My favorite current TV show....

i feel compelled to encourage my ABC network fans to do whatever it takes to try out "The Office" on thursday nights on NBC.  i know that "Lost" is a big hit, along with "Grey's Anatomy", but let's face it: those are just soap operas that run at night.  i realized that about "ER" a while back, and it's never been the same since.  

so to my friends, family, and colleagues across the aisle, i implore you to check out some episodes of "The Office" on NBC's website.  once you've gotten the lay of the land, visit www.theofficequotes.com for some zingers of episodes gone by.  you can select any episode from any season, and even vote on your favorite.

here are some of my favorites:

Dwight Schrute - "The eyes, are the groin of the head."

Andy - "They say you should never mix business with pleasure.  Really.  Then explain to me how a putt-putt golf company operates."

Michael Scott - "Business is like a jungle.  And I am like a tiger.  And Dwight is like a monkey that stabs the tiger in the back with a stick.  Does the tiger fire the monkey?  Does the tiger transfer the monkey to another branch?  Pun.  There is no way of knowing what goes on inside a tiger's head.  We don't have the technology."

Back up to speed...

since it's been forever since i posted on here, i figured i'd update everyone as to what's new in our lives.

one of my last posts was almost one whole year ago.  i had just finished tiling our kitchen.  that has turned out okay.  i have had one tile crack on me, and the trim still needs some attention, but i'm pleased with my project overall.

we've done alot more updating since then.  we recently repaired some settling cracks in the doorframes and repainted the living room, the upstairs hall, the dining room, and the kitchen.  we also touched up the doorframes and chair rails.  it's looking very nice now.  we've still got some improvements to go, though.

brooke is doing fantabulous in pharmacy school.  she is almost finished with her 2nd of 4 years at Samford's pharmacy school here in Birmingham.  this was supposed to be the most difficult year of school, but she's done awesome so far.  she has about 3 weeks left before she's done for the summer.  she may sleep for a whole week....bless her heart...she's so exhausted.  she still works with Publix pharmacies, just not 20 hours a week like she did her first year.  

brooke recently completed a 10K race in Mobile, AL.  i'll post pics and an entry about that soon.

i currently work 3 days at my practice at a Sam's Club Optical in Homewood, AL.  then, i work 2 other days at a private practice in Cullman, AL.  it's been good to split my time between such opposite settings.  it helps me understand the needs of both entities.  i play softball every monday night with a church team.  i'm addicted to fantasy baseball.

we still go to church at Shades Mountain church of Christ.  our group there has really grown recently.  we just finished our spring gospel meeting.  we're planning a senior member appreciation dinner in late June, VBS in July, and an area wide youth rally in August.  so we'll have a busy summer.

my parents moved to Montgomery about a year and a half ago.  they have loved being so much closer to all us kids.  especially the grandkids.  be patient, Mimi and Pa; we'll contribute when brooke gets out of school!  :)

that's been our life the past year in a nutshell.  keep posted for more pics and updates soon.

rick

ICURIS - Reloaded

so here goes another shot at blogging.  thanks to everyone for giving me another try.  in the past, i've drifted away from regular blogging for one of two main reasons:

A. i haven't taken the time to sit and write, and

B. i don't think we're quite interesting enough for regular blogs.

here's what i mean:  i absolutely love the life that brooke and i have for ourselves.  God has blessed us beyond what we deserve.  we've been able to avoid tragedy and have been well taken care of for our entire marriage.  i get up and go to work.  brooke gets up and goes to school.  we come home, eat supper, watch TV, and go to sleep.  okay, maybe we're not that monotonous, but our lives are pretty care-free at this point.  

maybe i'm just not good at realizing the crazy things that are happening all around me that make life interesting.  so, that being said, i'm gonna give it another go.  

i was inspired by my sister kristi's recent blog about the wild things that some of her clients have told her.  so here's a short list of the things i've experienced in my almost 3 years as an optometrist:

1.  our eye charts at work have both letters and numbers.  the numbers are designed to denote which line the patient is reading (20/20, 20/40, etc.).  the 20/25 line reads: "A P S O 2 5".  if patients are struggling to get the first 4 letters, i'll usually encourage them by saying, "the last 2 on this line are numbers...".  i'll feel good, because i've just narrowed their selection pool from 26 to 10.  you would not believe how many people respond, "okay...that's Z and S...".  

2. while working as an optician before optometry school, i was dispensing my first pair of glasses to a young boy.  his mother asked if i had already "put the medicine" in the glasses.  

i thought for a second, and said, "actually, there isn't medicine in there....the lenses just bend the light to help him see better."  

she responded, "so you put the medicine in there already?"

i said, "yes ma'am." 

thanks for reading.  i'll try my best to put up new entries at least once a week.  

just wanted to show off some of my work! here's my kitchen before with nasty linoleum tile, and after with hand-laid ceramic tile.

rick

Bama coaching situation.......

Alright, here are my thoughts on the coaches rumored to take over at Bama:

Steve Spurrier - he's got too much of a good thing going at South Carolina. He's only been there 2 years, and he's establishing his system. I don't think he wants to live under the shadow of the Bear.

Nick Saban - the Dolphins are winning now, so I highly doubt he'll be the man. He seemed pretty direct when he disspelled rumors about him going to Bama. That being said, a pilot friend of mine claims he saw Saban boarding the Miami Dolphins jet Sunday afternoon in Birmingham. so.....

Greg Schiano - i don't think he's a good fit. He's got a good program set up at Rutgers. Plus, he's only been good this year. I think Mal Moore wants more than just one good season.

Jim Grobe - again, only one good season. He's 69-67-1 in his tenure with Wake Forest. That doesn't sound like championship caliber to me.

Paul Johnson - an intriguing possibility, but I don't believe his triple option style will mesh very well with Bama's players right now. I LOVE the triple option; we just don't have the personnel to run it. It does bode well in his favor that he won national championships at GA Southern and beats his big rivals at Navy.

Jeff Tedford - personally, I consider this to be the gem of the group. He's young. He's proven. He's an offensive juggernaut. He's known for turning college QB's into Heisman candidates (Joey Harrington, David Carr, etc.). He turned a 1-10 Cal team into a national contender in 3 years. He's probably the best long term option in the group. I haven't heard much clamor about him on the internet, but I hope Mal Moore will pursue him. He's my personal choice.

Regardless of who we get, they need to stay for a while. They need to be successful and loyal to Bama. Let's just hope this won't hurt recruiting.

The Folly of Evolution

It never ceases to amaze me that so many people take the theory of evolution hook, line, and sinker. Included in this group of people would be truck drivers, waitresses, athletes, and even teachers.

I don't know how a person can receive a degree in medicine or biology and not realize how silly macroevolution is. Some of the most brilliant medical minds I learned under would share with us the intricacies of the perfectly designed human body, only to follow up with a comment like, "This is a remarkable product of millions of years of evolution."

I personally experience this everyday in my job. Check out this article on the Apologetics Press website.

May we never forget how great our God is!

My top 5 thoughts of the week

1. Another fine product of the University of Tennessee. Albert Haynesworth, former UT defensive tackle, took his frustrations out on the head of his opponent, Andre Gurode in an NFL game earlier this week. This isn’t the first time he’s been involved in kicking altercations. Back in 2003, he kicked a teammate in the chest after a tackling drill in practice! The 25-year-old apologized for his actions days later. However, like Frank Chesser says, “You can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube!”

2. It’s great to hear when you have brothers in Christ that you didn’t even know about. Earlier this week, I read an article in the Christian Chronicle that reported that Colt McCoy (starting QB for the Texas Longhorns) is a member of the church. Just one day later, I read on a preacher’s blogsite that the famed golfer “Lord” Byron Nelson, who recently passed away, was a member of the church as well. It is interesting to find out that some of our brethren are pretty well known. In your spare time, check out this website. Keep in mind: just calling yourself a member of the “church of Christ” doesn’t make you one.

3. I know this is turning into a sports segment, but you can’t ignore the bias that the media (namely ESPN) has against the SEC (namely Auburn). Now, let it be known that I am an Alabama Crimson Tide fan, but even I can see the way ESPN is slighting our conference by belittling Auburn and praising Southern Cal. One of our local Birmingham radio broadcasters is starting a “campaign” to get fans to boycott the ESPN Gameday crew if they end up coming to Auburn for the Florida game next weekend. What a statement it would make if ESPN hauled all their gear down to Auburn, only to broadcast for a few Florida Gator fans! They would have to confront the fact that everyone thinks they’re bashing Auburn. But that won’t ever happen. People want to be on TV too bad.

4. Today, my wife, Brooke, will receive her white coat at pharmacy school. She has worked very hard to get to this point, and this wonderful event will propel her through the rest of her training and career. Just wanted to say how proud I am of her.

5. Shoot! I’m late!

Playing not to lose...

You remember the cheer from your high school days at the football field, don’t you?

“Be aggressive! Be be aggressive! B-E-A-G-G-R-E-S-S-I-V-E! Aggressive! Be be aggressive!”

If you have kept up with Alabama football during the Mike Shula era, you have seen a team that just tries to hang in there. If ‘Bama is in a position to bust it wide open, chances are that they’ll play it safe and take the easy way out.

That’s all well and good. But that’s not Alabama football.

The story was told about one of Bear Bryant’s defending champion teams visiting a hated rival the following season. This was back in the days before overtimes, when tie ballgames were common. The game was a “slobber-knocker”. The two heavyweights battled it out for 60 minutes. Down by 7, the Crimson Tide put together one final drive to come storming back. After scoring the touchdown, Bear Bryant went for 2. They didn’t convert, and lost by a single point.

When asked about why he didn’t just kick the extra point and take the tie, the Bear grizzled, “Champions don’t play to tie. Champions play to win.”

I love Alabama football. I think Shula is the right man for the job right now. I think he can take us back to the national spotlight like we had once enjoyed. But some of his play calls leave me and the rest of the Tide Nation scratching our heads.

For instance, in the Arkansas game last week, our freshman kicker clearly had the heebie-jeebies. With not much time left in the 4th quarter, we had the ball in the redzone with a 1st down. The first play called was a Ken Darby run to the center of the field for 1 yard.

“Okay, Shula is setting up a nice kick for Tiffin if we need it.”

2nd down. Ken Darby up the middle for maybe another yard.

“Alright, let’s take a shot at 6 here. JPW has played a smart game. Let him take control.”

3rd down. Ken Darby up the middle for maybe a half yard.

“Huh?”

4th down. Leigh Tiffin wide right. Again.

And the rest is history.

Do us a favor, Shula. Know when to take chances. Don’t show your fake field goal on 4th and 8 on your first drive against Vandy! But DO take a shot at the endzone when your freshman kicker is having a rough day!

Version 3

Here’s my 3rd try at a post concerning the recent events surrounding Terrell Owens and his apparent attempt at suicide.

My first version was aimed at showing (from a Biblical perspective) that money and fame mean nothing without a deep sense of purpose in life (i.e. serving God).

My second version tried to contrast the circus that is “T.O.” with another successful football player, Shaun Alexander, who fears God and tries to live an upright life.

Both versions seemed to have more of a derogatory tone than I wanted. So I’m on to Version 3.

The day that the news broke about Owens apparently trying to commit suicide was a slow day at the office for me. I had a full slate of patients scheduled, but no one (I mean NO ONE) showed up until about 4:00 pm that day. After taking care of my administrative responsibilities, I was left with a good amount of free time.

After about 5 games of FreeCell and 2 games of Hearts, I was ready for something more. Which, ironically, is exactly what I found.

One advantage of working at a Sam’s Club is having a bookstore at my office. Occasionally, I have spent some slow days reading some of the latest titles from their book collection. On this day, I found a book entitled “Touchdown, Alexander!”, an autobiography of Shaun Alexander, an Alabama football great. You can guess why I was interested.

It was a relatively quick and easy read. The book covered his childhood, his introduction to peewee football, his talent in football from an early age, his decision to attend the University of Alabama, and his journey as a professional football player. Interwoven throughout the account were stories of his faith in God.

Let me share a few excerpts from his book:


{commenting on Joshua 1:7} “First, if I did everything God told me to do, I would be successful. (I don’t equate being successful with having a lot of money or being famous, but with living a good life.)” – pg. 66

{commenting on his new popularity at Alabama} “Some people pulled at me, and others grabbed me. It made me feel like a rock star, and I didn’t like that feeling very much. Though it was flattering, I just couldn’t fit into it.” – pg. 81

{commenting on another school trying to sway him from his verbal college commitment} “My mother’s teaching and the lessons I’d received as a kid in church were so strong, I didn’t even feel tempted. To give my word is as strong as signing a contract. I couldn’t go back on that.” – pg. 53


Not only did I learn about Alexander’s time at Alabama, but I also saw an ordinary man who was totally focused on God. That’s a different perspective that we don’t always see in life, especially from a successful professional football player.

What does all this have to do with T.O.? Like I said before, my 2nd version of this post was going to be a T.O. bash and an Alexander praise party. But that discussion seems to be neither here nor there. The real discussion should be: where do I fit in compared to these 2 men?

In regards to how good a grip these two men have on life’s purpose, I’d give T.O. a 2 and Alexander a 9.

But I would give Rick a 7. Maybe a 7.5.

I don’t think I’m wrapped up in money, fame, or materialism, but I certainly haven’t been viewing my life and my relationship to God as well as Alexander has. We would call it being on “cruise control”.

In his book, Alexander would comment on how he prayed for God to be in charge of his life. He spoke of wanting to go to church camps to teach kids about Jesus. He used his “fame” to speak to kids about purity before marriage. His life seems to be all encompassed with serving God.

Too often, we’re wrapped up in college football. Or fishing. Or exercise. Or internet. We make those things our life, instead of making Christ our life (Colossians 3:4). And seeing how unfulfilling T.O.’s new $25 million contract was just drives the point home even more.
So instead of bashing T.O. again, and instead of spouting off the Scriptures that I haven’t fully exercised in my own life, I’ll just hold up an example of a man who believes in God with his whole being. Although he is a part of a denomination and not the one true church of the Bible, he sure could teach us a lot about self-denial and commitment to God.

What's good for the goose...

Let's play make believe.

Make believe that hated basketball coach Bobby Knight was on a radio station, telling his story of how he went from nothing to something.

Bobby has a friend with a radio show, so they sit and chat about his "rags-to-riches" story.

Bobby says, "I just couldn't wait for the day that I would be in charge. I was tired of wiping up the sweat of all the black players as I sat on the bench. I couldn't wait for the day when I could be the head coach and start a team of all white boys."

Bobby's radio friend laughs. They revel at how they've turned the tables.

Now back to reality.

Do you think this kind of racism isn't happening today? See if you can fathom what Oprah Winfrey talked about on her radio program Monday, September 25th, 2006.

By the way, credit should be given to Rick and Bubba for the above analogy.

White racism is as bad as Black racism is as bad as Hispanic racism is as bad as Asian racism is as bad as.....

Racism is racism, no matter what direction it flows from. It's amazing that Queen Oprah can get away with it because of who she is.