20 and Counting

The Rocket's winning streak is up to 20, which ties the 1970-1971 Milwaukee Bucks for the 2nd longest streak in the history of the NBA. Tonight the Rockets go for 21 in a row against the Bobcats for sole possession of the 2nd spot! It should be exciting! I can't wait!

Sunday, the Rockets face a challenge with the L.A. Lakers. It should be a great game, as Battier can defend pretty much anybody in the league, including Kobe. I think the toughest part of that game will be containing Gasol, who has proven to be a major difference maker for the Lakers.

Go Rockets!


"Never underestimate the heart of a champion." Rudy Tomjanovich

The Streak

Go Rockets!!!! 17 game winning streak!!!! Who would have believed it???? Certainly not any of the sports media. ESPN is such a joke. Their top story this morning was the UCLA vs Stanford game last night. Are you kidding me??? The Rockets win their 17th game in a row, and that's the top story??? In their Top 10 Plays from the prior day, T-Mac's Alley Oop wasn't even in there. How could a run of the mill 3 pointer by LeBron be # 7, and T-Mac's jam not make the cut? An article on Yahoo referred to the Rockets as imposters. Where does the hate end? I don't care who accomplishes it. A 17 game winning streak should certainly garner a team some respect. The actions of Carl Landry and Luis Scola should garner some respect. T-Mac should garner some respect. Bring on the New Orleans Cornets!!!!

In the Naaaaaammmmmee of Loooooove

Stephanie and I went to the new Silverado theater in Tomball last night to see U2 3D. Yes, it was really in 3D. What a great experience! First of all, the theater is awesome. They have a drink station for free refills including Icees! More specifically......Dr. Pepper Icees.

So, enough about the incredible theater. Let's talk about the concert. The concert was filmed mostly in Buenos Aires which provided an exciting, charged crowd. Unlike U.S. crowds, you don't see a bunch of people walking around to go get another beer. They were there for the music. U2 is such an incredible band. Their activism and lyrics transcend regionalization. It's amazing when you realize that although U2 may have written a politically charged song for a specific situation or country, it can relate to an entirely different situation or country.

For example, they performed "Pride (in the Name of Love), which is a song they wrote early in their career in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. So, think about this. These young, white guys from Ireland recognized what an incredible human and leader that Dr. King was, and wrote one of their songs, which is considered to be a bit of a Magnum Opus, about him and his dream. Now, it's 2006 or 2007 and they're in Buenos Aires, Argentina. They perform this song which the crowd knows every word of. Projected on the backdrop, is an image of Dr. King. Bono repeatedly exclaims during the song to "sing for Martin Luther King". He mentions that his dream was not only an American dream, but even a Latin American dream. That really made me think. Do Argentineans really know who Dr. King was? I certainly hope so. It makes me feel good that Dr. King, who never held a prestigious office, is recognized worldwide. I would love to see his image blazoned on T-shirts instead of Che Guevara's; which incidentally if you were to ask the adolescent wearing the Che Guevara shirt, they probably could not tell you who it is, much less what he stood for.

Religious strife is another area of focus in U2's music. To their credit, they do not knock religion. In fact, you will find a lot Biblical references in their music. For example, in "One", you hear, "Have you come here to play Jesus to the lepers in your head". One of my favorite references is in "Bullet the Blue Sky" where Bono sings, "Jacob wrestled the Angel, and the Angel was overcome." Keep in mind that when U2 was first becoming popular, Ireland was in the midst of the Catholic & Protestant conflict which was ripping their country apart. Their focus on religious strife, however, is more along the lines of the horrible acts perpetrated by believers of different religions supposedly in the name of their God. They have a logo that commonly is projected which says, "COEXIST". The letter C is represented by the Muslim Crescent. The letter X is represented by the Jewish Star of David. The letter T is represented by the Christian Cross. Let's face it. Each of these religions has been here for thousands of years. While I firmly believe that Christianity is the one, true faith, and that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died for our sins, the other religions will remain on this planet. We have to live together. And, we need to live together in peace. During one song in particular, which I think may have been "New Years Day" or "Sunday Bloody Sunday", Bono adlibbed about how we all sons of Father Abraham. It was a good point. Abraham is a common figure you will find in the Quran, the Torah, and the Holy Bible. The film ended with a song called "Yahweh" while the ending credits rolled on.

We need more bands like U2; talented musicians and song writers. They don't rely on cheap, sexual, shocking, or profane lyrics. They don't have to hide behind studio magic tricks to obtain quality sound. This is widely apparent in the film, as we hear the strength of Bono's vocals, and the point is further driven home when you get to really hear the Edge's back-up vocals, which are incredibly strong. U2 has been together for about 30 years, and are more valid today then when they first came on the scene. I am proud that this band exists in its long, seemingly unending prime during my generation. When I think about what music my kids and grandkids will be interested in from my generation, U2 is definitely on that extremely short list.



"Free at last! They took your life. They could not take your pride!" Pride (In the Name of Love) by U2

Saturday Night's Alright for Music on TV

This past Saturday night, March 1st, had some incredible music on TV on NBC and PBS. I was shocked. On Saturday Night Live, Wilco was the musical guest. If you're not familiar with Wilco, I suggest you familiarize yourself. They're an Alt-Country group. I've been a fan since I saw them open for R.E.M. in San Antonio in 1999. During commercials, I'm going through the guide, and found out that PBS was showing some live footage of the Clash! It was awesome!!!! Man, the Clash was amazing! So much better than the Pistols. They were ahead of their time the same way that Pink Floyd and MC5 were. Even earlier that day, Johnny Knoxville had Dale Watson performing on MTV. Dale Watson is a country artist in the truest sense of the word from Texas. Imagine if Johnny Cash, Waylon, and Merle had a baby. His name would be Dale Watson.

Don't let the picture fool you. He's not THAT trainable.

It's almost time! Spring training is about to start.

Update on Stacey

Stacey is doing great! She called Parris (first athome, and then caught him on his cell), and asked him to bring her glasses to her. (She knew the numbers on her own.) When they were administering her medicine this morning, she told them it was not the right amount. Then they told her how many milligrams it was, and she said that was different that the mg she takes at home, but what they gave her added up to 900mg, so she said that was fine. The doctor is very impressed with her progress. She has already been removed from ICU, and is now in a private room! My mother said as far as we know, she has not had any seizures since thesurgery. The doctor told her he thinks she will be happy with her hair. He worked very hard to remove as little as possible.

Stephanie and I went to see Stacey tonight. She looks good. The nurse brought her medication, and Stacey was very diligent about making sure the dosages were correct. So far, everything is going great! We're so happy! Please keep Stacey in your prayers for a continued blessing.

Stacey

For those of you who don't know, my sister, Stacey, has battled with seizures most of her life. In the last couple of years, they have become more frequent and more severe. About two and a half years ago, they got so bad that she spent almost a week in ICU. A little over a year ago, she underwent a procedure to input a transmitter in her chest to try to cut down on the frequency and severity of the seizures. It hasn't been effective. The doctors have also tried adjusting her medication to cut down on the seizures, but that has also proven unsuccessful. While attending my niece's field day at her school, Stacey had a bad seizure and fell. She busted her head on the concrete and had to have two staples put in her head. Next Wednesday, May 10th, she will undergo major surgery. The surgeons will actually be going into her brain to partially separate the two hemispheres. There are these neuron fibers that connect the two sides. They send signals back and forth. The signals going back and forth cause the seizures to be more severe. There is some risk associated with the surgery. So, please keep her and the rest of the family in your prayers. Also, please pray for the surgeons. This has been really hard on Stacey as well as the rest of us. Her daughter, Ashlee, is being a trooper though. That girl is resiliant! I will keep you posted on how she's doing.


"In the clearing stands a boxer, and a fighter by his trade. And he carries the reminder of every glove that laid him down or cut him 'til he cried out, in his anger and his shame, "I am leaving! I am leaving!" , but the fighter still remains"
The Boxer by Simon & Garfunkel