I guess it's not hopeless...

I like this.

Big news out of the Missouri Valley...

One head coach is staying...
One head coach is leaving...

SIU ponied up big money to keep a quality coach in Chris Lowery, and I think the money will pay off, despite the normal "Why isn't the money spent on education" gripers. The bottom line is athletics equals revenue through national exposure and playing deep into the post-season.

I'm surprised to see Altman leave Creighton. Last I knew he was untouchable on campus, and the Bluejays won the MVC Tournament this season. They went out in the first round of the NCAA Tournament though, and maybe the Jays see that as a downturn. It will be interesting to see how Coach Altman fares in the SEC and who takes his place in Omaha.

Kid's Programming?

A shooting at after-event party following the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards injured three people.

According to news reports no arrests have been made, but police are holding one fox-of-interest for questioning...

Seriously though, this is really sad. I remember when Nickelodeon first came on it was crazy kids' shows and cartoons. Now my 3-year old and 7-year old watch it during the day, but after 5 p.m. it turns into some brooding teen angst after hours party. Remember Degrassi Jr. High? Well they're all grown up now! Gang violence, same-sex relationships and weekly "who's cheating on who" storylines are hooking a whole new generation on soap operas.
Police reports say the party was not an official event, but what kind of crowd is Nickelodeon attracting?

Gooooaaaaaallllll!!!

Nancy and I watched "My Date with Drew" a few nights ago. Long story short, this everyday Joe has a goal of one date with Drew Barrymore, and sets out to make it happen. It's a documentary-true story kind of thing, but overall a good rental.

Anyway, while surfing the web tonight I stumbled, via Google into 43Things.com. Give this site a visit if you've ever bailed on a New Year's Resolution, given up on a goal or listened when someone told you "Don't waste your time."

It's also interesting to see what people around the world want to do with their lives. Some are humorous, some are heartbreaking.

A Song that Came to Mind While Writing the Post that "Walked, then Was Not."

As I was wrapping up the post I talked about earlier, the song "The Next Time You See Johnny" by Kenny Marks popped into my head.

Bedtime, she sees her son on his knees
And the prayer that she hears
Through the door makes her feel at ease
"Jesus", she hears a young boy pray
"Could You bring back my daddy? ,
I know that You'll find a way.

And the next time You see daddy,
Tell him I'm alright and
There's a fire in my heart for him,
That's always burning bright
Tell him that I pray for him,
Each and every day."

Bedtime, where she taught him to pray
"Now I lay me down to sleep"
Where the words he would say.
"Jesus" she hears him again
And she faces the faith of a child
That's no longer pretend

And the next time You see daddy,
Tell him I'm alright and
There's a fire in my heart for him,
That's always burning bright
Tell him that I pray for him,
Each and every day."

Bedtime, in her room all alone
She feels the Presence of
Someone unseen, someone unknown
"Jesus" she hears herself start
Let the fire of forgiveness
Burn bright in this broken down heart

And the next time You see Johnny,
Tell him it's alright and
There's a fire of forgiveness,
That's always burning bright
There's Someone he can pray to
Each and every night."

Back to Firefox

Well, if I'd been using Firefox instead of Internet Explorer you would be reading a post about a lesson I learned about prayer from my daughter Madison. Just as I was wrapping up nearly an hour of writing and editing IE crashed, throwing my words into nothingness.

So I'm sending the bloated IE browser back into retirement and updating to the latest version of Firefox. Does it crash on occasion? Sure, but it allows me to resume my session where it crashed. Sometime soon I'll re-write my original post.

Flags at schools across America will be flown at half-mast...

Sports Illustrated will end delivery of the annual swimsuit issue to schools and libraries. The announcement brings to a close the best perk for being in the Library Club...

Handy Maddie and Tool Belt Tori