12:40 pm: a better night
I had a better night, this Saturday, than last week.   We actually got to the track on time.   The temp was only about 90 and overcast.  We packed the track (for what seemed like forever).   Then we hot lapped and everything felt good.  I didn't really push it.  I just wanted to get my wheels under me and get a good feel for it.  We had our drivers meeting and then we went back on the track for "kiddy rides"   We gave all the kids who wanted to a slow lap on the track.  My boys were upset that someone else was in daddy's car but they got over it.  The heat was kinda rough.  I was with the leaders until I threw the power steering/fan belt so, to the pits i went.  We trashed and figured out why the belt  went and got it fixed and put some lead on the butt of my cousin's car.  We were ready for the Main.   

I  had to start dead last for the main (18th).  We took the track and then the green.  Everything went ok for while.  The track was super slick so it took  a light touch on the throttle and the brakes to keep your rear under you.  I wasn't setting any speed records but I had work my way up to 14th.  Then I saw a puff of steam then a spray of water.  My radiator hose blew and that ended my night. 

Tags: racing

08:53 pm: I am officially a glutton for punishment
You know for an educated man I must not be very smart.

I was asked and accepted a job doing play-by-play for the Pottsboro Cardinals on KFYN  1420 Radio.  I will be doing only home games. You will be able to hear me Friday nights here:  www.kfyn1420.com
Most weeks I will be Internet only but,  some weeks I will be over the air.   Wish me luck. 

Meanwhile back at the ranch .  .  .
I was offically confirmed as T's new soccer coach.  Now I have to get all of that setup, go to coaching school, and find a place to practice



"Its hotter than 9 yards of hell"  ---  Bill Yowell (band director PHS)

Tags: sports

07:43 pm: The Crash

"The Crash" on Google Video
This is why I think every track should have a firetruck ready at every event. If the driver had been knocked out it would have been a really bad deal.

08:51 pm: first night on the new engine
Last night, 8/11,  was my first night back at the track after having to rebuild my motor.   I have been in the stands since early June so I was eager to say the least.  Due to circumstances beyond our control we got to the track late and so I chose to skip hot laps (practice) and just get ready for the heat.  I was in the 3rd heat of my class so I had plenty of time.  

I got in my car and get strapped as my heat is being called to line up. I flip on the master cutoff and hit the ignition and starter and I get smoke.  Not from the engine but from wire that had been pinched and shorted out.  I hit the master cutoff and jump out and proceed to miss my heat while i rewire that section. That put me starting at the back of the main which was ok since i just need to get laps for a while. 

So, i am in the staging area and everything is ok .  I see the pit steward signal that the previousp race has one lap to go.  I put my neck brace on,fire up, and  slip the transmission into gear. 15 cars hit the track and I am lined up 14th.  We go green and I am feeling good, the power is all there and I am not getting blown away on the start. The rear end steps out at the exit of turn 2 but i recover and hammer down the back straight. I roll through a couple of laps the car is way loose but, I am gradually getting faster.  I lose it coming out of turn 4 but spin into the infield (sending the track photographer running --lol) no caution. I refire  but I am a lap down but I get back out to get some laps. I lose it again in the same corner but now I am a sitting duck facing the wrong way in the middle of the track with a car bearing down on me.  Good thing it was Brian (my cousin-- he can really drive).   Now comes the caution.  I get fired and go to the pits.

Not a good night but, I didn't tear anything up and got my $25 for 14th place.  That might pay for my gas-- lol

This car has more power than any other car I have had. That is most of the problem. I have to learn how to drive all over again.  I have to learn to slow down to go fast.



"I find your lack of faith disturbing" -- Darth Vader (sw:anh)



Tags: racing

12:11 pm: and the beat goes on
So, the animals a are lining up 2 by 2.  I think we have had enough rain.  My yard is tall enough to cut and bale.  My dog has webbed feet. If i were to step into my garden you probably would never see me again.  Prior to last Sat. the track had lost 3 consecutive weeks of racing.  There's a good chance of rain for every day in the  7 day forcast.


I start back to work in a couple of weeks.  For a while I didn't think I would be coming back to pottsboro. I had two opportunities but neither one worked out for various reasons.   It is really starting to set in that I won't be coaching debate next year.  Its really sad.  Not just for my own reason but for the kids.   One of my students had a real chance to go on a get a scholarship  and debate in college.  I doubt now she will have the opportunity.  Both of my teams had a chance to do something at state but now who knows.   I better stop there before i say something i shouldn't


While digging around in my pics I found two cool ones.

08:41 pm: the flood
The TV is calling it the flood of 2007.  It rained 5 inches in 2 hours. Every low lying place in the county was swamped

check out the news:  www.kxii.com

and the pics




poor cow

more rain in the forcast for tomorrow

12:13 pm: update
our weekend trip to roundrock was a good one even though my team lost.  For those of you that don't know Pottsboro High's baseball team was in the state tournament this past weekend.  They lost in the semi's but had a very good season.  There are a bunch of seniors on that team and they had a great run in their last year of their last sport.  It was good to get out of town for a few days. Our camping out attempt was not so successful. It turned out to be 95 deg. with the same humidity so we wussed out and got a motel.

I am trying to get a few things done around the house but i am really uninspired.

04:13 pm: i am officially done until July.    I may be able to get some stuff done if it will ever stop raining.  

Racing News .   .   .
The engine's broke.  I was troubleshooting a missfire issue and I found not one but two dead cylinders.    For those of you that are mechanically declined that means it that out of eight cylinders only 6 were functioning.  So it was only running at 3/4 power.  Anyway, I pulled it out of the car and tore it down it looks like it has bad valve stem seals and stuck rings on those 2 cyl. (oil  in places it shouldn't be).  Now that i have it down i will SLOWLY put it back together as money allows.

08:43 pm: long time no post
sorry its been such a long time since i posted here.  I got kicked off of here at work havn't got  the internet at home.  alot fo things have happend and i won't even begin to get into that all now.  I just wanted everyone to know i am still alive and this summer i hope to get everything up and going.

09:09 am: in austin again
So i find myself in austin again.  This time it is for the state CX debate tournament.  The girls did 4 prelim rounds on Monday and went 2-2 that was not good enough to advance to eliminations  on Tuesday.  They were very disappointed but were relived to find out that their rivals from Aubrey didn't advance either.  We will head home in a few minutes and get on with enjoying our spring break

Tags: debate

02:10 pm: hell in a handbasket
Top Ten reason  why missing work  sucks  .   .   .

10.  40 calls (and subsequent voice mails) on your cell phone while at home from faculty needing you help "immediately"
  9.  your cell phone going dead  because of all the calls and your charger is at work
  8.  38 people having your cell number that aren't supposed to
  7.  T saying  "I want more eggs"  for breakfast for which you happily oblige and he eats all of one bite
  6.  missing one of two practices you had scheduled with your debate team with less than 5 days until STATE
  5.  Jehovah's witness showing up at the door when you are in your underwear-- good thing it wasn't my holy underwear
  4.  dial up internet access
  3.  "when is grandma gonna be home?"  uttered by T  every 15 mins
  2.  "do i havta go to school tommorrow?"  every hour
  1.  someone trying to hack the email server at work all day  the day you get back

Tags: work

08:25 am: Monday -- entropy
ya i know i stole doc's word but i am a science geek too.


Saturday was an adventure to say the least.  First,  T had a soccer game at 9:45 am.  It was cold (for Texas) and the wind was about 20mph but, that's not the good part.    T's coach and his son (the all star) could not attend this  game due to a prior basketball commitment.  That left me to coach the team and  T as the only player that had even seen a soccer field before.   It was like that little  5 year old knew exactly the situation we were in.  He put the team on his back and made it a close game.  He got his first goal in the process too.  He was ecstatic.  I was too proud.


Sunday, we had our second practice day (my first) at the track.  We got their earlier than we needed too much to the dismay of the Mrs.  We got unloaded and hit the track for packing (the process of rolling in the track to work the water into the clay). Everything looked good after packing.  I got back to the pits scraped the mud that had accumulated from packing and got ready to take my first run.  I hit the track and took it easy for the first few laps.  This new car is shorter and lighter than the old one  and it makes it a bit "twitchy". I then took  some hard laps  it got squirrley a couple of times but I didn't spin out and I stayed out of the wall.  I took it back to the pits and noticed some oil smoke. Apparently I don't have enough ventilation in the valve covers and that caused oil to come up out of the dipstick tube and get on the headers (thus smoke). No big deal.   Got back in to load and the shifter came off in my hand!!  I had forward (it was already in gear) but no reverse or neutral.  To make a long story short the wrecker had to load me.  Not exactly the way I wanted to end it.  I have got a few things to do before opening night but I am alot further along than I thought I was.

Tags: racing, soccer

03:36 pm: Stupid people
If you were running a tournament that had  several events would you not want to check on the number of entries a few days before the actual contest?  I know i would.

We were supposed to have an academic tournament in a town a few miles away and I was going to use the debate portions as a warm up form my team that is going to state in march.   I didn't figure there would be many entrants since most schools that don't qualify for state don't continue to work on debate after district contest is over.  I received a  call this afternoon that the would be no debate contest at this tournament that is scheduled to take place TOMORROW!!!   

HELLO, how about a little notice!!!!!!   I could have entered my teams in another tournament a little further away if I  had know as little as 2 days ago.  This will be the last time we enter in this particular schools tournament.

Tags: debate, ignorance

12:00 pm: asphalt
Who's asphalt is it?

For those of you who do not know the back ground on the situation here in P'town, let me first fill you in.

About 2 weeks ago a local paving company started clearing land directly adjacent to their hq (truck/equip. yard). It was later known that they would be relocating an asphalt plant would be built there. This location is in no cities jurisdiction and all permits have been handled according to state law. To say the least the community is in an uproar.

They are scared of the polution, the increased truck traffic, and primarliy the devaluation of their property.

However my position is different and probably not too popular. I feel like we are on a slippery slope here with individual rights and property rights. What right do we have to tell them what they can or can't build what they want on property that they rightfully bought and paid for? Does the community get to decide if i can build a carport or what kind of wood i can burn in my chimney? You deny this one man/business the right to make a living or pursue his line of work where does it end?

I can answer most of the arguments that are presented will a little common sense (which is not too common these days). These are arguments are:

1. The asphalt plant will be within 2 miles of the high school and its emmissions endanger the health of the students

A: The plant will be due east of the school. How many days per year does the wind blow out of the east? I would say less than 10. Most of the other days the wind will be out of a direction that will blow the "toxic smoke" away from the school. I would estimate that kids that ride a diesel bus twice a day inhale more soot than one that goto school next to an asphalt plant.

2. The increased truck traffic will be dangerous.

A. This plant is being put where it is for a reason. It is at the intersection of two major highways in this part of the county. I doubt anyone will notice the difference. Big haul trucks are a major "golden goose" for frivolous lawsuits if the owner thought that this would increase their exposure then they would reconsider the location. It is also being put there because of two major road contruction projects that will be within 5 miles of the plant. It only makes economic sense.
Does anyone oppose more retail shops because it will increase the traffic?

3. It will decrease our property value.

A: I agree those directly adjacent to the plant will have some property devaluation however, those oweners will cry long and hard enough the the plant owen will probably buy them out to create a "buffer zone". I predict that everyone else will be largely uneffected. The increase in local tax base will overall help the community with money for better facilities. No politician will dream of committing political suicide by give a tax abatement for this plant.


"The sky is falling" is a popular position these days. Just because the majority thinks something is right doesn't make it so.

The Bluebomber


"And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him." --- Rev 6:8 KJV

Tags: politics, school

09:31 am: TTU beats TAMU
Jackson hits game-winner for Red Raiders --- foxsports.com
http://msn.foxsports.com/cbk/story/6471710

The Texas Tech Red Raiders beat the #6 Texas A&M aggies at the buzzer ---woooohooo

Will TTU make the Tourney ???

11:46 am:

U.S. Valentine's Day Zoo Sex Tours Offer Revealing Glimpse Into Animal Attraction-- foxnews.com

 http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,251715,00.html

i guess it gives a whole new meaning to the term "hot monkey sex"



in other news:

my debate team was recognized on the local tv station
http://www.kxii.com/schools/headlines/5760736.html

Brotherbluebomber starts soccer practice on friday and his first game is a week from Sat. (of course i have a debate tournament that weekend)

it is 3 weeks until race season starts (no the car is not ready)

the Daytona 500 is this weekend





"do or do not, there is no try"  -- Yoda (ESB)














Tags: news

07:51 am: i hate being off
Let's see i have 12 new work orders and 5 voicemail messages when i got in this morning.  Im sure mary has many more in her inbox that will become mine shortly.   You gotta love workorders like this:

"computer is not working"



ok, how is it not working? will it not come on or can you just not get to ebay right now?   a little help would be nice

Tags: tech

03:24 pm: home
I am finally back from Austin and waiting for mom to pick me up since mrsbb isn't home yet.

Whats with the press all over this Anna Nichole death. Who cares about a drugged out, fat a$$ed, playmate. Her baby is probably better in the "system" then with what ever deadbeat that ends up being the father.

11:18 am: debate
my turn to boast.

My CX debate teams got 1st and 3rd at the District Debate meet.  The 1st place team gets to go to State.  Another trip to austin so i can PO  mrsbluebomber


Tags: debate

11:07 am: keeping austin wierd
Why is it that the capital of  one of the most conservative states in union (TEXAS) is the most liberal.  Walking down sixth street yesterday going to lunch I saw more piercings than my whole time at TTU.   Professional women walking down the street in a nice business suit, with green hair and chain running from their ear to their nose. 

For this liberal morass i blame TU.  and i think they do it just to piss off TAMU.  At least willie knows where to get his weed.