My Inner Author

To those who follow college football in general, surely the name Cam Newton rings a bell. He is considered the Heisman Trophy front-runner and the starting quarterback for an undefeated and #2-ranked Auburn Tigers team. Jerrod Johnson, you may not know. He is the backup quarterback at Texas A&M University. Johnson had been the starter for several years, but had struggled lately and has been relegated to backup status. Cam Newton began his college football career at the University of Florida. In 2007, he actually beat out current UF starting QB John Brantley to be the primary backup to Tim Tebow. In 2008, he actually played in the season opener against Hawaii, but hurt his ankle and took a redshirt since he would have not played much anyhow. In November of 2008, he was arrested on felony charges of burglary, larceny and obstruction of justice after allegedly purchasing a stolen laptop from a student at the University of Florida. He was suspended from the team after his arr...

Well, I last wrote about Lost, one of the greatest shows to have ever graced the small screen. So, next up on my "Love of SciFi" series is Battlestar Galactica (or BSG as it is commonly referred to online). BSG first aired as a show in the 1970s. Given the times, the cast, the shallow plots, and cheesy storylines and effects, it should have been called "Bonanza In Space". It did have a majestic feel at first, but in short order, it stooped to become standard 1970s TV. However, in 2001, a daring writer from the Star Trek: The Next Generation series (a great group of very talented writers by the way) named Ronald Moore, pitched a "re-imagined" version of the show. This would not be Bonanza In Space, but more along the lines of Survival Skills and Dilemmas While Facing Extermination. It would not feature a cute kid with a robot dog; it would have characters seriously questioning their morality, and mankind's too. Even the sets would be darker, g...

Intro: Okay, since I broke these up into smaller blogs for each show, hopefully I will do them justice. I will start with the most recent show to air, Lost. I came very late to the Lost party. I had read for years where people touted the show. Amazingly though, nobody I knew suggested it to me as a show I would love until my neighbor and I had a chat over shows in 2009. But, when I finally had the desire to jump in after our chat, they were airing the end of the 5th season and I simply chose to wait, so that all the seasons would be on DVD before starting. (By the way Hollywood, you should take note of that, if you released DVD sets in the summer for shows we might start watching in the fall, you might lure more viewers). So, this past summer while regular TV took a break I started the Lost phenomenon. Lost might just be the most correctly titled show in the history of television. Certainly at times you will feel quite lost in trying to understand the many twists and turns o...

Dear Reader, Just about anyone who knows me realizes quite quickly I have a few passions in my life which transcend all the rest, and certainly my love of science fiction is one of the biggest. I have been asked quite often, why? What is it about so many of these shows/movies/stories which draw you in? Is it the aliens? Is it the action? The special effects? No, above all else, it's the stories. I love how the medium can allow a storyteller a very large canvas on which to paint his vision. But even beyond that, it is how really great SciFi will have stories within the story, and they are often the real core of the tale. See, I am one of those odd birds who doesn't like mindless entertainment for entertainment sake. I loathe (so-called) Reality TV. I grow sick of television giving us drama in one of three professions only: cops, doctors or lawyers. A show with all 3 is practically insufferable. And drama is where real storytelling occurs. While I could talk abo...

This fall the college football season has proved to be one of the most unpredictable in recent memory. Sure there have been upsets every year, but certainly this season it isn't so much about the upsets as it is about the huge disturbance in the force. Not since Grand Moff Tarkin and the Death Star blasted Alderaan to bits have we seen tremors like this. My beloved Georgia Bulldogs started the ball rolling, or rather tumbling off the cliff with an astoundingly awful 1-4 start. Coach Richt, who is simply the winningest coach in the history of UGA football, found himself on the proverbial hot seat in short order. Quickly Bulldawg Nation began to lose faith, and to wonder who they could lure in to reverse their fortunes. Thankfully, calmer heads prevailed. The Dawgs have not carved a path of destruction through the rigors of the SEC, but they have at least reversed their fortunes of late. Currently they have fought their way back to 4-4 as they approach their annual battle w...

Like so many parents, I have many hopes and desires for my children. Every day of their lives, they have made me proud, not in the traditional prideful way, but simply because as I look into their eyes and their souls, I see them being better people than myself. It is the sense of innocence, or simply the awe of being able to still watch learning as it happens? I don't honestly know. But at the same time, Donna and I have both wondered aloud if we really have done the best possible job at raising our kids. Truthfully, if I am laying bare my soul, I must admit I have not. A world of good intentions, and still there are some things I wish could be changed. Nothing epic, but some times when my temper ran too short, my interest not deep enough, or simply a time when I fumbled a great opportunity. Most of all, I think the one thing which I would like to change, is how protective we were over them (and remain). Sure, we learned very quickly, not to run right to them when they...

Okay, no fancy blog this time on politics, religion or anything else considered so "taboo" on Facebook. Just a quick recap of my 2-day visit to the Epic Geek & Nerd Fest known as DragonCon in Atlanta with my friend and co-worker Jeff. As I am a geek and nerd, I fit in well. Not quite to the level of some, but I got most of the humor, understood most of the costumes, and enjoyed seeing so many of us grouped in one spot. Thankfully nothing bad happened there, as many I.T. shops would never recover. What is DragonCon? Basically a convention of SciFi and Fantasy fans, where celebrity guests come to mingle with the fans, many wannabe characters unveil their costume creations, and you talk about all things SciFi and Fantasy related. This year I went for a simple reason, I wanted to meet, shake hands, and talk to some of my favorite actors and writers; and this year Scott Bakula, Dean Stockwell, and most of the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast were present. I will n...

Okay, before I start getting too caught up in college football season, I have to take one more moment to talk about politics. We have just had the primary elections here in Florida, and certainly there is some voter anger being taken out on incumbents, which is great; yet some incumbents managed to survive. It shows apathy is still very high amongst many in the electorate. Many people still think all politicians are crooks and corrupt, and so there is no real point to choosing one or the other. I must take the time to remind those folks, that is exactly what they want. They want you to simply cede control of your rights, your property, your liberties, your wages and ultimately, your morals to them. Which is exactly what you are doing. As I have spent time this year, reading and reviewing several books which cover the Founding Fathers, Constitutional Law, American History and the like, I have had some real epiphanies. As I have educated myself on several of the various issues o...

Ah, the start of the actual voting political season. Indeed in Florida, our vote early session has begun and the politicos are out in full force at busy intersections and near polling places with their signs waving at everyone. Those same signs inundate every street corner and vacant lot along busy roads. So, indeed the time of voting is upon us. Part of me is glad, for I still believe it will be a wondrous election cycle where numerous incumbents, who have long lost touch with reality and their constituents will be fired in numbers that will make Donald Trump whistle in amazement. Indeed, Ben Kenobi may have been discussing the modern political landscape when he said in Star Wars, "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious." Indeed the political season brings hope for a change to a better way of life, but it also has quite a few negatives: all those great campaign commercials and special interest ads on television, not to mention ...

Much ado has been made of Arizona’s recently passed immigration bill. It is set to go into law officially at midnight. The Federal Government is actually suing the state of Arizona to prevent the law from ever going into effect. Having read many editorials and seen news reports of protests and boycotts of Arizona, I decided to take a deeper look into the bill and see what the details are. My research and subsequent notes reveal some interesting tidbits I will share below. Like many political issues, I refuse to believe everything I see and hear on TV and the radio as absolute fact. If I believed everything in the news and popular beliefs of the day: the earth would have been flat for thousands of years, we were all going to die of a new ice age in the 1970s, and Barack Obama is really a bipolar president flipping identities between Lenin and Jesus. Just before I started my own process of research by reading the actual bill, a thought popped into my head which will simply not go aw...

I think bigoted Mel Gibson should be sent to live on a deserted island with the racist Black Panther guy. They deserve each other. I couldn't tell you how many of my friends are Jewish, Black, Hispanic or Caucasian. They are just my friends, period. Racism and bigotry sadly are still rampant in every demographic. As long as it exists, I hope people will still call those fools out, wherever they are. The sun needs to set on them and their archaic beliefs. I think LeBron James wants to win a ring, and good for him choosing his desired location over money. However, the ego involved in spending an hour on TV, flipping off Cleveland is bad form. Just have a press conference in Miami and donate some money to the cause. But, I sense a LOT of new Miami Heat fans. That is my yearly quota of basketball attention...next. Sorry Cougarific Twilight fans. I just can't understand how a sane adult woman can revert to a simpering female lap puppy over "sparkly" vampire...

Recently I completed reading “The Divine Commodity: Discovering A Faith Beyond Consumer Christianity” by Skye Jethani. I found the book quite stimulating to read and have enjoyed pondering the many thoughts he put forth on the path so many modern churches are on today. Whether you will enjoy reading and considering the many topics discussed throughout the pages will depend on several factors. Can you look yourself and your faith, your church and your beliefs, honestly and objectively, under the microscope? I have enjoyed reading many books over the past several years which make me think about my faith, and challenge me to be honest. At the core, this book delves into the premise our Christian faith and our churches are under assault from our consumerist culture both from without and within. Many less desirable trends and traits from society are now dominating the modern church and in some ways continuing to drive a man-made wedge between God and man. He intersperses the chapters with...

I recently heard an interview with an author, Brad Meltzer, talking about his latest book entitled "Heroes For My Son." He spoke of how when his first son was born, he found himself thinking about what kind of virtues, traits and values he wanted to share with his son. Indeed these are the kinds of thoughts many fathers have once they become proud parents of a boy. (Indeed many of us have the same thoughts with daughters, but admittedly we know daughters grow up into women, a group of people we die never really understanding.) So, I decided to seek out this new tome and see what wisdom it contained. What heroes did he identify with, and would I share many of the same folks, and what others would I want to include on my own list? Indeed the book is not long on details about each hero, it simply lists their names, a quote or two and a brief description of why Mr. Meltzer considers them heroic. I can only imagine how daunting it proved to be to compile such a list, you don...

Time to put up or shut up. So, to try and show I am not just some angry right-wing blogger simply complaining about Obama and Congress, parroting things on the radio, I have never been shy about putting my own words and thoughts out there. There are so many topics which cry out to me, and which generally make the average American go, yuck, politics, it's all so ...pointless. Sorry, but no, it isn't pointless. It is your civic duty as an American, and your kids future surely will depend on it, as well as your future. I know many of you say "God bless those soldiers fighting for freedom overseas", while at the same time you show them absolutely no respect at home by not bothering to educate yourself and take part in the electoral process. The very freedom they fight for, you simply give away because you don't like the process. You say politics is too confrontational, too much "spin control", too much corruption, too much work, and you don't have...

Well, to keep my Lord of the Rings metaphor alive, now it is time for Americans to make the trek to Mordor (in today's lingo called More of Yours, as in more of your money), and throw the sacred ring into the fires of Mount Doom. It only seems appropriate to think of casting out the lot of sorry sycophants in Washington into a place called Mount Doom. It is where we were headed from the moment the election results poured in back in November of 2008. Now, as I re-read and ponder my last rant (yes, I think it does qualify), I can see the raw emotion from the sense of betrayal and arrogance by our elected officials in Washington still present in my words. I hope my note also portrayed the passion behind my convictions and beliefs. Indeed it still courses through my veins. Perhaps you have heard Lord Acton's famous words: Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. This is where our political landscape is today. Dubya and company had full control from 2001-2007...

Congratulations to the left. You got your precious Health Care Bill passed. I can truly picture our President and/or Pelosi as Gollum in Lord of the Rings, "Oh my precious, we wants it, we needs it..." Enjoy it for what little time you have. You see, you have awoken the sleeping giant of Middle class, average America. Sure this health care debate has angered me greatly. My own congressman lied to his constituents about his intended vote, and then waited until nearly 17:00 on Friday to announce it. Coward. Our own local Yellow Dog Democrat. However, it is but one small battle in the greater war for the soul of America. The Democrats spent every single bit of political clout they had, resorted to what is called bribery in the rest of the country for a few more votes, and at last, used its overwhelming arrogance in the media to get the bill passed by a margin of 4 votes (if 4 go the other way, it doesn't pass). Now begin the constitutional challenges. In November, the tsunam...