Foul Ball!

You're going to need to clicky clicky the above pic to get the full scope of this man's pain.

There is so much going on in this picture. I love the reactions from all sides. I wonder why the guy is standing up when everyone else is seated? Was he trying to jump over the ball? He looks like he's saying a quick prayer! If the guy seated to his left would have kept his eye on the ball, he could have saved him instead of whacking him in the stomach with the baseball glove... hmmm? So many questions that need answered here...

I now have a nice series of photos featuring broken bats and foul balls. We will do a nice montage of people in a panic on some Friday very soon. While I feel for them, it's worth it for all of you to be entertained.

Senator Obama can drain the three

I have to say that Obama has some mad skills on the hardwood. Watch his passing and driving ability. If the race comes down to a game of 21 or horse, I think this man could be taking the oath of office.

Victor Wooten

If you have never heard of him, his name is Victor Wooten and he is an electric bass player. He won the Bass Player Magazine "Bass Player of the Year" award three times and is the first man to ever win the award twice in a row. You can find Wooten playing a variety of musical genres including funk, jazz, fusion and bluegrass while thumping the low notes for Bela Fleck and the Flecktones.

I love me a good bass solo and this one show's Wooten's amazing ability to use harmonic notes, finger picking style and amazing left hand melody to do a cool rendition of the Beatles' Norwegian Wood.

Enjoy.

Man can remember every day of his life

Name any day and Brad Williams can probably tell you what he did. He's been featured on Good Morning America and the Today show. He's even taken on America's most famous master of trivia, Ken Jennings. "He cleaned my clock," says Jennings. "The guy's phenomenal."

Brad's supersized memory has its limits. He sometimes forgets where he parked. He can't memorize a telephone book. But he's off the charts in what is called "superior autobiographical memory" – meaning he effortlessly recalls the days of his life and events that fell on them.

Dec 31, 1967?
"That was the "Ice Bowl" game. The Packers beat the Dallas Cowboys. Bart Starr did a quarterback sneak to win the game."

The premiere of "All in the Family?"
"January 12, 1971. A Tuesday. 8:30 p.m. Central time."

He remembers what he ate for lunch on Aug. 18, 1965 (a hamburger at the Red Barn in Flint, Michigan – verified by a family vacation scrapbook); who won Miss America that same year (Vonda Kay Van Dyke who sang "Together, Wherever We Go"); and what was Record of the Year in 1975 ("Love Will Keep Us Together" by the Captain & Tennille).

He is not autistic. Not a savant. The La Crosse radio newscaster is as normal as you and me. Except that he is one of only two people in the world so far identified with "hyperthymesia."

Read more about Brad Williams and others like him here

Amazing Photos!

Nothing says safety like ladder on ladder


He apparently can't read.


Love this pool perspective


Never seen a better lighthouse shot. Love it.

Duct tape. It's good for moving too.

6th Grade Hoop Skills

(Click for bigger version of funny haircut and long socks)

We have a new scanner so I thought I might shoot a couple of the old pics from my old person box into the digital age.

This gem comes from Columbian Grade School in Mattoon, Illinois. Basketball picture day. I had been working on my ball spinning since the 5th grade and thought I should probably display my skills for Ernie the photographer. Note the socks coming almost up to my knees. It's because they aren't mine, they belong to a kid named Guy Taylor. He had an extra pair with the Converse emblem that seemed to match our red uniforms and asked me if I wanted to wear them for the picture. Of course!

Just for the record, that floor was one of the deadest gym floors ever. At least three or four of the elementary schools in Mattoon had the gymnasium/cafeteria on the second floor of the building. I am assuming this is what caused the floor to be so soft in places. As a team, we used this to our advantage. You could defend a player to a certain spot knowing that the bottom would soon drop out of his dribble. You could go for the ball at that exact moment and be gone for a fastbreak layup.

Anyway, this brought back some good memories. We were undefeated for the season and all the way through the playoffs up to the championship game. There, we were beaten by Hawthorne featuring the freakishly tall 6th grader, Scott Vinovich. We were overconfident and they played a great game. Good times.

My first check from the internet!

It came in the mail today.

It's from the Link-Share ads on the right sidebar. (Golf Magazine - Fender)

It will pay for our date tonight.

Woohoo!

Frolic with these Friday favorites!

This could be trouble!


This pic illustrates why I love football so much. Steve and I are trying to work a deal to go to a Monday Night Bears-Packers game at Soldier Field in December. We'll see what happens.


This seems safe enough to me. What could possibly go wrong?

Uh...wow.

SCARIEST FIRST LINE OF ANY ARTICLE EVER!!!!!!!!

Check out the first sentence of this article.

I hope you all have a terrific weekend. Get out and enjoy the sunshine!

Four Time Drunk Driving Offender Killed on Bicycle by Drunk Driver

Police say drunk driver killed cyclist in crash

Globe Staff / April 25, 2008

MARSHFIELD - Gary Sanborn pedaled his bike in the dark along Route 139, the price he had to pay after pleading guilty to four drunken driving offenses and having his license revoked.

In a sad twist, Sanborn died while riding his bicycle Tuesday night, struck by a pickup truck whose driver, police say, was drunk.

Adrian MacKinnon, 44, of Marshfield, was arrested afterward and charged with motor vehicle homicide.

Officer Ralph Poland of the Marshfield police wrote in a police report that MacKinnon said that he was driving behind a man on a bike and that he "couldn't avoid hitting him."

"I could smell a strong odor of breath mint with a mixture of an alcoholic beverage mixed in coming from [him]," Poland wrote in the police report.

A witness driving behind MacKinnon also told police she smelled alcohol on MacKinnon's breath, according to the report. MacKinnon refused a breathalyzer and field sobriety tests.

He was held on $3,000 bond after his arraignment Wednesday and was later released on personal recognizance. His lawyer, John T. Diamond III, did not return phone calls yesterday.

Sanborn, 60, had been without a driver's license for 10 years. After his fourth drunken driving offense in 1998, when he also was charged with property damage and leaving the scene of an accident, a judge revoked his license and sentenced him to a year in jail.

Sanborn's license was also indefinitely suspended in 2002 for failure to pay child support. Registry officials said he would have been eligible to have his driver's license reinstated when he had paid off his outstanding debts, but he had never applied.

Sanborn's family could not be reached yesterday for comment.

According to the Patriot Ledger of Quincy, Sanborn was a Vietnam veteran and had been staying with his mother, who lives in an apartment on Ocean Street, a heavily traveled two-lane state road. Sanborn was a few blocks from her apartment when he was struck and killed.

Poland, the police officer, found Sanborn's body under MacKinnon's GMC pickup truck. He had no pulse.

Watch the little guy in this one. Priceless!

This is pretty amusing.

I guess they had no idea of the whole "causes cancer" thing back then?

Journey

They're back!

Journey is set to release a brand new album and begin a world tour featuring a new front man.

Here is the press release that we received here at Paul's World of Funky Stuff

Frontiers Records is presenting the new chapter in the legendary career of multi-platinum US rockers JOURNEY - Neal Schon (guitar), Jonathan Cain (keyboards), Ross Valory (bass), Deen Castronovo (drums) and Arnel Pineda (vocals) – entitled Revelation.

The brand new record will come in a beautifully packaged two CD set which will include 11 new songs and 11 re-recorded classics and will be released in Europe on Frontiers Records on June 6th 2008.

(NOTE - The U.S. release is June 3rd exclusively through Wal-Mart.)

Revelation is the first Journey album to feature the angelic voice of Filipino singer Arnel Pineda. Guitarist Neal Schon says about him “We feel reborn. I think there’s a lot of chemistry between the five of us. The new stuff sounds tremendous. Everyone’s so stoked about it. We feel very fortunate to have found Arnel”.

“Arnel brings a soulful and passionate voice to Journey”, continues keyboardist Jonathan Cain. “His personality is very well-suited to our music. He’s a sincere, authentic person with a great smile and a big heart. I think fans are really going to love him. With Arnel’s soaring tenor, Journey returns to our heritage sound.”

The first album with lead vocalist Arnel Pineda, Revelation is Journey running on no less than twelve cylinders, a fine-tuned offering that sounds every bit like a band hitting their stride. Schon and Cain penned all 11 of the new tracks on “Revelation”. There is no lack of chemistry in Journey, beginning with the songwriting core of Schon and Cain. “I felt strongly about moving forward and writing new material. It was time,” Schon states. Schon then put the call into Cain and started the song writing process which has now become the album, “Revelation”. “There’s an innate trust and respect for what we each do as we weave our way through this music,” says Cain. Schon adds, “In the alphabet, I might be a Z and Jonathan the A, that’s just how opposite we are musically sometimes. I write mostly rock and Jonathan writes most of the ballads, but when you combine the chemistry of us together, you’ll find that it is the nucleus and sound of what is and has been Journey. And now, with the right voice in place, we have all the right ingredients.”

‘Never Walk Away’ kicks Revelation off with the resilient air and upbeat optimism fans have come to expect from Journey, a melody-soaked and guitar-driven anthem sure to ignite the live circuit just as it lights up the new release. The heartwarming sentiment offered by “Like a Sunshower” gives a more poetic and reflective look at relationships. It’s an uncharacteristic ballad from the more hard rock-inclined Schon. There’s even an instrumental, The Journey (Revelation), at the request of producer Kevin Shirley, who returns to the fold after working with the band on Trial By Fire (1996) and Arrival (2000), the band’s first instrumental since Departure (1980) and Evolution (1979). “This is a special song for me”, Schon says of the sprawling track, “it was extremely gratifying to express myself on my instrument in this way”. This is a great performance from everyone in the band and truly a majestic track.

But every member of Journey shines on the whole of Revelation. Lead singer Arnel Pineda does plenty of head turning of his own throughout the new recordings, as well as the 11 classic hits that the band re-recorded. Jonathan Cain’s keyboards elevate ‘After All These Years’ to new emotional heights. ‘What I Needed’ is a power ballad, driven by heavy guitars, reminiscent of the early Journey that so many bands have modeled themselves after. Deen Castronovo drums up a frenzy during the hard-driving rock song, ‘Wildest Dream’. The talented Castronovo also sings most of the high harmonies heard throughout the album, proving that not only is he an amazing drummer, but he’s a dynamic vocalist as well. Schon’s smoking guitars rip through this track with a cool, eastern flavor. Bassist Ross Valory is steady throughout, a stabilizing force through the albums more driven highs and heartfelt lows.

Revelation tracklisting will include the following songs:CD1: ‘Never Walk Away’, ‘Like A Sunshower’, ‘Change For The Better’, ‘Wildest Dream’, ‘Faith In The Heartland’, ‘After All These Years’, ‘Where Did I Lose Your Love’, ‘What I Needed’, ‘What It Takes To Win’, ‘Turn Down The World Tonight’, ‘The Journey (Revelation)’.

CD2: ‘Only The Young’, ‘Don’t Stop Believin”, ‘Wheel In The Sky’, ‘Faithfully’, ‘Any Way You Want It’, ‘Who’s Crying Now’, ‘Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)’, ‘Lights’, ‘Open Arms’, ‘Be Good To Yourself’, ‘Stone In Love’.

Paul's Notes

1.I am excited about this news. Journey was THE influence for me musically growing up. I learned all of Jonathan Cain's keyboard riffs backwards and forwards and would play them whenever and wherever I could. Craig and I still do a fabulous version of Faithfully (he plays the high notes) which we performed for a small audience in the lobby of the Vendue Inn in Charleston, SC last summer. It received rave reviews.

2. Steve Perry purists may not like Arnel Pineda but there's nothing we can do about it. According to recent interviews I have read, Perry and his uber inflated ego tried to destroy the band going back to the mid 1980's. Do a google search on the Journey interview with the band's former manager Herbie Herbert and you will get the scoop.

3. Speaking of Arnel, this kid can BLOW. Wow. From what I can tell from the intial concert in Chile, they have keyed the classic Journey tunes back in the original keys (they had keyed them down for the aging Perry). These guys wrote these songs to be right on the edge of Perry's highest vocal ranges and Arnel is right there with him. He's not Steve Perry but I think he will be fun to watch.

4. Neil Schon is an underappreciated guitar legend. He was on stage with Carlos Santana when he was 15 years old. He still rocks and I hear there is an instrumental from him on the new project.

Check out this youtube of "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" from the concert in Chile featuring Arnel Pineda



Look for the new Journey in a city near you this summer.

Wednesday!

That's right baby! It's humpday.

I hope all you funky readers have an utterly fantastical day.

Rob found a Honda Civic that speaks spanish!

I am officially knighting Rob as the

KING OF ALL SILLY NEWS.

Seriously, I love reading Rob's Megaphone. His posts are just so much fun. He is also spearheading the ADP blog project at L.U. and for that we all owe him a debt of gratitude.

Keep up the good work my friend.

Out of Office Replies

1. I am currently out of the office at a job interview and will reply to you if I fail to get the position. Please be prepared for my mood.

2. You are receiving this automatic notification because I am out of the office. If I was in, chances are you wouldn't have received anything at all.

3. Sorry to have missed you, but I'm at the doctor's having my brain and heart removed so I can be promoted to our management team.

4. I will be unable to delete all the e-mails you send me until I return from vacation. Please be patient, and your mail will be deleted in the order it was received.

5. Thank you for your e-mail. Your credit card has been charged $5.99 for the first 10 words and $1.99 for each additional word in your message.

6. The e-mail server is unable to verify your server connection. Your message has not been delivered. Please restart your computer and try sending again. (The beauty of this is that when you return, you can see who did this over and over and over....)

7. Thank you for your message, which has been added to a queuing system. You are currently in 352nd place, and can expect to receive a reply in approximately 19 weeks.

8. Hi, I'm thinking about what you've just sent me. Please wait by your PC for my response.

9. I've run away to join a different circus.

10. I will be out of the office for the next two weeks for medical reasons. When I return, instead of calling me Steve, please refer to me as Lucille.

(Thanks to Lisa for these!)

Eclectic Tunes

So, I discovered the Pandora music project today. How totally cool?

I had mucho paperwork to do so I was in the office most of the afternoon. Pandora lets you set up a custom radio station by choosing your first favorite artist. After that, the site suggests other artists that match the overall musical description of your first artist. That process doesn't really work for me since I have a REALLY eclectic taste for music. I was surprised though at the subtle nuances of the Pandora screening process. After I fed them a few artists, they really hit the mark with several other ones that I loved. It also allowed me to hear a few artists that I was unfamiliar with but matched my general criteria.

Shortly before 5pm, they played one of my favorite songs by David Crowder. This song just speaks to me. It goes right down my spine and I love it. I pulled up the description for this one and now I know why I like it so much.

Here is the description from Pandora for Only You by David Crowder

folk influences (Come to think of it, I do love the folk influence. Love me some classic Dylan or Joni Mitchell flavor in my acoustic tunes)

a subtle use of vocal counterpoint (Counterpoints should be subtle in my opinion)

a subtle use of vocal harmony (I love me some harmony)

a twelve-eight time signature (Crowder is a master of the 12/8. It certainly gives a nice smooth feel to an acoustic song)

extensive vamping (Vamping is basically freeform stuff not written on the page. I totally am into getting off the page once in a while and just letting the music take you on a journey)

major key tonality (Although I do dig a minor tune as well, the major key tones work for this song)

melodic songwriting (Speaks for itself)

a good dose of acoustic guitar pickin' (I like me some pickin' and grinin')

a distinctive male lead vocal (True dat. Crowder has a unique sound that grows on you)

acoustic rhythm guitars (Yep)

upbeat lyrics (The foundation of the song. He is singing praise to his Creator)

triple note feel (This triple note feel goes along with the 12/8 key signature)

With this much detail, I would venture to say that the Pandora folks are on to something. I highly recommend giving it a try and see what kind of musical path the service takes you down. you can give a thumbs up to the songs you like and you can kick the ones that don't match your tastes straight to the curb.

Have fun

Here's a link to my station on Pandora.

When city folks move to the country

Optimistic Monday?

Is that possible?

It's so easy to dread this day. The weekend is over and you hit the grindstone once again ready to put in your forty hours. Monday would be an easy day to give up on something.

Instead, I choose to believe something really outstanding is going to happen this week. Dare I say life changing? Maybe. It could happen today.

It certainly makes it easier to face a Monday when you frame it like this.

A few for your Friday

Pepto laundry mat


You should click this one for the big version. The Red Bull corporate office actually has a sliding board to get you from one floor to the other. How cool would that be whooshing from the bathroom back to your desk?


I bet our roads would be in better condition.


Truck? We don't need no stinkin' truck.


This one kind of broke my heart. I feel for this person.

As much as I love my recliner-footstool combination..I don't love it this much.

Yes indeed. I hope you all have a great weekend!

A nice afternoon

I had a chance to play in the Lander University intramural golf tournament this afternoon at Hunter's Creek here in Greenwood.

It was an absolutely gorgeous day and conditions were perfect.

Our foursome played well making 2 birdies in the first 4 holes. We dropped a few shots along the way and wound up at even par finishing up shortly after dusk.

I had several noteworthy events happen during the tourney that I would like to share.

1. Nice guys. I played with three of my co-workers that I don't know very well. There's nothing like a round of golf to get to know someone. We laughed. We cheered. We encouraged each other. It was great to get to know them better.

2. The 7th hole on our first nine. A 500 plus yard par 5. I smoked a drive right down the center of the fairway. It was my longest drive of the day by far. Being a best ball tournament, we used my drive. The second shot was tricky with a large sand bunker fronting the green on the right and a huge tree fronting the green on the left. It left a narrow target to aim at. One of the other teams was on the green putting and I didn't think there was any way I would be close. Wrong. I CRUSHED a 3 wood (metal) from 230 or so right up the gut of the hole between the big tree and the trap. I lost sight for a few seconds but my teammates were telling me it was on the money. Sure enough, it came to rest on the green giving us a long putt for eagle. I loved that hole.

3. We were the last group out for the day so it was getting dark as we got to the 16th hole, another long Par 5. This was interesting and I have never seen it happen. As I swung my Great Big Bertha driver in the semi-dark conditions, a large spark happened as I made contact with the Titelist golf ball. It was bright! My golf club is made of Titanium so maybe that is why it shot sparks. It was a solid drive to the center of the fairway. I loved the sparks and would like to think that happens when it's bright and sunny and maybe I just don't see it. It was cool.

That's the story. The winning team was 12 shots under par, a bunch of young whipper snappers with amazing golf skills. It was all fun and I look forward to playing with these guys again someday.

Sweet Bikes

I am ready to do some biking this weekend.

Unfortunately, my bicycle from a decade ago is pretty much shot. My son stripped it for parts trying to make him a custom bike before he got his driver's license. I would have to pedal with one foot and probably wouldn't be able to control my direction or stop if I needed to.

So, I need to get a new bike. I would love a really nice touring bike but they are ridculously expensive and probably don't have a kickstand or a squeaky horn. Since I can't have my old Huffy Wildfire back to do any sweet jumps, I may get one of these bikes. I wonder how much they go for?

Wednesday Emotions

Warning - Graphic Photo

Dog Pack Attacks Croc

At times nature can be cruel, but there is also a raw beauty, and even a certain justice manifested within that cruelty. The crocodile, one of the oldest and ultimate predators, can still fall victim to implemented 'team work' strategy, made possible due to the tight knit social structure and 'survival of the pack mentality' bred into canines.

See the remarkable photograph below.

Note that the Alpha dog has a muzzle hold on the croc, preventing it from breathing, while another has a hold on the tail to keep it from thrashing. The third dog attacks the soft underbelly.






Not for the squeamish!!!!!!

Roll with the Changes

I don't know why this video clip makes me feel so old. Maybe it's because the boys from REO Speedwagon are from the midwest like I am. My buddies and I saw them when we were young at the Assembly Hall in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, the Illinois State Fair in Springfield and various other locations. Just hearing the chorus alone brings back great memories. I've ooh ooh ooh'd along with this song a thousand times.

My friend Paul produced and engineered the original version of "Roll" way back when. I've written about that here before. It's still the song with the greatest air-organ solo fit to play on your dashboard EVER!

I just wanted to share this with some of you other old people. I thought you might appreciate a nostalgic tune on a Monday afternoon.

Life on purpose

We are in the midst of our "40 Days of Community" campaign at church. This Sunday's focus was on reaching out together. It's great to see the whole church all focused on a single purpose from the young kids to the silver crowns.

We have a devotional that we are reading each day for these 40 days and yesterday's entry really provoked thought. It talked about being wise in the way you act with other people and making the most of every opportunity. Very interesting. It changes the way you think about a mundane Monday.

I have an opportunity to make a difference in someone's life today.

Who knows the people around you and I everyday that may be depressed, broke, questioning their existence, and maybe even thinking the world would be better without them.

I believe that our creator has poured good things into our lives to share with others. As I pour into others, God pours more into me.

Today I may need to pour out peace

Today I may need to pour out mercy

Today I may need to pour out laughter

Today I may need to pour out comfort

Today I may need to pour out understanding

Today I may need to pour out kindness

Today I may need to pour out unconditional love


As I pour these things into others, I will be refilled. This is constant flow. Helping others is true wealth. This is living in abundance.

Thanks for letting me share these thoughts on the funky site.

Some silly stuff on a Saturday

Handel and Tiger

It's like the finale' of Handel's Messiah was written specifically for Tiger's greatest shot at Augusta National. Listen and watch for the dramatic pause.

I watched the coverage a bit this afternoon from the Masters. Trevor Immelmen is red hot. Justin Rose scored an 8 on the par 5 15th (it could have easily been a 10). Tiger had a terrible drive on 18 and then hit a great shot up the tenth fairway and a brilliant wedge into the green. Had Stuart Appleby marked his ball, it might have been a miraculous shot. Although he's seven shots off the lead, I wouldn't count him out yet.

Look for rough weather this weekend with gusts forecasted to be 20 to 25 mph. This should make scoring difficult and make for an interesting finish.

Welcome

Welcome to the weblog known as Paul's World of Funky Stuff.

I know we will have some new visitors over the course of the next week so I thought I would stand here at the door and show you around just a bit.

I started this blog in June of 2004 as a tribute to a 50,000 watt radio station that I worked for in my hometown. After an extensive "Name That Blog" contest in which the winning entry received a free toaster, the site morphed into Paul's World of Funky Stuff in the fall of 2007. We have now received 40,000 site visits from more than 95 countries since Janurary 1, 2008.

Just last week, P.W.O.F.S. was nominated for three Bloggers Choice awards Your voting in the "blogs about stuff" category has moved me into the top 20 out of about a bazillion blogs.

Here is a quick list of some of our most popular posts for you first timers to check out. These should give you a snapshot of what this blog is all about.

1. 100 Things This one has received many comments, some of which I shared on the site.
2. The Wall Street Journal reference - January 14 2008 - The Wall Street Journal ran a story about the crisis in Kenya and linked to two blogs, for more information, at the bottom of the story. The first one listed was Paul's World of Funky Stuff. I traveled to Nairobi, Kenya in January of 2007. The article I had written about the situation was based on reports I was getting from friends who live there. Someone sent me a note after seeing the WSJ link and said "it's official - you're a legitimate blogger now".
3. Top 10 White Man Afros - December 18, 2007 There is really no explanation needed for the coolness factor of this post. Sorry I left Richard Simmons out. I just didn't want to see his picture on my funky site. This post gets google searched almost every day.
4. Top Ten Toys From My Distant Childhood - January 10, 2008 - Again, this is one of my favorite posts. This post touched a nerve. It connected with all the kids at heart. I still haven't added the giant Barbie head to the list and don't plan on doing so. Sorry ladies.
5. Creativity Well Traveled - My Interview with Louis Lesko - February 5, 2008 - Lou is a friend who lives in L.A. and travels the globe shooting amazing photographs. I was honored when he agreed to the interview. His new book is fabulous and is available on Amazon.com.
6. Top 15 Iconic Guitars in Recorded Music History - December 20 2007 - It's one of my favorite posts and usually shows up in google searches for me everyday.
7. Wally Wallington - March 16, 2008 This video of a Flint, Michigan man who is building his own Stonehenge using only his hands and leverage has brought the most traffic to the site of any post I have done. It played 8,000 times in the first two days it posted and continues to get visits daily. Thank you Wally.

I strongly encourage any of you who have ever considered starting a blog to do so. The Lander ADP initiative is a great opportunity for you to voice your thoughts and opinions for the world to read. I will be happy to help with any questions or to give advice if needed.

Thanks again for visiting Paul's World of Funky Stuff and bookmarking our site. I hope to see you back here again tomorrow!

Paul's Funkycast - Number Six - Redux

It has come to my attention that the little remote odeo player on my right sidebar has been on the fritz for the past week or two. This means that some of you have been unable to access PAUL'S FUNKYCAST NUMERO SIX - which is simply tragic. I am very sorry. Really.

To rectify the situation and prevent riots, I am posting the link to PAUL'S FUNKYCAST NUMERO SIX again. Please accept my humble apologies and these nice parting gifts.

Stubborn Bull Terrier

This California Bull Terrier attacked a porcupine in the backyard. Let's just say the porcupine got the better of him.

The vet sedated the dog and then removed 1,347 porcupine quills. The dog is now fine and we all hope he learned a valuable lesson. (Thanks to Dr. Gray for this one) (Thanks to Bud for the clarification)

A few more photos from yesterday

I wanted to post a few more pictures from my trip yesterday to Augusta to see the Masters practice round. These were all taken by my buddy Larry who has a REALLY nice camera with a long telephoto lens. I wouldn't have been there yesterday without Larry so I am very thankful to him. He took some good shots and I wish I could share them all here. You can click any of these for GINORMOUS versions of them.


My custom made P.W.O.F.S. ticket holder. Thank you Zig. You are the man.


Phil Mickelson played with Tripp Kuehne. They were roomates at Arizona State University as freshmen and seemed to laugh quite a bit during their round. Kuehne gave up professional golf to raise his family and run his business in Texas. This is his first appearance at Augusta in 13 years.


Masters champion Mark O'Meara on the putting green.


A nice shot of the Azaleas in the center of the walking area.


Larry got a nice shot of Magnolia Lane. This is the front drive to Augusta National from Washington Road.

I am so glad he took this one. It's the prices for lunch. Click for the bigger version and you will see one of the best parts of attending the Masters. Food is cheap! Did you notice the sign has legs? Weird huh?

I have a similar shot from last years tournament. The first fairway is behind me.

I have more photos to come along with your regular funky stuff.

Back from Augusta!

The 18th fairway lies over my slightly squinty left shoulder. I am wearing my Paul's World of Funky Stuff ticket holder (Thanks Zig). I am surprised Tiger didn't ask me for one himself. It was a grand day at the greatest golf course on the planet.


The azaleas all are blooming right on schedule. This is a shot of the 13th green. Click to see a bigger version and check out the colors up the left hand side. I put a little extra saturation on this one for extra pop.


This is the winner's trophy. A stunning silver replica of the Augusta National clubhouse.


Sergio Garcia chipping out of the sand on 16. This was my "chair" spot to watch today. I will write more about strategic placement seating in future posts.


This is what the players see from the 17th tee box. Ike's tree is looming large on the left side of the fairway. President Eisenhower wanted it cut down many years ago after hitting on several of his drives. The men of the Masters thought otherwise.



I caught Phil Mickelson up close right out of the gates. He boomed this drive down the fairway.

I will upload some more photos and write a bit more tomorrow.

Tuesday at the Masters

I will be in Augusta, Georgia tomorrow morning. We are leaving at 6:30am and should be walking through the front gates of Augusta National at 8:00am. This golf course is an American icon and just walking the grounds and knowing the history appeals to me as much as getting to watch the best golfers in the world. I will have my camera ready to document the day.

A good friend made me up some ticket holding lanyards that say "Reporting Live - Paul's World of Funky Stuff" on the part that goes around your neck. They look very professional.

The forecast is calling for sunshine and high of 69. It's going to be a perfect day.

Here are a few more pictures from the Monday practice round last year.

The most famous drive in all of golf, Magnolia Lane from just in front of the clubhouse.

This is the players view of the 15th green. The tricky Par 5 tempts a difficult second shot with water lurking just in front of the green.

Vijay Singh contorting his body for a powerful drive at number 11.

The 16th hole offers great views and a chance to see PGA pros hit balls into the water. Actually, they are skipping balls over the water an onto the green. It's a tradition for practice rounds at the Masters. The crowd loves the ball skipping.

Jim Furyk teeing off on the par 3 16th. This is a great spot to get close-up shots and I plan to be here again tomorrow.

Tiger Woods chipping out of the sand on the 12th hole. Tiger chipped to all 4 pin positions.

Powerful words from The Swell Guy

Zig hit the mark with this one.

It is called Living in the Thin Place

Here's an excerpt...

*The day I met my wife at the alter. There were overwhelming thoughts that this is it. This is the rest of my life. And it was good.
*I remember holding my first born, Jordan, moments after birth. I cried. There was joy. It was humbling. There was worry that I could screw up as a father. He was so small and helpless...and needy. And he was mine...ours. It was one awesome moment.
*In recent years I've teared up watching movies. And it has been OK. I'm still a man. I've been fine with letting these moments impact me, wash over me, and make me think, grow...learn.
*When I travel home from long trips sometimes I weep when I think about coming home. Sometimes I have a feeling of overflowing joy. Sometimes I need quiet. Sometimes I blast the music. It's all good. I love home. To be clear, home is not my house. It is Denine. It is people that I love deeply. It is my place to be the most.
*I remember the night I sat on a bar stool as my friend Joe swore about the cancer eating his body and he swore at me and everyone in earshot. After he vented his anguish at the hard life he has had he prayed and began a new journey to follow Christ. It was incredible.
*There are moments with friends where the conversation is great and the caring is deep and I think about how awesome it is to be in a place & time that feels so good.
*And there are days that I know I am where I am supposed to be and I know for sure that I don't want to be anywhere else. I am missing nothing. I have everything I need. And it is more than good.

See. I told you it was good. Check out the rest of the post at Life With the Swell Guy

This is one of my favorite blogs. You should bookmark or subscribe to it. You won't be disappointed.

Granny Air Bag

I don't know if this is a legitimate video or if it's a setup.

Either way it's funny and worth your minute of time.

Hypocritical?

I saw this picture on CNN/SI tonight.

Apparently the usually topless Pamela Anderson didn't want her son to watch the cheerleaders at a recent Laker game. Hmmmm?

Sowing & Reaping?




I got you there...didn't I?