.........."random thoughts Friday".

Well, it's Friday; and that means, "yes", another home football game! I would rather be stabbed in the eye with a bulldozer! A Friday night football game is usually not that bad; but, we live in western North Carolina - that means rain and wind, with gusts up to 45 mph predicted for today. Oh, things get better tonight - wind gusts of only 25 mph. We also have two marching band contests tomorrow. We will meet at 7:30 AM and return about 1:00 AM. The "two-a-day" band contest Saturday is usually fun. Things were looking pretty good in our class until yesterday when I learned that one of our past rivals (EB) entered our class - they have 177 members with an estimated 120+ in the horn line! This should be fun! Our kids have done an outstanding job learning the field show, and it's a real crowd pleaser. Maybe we can be the "come from behind kids" again this year. I'll let you know how it goes. Another one of our rivals (L), is doing a Van Helsing (sp?) show. Was there some field show worthy music from that movie? Anyway, we can expect lots of props and stages from them. I get too serious about competition with the band - I realize that, and I need therapy. I am too competitive with most everything. How did I get that way? I don't know. I guess with the band stuff I take it too personally - I work on this 10 minute field show from May until October. The show represents my best work (be it as it may) for all this time, and I want it to be a great production. I've got to learn to relax with the whole competition thing - I mean, it's not like it's a sport or anything - you would think that I was trying to equate my work with that of a football coach or something! I need to "get real"!

We got a Lowe's hardware store! We have a great view of it from the school - thank goodness none of the land around the school is zoned! A Lowe's hardware store should be handy - our store is slightly larger than the Boone store and slightly smaller than the Wilkesboro store. I try to have a good attitude about things like this in our community; but, I have to remind you that I have lived and worked here for over 20 years, and I feel like I know our community. Here's my take on the new Lowe's - before Lowe's arrived, we had several small hardware/home stores with slow and poor service. This new Lowe's store will be stocked with workers from our community (great for people looking for jobs), which means that we can now have our slow and poor hardware store service centrally located. No longer will I have to travel all over town to be frustrated - I can now do it at one store!

I working on my road rage. You've got to belive me; I'm really trying! I'm trying to overlook other people driving on my side of the road (especially in curves), constantly burning their headlights on high beam, never going more than 15 mph below the posted speed limit, never making a right turn, never giving a signal, waiting at a light long enough for only 2 cars at a time to make it through, breaking into the drive-through lines at McDonald's/Hardees, never parking in a space, always talking on a mobile phone/smoking/looking at maps, and waving at me. I'm so sick of people waving at me when I don't know them!!! Stop it!!! I think I'm making some progress on my road rage, because these are the only things that seem to bother me on the road anymore.

No matter how you slice it, Friday's are great! I live for the weekends. I'm looking forward to the Saturday band contests; but, Sunday will be a fantastic day of nothing to do (after church services). Maybe I'll watch a good WWII movie or some documentaries? I may even make a beer can chicken. I'll leave my options open. I think it (what exactly is "it" when you're talking about the weather???) is supposed to rain again.

The Mark Foley thing is still unwinding. Now the news people (I use the word "people" very loose here) are playing an "over the phone" interview from an elderly former Priest of Foley's. he said they used to go skinny dipping and take steam baths together. What is wrong with that? Doesn't everyone swim nude with their Priest? Foley is a twisted man, and he will never make me belive his circumstances made him go after these boys - he's a freaking twisted queer!!!

Now, for the Iraqi situation - the war is not going well - everyone knows that. The reason - it has got to be so complex, and I don't think anyone can give the right answer. When the Commandant of the Marine Corps states that things are not going well - we do have a problem. I will never believe that the Iraqi people will be capable of running their own affairs. There are too many rival religious groups that will keep that place screwed-up for any kind of democratic rule. Donald Rumsfeld reminds me to be patient. That's OK, but we're loosing Americans at the average rate of 4/day. many of the combat National Guard and Army Reserve units are going back for their second tours of duty and the military is being taxed too close to their limits. The active combat units are in-country for 7 months and back in the US for 7 months. The NG and AR units are in-country for 14 months and home for 14 monts. We overestimated our rate and capability of success; while at the same time, underestimated the oposition. The Iraqis are incompetent at the very best. I'm not sure that the war has weakened the terrorists either. Think about it, this must be a great training ground for the extremists. We kill a lot of them, but our killing also breeds many more, and with a reason to fight! No, I really don't have an answer. I do want our soldiers to stop dying - it's getting out of hand.

Well, those are more thoughts that I realized I had. I'm sure the course of the day will give me more. I'm looking for a great day - it's Friday!!! Heck yeah!!!