.

HAIR COLOR[S]? Brown with a touch of gray and a bunch of bald.

EYE COLOR? Green

DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Only when I'm trying to see.

FAVORITE FOOD? My mom's spaghetti.

SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings.

LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Mr. Brooks

WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Fur. (See the pants question.)

SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer, by about 1000% (Barry's answer couldn't be improved upon.)

HUGS OR KISSES? Kisses

FAVORITE DESSERT? Ice Cream

WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? When Nietzsche Wept by Irvin Yalom.

WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? I don't use them anymore.

WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? The State. I had Tivoed it earlier in the week from the History Channel.

FAVORITE SOUND[S]? My Vols running through the T!

ROLLING STONES OR THE BEATLES? The Beatles.

WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Egypt

DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I've been told I'm fairly funny.

WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Fort Sanders- Knoxville, TN

Why I'm a Conservative.

I was on a date tonight (OK, stop laughing), and the young lady is a liberal. As I tried to tell her why I'm a conservative, I realized I did a really poor job. Some times you've believed something for so long your forget why you believe it. So here is why I'm a conservative.

I understand liberalism to be the idea that government should be used as a tool to do the greatest amount of good possible for those it serves. It is the instrument that can shape and define society to its fullest potential. I understand conservatism to be the idea that each person should be allowed the most freedom possible in order to shape their lives as they see fit. Standing alone, both are noble ideas, and both have merits and limits. No society can survive unless these ideas are balanced, and from time to time one will supersede the other. I choose conservatism for due to one word - freedom.

Freedom is a messy concept. Freedom has made America the greatest country in the history of our planet. Freedom has given us Thomas Edison, Bruce Springsteen, Ronald Reagan, Neil Armstrong, Babe Ruth, Billy Graham, Truman Capote, The Beach Boys, Bill Gates, and many others. But freedom has also allowed Ted Bundy, Richard Nixon, Roy Cohen, James Earl Ray, and Donnie and Marie. Freedom allows dreams to become reality, and despite its messiness, freedom holds open the gate of hope.

As usual, Mark Twain said it best.

"It is by the fortune of God that, in this country, we have three benefits: freedom of speech, freedom of thought, and the wisdom never to use either."

God's Man

My childhood pastor Ansell Baker died this weekend. He was a wonderful man, but his death brings back a lot of strange childhood memories.

Ansell had this incredible voice, and when you listened to him it seemed as though you were listening to God himself. He was also a very nice and compassionate man. As a kid he was always very kind, and his powerful voice could be equally as gentle. As a young adult being in his presence at the Kiwanis club around other men I found him to be tolerant, and pious, but not self righteous. As is often the case when a group of men get together, the humor is sometimes a bit raw to say the least, but Rev. Baker managed to stay above it without condemnation. In that respect he was a lot like MASH's Father Mulcahy.

However, I found much of his theology terrifying. All I remember of his preaching were his constant admonishing that the end was near, and his unceasing call for you to question your own salvation. I recall a study we did of Revelations, and it scared me so bad that to this day I have only read this book of the bible one other time. He often tied current events to the prophecies of the bible as evidence that those prophecies were being fulfilled and that Christ would soon return. I got to go to Egypt in 1977, and as a group of MIGs flew over the house in which I was staying, I thought God had waited until I was on hand to start Armageddon. I also recall Rev. Baker always asking at the end of the sermon if we were sure of are salvation, "Are you really sure", and I thought that if he wasn't sure then how could I be.

But most of all I think of how kind he was to my family. My Papaw thought the world of him even though he didn't go to his church, and he also was there when turmoil raised its head in our home. He was always kind, compassionate and loving, and I will always remember him most as simply a man of God.

Oh my God, I watched Nancy Grace!

This Paris Hilton thing has everybody going crazy. While I was at Buddy's with Gracie Woman for supper, I got to see a bit of the Sheriff Baca's explanation for his "transferring" Miss Hilton. Apparently overcrowding caused by 20,000 hardened, violent criminals (Yes, according to the sheriff, all 20,000 are dangerous) his only option to ease the burden was to release the one person in jail that had specific orders from the judge not to be transferred or released. Then the feed cut out, and I missed the rest.

After returning home and doing a few odd jobs I was looking for something to watch and began flipping around the old TV dial. Before I knew what hit me, I realized that I had stopped and been watching about 10 minutes of Nancy Grace! I hate Nancy Grace! I immediately got up and took a shower.

While we're on the Paris mass stupidity, I think the judge should have made two changes to his original order. He should have held Sheriff Baca and contempt, and made him serve the remainder of Miss Hilton's time. Sharing the cell with the sheriff should be Paris' mother for raising such a stupid, entitled, brat in the first place that she would believe herself to be above the law. The judge should then ban Paris from appearing on a red carpet, TV show, or any other public appearance for three years. In addition, should she be banned from posing for any photograph for the same period of time.

If nothing else, we would all get a rest from the Queen of the Vacuous.

The Power of Abject Humiliation

Now that Judge Michael T. Sauer has been made an ass of by an uneducated, shallow, bimbo, he is looking for someone's ass on a platter. It's amazing the motivation abject public humiliation provides.

Semi-Human Again!

My blood pressure is finally back to an almost normal range, and I'm as close to human as I've been in a week or two. I have found a tool I really like for tracking my blood pressure - bplog.com.

I've still got one Doctor's visit to go before being declared fully human.

208 / 136

My blood pressure is sky high! That's the main reason I haven't posted in so long. It really scared the crap out of me. It makes perfect sense. I'm 50 lbs over weight, I drink enough caffeine to make Juan Valdez say damn, and haven't exercised since the first Reagan administration, so that my blood pressure is out of whack is hardly news. Anyway, I haven't had any caffeine in over a week, I'm working really hard on cutting down on salt, and I've started on new meds. I've started to watch my diet, and I've gone so far as to actually THINK about exercising. If I last long enough to keep you updated I wi