god I love my team's front office

From Michael Silverman's article in the Boston Herald:

Has anyone else been wondering about the $51.11 million bid the Red Sox made – and now must pay the Seibu Lions — in order to gain exclusive negotiating rights with Daisuke Matsuzaka?We asked principal owner John Henry if there was anything behind that specific amount. We got an answer all right, a fascinating and totally unexpected one. Here’s his emailed response, in full:

“$51,111,111.11 actually.

“We assumed a few teams would try to blow all the other teams ‘out of the water.’ We didn’t know if that would represent 30, 40 or 50 million.

We also knew a couple of teams would have their eyes on luxury taxes as well (as) assuring themselves of six years of service. Therefore we estimated someone could potentially bid as much as $50,000,000 to assure success since they were doing so with no risk. And we thought that just to be sure they might decide to bid $51,000,000.

“We were not going to take any chances of losing Matsuzaka-san and were determined to top even that potential bid. And to ensure that our number could not be leaked, I was given the task of devising the final amount. (I thought (team president and CEO) Larry (Lucchino) was going to pass out when I told him the number as we were delivering it to MLB.)

“When we were attempting to purchase the Red Sox, I did not want my name thrown around in the media for quite some time. Therefore, all of the potential investors and bankers knew me only as “Investor 11.” We had extraordinarily good fortune in bidding for the team. In fact, at one point Mr. (Charles) Dolan had won the bidding before asking to purchase the entire club rather than the half that was originally for sale. We were lucky to win the bidding when the second bids were taken. So although I am decidedly not superstitious, I decided, for good luck, to throw in as many 11s as I could.
“I also felt good about another set of numbers. Matsuzaka-san and I were both born on the 13th of September.

That’s the story,

John”

a change of scenery?

So about midway through last semester I had an interesting experience in my Vibrations class...

That day we didn't even begin the lecture, which was supposed to cover single degree-of-freedom free, undamped vibation, but that's beside the point. Instead, Dr. Newman, for one reason or another, decided to enlighten us with the work he does over at the ERC(Engineering Research Center).

To make a long blog short, Dr. Newman divulged that he does TONS of research with respect to ballistic missles, missle defense, and satellite-based missle defense. Maybe it was the way Dr. Newman relayed this information, or maybe it was the fact that he's a very down-to-earth kind of demeanor, or maybe it was the fact that I was excited that we weren't having a lecture, but I was COMPLETELY captivated by what he had to say. I walked away from that class that day(which lasted an extra half hour, but we didn't care) very very interested in the field of missle defense and its applications.

As a side note, ever since John got a job with....er....uhm....the government in a defense capacity, I've kinda wanted to do the same thing. Before graduating high school, I considered majoring in mathematics, as our government is one of leading employers of mathematicians, especially in the Department of Defense. I then switched to aerospace engineering(astronautics), which turned out to be a great decision, but I realized that I probably wouldn't be able to work where my bro worked. Now, however, I may not work in the same place or have the same job as my brother, but I could be working towards the same goal as his.

After some research, I found a place where I might be able to intern AND get some experience in the missle defense field. The locale: Arnold Engineering Development Center, right outside Tullahoma, TN and adjacent to the University of Tennessee Space Institute. These guys do some COOL stuff, including aerodynamic testing of pretty much every military or civilian spacecraft/aircraft created by the ole' U.S. of A., lots of rocket(solid and liquid) propulsion testing, AND missle defense technology, mainly in the areas of detection and recognition. Add that to the fact this place is the world's largest collection of flight test facilities, and you have an engineer's dream at this place. Even cooler, they tested the upper-stage liquid rocket engine of the Saturn-V(the J-2 engine) back in the Apollo days! With our nation returning to the moon in 2020, Arnold could very well be doing some testing once again for our government, as NASA is using basically the same architecture for the booster vehicle this time around.

So there you go. The application process to Arnold requires my resume, a 500-word essay on some topic, and my transcript. Then they notify me after the February deadline if I've been selected for an interview. After the interview, they let me know a month or two later if I've been accepted into their intern prgoram. As you can imagine, I've been hard at work on updating my resume here at home, and I'll begin the essay soon I'm sure. I'm gonna need references too, so Tarik and Eric, be expecting an email from me soon!

I would LOVE to work there next summer. Not only will it be a change of scenery from Houston, but it'll give me a broader range of experience AND I'll be near Nashville, one of my favorite cities in the country. Of course there are other great benefits, but I'm sure you can figure those out.

I'll try to keep you all updated on the various stages of my application process.

Four Great Reasons to Drink Beer in 2007

My dad, now that he brews his own beer(a resounding applause can be heard), is part of the Brewers Association. He subscribes to their periodic newsletter, and this week's edition had this to say:

A brochure produced by the Breweres of Europe gives the following information about the health benefits of consuming alcohol in moderation for healthy adults...

#1) Drinking Beer is Good for Your Heart

There is compelling evidence that moderate beer drinkers have a substantially reduced risk of coronary heart disease, heart attack, when compared to teetotalers.

Additional evidence shows that moderate drinking may be protective against the most common form of strokes.

It is estimated that an intake of approximately three alcholic drinks a day should
reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by 24.7%( 1 drink = 8.5 U.S. liquid oz.)

Beer is as good as wine for protecting your heart. The American Heart Association has said that "there is no clear evidence that wine is more beneficial than other forms of alcoholic drink."

#2) Moderate Consumption of Beer Reduces the Riske of Type 2 Diabetes

Sudies show a reduced incidence of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in men and women who are moderate drinkers. Compared to non-drinkers, men who consume one to two beers a day have a 36% less risk of Type 2 Diabetes.

#3) Drinking Beer Reduces The Risk of Osteoporosis

Recent research shows that moderate beer drinking has a protective effect on bones, thus reducing the risk of osteoporosis.

#4) Beer Consumption Reduces the Risk of Kidney Stones

Daily consumption of beer is shown to reduce the risk of kidney stones by 40%

home for the holidays...and then some

Shouldn't come as a surprise, but I'm home now at the Ranch. Just some points to note...

I've begun painting the rest of the railings at the Center. Nothing like a few extra bucks to earn over break. Dad says he's already received numerous compliments on the railings that I did over Thanksgiving. Guess I'm doing ok with them.

My dogs are somehow 32 times cuter than they were last time I was home. Don't really know how that happened. I'm taking pics of them like crazy, and I really want a good pic taken of just me and them. I'll try to share some of those over break.

I should have a new laptop purchased within a few days. My current computer is on its last LCD days.

Due to a near-incident last night at 2:00 am over at the Center, I have decided (and Dad agrees) I should learn to shoot a gun. So over break Dad's gonna take me to a range around here and show me the ins and outs of packing heat with his Glock 9mm. I can't wait :)

I'm now reading(finally) my automotive handbook I bought several months ago. As I do, I'm going along in my jeep, seeing each piece and storing into memory what each thing does. Although not a natural-born auto mechanic, I'm really getting into this material. I do have some questions, and I'm sure John will be able to answer those when he gets here next week.

I'm totally redoing my resume, as I've had quite a few work stints since my last update. I'm revamping it for my potential job in Tennessee next summer. Where is it, you ask? I'll gladly inform you next time(seriously, I promise).

A Most Impressive Pitch

Well it's all but official: The Red Sox top brass(Epstein, Lucchino, Werner), after flying from Boston to L.A. in owner John Henry's private jet to a last minute bargaining session, have pretty much locked up Daisuke Matsuzaka for the next six years for a total of $52 million, with $8 million left for incentives. I've waited to write about Daisuke(pronounced "Dice-K") until it was almost certain that we'd get him, and well, we pretty much got him.

Rather than splurge and write about 28 paragraphs on the guy right now, I'll be writing plenty about him leading up to Spring Training in March. Needless to say, I'm absolutely STOKED about getting Dice-K. We now have an unbelievable starting rotation, one that is anchored by two veterans(Schilling and Wakefield) and filled in the middle by THREE 26-year old hard throwing studs(Papelbon, Matsuzaka, and Beckett). Also, should Wake not have a stellar year due to his rib injury again, Jon Lester will be wating in the wings. Lester disclosed recently that his cancer is in complete regression, and he will be joining the crew at Spring Training. To add even more intrigue, word has it the Sox have given Clemens a "most impressive" pitch in regards to pitching for them in 2007. Whether this was just a precautionary measure had the Sox not signed Matsuzaka, or whether it was the plan all along, remains to be seen. Either way, it's times like this that it's exciting to be a Sox fan.

"Let's Daaaaaaance!!!"

...because I am DONE with Finals this semester. Definitely the hardest set of exams I've had since I've been in college. Now it's a waiting game to see if I kept the 4.0. But first, I'm going to sleep for a very, very, very long time. I'm out.

LCDead

As if the internal clock of my computer told it that the warranty was no longer in effect(ended two months ago), my laptop's LCD screen is on the verge of dying any day now.

The first symptoms appeared over Thanksgiving break when I booted up my comp to load some pictures. I was greeted by my desktop in very retro(and psychedelic) colors. Upon further investigation of online documentation, I realized that my screen was dying, as some of the liquid crystals weren't allowing some light to pass through, thus giving off a very tinted look.

I woke up this morning to prepare a little more for my Aerothermodynamics test, and as you might expect, I opened my computer and the screen had gotten worse. It's even difficult to stare at the screen for extended periods of time now. I've adjusted the colors to where everything is pretty much blue; I had to choose this setting because it's the only one that would allow me to see text. This WOULD happen right before a test that required the use of my computer. Thankfully, it battled through, and I made it through the test just fine.

So now the quest is on to look for a new laptop. Just like they've always done, my brothers have my back. They're doing their best to find me the best deal out there. I'm also looking myself, hoping to spot a steal. I'll probably have to do monthly installments until next summer, at which point I'll just pay the rest of the balance because I will be working.

Yup, working. Except I hope to not be co-oping next summer; rather, I hope to be interning. And it will NOT be at NASA. Where I am aiming to land in summer of 2007? ................Ah, you'll just have to tune in next time to find out :)

A Slight Facelift

Welcome back everyone...err...welcome back myself.

Yeh, I've been gone way too long. Longer than any time before. So if you all but gave up on my blog, I don't blame you. Who should you blame? Mississippi State University. Yup, that's right. They've been working my ass to death the past 2 months, but finally, FINALLY, I have procured some time off from school.

It's the Thanksgiving holidays, so that means I'm at home. As of now, I am the active siblings leader in my family in the category of consecutive Thanksgivings attended(about to be #22), so very few things were going to tear me away from returning to the Ranch for a few days in late November.

You would think I'd have all kinds of free time over break, but that is sadly far frome the truth. Next week I have a Vibrations exam, a Aerothermodynamics exam, a Vibrations project due, an Orbital Mechanics project due, and some Aerothermo homework due. Then the week after that I have FINALS. Add that to the fact that I'll be working right around 8 hours a day here starting tomorrow, and you realize that I'll be working during the day and studying during the night. I'm not really complaining, though. I'm making money while getting a fresh venue in which to enrich my brain with subjects that really do interest me.

It will not be all work, of course. You know me better than that. Dad's good friend from St. Andrews(Class of '64, right Dad?), Tim Mucklow, just arrived this evening, and my brother John will be flying in tomorrow night. Four Hornes and a friend of Horne is usually a recipe for some fun times.

Well that's about it. Just thought I'd let everyone know I'm still alive. Oh yeh, how do you like the new style of my blog? Yay, nay, indifferent? I'd really like to know what ya think. So shoot me a comment if you want.

I really do have so much to talk about, so hopefully I'll be able to post about it this week and the next and the next and so on. Topics to be covered include, but are not limited to:

-a recent list I have growing that lists the reasons I love baseball
-the Red Sox offseason dramas(Matsuzaka, Manny, bullpen help, right field, etc.)
-recent developments regarding my Summer 2007 work plans
-Nintendo's sexy new console, the Wii
-Michael Richards' idiocy
-New Year's plans
-my newest infatuation: bartending and drink making
-movie reviews and previews of films coming soon that have caught my eye

that's about it. Tune in later this week. I might even throw in a pic from the Ranch(which, by the way, looks absolutely beautiful this time of year).

Sox are everywhere

today was very Red Sox oriented.

to start, I wore my Papelbon jersey-shirt today for the mere fact of pronouncing to all the Yankee fans on campus that I'm saying "HAHAHAHAHA" to them. There's this one particular NY fan in all of my engineering classes who is always sporting something Yankee related. He either has his battered NY hat, his Yankeet watch, or some shirt that says "Jeter XXL"(don't really get that one) or has a player-jersey on hit(usually Posada). Anyhow, this guy just looks the part of a typical Yankee fan, and while I have never conversed with him, I'm rather certain he's annoying. The great thing about all of this is that I usually sit RIGHT in front of this guy in my classes(by no choice of mine; I usually get there before he does), so wearing my Sox shirt today was the perfect ploy. I hope he got a good, loooooong look at it.

on my way out of the library today I saw this chick with a #58 Papelbon jersey-shirt on. She has the alternate home jersey, so it's red with blue lettering, while mine is blue with red lettering. It's kinda sad that I'm not the only one with that jersey on campus anymore :(, haha.

and finally, after my Structures test this evening, I was leaving the room when Dr. Lacy(who is quite possibly the nicest man in this universe) pulled me aside to question me about if I had ever seen the Sportscenter commercial with the Red Sox fan in the bathroom. I told him I had, and that I wore my shirt today just for *that* guy up there(I pointed the Yankee out). As if Dr. Lacy couldn't get any cooler, now I learn that this guy watches ESPN. I wonder if he likes baseball...hmmm.

well, back to Thermodynamics and Monday Night Football...

from NASA to groundskeeping

Today was Day #1 of the 89th NHL season. It's pretty exciting. Unfortunately, my Avs couldn't hold their 2-0 lead the whole game, and they allowed 2 unanswered goals in the 3rd, as well as the game-winner in OT off an assist by Turco. Eyugh. I'm just glad hockey is back; every other weekend or so I'll get to watch some games on NBC. Also, if things go as planned, I will be watching Joe Sakic and Company on New Year's Day in Nashville play against the hometown Predators.

Baseball playoffs keep rolling along. The Twins are disappointing, while the Tigers are just a sacrificial lamb for the Yankees. It appears the A's are going to be my best hope to get the Yanks knocked out of October.

Today I was finally able to get things done that needed to be done. I got my Target e-giftcard problems worked out, so now my 2 GB SD card for my camera is on its way :). Thanks again for my birthday present, Mom and Dad!! Oh, and since someone was obviously trying to swindle me on Half.com(where I ordered 2 of my textbooks for cheap), I filed my claims on my two books. It takes 30 days for them to resolve it, so I should get a refund by then. I've already been using books from my friends, and although they aren't the exact same textbooks, they are more than adequate. It'll just be a little more change in the pocket when I get my money back :)

Speaking of pocket money, I'm going home this weekend, and I may very well be going home the next two weekends as well. I offered my services to Dad and the Gray Center, and he informed me that there was plenty work to be done. So the plan is just to work as many hours as possible this weekend and get some extra money in the pocket. I've got alot of events coming up(well into next semester), so more money couldn't hurt. I'm also planning on working over Christmas break at the Center. Basically, my weekend will involve physical labor, eating, and sleeping. That sounds bad, but it will be great to be continually working on something and not have to think about school, baseball, or much else.

Another plus this weekend will be that John and his dog Tyrone are coming home. John is dropping off Tyrone to Mom, so she can take care of him while John is off on some super secret spy mission somewhere on the other side of the planet(he's really just going to New Zealand, but I like to think he's a super-spy). Not only will I get to see my dogs, I'll get an extra treat with Tyrone!! (And I get to see my brother, of course, haha)

Just watch...this weekend be the weekend we upset West Virginia while I'm at home. Twenty bucks says it happens, haha.

Trevor and I went to Chattanooga for Fall Break this past weekend. We had such an awesome time. Thursday night was half-priced wine night at this local cafe, Friday night was guys' night at this bar with around 200 beers, and Saturday night we partied it up at Mal's then headed over to Parkway Billiards(which I absolutely love now). I wanted to eat brunch with Ann at some point, but she was never able to take a break out of her demanding schedule at the Magazine. The entire weekend included great food and great fun with pretty much the entire Spring Break crew. I also got to see Mal kick some ass on the soccer fields in a mini-tournament at UTC. I swear that girl has gotten even faster, if that's even possible. She had several scoring oppurtunities but was just unlucky on the bounces. Once again, I assumed the role of Mr. Photographer during the games, haha. I think I like that job.

Speaking of Mal and soccer, the girls have a soccer game at Vandy the last Saturday in October. I was thinking about heading up there on that Friday, maybe spending the night with Paul in Cookeville(or Lebanon), eating lunch with Andrea in Nashville, then heading to the game. It's almost like my Red Roadies days back in my senior year of high school, haha.

Lamenting 2006, but looking forward to 2007

Well this past Saturday the Sox were officially eliminated from playoff contention. Not that I couldn't see it coming, but as a dedicated fan, you never like to think about it. Plus, considering what happened in 2004, I refuse to ever believe that anything is impossible.

So now in the AL we'll have the A's, Tigers, Twins, and Yankees. In the NL we'll have the Mets, Cardinals, and the Dodgers/Phillies/Padres(pick two). I really do not think it'll matter who gets to the World Series from the NL; the AL is going to steamroll over their opponent in the big dance. All I hope is that the Yankees do not win it all; if they do, then my baseball life will be miserable(not that it wouldn't be anyway since we're out of the postseason). So I'm basically going for 7 teams this October, haha.

Even though the Sox aren't going anywhere after September, there are still reasons to keep up with them. David Murphy and Dustin Pedrioa are getting their feet wet in the bigs, and they have shown vast improvements since being call-ups earlier in the month. Dustin will be our future 2nd baseman, and David could be the second coming of Gabe Kapler. David Ortiz is obliterating all kinds of AL homerun records each night, and if he doesn't get a SHIT load of votes for MVP, I'll be disappointed. Even so, I'm pretty sure all the lame-ass AP voters will go with Jeter because he is the most overrated player in MLB history. Everyone is ALWAYS up his ass; it's sickening. If Papelbon had not been shut down for the season as a preventative measure, we'd be witnessing his setting the all-time mark for saves by a rookie. Also, this last week we'll get one more look at Beckett, who has clearly become adjusted to the AL, although it took almost an entire season. It's no longer scary to watch him pitch now; in fact, it's down right exciting. I can't wait to see him next year.

"Next year".wow, it sounds so weird to already be talking about it. But since we were eliminated, we are allowed to look that far ahead. I have some thoughts and predictions for next season, and I'll share some of them now, as I need a forum...

2007 Red Sox Regular Season Predictions

-Despite my objection, Papelbon will be sent to the starting rotation next year. Words really can't describe how awesome Paps was for us this year. With an ERA of 0.92, he was "lights out" in every sense of the word. Papelbon, however, was a starter in AA-Portland, and he was originally bred to be a starter for the Sox, not a closer. Plus, with a spot in the rotation, his appearances will be more predictable, instead of the sporadic nature of relief pitching. This gives him 4-5 days to rest his arm, putting him in a better position for his body to heal.

-Beckett will regain his 2003 postseason form in 2007. You can already tell he has "figured out" the AL with his last 3 starts. He has a blazing 4-seam fastball, a 2-seamer that flies all around the plate, the most wicked curveball of all power pitchers out there, and a split-finger fastball that is being taught to him by the guy with the best split-finger fastball in the bigs: Curt Schilling. Josh Beckett WILL win 20 games next season.

-Curt Schilling, in his final MLB season, will the anchor of our rotation in 2007. He showed great resilience from his injury-riddled 2005 season this year, and there's no reason to believe he will be any different. Schiller will ring up 260 strikeouts next season.

-The starting rotation will(at the season's outset) be Schilling/Beckett/Papelbon/Wakefield/#5. That #5 spot could depend on moves the Sox make. I predict Beckett and Papelbon will the most electrifying combo in the bigs next year, even more so than the Santana/Liriano duo.

-To be honest, I'm not sure if Manny will return next year. Gordan Edes of Boston.com also thinks so. I really can't believe Manny. He's been benched for the past 2-3 weeks due to his knee problems and his not wanting to play for fear of further injuring it. YET, he has the audacity to STILL prompt his agent to ask the Sox to trade him. WTF!? Manny is such a great player that it hurts just to think about his not being with the team. At the very least, he makes Papi a better hitter, protecting him in the lineup with a potent bat behind him. Buster Olney says there will be many buyers looking for power hitters in the offseason, so who knows what can happen. Sox fans, however depressing the thought of a lineup without Manny might be, must realize that what the Sox get in return WILL be rather awesome. Be it a pitcher, batter, or Anti-Yankee spray, it'll be something good(see next note). Granted, you can't truly replace Manny, but the Sox can(and most assuredly, WILL) put someone in that 4-spot that is a winner, a hustler, and NOT someone that's going to quit when his team isn't playing .800 ball.

-So to whom could we deal Manny? Who would pick up that deferred money? Who could we get in return? All of these are great questions, but I have a bold prediction that you may or may not like: The Houston Astros. Yeh, THOSE guys. Everyone and their momma knows that the Astros need offense, and if Papelbon goes to the rotation, we're gonna need a guy closing the door at the end of the game. Solution: Manny for Lidge. Yeh, that seems like a slim deal on our part, but I'm certain other teams would be involved with this trade (a la Nomar 2004), and we'd get even more than just Lidge. Lidge has been un-Lidge like this year, especially after Pujols cranked one off of him from Houston to San Antonio during the 2005 NLCS. But the kid is GOOD, really good. He's got the meanest slider since Randy Johnson circa 1997. Again, like Beckett, the NL-to-AL conversion could be tough for a pitcher, but Lidge is the best option out there for a closer. He's a proven guy, and he's just getting into his prime. Now don't send me hate emails cuz I'm bashing Manny; I'm not. He's a great ballplayer, he's great for the game, and he's great for our team(and our MVP). I just get kinda worn out from all his "Manny episodes" and trade requests. It's almost like an annual event to hear about Manny and trade rumors. I want the guy to stay, but not if he's going to quit on us.

-Sadly, I think the Sox will move Trot in the offseason. We just have a surplus of outfielders wanting more play time, and considering Trot's age and tendency to get injured, the Sox could use him in a trade to bring in some fresh guys.

-David Ortiz will be the unanimous vote for 2007 AL MVP. He'll stroke 60 HRs(6 of which will be walk-offs) and drive in 180 RBI. (*this is all assuming he has someone to protect him in the lineup)

-There have been lots of rumblings regardign Coco Crisp next season. Personally, I think they should give him another year to prove himself. He had a MONSTER spring training, and he was off to a fast start before he broke his finger stealing 3rd in Baltimore early in the season. He just wasn't the same after that, although he got his numbers back to "Coco-esque" figures. He made some of the best plays this season, but he also made some real blunders(the one that comes to mind is the attempt to rob a homer in Seattle over the wall......he was about 7 feet to the left of where the ball actually landed. The result? Inside-the-park homerun. Yikes). I love Coco, though, and although he doesn't have a cannon in the outfield, he can cover serious ground, and when he's healthy, he's a great leadoff man and baserunner. However, should the Sox move him, there have also been whispers of bringing Andruw Jones to Boston. Now how badass would that be? I'd be willing to bet that the Braves could be that "other" team involved in Astros-Red Sox deal.

-The Sox will win 100 games next year

-Now for a prediction that really isn't that far fetched: Come June 21, 2007, the Red Sox will have added one more pitcher to their rotation: Roger Clemens. Roger will do the same half-season deal he did with the Astros this year, except this time he will be going to the right team, and one that will give him plenty of run support. It's no secret that Roger lamented over his decision to go with the Astros this year; he regretted not choosing the Red Sox. There is no better way to end his career than where it started. Can you imagine the atmosphere the first Roger pitches for the Red Sox at Fenway?! Holy crap. What about when he pitches against the Yankees!? It'g going to be awesome: Schilling-Beckett-Clemens-Papelbon-Wakefield. Daaaaaaamn.

-And finally, in 2007 the Red Sox will win their first AL East title in 12 years

Musings

A blog? What is that?

That's how I feel since I haven't posted in such an extended time. It's been so long that there is just TOO much to talk about. Let's see...

School has been taking up most of my time. My classes are freakin' awesome, but at the same time they are sure to be very difficult. My teachers are quite possibly the most diverse I have had to date in my college tenure. Let me attempt to paint you a picture:

My Aircraft Structures professor is a cross between Christopher Lloyd and Raul Julia.

My Aerothermodynamics teacher is Mr. Bean, yet he is Italian. His most used phrase: "Duz zis make zense to youz guyz?"

My Vibrations teacher is definitely the coolest teacher I have had yet in college. He's about 38, but he acts like a frat boy. Normally, I'm not a fan of the typical fraternity guy, but my teacher pulls it off. He's also hilarious. And on a daily basis he seems to relate classwork to alcohol somehow. For example, today we were talking about damping vibrations as well as hydraulics and they way fluids move in and out of shafts. He made an analogy(and diagram!) of how beer flows out of a keg. Brilliant.

My Electrical Engineering Systems teacher is Bob Hoskins, but with an Indian accent and complexion.

Finally, my Orbital Mechanics professor is a cross between the woman from Fried Green Tomatoes and the mom from That 70's Show.

As far as the actual classes are going, so far so good. Structures and Aerothermo will definitely be my most difficult courses. I hate circuits, but I can do them with my eyes closed, so EE Systems shouldn't be bad. Vibrations is a completely new subject matter to me, but it fascinates me, and I love the applications, so that should be an A. Orbital Mechanics is already my favorite class. I'm getting to apply stuff I learned at work to course material, bringing me way ahead of everyone else. We even got this software,called Satellite Tool Kit(STK),put onto our computers. Yeh, that baby is $80,000 right there. You read it correctly. It's pretty much Mission Control Houston...but on my laptop.

Speaking of NASA...

Atlantis is heading BACK to the Launch Complex 39B after getting halfway back to the VAB. It seems Ernesto shifted its course just enough to make the big wigs at KSC think it was safe. Hopefully we'll launch within a week(we kinda HAVE to, but that's another story).

Tarik(my mentor back at JSC) has really inspired me to get into drink making. I bought a bar set(shaker, double jigger, fruit peeler, ice tongs, and a wine/bottle opener) last week, and I got right into it. The first thing I made was a classic mojito, but I didn't shake it well enough the first time. The next night, I tried again, but this time shaking thoroughly; the results were much better this time around. My mojitos were a hit with everyone at Dan's. I now have a "signature" drink to make people, haha.

I just returned from the store, and I now have the ingredients to make true Caribbean Rum Punch from Tarik's heavily protected recipe. I had to basically beg and plea to get it out of him last semester, but I got it alright. I had some of the punch at Tarik's last Doorstep Happy Hour at his warehouse, and it was SO good, yet freakin' potent as anything. My advice: sip this stuff slowly, or you will get verrrrrrrry inebriated verrrrrrry fast. With that said(haha), we're making a batch of it tomorrow for the first time, just in time for MSU's first football game here against South Carolina.

I love college football atmosphere, and I can't wait to see the crowds of people here tailgating tonight. There's a pre-game shindig somewhere near campus that I think we are going to attend. The game is on ESPN, so if you are near a television, tune in and you may see me :). Due to the time of the game, classes after 12:30 tomorrow are cancelled. It just so happens that my first class is at 12:30, so that means FREE day for me tomorrow. Definitely looking forward to it.

Meanwhile, on the diamond I'm not as happy. The Sox have had the most serious onslaught of illnesses and injuries that I have ever seen on one team. It's frustrating, for sure, but it was just learned today that Jon Lester(sent back to Boston a few days ago after being put on the DL) is being tested for cancer. A promising young player, no one wants to hear this news about him. Even with all of the on-field shortcomings, this really puts things into perspective. We're all hoping Lester turns out to be fine.

Now, the Sox are by no means out of the playoff race, but with 2/3rds of the lineup gone or injured, it's hard to do anything to be competitive. Things could definitely start to turn once players start coming back this week and next. Some great things to look forward to: Papelbon setting the record for most saves by a rookie, Papi destroying the previous record for HR's in a season by Foxx(50), and the Sox making the fewest errors ever in a baseball season.

I should stop talking about the Sox...it'll only make me more depressed, haha.

The apartment looks great. I've begun putting up all the posters up on my wall, and I am ordering a few more, except they are sports posters. One poster I am hoping to get is the frame-by-frame shot of Carlton Fisk as he is "motioning" his hit ball to stay fair during the final inning of Game 6 of the 1975 World Series. It's a SWEET poster, and it will look superb on my wall.

Well it's late, but to be honest, I'm not tired at all. Surely there's a good movie on or something. Anyways, I'm done. The weather forecast is looking great for tomorrow; I'm ready to watch Steve Spurrier once AGAIN not win at Davis-Wade Stadium.

go dawgs. go sox.

The Boston Massacre, 2006 Edition

1770. 1978. And now 2006.

I can barely think about this right now, let alone type about it, but I'm going to try.

The Sox are hurtin'. We just dropped FIVE games in a row to the Yankees, and we now sit 6.5 games behind them in the AL East standings. I watched all the games but the one on Friday night, and I followed that game online. For the first 3 games our starting pitching was way below average, but not completely horrible. Our bullpen is what did us in during those games. Then Schiller took the mound on Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN, and he was exactly what he paid him to be. Unfortunately, Terry Francona opted NOT to use Papelbon for what was clearly the perfect time for a 2-inning save(Papelbon had 4 days rest, so he was ready to go); instead, he brought in journeyman Mike Timlin and lefty-specialist Javier Vasquez(just recalled), who got the bases loaded with Giambi at the plate. NOW Papelbon came in. *sigh*. Papelbon got through the inning with the lead intact, and he had 2 outs with a man on 2nd in the 9th inning, but Derek Jeter blooped one into right field, bringing the game even. Giambi rocked a 3-run homer off Hansen in the 10th inning, and the rest was history. Today David Wells again went deep into the game, but our offense decided not to show up, and we lost 2-1. Of course, having Ramirez out with a hamstring cramp wasn't going to help, either.

So that's where we stand now. It was announced today that Alex Gonzalez has an oblique strain, which was the same injury that kept Albert Pujols out for a couple of weeks earlier in the season. That sucks. But assuming that his injury isn't that bad as Pujols' was, and considering Manny is only day-to-day, here's what's going to be happening in the coming weeks:

Here's our rotation right now: Schilling, Wells, Beckett, Lester, and _______. Wells has shown resurgence, and he deserves that #2 spot right now. And yes, I left that last one open on purpose, but it's probably Snyder. Wakefield is set to return in about a week, so that places him in that 3/4 spot, meaning we can move Snyder back into bullpen, where we need him.

Speaking of bullpen, ours IS good, but I have to believe their collapse over the past 5 days has been due to the absence of our captain behind the plate, Jason Varitek. Varitek is THE play/pitch caller of the MLB; no one does it better. The pitchers feel confident with him sitting 60 ft, 6 in. away, and it cannot be a coincidence that they look like little league pitchers with Javy Lopez and Mirabelli calling the pitchers. Varitek is a few weeks away from returning, maybe earlier. After Wakefield gets back, and before Varitek returns, Trot Nixon will come back off the disabled list. Now, that might not be a problem, as rosters expand after September 1st. We already have a great bench, and with Nixon back, we can rest guys while also remaining very competitive. And resting will be HUGE the next month or so, as we are not getting many days off.

Offense wise, we're just fine. Like I said earlier, as long as Manny doesn't decline(again, he's only day-to-day, could be worse), we're gonna be golden. We have the Greek God of Walks(Youkilis), the most feared 3-4 combo in the majors(Ortiz and Manny), and some up-and-coming bats of the likes of Wily Mo Pena and Hinske. Pena has been absolutely CRUSHING the ball, and he could very well end up being our #5 hitter down the stretch.

Defensively, there's no question. We're the best in the business. We could very well end up with 2 gold glove winners(Lowell and Gonzalez).

Over the next couple of series, both the Sox and the Yankees have tough road trips to the west coast, while also playing difficult series at home. Then both teams play Kansas City and Baltimore before meeting up again in the Bronx for the final showdown.

It's evident that this AL Wild Card/East is nowhere close to being over. I didn't give up on October 16th two years ago, and I sure as hell am not going to give up this year. We're in a bind, that's for sure, but we're far from the dire circumstances of the ALCS in 2004. We've got great picthers, but they aren't pitching great. We've got the bats. We've got the gloves. If losing 5 games in a row to the Yankees and falling to almost 7 games back lets us fly under the radar, fine by me. Watch out for the Red Sox these last 40 games folks; it'd be a mistake to write them off.

It's Isle Over

Long time, no blog, I know. But I have returned from a successful journey that took me from Houston to Canton to Paris to Atlanta to Charleston to Atlanta to Paris to Starkville. All within about a 10 day span. So I'm slightly tired, but I am here in Starkvegas at last, and I'm trying to get settled.

The week at the Isle of Palms was fantastic. There was so much good food that was eaten, from steaks to shrimp to lamb chops. In the beverage department there was no holding back, as you'd expect from the Horne clan. TONS of great beer and pa-lenty of wine(provided by Caro, of course) were consumed during the 7-day stay. Pretty much every day we went to the beach for the afternoon, where a Bocce game was always going, a projectile of some sort(football, disc, etc.) was flying, and photo opps were abound. The only departure from this routine was Wednesday, when Mallory and I made a journey up to Wilmington, NC. Why did we go? I suggest you go here to find out.

So without further ado, here are some pics!(some of these were taken with a disposable, so forgive the quality)

Mallory was so happy to be at the beach that she just couldn't hide it...

...neither could I.

I thought I was showing Mal how to play Bocce like a pro...

...until she displayed the fact that she was the Bocce Rookie of the Year in 2005.

Mal and I just felt like running......into the ocean.

My attempt at modeling...

...as well as Mallory's.

Finally, a cheesin' in the water.

Year of the Movie

I've already deemed 2007 as "The Year of the Movie." Well, at least for geeks like me. See if you can follow me around the room:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
March 30th, 2007
Trailer
Why it will rock: It's all in CG. That pretty much makes it better than that abomination known as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III.

Spider-Man 3
May 4th, 2007
TrailerWhy it will rock: the appearance of Venom in the storyline, as well as Sandman and the Green Goblin(2). Can you say "awesome battle sequences"?

Transformers
July 4th, 2007
Trailer
Why it will rock: just announced mere minutes ago that Peter Cullen will be reprising his role as the voice of series mainstay Optimus Prime. BADASS.

Pirates of Caribbean 3(subtitle pending)
Summer 2007
Why it will rock: Keith Richards will portray Captain Jack's father. That alone is worth the price of admission.

Prince of Persia
TBA 2007
Why it will rock: one of my favorite game franchises of all time is being brought to the big screen via Jerry Bruckheimer. This game's story is perfect for a movie, and I can't wait. Go get 'em Jerry.

"Not because it is easy, but because it is hard."

Just as Project Apollo took men to the moon in the 60's and 70's, so will Project Orion. It's been leaked that Orion will be the name of the next project of the United States' manned space program, as well as the name of the vehicle that will take them there, the Crew Exploration Vehicle. This is similar to the naming conventions used in America's first manned-moon missions.

Project Orion. You gotta admit that it sounds cool.

You read it here first, folks.

Doorstep Happy Hour

Tarik and Seth hosted their montly party this past Friday. They have a sweet setup in this warehouse in downtown Houston. They've completely redone the place to be more of a loft apartment/bachelor's pad. Thought I'd share a few of the pics...

A view from the balcony...that's right, balcony. This is the kind of place Trevor and I need during our college years. It's perfect for this kind of stuff...

Turntables were provided. I had to resist the urge.

A lower-level shot. It's kinda blurry, but com'on, it was around 2:00am at this point. (Not really sure what those two dudes are doing on the left side of the screen)

Yes, they also have a firepole to slide down. How cool is that?

Bubbles and foam also made an appearance in the evening(they go all out), but for fear of my new shiny camera, I didn't take any shots.

Officially excited...

Our crib for the week at the Isle of Palms................awesome.

When the Mission Ends, the Party Begins

Well the mission is coming to a close; Discovery is set to undock tomorrow early morning sometime. The NASA folks love excuses to party, and tonight is no exception. After the Orbit 3 shift(which ends around 1:00am), everyone is heading to the Saturn V building(it holds the Saturn V vehicle that was too be used for Apollo 18) to start the celebrations early, and I think I'm going to join them. Should be a good time. Maybe I'll be able to get some good pictures......oh yeh, I forgot....my NEW CAMERA came in!

I obviously can't take a pic of it without using a mirror(that'd be kinda lame), so just go HERE to check it out. This little baby is AWESOME. It's light, it's small, and it has tons of features. Oh, and takes pretty swell pictures as well. It can do all sorts of neato stuff. For example, click HERE to go to a picture I took today(it may take a few seconds to load; it's kinda big) at work; I call it the "drill field" of Johnson Space Center, in reference to my school. Click on it to zoom in and really get a good close up loook. No, I don't have a wide-angle lens on my camera; rather, my camera has a "stitch" mode. I just take pictures across the horizon, and the software on the computer knows what goes where, and it connects the images. Pretty sweet, eh?

I've been taking pictures of everything lately, but I wont really get to have fun until my 2GB SD card comes in next week. At that point, I'll be able to shoot movies and play around with the "burst" mode, which I have already dabbled in slightly(and it ROCKS!!)

Tomorrow will continue the celebration of the end of the Station assembly mission. Technically, yes, I know that the mission won't "officially" end until wheels stop on Discovery when she lands at KSC Monday morning. But after undocking tomorrow morning, the Station folks are DONE, so there is definitely cause to celebrate. Eric and I have rounded up a crew, and we are all set to play some 2v2 beach volleyball around noon tomorrow. Afterwards, we'll prolly head to Eric's pool to relax and chill. Then that night, we're all heading to Rice Village, where there is supposed to be an awesome nightlife on the weekends. It also happens to be yet another great oppurtunity for us to celebrate the end of the mission.

Sox got OWNED tonight. Eyugh. Probably one of the worst pitched games by the Sox(starter and relief pitchers) I have ever seen. It makes me sick. Yanks are now only 1.5 games back.

Conan on NASA

Here's the mission patch from the current shuttle mission, STS-121. Take a good, long look at it. It depicts the space shuttle in it's docking configuration on the halfway-completed International Space Station. The long horizontal piece at the top of the ISS/Shuttle stack is the P6 solar array, and the second longest horizontal piece below it is the truss segment of the Station. All of that is overlayed on the yellow astronaut symobl of the the star and 3 lines...

And here is what Conan O'brien said about the patch the other night on his show:

"It looks like the space shuttle is having sex with a helicopter...and it's all happening under the birth of baby Jesus..."

hahahahahahaha. Brilliant.... just brilliant.

Ok, now for something VERY VERY cool. If you have a minute(or about 8) please please please check out these links:

Right-Aft SRB sep video
Right-Forward SRB sep video

I think you need a version of Windows Media Player to view it. They're videos of the right aft and forward solid rocket booster cameras, all the way from launch to splashdown. Yeh, you read that right. It's the entire video of the launch, from main engine ignition to the moment the SRBs fall into the ocean. It's neat because you see the flight LEAVE the atmosphere then RE-ENTER the atmosphere. Even if you have no interest whatsoever in engineering or space, watch the video. It is fuckin' awesome.

NOTE: If you want to see the shuttle/tank at separation, watch the FIRST video. If you want to see the ocean get closer and closer and closer until splashdown, watch the SECOND video. Or just watch both videos if you're feeling it.

Co-op's Log...Flight Day 4

Just thought I'd give you all an unofficial status update of things up in orbit. The Station and Shuttle are doing just fine. Docking went smoothly, we added another crewman to the ISS(first 3-man crew since 2003), unbirthed the MPLM(Multi-Purpose Logistics Module) and attached it to Node-2, and things are set for the first EVA tomorrow. All looks good.

The highlight of tonight's Orbit 3 shift(my shift) was the passing of the ISS directly overhead Houston around 9:45pm CST. Almost the entire ISS and Shuttle flight control teams left Building 30 and congregated outside to watch the passover. It was pretty cool; nothing I hadn't seen before, but it's still cool. The station/shuttle were amazingly bright and very easy to spot. The station/shuttle stack passed right over MCC, and it one frame you could see both the streaking star(the shuttle and station) and the illuminated American flag protuding prominently atop MCC. I wish I had a camera, as it was a VERY good shot.

And one more thing...I now have a new favorite astronaut(not that I had one to begin with). And as it turns out, she's actually one of the ones that went up on Discovery a few days ago: Stephanie Wilson. Why do I like her? See below:

Notice the cap she is wearing while taking a ride in the Space Shuttle motion simulator.

And another shot of her in the Lab mockup in Building 9, just to reinforce the point(she's from Massachusetts, by the way).

Well it's late here. Too late. Around 3:30. I'm worn out and headed to bed.

"And the Rockets' Red Glare"

A job well done to the Launch Control Team at KSC, as well as to the Ascent Team at JSC. Some slight issues arose, such as minor foam pieces and a mysterious ice object which was originally thought to be a thermal blanket, but nothing seems to be critical. All seems well with Discovery and her crew, so it's time to go to work. Hopefully I'll have some entertaining and/or great pictures for ya from my 2 weeks of mission support. I'll use my new camera for the pics...when it gets here :).

Tank You...Tank You Very Much

Congratulations are in order for David Ortiz, Mark Loretta, Manny Ramirez, and my boy Jonathan Papelbon. They were chosen by the fans(except Papelbon; he was chosen by Ozzie Guillen, the AL manager) to represent Boston in the 77th All-Star game in Pittsburgh next week. Despite the great showing of Red Sox on the AL squad, I can't help but feel like we were snubbed. No Curt Schilling or Josh Beckett on the team!?! Com'on now, Ozzie. I have heard that Francona has talked to Guillen recently in hopes of convincing him that Schiller belongs on the team. Sticking with the All-Star theme, David Ortiz has elected to participate in the homerun derby the day before the mid-summer classic. I hope he tears the cover off the ball.

Slight scare today in the space world. During a checkout of Discover and her related parts last night, a piece of foam fell from a support strut on the External Tank(ET). Here's a high-res shot of the missing area:

That light area is the part of the foam that fell off. To give you an idea of scale, that area of foam loss was about 4 inches wide.

The Mission Management Team(MMT) met twice today, and thanks to some clever engineering they were able to examine the foam loss area without actually crushing the foam or having to bring in an external platform, which would have added another day to the launch. After much review, it was determine that the foam less presented now aerothermo problems, no ice threat, and it didn't shear surrounding foam. In short, Discover is GO for launch tomorrow at 1:38pm CST. Should be exciting, as the weather presents only a 40% chance of delaying the launch tomorrow, according to the weather military dudes over at the cape.

My body is wondering what the HELL I think I'm doing. I sleep shifted last weekend in preparation for the mission. Then we were delayed, and I had to shift back for work this week. Now that there's a good chance to launch tomorrow, I'm having to shift AGAIN tonight. That means staying up until 4:00am after being up at 7:00am this morning for work and getting only about an hour of sleep after work. Eyugh.

Richard has had a tough week this week: England gets ousted from the World Cup in the quarters, Beckham resigns his captaincy, his boy Agassi is defeated at Wimbledon at the hands of phenom capri-wearing Rafael Nadal, Ben Wallace is leaving the Pistons for Chicago, and today he found out that Steve Yzerman is retiring from the NHL. If you don't know who Steve Yzerman is, SHAME ON YOU. To give you an idea of this guy's affect on hockey the past 20+ years, go HERE. Everyone say a private prayer for Richard, haha. I'm sure I'll feel the same when Joe Sakic(who is also #19) retires one day.

One more thing: Sharapova advanced past the 4th round at Wimbledon today :)

Another one-more-thing: Jose Canseco is a fuckin' idiot. And he can't throw a knuckleball worth crap.

There. I'm done.

The Curtain Call...

is used WAY too much by the New York Yankees. They have pretty much erased the effect the Curtain Call has. It means nothing now, because of them. Just watch a Yankee game the next oppurtunity you get. You will notice that it is WAY overdone. Chill out New York...we have monster home runs, clutch hits, and great baserunning on a nightly basis at Fenway, but you don't see us waving our helmet from the dugout steps EVERY time we do those things. It's actually EXPECTED of the Red Sox.

T-12 hours...

So I'm here at the apartment. The party died down at Eric's, and he needed to get to sleep, so I've returned to HQ. I'm trying to sleep-shift as much as possible tonight so I don't have to do much of it tomorrow. That means I need to stay up all the way to 4:30 or 5:00 if possible. That wouldn't be so bad if I wasn't waking up at 9:15 to go watch England/Portugal at Eric's. Sheesh. The things I do for the love of sports.

We celebrated lots of things tonight at Boondoggles then at Kemah:

• Discover is a GO for launch, and this will be our last free night for two weeks. We're all looking forward to working the flight though.
• It was Eric's 26th birthday.
• Colin's return from Germany.
  
• Colin FINALLY proposed to Rachel in Germany last week. He did it while they were sitting on a bench right beside the Rhine River. I'm proud of my boy. (Rachel said "yes" by the way). Her ring is beautiful. Well done, Colin. Well done indeed. They're planning on saying "I do" on July 7, 2007 in Pittsburgh. Yup: 7/7/07. Can you say "road trip"?! :)
  
• My 21st birthday. Yeh, it was a few weeks ago, but the guys never got around to celebrating it with me. I used my new power to buy Colin and Rachel their drinks as a Merry Engagement present.
  
• The Red Sox 12-game win streak, as well as their consecutive errorless streak.
• and something else...but I'm not at liberty to say...yet :)

Thursday's game saving play by our center fielder. Lord knows Damon can't do this...(not sure why the pic is so big)

All systems go. If the weather is looking good tomorrow then the bird will be off the pad...and I'll be watching it all from Mission Control. You're jealous, I know.

Make it a Dozen

Yup. The Sox have won 12 games in row, capping off the final 3 against the best team in the NL. This is the longest win streak for the Beantown Boys since 1995, the last time they won the AL East. We also have tied the record for consecutive games without an error(16). One more and we ARE the record, haha.

Speaking of sports.....my favorite athlete of all time, Patrick Roy, is being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame this November. This was his first time on the ballot, but it doesn't come as a surprise to anyone that follows hockey. I will not go into all the awards and records he holds, but you can follow the link on the right and see for yourself. The man was a freakin' machine. I can't wait to see his speech! Matt and I both agree he should go to the ceremony wearing full pads and helmet.

Again staying with sports....my girl Sharapova(as well as Wimbledon's new favorite sweetheart) is still in the tournament. What's really funny though is the last opponent she beat. The opponent's name? Anna SMASHNOVA. How cool a tennis name is that? I mean seriously. SMASHnova. With that name you either grow up to play tennis or be a boxer.

We saw the late late late showing(got home around 1:30) of Superman Returns last night. I liked it alot. It was a great homage to the older films, which were the movies I basically grew up on(as well as Indiana Jones and Batman). A little bit of cheeziness, a few inside jokes(Gotham City is mentioned in a news broadcast), and a ton of action really add up to a great Superman movie. As if all that wasn't enough, the opening credits of the movie are done EXACTLY like the old movies, but they combined the old credits with a schnazzy opening showing the explosion of a star on its way towards Earth. It was incredibly nostalgic, especially with the orginal score composed by John Williams played more bombastically than before, and I loved it. I can honestly say that that was the first time I have ever had goosebumps for the first 3 minutes of a movie. Granted, the movie skipped and jumped around some of the older movies, but I don't mind that at all. Much like the latest Batman movie, when the movies are now based on the comic book licenses, I think they can throw out the rule books set by the older flicks.

Tomorrow is Eric's birthday, so I think we're gonna try to throw him a party. It's almost like we are required to because he is set to go on console at Mission Control Sunday night, so he has to begin sleep shifting, which means he needs to stay up to AT LEAST 3:00 am tomorrow. I think we can handle that :)

Y'all Come Back Now...Ya Hear!

Funny thing happened today. On my way back to work from my lunch break, I stopped at the Post Office in Nassau Bay, which is just across from JSC, to get some stamps. I pulled my Jeep into a parking space, and I noticed the parked van beside me had a Mississippi tag, a Washington Co. tag to be specific. I thought that was kind of funny, but didn't think much beyond that. I then strolled into the building and got in line. I wasn't in line for more than 3 minutes when this bald guy wearing a Hawiian shirt, khaki shorts, and sandals popped his head into the main post office room(where you get service). He talked as if he was calling out the winning BINGO number: "Anyone in here from Mississippi??"

After looking around for a second, I casually raised my hand and said, "I am."

The guy asked me if I was the one driving with the Madison license, and I confirmed his guess. He asked me if I lived here and what I was doing, and I told him. He then went on to tell me where he was originally from(Greenville) and what he's doing in Houston, now that he lives there. Then he left. All of that was in a 30-second span, if that. Then he told me to take care, and he was gone. Poof. Like that.

It just goes on to prove that Mississippi is home to some of the most friendly people on this Earth, and THAT'S why I love my(2nd) home state.

Treasure Hunting

Once again...David Ortiz comes to the rescue in the clutch. ANOTHER walk-off hit today against the Phillies. His second game in a row and 3rd in the last 8 home games at Fenway. To quote Trevor: "Papi(David Ortiz) is the shit!"

Walker and I are addicted to this new show Treasure Hunters on NBC. Granted, we don't have great reception on our tv(that will change on Wednesday), but we can get the basic idea of what's going on. Best of all, we can play along online with these "brainteasers" that lead you on a parallel path with the show. Each episode there is a different online challenge, and with each successful completion of the online challenges you are given another clue as to the whereabouts of the treasure. So far the first two clues make no sense, but we're working on it. We want that $10,000, haha.

Jennifer is bringing me Curse of the Bambino tomorrow. She says I'm not a true Sox fan until I have completely understood the past miseries of the team. She has a point, so I feel obliged to read it. I'm actually looking forward to it. I finished Angels & Demons, which was awesome. I need another bedside book.

Interesting Stat

Oh yeh, I forgot. At Roger Clemens' return to baseball last Thursday, we(my group and the rest of Houston) set the all-time record for attendance at Minute Maid Park: 43,769!! That's more than any of the World Series games last year! Go figure...

Don't Forget to Pack Your Launch

Well if you are(were) a USA Soccer fan, that World Cup sucked, didn't it? Bleh. VERY disappointed in our boys. No explosiveness, apparently no chemistry(which was our problem in '98), no stamina. We were outplayed every which way during our 3 group games, and it was just painful to watch. I expect Arena to be on the chopping block for this affair, but then again, he was probably on his way out after this World Cup anyway. Lots of our guys probably wont be playing anymore(Reyna, McBride, Keller), so we either get younger or we don't get anywhere at all....I guess I'm an England fan now(Richard's team).

Thursday was Roger Clemen's return to baseball, as well as the Astros, and I was there to watch history. He wasn't overly awesome, but it was definitely vintage Roger. Unfortunately, it was also vintage Astros, which means ZERO run support for their ace. Of course it also didn't help that they were batting against the rookie phenom pitcher of Liriano on the Twins. The 'stros lost, but it was a good time hanging out with alot of people from work(we got group seats). I had never seen Minnesota play before, so I got to knock them off my list :)

Speaking of baseball, the Red Sox are freakin' BALLIN. Eight in row, baby. Papi had a walk-off homer today, which is just becoming the norm for him. I swear, all of his RBI's have come in the bottom of the last inning when the score is either tied or they're behind. That man is a machine.

The launch schedule was released earlier this week. (NOTE: the shuttle mission is designated STS-121 and the related ISS Flight is designated ULF 1.1. I'll be using those in my posts from now on...just to let you know). I'm gonna OJT(on-the-job training) with the Orbit 3 shift with Tarik in the Blue MPSR(pronounced "mip-sir"), which is the ISS backroom. Orbit 3 is from 7:30pm-4:30am, and while I know you think that that timeframe sucks, it really doesn't. See, since Orbit 3 is within that timeframe, it is usually the planning shift, where timelines are laid out for the next day, maneuvers are discussed, as well as any other items for the shift. The crew is usually asleep in this shift, but alot happens here on the ground, and it will be a great oppurtunity for me to learn hands-on and ask many questions.

So those are the "work" reasons why it's gonna rock. Here are the "fun" reasons....Orbit 3 in the backroom is pretty much the party shift. Yup, I said it: party. Eric has told me from experience that there will be grilling, footballs, ESPN on the tv's, and more; only after the Station work has been done, of course, haha. It's gonna be awesome. I'll be sitting in with my boy Tarik, and Eric is also on Orbit 3, so it's going to be a blast. Even better is that I get home at 5:00am, which means I sleep until around noon. That leaves me the afternoon to sit by the pool and soak up some rays every day during the mission(2 weeks!). Helllll yeh. I'm actually excited to totally flip my sleep schedule; it should be a fresh experience, especially considering the work I'll get to do. So starting on July 2, be looking for me on NASA TV when I roam into the control room!

Hooray for Presents

So my birthday rocked. You all know that from my last post. My birthday celebrations continued into this last weekend when Mal and I went to see the Sox sweep the Braves. She did a great post about our trip, so just go over to her blog to read the recap. Yeh I know, I'm lazy. But it is a good post with good pics.

My birthday extended even beyond my two trips. I got some awesome gifts from everyone. Shall I review?

Mom and Dad got me a $100 e-gift certificate to Target. Awesome! I'm using that card to buy my new camera, but I forgot that it is an electronic gift certificate, so I can only use it online. That means I have to order my camera online, so it will take a few days. I'm still doing some last minute research, so this may be for the better that I didn't buy it today.

Carolyn and Richard bought me birthday dinner as well as birthday drinks. They also drove us around D.C. all weekend, got us Nats tickets, got us into the Smithsonian museum, fixed us food, provided entertainment, etc. etc. My siblings kick soooooo much ass. Thank you C and R!!

Will got me a blue Red Sox tee with Papelbon and #58 on the back, but you already knew that. Nevertheless, it's still awesome.

Mallory also got me a Papelbon Red Sox shirt. She also got me this uber-uber comfy Red Sox throw. It's my new favorite blanket. And yes, it's on my bed. Mallory also carted me ALL around Atlanta this past weekend, including a trip to the always-crazy Atlanta Hartsfield Int'l Airport and 3 forays into post-Braves traffic. It's safe to say that she sacrificed the most for my birthday, haha.

The Red Sox gave me a sweep of the Braves, which is exactly what I asked for!!!

so as you can see, my 21st birtday = awesome. That's pretty much it.

Ran across a great article on my boy Papelbon today at work......CLICK HERE TO READ IT.

Tomorrow's the big game, folks. The return of Roger. This city is going absolutely bonkers over it.

Oh, and one more thing. Today I saw the first of what is sure to be an onslaught of television reporters broadcasting from Johnson Space Center. They were standing in front of the big NASA/JSC sign right off NASA Rd. 1. There's gonna be a bajillion of these reporters on and off-site, especially beginning next week. It's gonna be pandamonium. I can't wait!!!

We Are GO For Launch

The head managers have given the go-ahead. All supporting facilities are cleared. The viewing areas have been designated. Houston is ready to be in control at liftoff.

No, I'm not talking about those 2 solid rocket boosters, orbiter, and external tank sitting on Pad 39B at Cape Canaveral. I'm talking about a totally different Rocket. The 43 year old, 6' 4" Rocket. The one that can bring the heat in the mid-to-upper 90's. I am, of course, talking about Roger Clemens.

Roger is set to return to the Astros on June 22 here in Houston against the Twins in an interleague matchup. When this date was announced about 2 weeks ago, I suggested to everyone here that we get group tickets, as this game was sure to sell out. We bought 20 group seats a few weeks ago, and sure enough, I went to the Astros website today, attempted to order tickets to the game, and what seats were available? Just Standing Room Only, folks. That's all. That would indicate a sellout. Hell freakin' yeh. On top of that, ESPN(again, as I predicted they would) has picked up this game, airing at 7:00pm CT Thursday evening. So I'm going to be there, along with a horde of other baseball-lovin' fans, watching history. What's more, I'm gonna have my new super shiny digital camera with me to capture the moment. My new camera, which I am buying tomorrow, is totally badass. For example, it has this special "rapid fire" mode, where it will snap full resolution pics just as fast as I can press the trigger. HOLY SHIT, that's cool. The boys over at CNET clocked 143 shots in 110 seconds onto the memory card. Aw, hell yeh. I'm gonna have fuuuuun with my new toy :)

Rewind

Okay, I guess it's time I get you all caught up on my last few weekends.

So 2 weekends ago was my 21st birthday, but you already knew that. Friday afternoon Trevor and I began our voyage to D.C. When we arrived, it took us a minute to realize we were in the ghetto-wing of Reagan airport. After a few phone calls back and forth between me and Carolyn, we were finally picked up and on our way back to Fairfax. Friday night we just drank some wine and sat around the apartment, talking and whatnot. Carolyn used my 21st birthday weekend as a perfect time to educate me on the ins and outs of various wines.

Saturday started off early. Richard made is world famous chocoloate-chip pancackes while Carolyn made us some fabulous mimosas. Then we all donned England-themed soccer attire(yours truly reclaiming my beloved Newcastle jersey) and watched, as you might guess, England play soccer in the World Cup. Richard was happy, as England walked away with a 1-0 lead over Paraguay. EN-G-LAND!

The next event of the day was a baseball matchup of the Philles and Nationals at RFK stadium. After navigating through the crazy traffic and the orange cones of fury, we arrived at the game. I really didn't have any affinity towards either team, but it just great to see a new stadium, see two teams I have never seen play before, and just hang out with my family and friends. I mean, it's baseball, so what's NOT to like?

After the game we cleaned up at the apartment and headed out to celebrate the greatest day of the entire year. We began with dinner at this awesome tapas restaurant called Zengo. It was quite possibly(and Trevor concurs) the best dinner I have had.....ever. Seriously, I have had time to reflect on it, and it was the tastiest, most filling, most diverse meal that has ever met my mouth. We also had a great bottle of wine to go with our supper, and it was yet another oppurtunity for Carolyn to share her wealth of wine knowledge with me. Sufficiently full, we made our way to our next destination: the Childe Harold Restaurant and Bar.

With a very Daves-like atmosphere, the Childe was just gettin busy when we arrived. By a stroke of luck, they started checking I.D.'s at the door about 10 minutes after we arrived. Score! We(Richard, Caro, Trevor, and I) arrived around 10:30pm, but our group started showing up around 11:00, and a steady stream of our friends were arriving after that for about an hour. I started the night off with 2 pints of Samuel Adams' White Ale and a pint of Bass Pale Ale. Next, Tyler(Katie O's fiance) bought me a rum and coke, which consisted mainly of rum and just a pinch of coke. (NOTE: Tyler wanted to get a much more awesome mixed drink, but the bartender was such an ass and told Tyler that it was stupid drink. Tyler could have kicked the bartender's ass, but he opted to just get me something else instead of bloodshed, haha.) Then Trevor bought me a whiskey sour, which was also tasty.

As the clock hit midnight, I was officially 21, and things officially got crazy. For my first drink as a 21 year old, Richard bought Trevor and me shots of Sambuca, which basically tasted like black liquorice. Yum yum. Following suit, Tina got me a glass(I'd say about 2 and half shots worth) of Grand Marnier. Now, I didn't know that you are supposed to just sip on Grand Marn; I figured you just shot it. Ryan advised me to just sip on it like I should have, but her warnings fell on deaf ears, haha. Tina pressured me into downing it, saying, "Com'on, Henry, be a man." Well, I couldn't very well turn down that kind of a challenge on my 21st birthday, could I? So I took the Grand Marnier and shot ALL of it. Later I would realize that to be a bad, bad choice. Shortly thereafter, Leann bought me a shot of Jagermeister at the bar; she of course couldn't let me drink alone. Supposedly after that, we all had tequila shots, but I honestly can't remember that. And I think there were more drinks, but again, not much recollection of them, haha. The rest of the night was rather eventful, but I'll spare most of you the gory details. If you REALLY want them, just lemme know, and I'll give you the full story.

My birthday actually ended up being our detox day. Richard fixed an amazing breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast, fruit, and juice. After food, we headed to the Udvar-Hazy hangar of the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, which is located near Dulles airport. Man, it was AWESOME. They had the test Space Shuttle Enterprise, an SR-71, the Enola Gay, a Concorde, as well an amazing array of space artifacts, satellites, and equipment from the past and present. I'm so glad we got a chance to visit this portion of the museum. Definitely a memorable experience.

Sunday night we dined out and ate dessert at the Cheesecake Factory. For a place called a "factory," this place was VERY posh. We all got different types of cheesecake, and I had a cappucino. DIVINE!

So that was my 21st birthday extravaganza in D.C. Trevor and I left Monday morning, but we both agreed that we will be returning to D.C.(or wherever Caroly and Richard are located) to party it up with my sister and Richard again. They were absolutely awesome on my birthday, and I hope I can return the favor to them in the future.

Just as a show of how much fun was had, here's the picture that really sums up our weekend. It was taken near the tail-end of our night at the Childe Harold. Unfortunately, several of our friends had left, but we still managed to get a great picture.

The last supper(or drink)...

And just for a comparison:

My birthday week, including this past weekend, was awesome. Mallory will probably blog this weekend pretty soon, and since she has all the pictures, you might wanna stay tuned to her site. She got some great shots. I'll go into detail about presents I got, things I did, and places I visited next post.

You are probably wondering why I haven't included many pictures lately. Well, the plain truth is my current camera is now considerably out-of-date. It has served me VERY well over the past 4 years, but now I'm looking to upgrade. I know exactly what I want, and I'm going to get it. Probably within a few days. I'll let you all know when I procure it, and I'll take some pictures to prove it, haha.

-H

No Time

Well, this week has just been crazy. I got back from D.C. Monday afternoon, dropped Trevor off at the airport on Tuesday, and I have been/will work 10 hour days until Friday so I can take off early on Friday, which is when I fly to Atlanta to meet Mal for the Red Sox vs. Braves series. There's so much to talk about, I know, but I just don't have the time to post right now. I'm washing clothes, running to WalMart, and trying to get things in order for my trip this weekend. I'm gonna have to wait until Tuesday to post, but I promise I will detail everything from my 21st birthday and the Sox series. Just don't have time right now.

Speaking of Sox, our freakin' middle relief is F'in PISS POOR! And it's showing at this very minute. Grrr. We best pick up some talent come July 31(trade deadline), or things could get very bad very quickly.

-H

Farewell 20...Helloooooo 21

Well, by the time you read this, Trevor and I will be either en route to the airport, at the airport, on an airplane, or in D.C. I am absolutely stoked about this weekend. All I can say is I hope that Trevor and I survive, haha. Just think, the next time I post, I will be doing so as a 21-year old. Let the good times roll!!!

Henry the 20th

"It is going to be HISTORIC..."

...so go the words of my brother-in-law(or just my "bro," as I call him. He's part of the fam now; no need for that "in-law" stuff) in regards to this coming weekend. In an email sent to Trevor and me just the other day, Richard spoke on behalf of the Sewells and answered a couple of questions I had about wardrobe for this weekend. He also mentioned the phrase that is the title of this particular blog post. Put simply, I cannot wait for this weekend. I really can't. Trevor and I sincerely believe that Carolyn and Richard are more excited about this weekend than we are...and we are REALLY excited(up there with Cedar Point excitment levels). And trust me...that ain't a bad thing.

Adding to this excitment, my other brother Will came through today; I received my first birthday present of the year from him. The man who lives in the Heart of Red Sox Nation can feel its pulse, as well as mine. He got me a blue(with red lettering) Red Sox tee with quite possibly my new favorite player's(next to Varitek, of course) name on the back: Jonathan "beat 'em with high heat" Papelbon. Yup, that's right. "Papelbon" and his number 58 are on the back of the shirt. I absolutley LOVE it. Despite the Sox/Yankees game being cancelled today, I wore the shirt to BJ's tonight as Eric, Trevor, and I had a farewell dinner for Eric. He is heading to KSC tomorrow to do some testing on the P3/P4 truss MDM going up on the next assembly flight(in August). Now I have TWO bitchin Red Sox tees and a jersey. That means I am good-to-go for the Red Sox series in Atlanta.

Obviously, we have internet now in the apartment. We also have furniture, which was GREATLY appreciated after a week and a half sleeping on the floor. It's good to live civilized now, haha.

Tomorrow we(save Eric) are going to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the Sox game. Schiller needs to deliver for us so we can stay in the chase. GO SOX.

-Henry

Temporarily Out of Service

We aren't getting internet in the new apartment until Tuesday. I'm posting right now from Eric's house, as we are watching the Mavs game while hoggin' down on some Little Ceasars pizzas.

Just wanted to keep you all up-to-date and let you know I hadn't dropped off the face of the earth.

Tons to talk about when I come back!

-H

In Papelbon We Trust

Damn that Mississippi(State) boy is good. Save #16 for the big guy. And that makes him 16 for 16 in save chances(leads majors) with a 0.39 ERA. B-A-D-A-S-S.

Jason Hopper appeared in the form of a savior today. Turns out he posted a listing on Mississippi State's Co-Op email server today looking for a place to stay this summer. Enter yours truly. I am definitely not wanting to pay TWO rents this summer, so Jason is going to help out in a HUGE way. He and Trevor know each other, and I KNOW Jason would make great use of our extensive video game library, so I'm thinking this is going to be a good fit. He hasn't given me an absolute YES yet, but I told him to just get back with me tomorrow. It sounds like he's gonna do it.

I'm quickly approaching the end of my stay at the Maier household. Saturday Walker and I move into our apartment, although we will not have any furniture yet, haha. For their generosity over the past fortnight, I am taking Eric and Jennifer out to eat at this nice restaurant tomorrow night. Before that I may join(around 4:45 or so) some co-workers of mine as we go see X-Men 3.

Go Sox...

I Wanna Go(Back) to Europe

Anne, one of my 32 mentors I have at work, has been talking nonstop about her trip to Europe. Everyday over the past week she has had a new "something" to tell me about where she's going and what she's gonna do. She and her husband left today around 1:30, and they're going to hit France, England, Italy, and Greece, all over a 2-week span. I'd SO go right now if I had the time and money......*looks to the sky*

Top 10 Tuesday(kind of)

Hopefully this is the beginning of a summer trend this year. I'm going to try to start doing Top 10 Tuesdays, where I'll present a different Top 10 List every week. This week is slightly different for a few reasons. One, today is Trevor's 21st birthday, and two, today is not a Tuesday.

So without ado, I present to you the Top 10 Henry & Trevor moments of all time. Enjoy!

#10)
Moving into Avalon apartments this past January. No one can deny that we have the most bitchin' of all apartment setups among our friends. We have the best chair(the Rally), the best sound system(ONKYO...although none but me and Trevor have witnessed it's true power), and the best video setup(two tv's placed perpendicular to each other, allowing maximum sports coverage). And it will only get better this fall. Trevor and I are eyeing a 42" HDTV Panasonic plasma flat-panel tv to be installed hopefully near the time we get a Wii. Can you say "Red Sox in High Definition"?

#9)
It was a gloomy day as Mrs. Howe's 7th grade Pre-Algebra class was set to begin. Everyone had just begun to quiet down in anticipation of the teacher's instruction. Without thinking about it much, I began to tap my foot in a catchy rhythm. Before I know it, Trevor has added his own foot-tapping rhythm to my own, and the music had begun to catch on. When it was all said and done, about 5 of us were each contributing his own beat to the overall "song." The ENTIRE class got a good laugh out of it. It was actually some decent music; we should have recorded it or soemthing. And so began our incredible ability to be spontaneous...AND funny at the same time.

#8)
Getting invited to go to Six Flags St. Louis with the Grenada Band...a year AFTER we had left Grenada.(we accepted the invitation, btw)

#7)
During the same summer as Cedar Point, Trevor and I visited my brother in Boston. The trip included our first games at Fenway, a Black Eyed Peas concert(of about 200 people), and Trevor's infamous "bringin the bitchin'"

#6)
The summer I moved to Paris was a rough one. No friends, no car, no idea what to do. Trevor comes up to Tennessee, and our days consisted of this simple formula: MDK2, frisbee, food, and more MDK2. Monotonous? Yes. Boring? Hell no.

#5)
Riding some of the world's best roller coasters at Cedar Point, Ohio, and making a classic video of all our shenanigans during that trip. I mean, how can you not like VH1 Storytellers, Robot Wars, a terrential flood, and a Bad Word Booboo? It's brilliant stuff, that summer of 2003.

#4)
Watching the greatest comeback in the history of baseball, nay, the history of SPORTS, with Trevor in the very cramped confines of his Glen Hollow apartment. As Bellhorn made the last out to send the Yankees packing, Trevor and I celebrated with, as you would expect, a bottle of Samuel Adams each.

#3)
What started as a simple trip down to Madison to hang with Trevor over Christmas break 2002 turned out to be the starting point of our crusade. After introducing Trevor to Eternal Darkness, quite possibly one of the most underrated games for the Gamecube, Trevor became addicted to it, even necessitating his purchase of a Gamecube shortly thereafter. From then on, he and I became the torchbearers of the Big N's cause. Oh yeh...we also decided to go Mississippi State and stay in Hull Hall.

#2)
Beating the Facility level in UNDER 2 min 6 sec during our 7th-8th grade years, thereby achieving the Holy Grail of the N64-Playstaion era of videogames: Invincibility in Goldeneye 64.

#1)
And the #1 Trevor/Henry moment of all time!?! Well.....it hasn't actually happened yet. It will no doubt occur during our trip to D.C. in a few weeks as we celebrate both our birthdays in STYLE with none other than Mr. and Mrs. Style themselves: Richard and Carolyn Sewell.

So Long the Con of Man

Today was dreary(in Houston terms), so that means it was overcast and slightly on the windy side. I slept in late only to wake up as Eric and Jennifer were headed out to the Galleria to do some shopping. I opted to stay home and finish The DaVinci Code. I finished the book around 3:00, and shortly thereafter I received a call from my host; his car had broken down, and after two tries and jump-starting it, they had no luck. I was called in to pick them up. I made the voyage downtown, and after a minor ordeal with the tow guy, we returned to the house in my jeep.

We went to see the film adaptation of The DaVinci Code tonight, but it wasn't your usual movie-going experience. Instead, we opted for the Star Cinema Grill, which was pretty awesome, to say the least. You basically go in, and every other row of the theater has been removed and replaced by built-in-the-ground movie "trays." Waiters and waitresses come in and ask for your beverages(like your normal restaurant), and while they are retrieving your beverage you fill out an order card. Every food type is named after a part of the movie; it's kinda goofy, but it's also well done. The order card has every kind of food you want, and you just select what you want and when you want it. They bring you your drink(coke, water, any of a plethora of mixed drinks, tons of beer, many kinds of wine) and you give them the card. That's it. Throughout the movie you are brought everything, and they waiters are very unobtrusive. If you need anything extra, there is a small beacon button you can press to get extra service. Then they bring you your tab at the end of the show. It was all VERY cool.

Speaking of the show...the movie was pretty decent. Granted, there was SO much information in the book, so I can see how it would be difficult to translate all of it to the screen. Howard deleted a few things as well as do some parts COMPLETELY different from the book, but I can understand why. Despite the removal of several parts, the movie was a solid 2.5 hours. VERY long. The movie did stay true to many parts of the movie, though, which is rare for the book-to-film conversions you see today. I've been told to read Angels and Demons next, so I guess I will have to continue this whole reading-for-fun thing :(

Yankees at Red Sox starts tomorrow, baby. Will is going to the game, as well as a co-worker of mine. How they get these tickets I will never know. Colin has tickets to the Rangers game at Fenway on my birthday; he has stated he is going to make a "happy birthday" sign for me to display on NESN. You hear that, Will? Set your TiVO for June 11 :)

Dynamite

The first week of work went smoothly. I JUST got computer access and a login on Friday, and by Monday I should have email access. It wasn't that bad, though; it gave me plenty of time to do some reading for my training.

Last night was pretty fun. Tarik(my former mentor) and his roomate Seth threw their monthly party at their place. And speaking of their place...wow. When they bought it, it was just a warehouse pretty much. Since their purchase, they have added a whole second floor as well as added on to the building width-wise. I'm hoping to get pictures from the party soon. Their place is truly remarkable. It's like one third Italian villa, one third club, and one third studio. Un-freakin-believable. I want a place like that.

Today was my first experience at a Houston Dynamo soccer game. They lost 1-0, but they had many oppurtunities to score; they just didn't capitalize on those chances. The game was a blast, and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing some more upper-tier teams coming in to Robertson Stadium(their temporary home) this summer.

I sat with the lower-class folk the first half, haha. We had friends in these seats.

My season ticket seat :)

More soccer goodness

Eric and Jennifer found these two beagles wandering around their yard the other day. They had collars, so we called the owners. They eventually came to pick them up, but I had a few moments to snap some pictures, although they were moving pretty fast.

Beagle #1

Beagle #2

Oh yeh. Turning 21 in 21 days. Three weeks, baby :)