Where to start?!?!? Gifts in the Mail or Tampa?

OK. I will start with the totally awesome care package I received today from my office back in Alabama. Besides an assortment of food goodies specially selected to meet my tastes, my office (and I can take a good guess who specifically) decided it would only be more perfect by plastering half of the items with the face of a personal hero - David Hasslehoff. Yes, the "Hoff" made it all the way across the Atlantic and several continents to bid me a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Does it really get any better?



How about this? We had to take a detour through a portion of Kabul we rarely frequent due to serious traffic issues and lo and behold, there's KFC! That's "Kabul" Fried Chicken, in case you were wonderin'. . . .

Finally, I'll leave you with this shot. The 2008 ACC Player of the Year consoles the 2009 ACC Player of the Year on the sidelines shortly after the clock ran out. The ACC Championship Game in Tampa proved to be a lot more exciting the the SEC Championship Game and brought out the very best in both teams. Thankfully, Tech's best of 39 points was better than Clemson's best of 34 points. How about them Oranges?

Tech is dropped 30-24; fall to 10-2

UPDATE: Amazingly Coach Richt made the very difficult personal and professional decision to fire Willie Martinez (UGA Defensive Coord.) and two other Defensive staff members.  This really surprised me due to the terrific performance the UGA Defense put on against Tech.  In other news, Coach Paul Johnson received ACC Coach of the Year honors for the second year in a row; this was of course, no surprise.

You can see it on his face - Paul Johnson had an idea of what was about to happen at the beginning of the second half. (of course the score was a little telling as well)

1:22 from the continuation of a true rivalry.  It was a true in-state showdown.  Unfortunately, UGA left more on the field than Tech did.  I won't blame Demarius Thomas for the dropped 1st down pass.  I won't blame Coach Johnson for calling three passes in a row when we really needed to keep the game on the ground and run the clock down.  I also won't blame the defense.

In the end, I think that I will blame noone.  It's just a game.  A game that I hate to lose, but a loss this year to UGA does something that a loss any other year would not have done.  Nothing.

From the beginning, Tech's goal was to win the ACC Championship.  That's the second item on the list - last year the first item on the list was to beat Georgia (check - they came from behind to win 45-42).  Next year I imagine Johnson will place an even loftier goal on the top of the list. . .

It was not a fun game to watch at all but my hat's off to Josh Nesbitt who came back in after what could have been a devastating hit and subsequent injury.  Yet the real winner in my mind is Willie Martinez.  This win might have been just enough to keep his job as Defensive Coordinator at UGA.  I will admit that I, too, chided Mark Richt for keeping him aboard - and it still may not be the best decision - but tonight he rallied his team together to take down the second-best rushing offense in the country.  Not bad - especially when most were expecting a blow-out.

Revenge may be a whole year away, but the Yellow Jackets have much bigger fish to fry - first Clemson for the ACC title; then the Orange Bowl.

This dude in the middle of these UGA fans knows how I feel right about now . . .

The only thing I really am not looking forward to is the "good 'ole fashioned hate" and gloating that is sure to come from all of Georgia's 48th Brigade who are stationed with me.  Yes, Georgia Tech is in Georgia, but most of the GA Army Guard don't recognize anything inside the perimiter as part of the state.

Go Yellow Jackets!

Ephesians 6:15

The New International Version says, "and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace."

I really honed in on this verse today and thought more about what it says. Verse 15 is tucked in the middle of a well-known passage describing the "armor" necessary in spiritual warfare. Interestingly enough, only one element (the Word) is represented by a tool that is both defensive and offensive in nature (all other references are defensive).

Anyway, I digress. So, the Gospel of peace gives us readiness? Of course it does! See, Christ claimed that persecution was inevitable for believers. He told us that the road is hard and that the door is narrow. This, being a tough road, is not one for the leary. He understood the trials well-enough that He and the Father saw fit to send us a great comforter - the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit reminds us of Christ's gospel (his birth, life, death, and resurrection) and guarantees our peace in all circumstances.

These shoes that Paul wants us to wear are a product of the Gospel, when we embrace it. The Gospel will prepare us for the road ahead, regardless of what may come. This readiness, or preparedness, is indicative that the work of ensuring our peace is already complete - we are prepared! He has made us ready because of the Gospel, nothing more, nothing less. So, since the work is already complete, there is nothing more we can do to make it more complete! We can be at peace knowing full well that Christ, paying the full price for our salvation through His gospel, offers us the ultimate boots - His gospel. We are now at peace. We are now ready! Let our light shine of His love and be a constant reminder of this readiness and peace by allowing our lives to be an outpouring of His Gospel.

In Him,
David S.

Poetry in Locomotion

The 2009 Georgia Tech Press Guide is titled "Full Steam Ahead". Tonight I found out why! My Yellow Jackets discarded a 19-year dry spell in style beating Virginia in Charlottesville in almost every aspect of the game.

They ran more.

They passed farther per attempt.

They scored more points from kicks.

They had more critical conversions.

(They unfortunately had more penalties).

And they maintained possession of the ball a full 25+ minutes more than the Cavs!

This was the first full Tech game I've gotten to watch in about a year and I couldn't have been more pleased! I definitely caught them in stride. Even when the emotions of being winless in Charlottesville since 1990 and the weather posed a serious hindrence to an option offense that relies on sure footing and excellent ball handling Georgia Tech demonstrated why they deserved to be at the top of the Coastal standings in the ACC.

Next week they are away at Wake Forest - definitely win-able, however I know CPJ well enough to know that he doesn't take any game for granted. His coaches and managers and trainers and video crew are doing everything possible (even now, just hours after a huge victory on the road) to ensure his players are fully prepared for the Demon Deacons and another important away game.

Go Jackets!
In Him,
David

It's Football time!

The USA Today Pre-season poll has Georgia Tech at no. 15. It's not that big of a surprise that they are ranked as high, moving up seven spots from the 22-spot at the end of last season and after a dismal loss to LSU, considering the effort CPJ has put into building on last year's foundation. Furthermore, they are returning this fall with 17 starters (9 offense, 8 defense), more than any other ACC school, including ACC Player of the Year, RB Jonathan Dwyer. Needless to say, Tech has an opportunity like they haven't had in over a decade!

Unfortunately, there are some things playing against us.
1. Pre-season ranking: This is almost always a killer for ACC teams. The Jackets need to ignore the ranking and look to Jacksonville State. It may seem like an "exhibition" game on paper, but the Bulldogs are not going to relent easily and everyone at Grant Field needs to remember that.
2. Press coverage: The Jackets have had a lot of press coverage and active PR going on in the off-season to boost the overall "star appeal" of the team while keeping the recruits interested. This can easily backfire if they don't produce. They need to stick to the plan and not showboat; CPJ knows his stuff about running an option offense and every player must run their positions flawlessly to put points on the board. Keep their minds out of the Sunday Sports section and in their studies and playbooks.
3. We beat Georgia: They are not happy in Athens. We destroyed the hopes of a top ten ranking for them (both post and pre-season) and we raised lots of eyebrows across the state. They will be gunning for us, at home this November. This will only serve to distract our players as they hang out in Athens on the days off or chat with their friends. Once again, they need to stay focused on the task at hand each week and make each week pay off.
4. Finally, high expectations: I would argue that Atlanta in general has one of the biggest fair-weather populations of any major sports city. The Tech following is unfortunately not that much different. Sure, we almost always filled the stands for the bigger games, but when Tech was losing (even by not much), folks lost interest and stayed away. Regardless of the outcome, the fans need to stay with their team. Go to the games; tailgate; usher the team in to Bobby Dodd Stadium as they take their walk before the game; wear Tech gear; watch them on T.V. and invite friends over.

Well, we are just a few weeks away from kickoff and I wish the best for my Yellow Jackets. I was there during their last, best season (ACC Co-Champions, 1999) and I look forward to watching them rise to the top again. I wish I could come to some games, but the commute from Afghanistan is a little much.

Go Yellow Jackets!

The joys of traveling

I am currently in Kapisa Province working on getting a project started. The trip was pretty short notice and I made it out here in good time. My goal is to be back at my "home" camp by my birthday, but there is no guarantee of that.


Traveling has its perks as well as costs. I get to see a lot of the country, but sometimes I get stuck places that I really don't need to spend a lot of time. For instance, on my last trip the other engineer I was travelling with and I got stuck for an extra six days at a pretty isolated location. It gave me a lot of time to read and watch movies but very little time to do work because I was almost completely disconnected. Additionally, it gave my coworkers back at my "home" camp plenty of time to figure out a great prank.


So, upon returning, I found the below image waiting for me!

I'm guessing I'll find something else exciting waiting for me after this trip, though I can't imagine how they'll top this!

Where were you tonight?

Yesterday, Michael Phelps' seventh gold medal arrived after arguably the most amazing finish of any race in history. Behind nearly an entire meter, he takes an extra stroke in the last second of the men's 100-meter butterfly to beat out Milorad Cavic from Serbia by .01 seconds - that's a hundreth of a second. To put it in perspective, the time in between Phelps' touch at the end of the pool and Cavic's is less than one-third the amount of time that a single frame is displayed in a typical movie. Wow. Phelps joined Mark Spitz as the only other Olympian to reach seven gold medals in a single olympic games.

Tonight's finish, although more "in the bank" - considering the Americans have never lost the 4x100m men's medley in 20+ years - was no less riveting. There was a short period during the second teammate's run performing the breastroke that it would be a photo finish - again, however Phelps built a terrific lead in the third leg, with his signature butterfly, to give Jason Lezak the steam and space he needed - clean water et al - to bring home an elite-eighth Beijing gold medal with 100 historic meters performing the freestyle. Yes, Phelps stands alone as the only Olympian ever to get 8 gold medals at a single Olympic games. He had already stood alone when he broke the 9-medal record for lifetime gold medals (he won 2 golds that day, by the way) and now he will only continue to push the bar higher and higher.

Rachel and I watched the finals on our older, 19" TV in the guest bedroom. In case you are wondering why I wasn't watching it on our 120" image from our projector, I have a good answer. Prior to picking up on the Olympics, I had been watching the very remarkable Saddleback Presidential Forum, hosted by Rick Warren, with Senators McCain and Obama. For some reason, the cable connection in my living room was not broadcasting CNN, so I was forced to watch this event on the smaller TV. Well, it didn't matter - my heart raced and somehow I felt the gravity of the event, just as much as if I had watched it on a Jumbotron. That seems to be the closest I've ever witnessed to "super-human". Certainly Phelps will somehow get his named turned into an adjective, adverb, verb, noun, etc referring to a feat beyond comprehension. Now wasn't that a phelpsian post?

In Him,
David

So much to say, so little attention

I know that most folks don't have enough time to read full blog entries, so I'll try to provide the BLUF (bottom line up front - a phrase I recently learned from a fighter pilot friend)

So, here's the BLUF:

1. #3 is less than a month away!  We are excited with every kick and shove that protrudes from Rachel's belly, and the kids are just as excited as us!

2. Tomorrow I graduate my fourth class of students this year!  They are definitely a class act!

3. Still no Christmas tree up - that's how busy it's been

4. Christmas concert this sunday will finish off a very busy guitar-playing and choral season.

5. Paul Johnson was named GT's head coach - we'll see how it turns out; he comes with good credentials, though so did Chan Gailey.

6. Finished grad work for this semester, now I just wait for my grades (please pray)

7. A recent AJC opinion article stated that "abstinence only campaigns can't be trusted" - what in the world are we coming to?

Oh well.  That's it for now - not a typical blog entry, but I thought it was fair to bring you up to date.  Soon I'll be setting up a page to track my monthly utility expenses in my search for the lowest bill during a time of too much consumption!  God bless.

Speaking of Mediocrity

Georgia Tech met UGA today at Bobby Dodd Stadium, only to be outdone, for the seventh year in a row.  Thus, another mediocre Tech season ends.  No BCS bowl.  No championship ring.  No screaming throngs at the corner of Bobby Dodd and Cherry St.  Yet, they are going to a bowl (though there are almost enough bowls at this point for every Div. 1-A team to make it) and there may be some on staff who still have their ACC championship ring, when we shared it with the only in-conference loss to FSU (1998).  This match has become so mediocre as far as football games go, the UGA-Florida rivalry is easily considered stronger and more pumped up.  I don't know what should happen to Chan.  Everyone knows that all Tech fans really want (besides a share of some championship or a BCS bowl) is a "W" against the Bulldogs.  His contract isn't expired yet, though it may be worth the buyout to get some fresh blood in there.  We don't lack talent.  We don't lack a playbook (though I'd like to see the option come back in full force).  We don't lack the facilities.  We don't lack the fans.  We lack the "W's" and that almost always comes down to a lack in leadership.  Whether it is in the special teams coach, the quarterback or the manager,  the Head Coach sets the tone for the team through their leadership.  The most successful franchises in NCAA history are not marked by their star performers, but by their head coaches.  Hopefully Tech will find either the right man for the job, or the motivation Chan needs to step it up.  May God bless Chan Gailey and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets!

Volunteers and Lectures

10.25.07 I am debating over whether or not to buy tickets to a Vols football game. It seems $40 is worth being in Neyland Stadium, surrounded by 107,000 orange and white fans screaming at the top of their lungs as UT takes out some football team. I think it would be a good investment, of course I could also save the money and give it to Rachel when I get home. Hmmmm. This is a tough choice.


Now I'm listening to my homiletics prof talk about Post-Modernism and the advent of relativism - a totally disasterous movement that is a result of scholarly thought from the 20th century. It makes teaching the Word of God next to impossible when speaking to relativists. At the end of the day, it takes a "Damascus-road experience" for these people to turn to the Lord.

We could use some more experiences like that around this country.

Underdogs rule

WAR EAGLE! GO YELLOW JACKETS! I love watching an underdog win a big game. It just makes everything else go away for a little bit. Like the 320k+ mile Jeep I own that is now in the shop or the crabgrass that is still lingering in my lawn. Most important, and this is true in football as it is in just about everything else, the story of a successful underdog is a continual reminder that all things can be made possible through Christ. I have realized that I am an underdog. Satan is up, 453-2 (I picked up a safety back in Elementary School), yet I am assured a victory if I continue to press on toward the goal. The points don't matter and the time left is unknown (kind of like soccer). All that counts is the scoreboard in the end, and just like the sign that loomed over the hedges in Athens, GA following the GA Tech victory in 1998 (21-19), the scoreboard of life will also be in my favor. If you want to know more about this, please contact me. God Bless!

GA Tech vs. UVA - a sad tale

I'm totally depressed that my Yellow Jackets couldn't pull out a win this week. They lost to the Virginia Cavaliers, 28-23, after a fatal fumble during a punt - of all things. Ironically, there are few things that have been truly consistent about Ga Tech's football over the last ten years (the last season they accomplished anything truly significant), yet their special teams has always seemed to stay the course. Even today their place kicker hit a 51-yarder and their punter drove a punt over 60 yards, yet they (literally) dropped the ball this one time and UVA took the next play and turned it into the touchdown that would put them over the top for the win. It wouldn't be so bad except that Tech wasn't able to squeak out a win (much less any offensive yardage) again Boston College last week, either. So, now we are 2-2, 0-2 (ACC) and on our way down the road of what we will all call a "rebuilding" season. Hogwash. I don't know what it is, but Division 1-A college football programs do not need to be wasting ticket dollars and alumni donations with years spent "rebuilding". Tech's defense needs to get back to their roots - zone defense, blitz everytime, and put up a wall against the rush. Tech's offense needs to rebuild the option that took Joe Hamilton to near-Heisman status and the team to a shared spot as ACC Co-Champs. Finally, the special teams needs to keep doing what they've been doing and not screw up again. Yes, they did not lose this game - if anyone did, it was the defense for letting UVA get that fast one past them immediately following the fumble recovery, late in the 4th quarter, but it is an understatement at this point that only perfection will keep such a fragile lead, as Tech had in their hands prior to that fumble, alive. That is of course, just the words of a naive couch-potato coach, so take them for what they're worth - or not. Regardless, this should count as a legitimate post for all those who've been complaining about my prolonged absence of late. God bless you all and good night!

My first trophy!

I'm two weeks away from graduating another class of anxious and ready students. They are excited and it always gives me a great feeling to see them continue on into the next phase of their lives. Almost as noteworthy were the events of this morning. I've never competed athletically (yes, I was on the JV golf team my 9th grade year, but I was far from competitive in that!) and I've run a few 5Ks or fun runs just, . . .for fun. Anyway, yesterday I found out that one of my coworkers and several of my students were going to run a 5K near my home, so I decided last minute to join the fold to get a nice run in on a Saturday morning while raising money for the Red Cross. Lo and behold, a thin crowd and my over-zealous spirit was enough to walk away with the 1st place trophy for my age group! You have to understand, this was truly my first sports trophy ever. I never did the little league thing like my brothers or take up any sports very seriously through high school or college, so I was pretty pleased. Anyway, it's interesting that a few songs came to mind as I took on the ups and downs of a local neighborhood for 22 minutes and 51 seconds (official time): Consuming Fire by Third Day and The Finish Line by Steve Taylor. The latter, I sang to myself twice and I am positive that the notion and visage of Christ rising to His feet as I stretched towards the finish line of life was a very motivating notion. It was fun, too, to stretch myself and do something different. That, too, is what Mediocre, Alaska is about - waking up to a new ambition and taking it on, head on. I'm thankful to my coworkers and students who came up with the idea and I've been encouraged to try it again sometime.
I think I need to archive some of this.

Georgia Tech blues

Happy New Year! A couple weeks, some tornado warnings, visits from friends near and far, and the season premier of "The Apprentice" later, and I'm back to blog. Some sad news first, Georgia Tech lost to West Virginia in the Toyota Gator Bowl. Some good news though, it looks like Taylor Bennett just might work out as a great q'back. I don't really know a ton about football, but I know that they broke more records in that game (though they lost) than they've done in a long time. I also know that Tech needs a break - and he may be the one who delivers it. They haven't won an ACC Championship since 1998 and they are certainly due for a change. Sure, they've been winning games and getting to bowls, but they are having trouble closing the big game. UGA, Wake, and West Virginia were all completely beatable teams and Tech was in a winnable situation during all of those games - yet, they didn't make it happen. I know how much work goes into a class act football team and I know that Chan Gailey is running a class act program. I believe that it comes down to the attitude of the fans and the attitude of the players at the end of the day. I wish the best to Coach Gailey and his crew as they start the long preparation for next season.