U.S. Open

The 2008 U.S. Open was, in my opinion, the most remarkable golf tournament in my life. ESPN highlights last year's major in the video below.

I don't think there is any way that we will see this kind of drama again this year, but I would love to be suprised. Tiger is the clear favorite to win again this year, coming off of an impressive victory at The Memorial. He comes into this Open as the defending U.S. Open champion and the definding U.S. Open at Bethpage Black champion (2002). I am looking forward to the fireworks.

Obama Hypocricy/MIA Media

Big news today. Barack Obama made good on a campaign promise to take his wife, Michelle, on a date. Word has it (insert teenage girl giggle), that they went to NYC to take in a dinner in the Village and a Broadway show. I would like to state that I have zero problems with the POTUS and FLOTUS having their date night; I think that is an important part of any marriage. I also have zero problems footing the bill for this, even though it took three planes and three helicopters to get the job done. That's fine, I get it. He is the President of the United States, and, along with taking his honey out, he got some more exposure to the American people. Here's the rub: this is the same President that criticized Citi Group for spending money on a private jet because they were on tax payer dime and told them to "fix it"! This is the same President that chastised all of the bank executives for flying into Washington on corporate jets for bailout hearings! News flash Mr. President: your budget, just like these companies' books, is an absolute mess!

And where is the media on this? All we hear about, even in an article titled GOP takes aim at Barack and Michelle's NYC trip, is what the couple was wearing, where they dined, etc. Again, I get it that the Obama's need a little rec time, and I support that. But, come on, a little accountability never hurts.

More MIA media. A Google search for George Tiller, the Wichita, KS abortion doctor who was murdered, returned over 7,000 references. A search for William Long, the 23-year-old military recruiter murdered Monday morning by a man who allegedly had political and religious motives, returned under 500. George Tiller spent his life killing babies, while William Long hunted down terrorists. I realize that Tiller was a public figure while "soldier" was not, but how often are U.S. citizens murdered by terrorist suspects on U.S. soil? What bothers me more than the lack of media coverage is that the White House has made statements regarding the murder of George Tiller, but, to my knowledge, not one statement has been made about William Long. That is despicable.

UPDATE: Gov. Sarah Palin has addressed this issue on her website.

Mike Vick: The Worst Criminal in the NFL

That is how most of the Michael Vick headlines are painting the once highest-paid NFLer of all time, and it is complete trash. I detest that Michael Vick financed a dog-fighting ring. I hate that all of those dogs were injured/killed, and I am glad that he was punished for his actions. I also think his punishment more than fit his crime. He spent 21 months in a federal prison and has a 21 month old daughter; you do the math. His multi-millionaire status is extinct, and he no longer has a spot on any roster in the league. To top it off, it seems to be a forgone conclusion that any team that takes a chance on Vick will be subject to more scrutiny than they care to handle. I say, give the guy a second chance. If the news is accurate, he is working hard to rebuild his image and character by coordinating with The Humane Society of the United States to eradicate dog fighting among the nation's youth. The COO of the Humane Society, Michael Markarian, met with Vick while he was in prison and made positive statements regarding his intentions and sincerity. Who can say that they have never received a second chance? I realize that not many people have funded dog fighting scandals, but not many have been punished to the extent that Michael Vick was. In our justice system, he has done his time and deserves a chance to rehabilitate himself and have a positive influence on society.

I grew up with dogs, and my wife and I have a rescued dog. I hated Michael Vick two years ago, and I will never condone his actions. But, let's see what he's made of.

The View

This evening, for the first time, I watched part of The View; I Tivoed it this morning because Glenn Beck was a guest. Putting aside the fact that my personal convictions and political views are closely aligned with Mr. Beck's, The View has to be THE MOST pointless show ever; it's on the same level as Jerry Springer. The only thing that I can hear is Whoopie Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd, and Barbara Walters squacking about meaningless issues. Elisabeth Hasselbeck seems to provide some sort of normality and stability to an otherwise pointless television show. Glenn Beck takes the time to appear on their show, and none of them even have the courtesy to let him respond to their five-at-a-time questions/accusations. Beck was on the show for two segments. The first segment was 100% focused on a lie that Glenn told. You won't believe this whopper! Long story short, Glenn was on the train when Barbara Walters and Whoopie Goldberg got on. On his radio show, Glenn did an unflattering, yet remarkably accurate, impression of Barbara Walters and said that she called him over to her. But, and this is a HUGE deal, Glenn actually approached Barbara!!! That's it, that's the big lie... In the first minute of his appearance, he easily admitted that he mispoke. Why was it so easy? Because it doesn't amount to anything and changes nothing about the story! The first 30 seconds of the second segment were allocated to Glenn actually voicing his opinion. After that, Whoopie and Joy just couldn't take it anymore. They were so incredibly rude to their "guest," I'm not sure how they get anybody on the program. The entire show, Whoopie would not even make eye contact with Glenn, and she has plenty of room for that over her teenie tiny glasses.

Bottom line, I can't believe that ABC wastes money on this trash. How The View ever won an Emmy is beyond me; that discredits the Emmy's more than it credits The View.

Inspiration

Inspiration is a tricky thing. It's easy to wait around for something or someone to provide it, but the truly gifted individuals are those who can will it upon themselves. I have been having trouble getting motivated to write blog posts because I can't seem to find anything to write about. So, I sit down, and type in the title "golf"...no, no, no. I don't know enough about that fickle game. So, I try "How did the U.S. government post a deficit for the month of April?" Nope, I don't have the energy, and frowning emoticons do not do justice to my frustration (last year we had a surplus of over $150 billion, and now, one year later, we post a $20.9 billion deficit?! Come on, Barry, get your game together. Or, is it "still like the Special Olympics or something"?). So, I settle in to discover my issue and find that it's not ADD, but a lack of inspiring topics.

So, what is more inspiring than inspiration itself? Let's talk about it. During my week long stint as a bachelor, I found that I wanted my wife to come home to a clean and organized home. So I was uber-productive around the house, and she returned to a cleaner, more organized home. BAM! Inspiration came from my wife's happiness - now, if I can only get her and her family to read this... I am inspired and motivated to work on my golf game because Brice King and I have a few dozen Kang Kups to win, and my dad and I have a member-guest to win. Inspiration can come from anywhere: music, art, people, events, etc. So, why is it so difficult to find sometimes?

I guess it is simply important to keep looking for ways to become inspired. It seems that even the smallest things have the capability to provide enough inspiration to conquer large obstacles.

We'll see what other incongruent topics will inspire my next post.

The Diary of a Groomed Bachelor

So, here we are, the fourth day of my experience. I have three vacation days to take before Monday, or I lose em; this is the first, and it was wonderfully productive. In fact, this may have been one of the more manly days that I have ever had. I slept in until 8:00, took out the trash, cleaned out the closet, cleaned the garage, finished building a flower bed, donated to Good Will, recycled newspaper and cardboard, and went to the driving range/practice green. Yep, this was one hairy, manly day.

I have wonderful plans for the rest of the week. Golf on Thursday, Friday, and maybe Saturday, and David Price is coming to visit tomorrow through Sunday. I'm sorry I don't have anything interesting to say right now, but hopefully some things will inspire me over the next couple of days.

ARGHH!

Welcome Back!

Not that any mass of people visit the blog, but just in case. I guess I'm really just using this as a journal and venting medium, so I can see why people wouldn't visit this site religiously.

So, my wife left for a week-long trip to the Dominican Republic yesterday morning. You know what that means! Seven days of casserole-eating for yours truly! I have a breakfast sausage/egg bake for breakfast and a huge pan of lasagna for lunch and dinner. Who knows? maybe I will actually get around to making some vegetables for a side or something...but, right now, A Goofy Movie is on TV.

A new series for this week, The Diary of a Groomed Bachelor.