Like, Love and Don't Like

This week, I like the Regions Tradition. Thanks to our good friend Emily, I got to enjoy the 3rd and 4th rounds of this Champions Tour major in person. I've never been to Shoal Creek before but I was quickly impressed with the clubhouse, the course and the way the tournament was operated. I enjoyed walking the course with my good friend Clay (Emily's husband) on Saturday. We'll always have a funny story about my extremely awkward exchange with then-leader Mark Calcavecchia. I may or may not have caused him to lose the tournament. Julie joined us on Sunday but I think the heat impacted her experience. Being a major tournament, this was very special for me. I really enjoyed my time and can't thank Emily enough!

(Pause the video at the 1:40 mark and you'll see Julie, Clay and me directly under the tree in the background.)




This week, I love being in better shape. I've been walking laps and running stadium steps at Heardmont Park here in the B'ham area and it has really made me feel better. It's true what they say about exercising giving you more energy and my knees aren't as "noisy" when picking items up. I try to go walking every day after work and I am actually finding myself looking forward exercising. We'll see how that holds up in August! If I could get some help at home with my evening food consumption, I would be losing a lot of weight. And I know you are wondering: yes, my golf swing has improved with my new, stronger legs.

This week, I don't like judging people. While enjoying the Regions Tradition on Sunday, I couldn't help but to notice the numerous Alabama football fans sporting full gameday gear throughout the galleries. I mean...is a major golf tournament not even sacred? As I listened to countless shouts of "Rohl Tahd" to classy players like Loren Roberts and Tom Watson, I shared some quick-witted observations about these people with my friend. But later at home, I remembered that morning's Sunday school lesson about judging people. Why am I so quick to work up a judgement about some random person in Alabama garb and why do I think that I won't be judged on my appearance or actions by other people? Maybe human nature wires us like that but I am thankful for the challenges sent my way and for the opportunity to use these challenges to become a better person. I don't want to be so quick to judge people!

Live, Love and Don't Like

This week, I like the Royal Wedding. I may not wake up early to watch it live but I’ll definitely DVR the wedding. I’ve been visiting the official wedding website like crazy. I can’t explain my interest. Maybe it’s because people used to mistake me for William when he had more hair? Maybe it’s because my sister-in-law currently lives in London? Maybe it’s because the Queen and her husband are actually cousins? Who knows? Now that I am married, I know what goes into the partnership that a marriage really is. If done properly, it will be neat to think that William and Kate will be enjoying what I have with Julie. Sidenote: Earlier this week, I learned that Kate’s parents are self-made millionaires. So there goes the “rags to riches” story.

This week, I love Cadbury Eggs. I actually love Cadbury Eggs year-round but it seems that you only get to buy them right before Easter. I wrote the company to pitch my idea of selling the white and yellow filling in tubes. I’m still waiting for their reply. I always express my appreciation of these treats and the joy I get from eating them but no one ever takes advantage of the post-Easter candy sales for me. Maybe this will be the year. GET SOME TODAY!



This week, I don’t like bugs on the windshield. Julie and I traveled to my hometown of Camden for Easter weekend. Night had fallen by the time we approached the city limits. Given the undeveloped outskirts and tall grass on the side of the road, the number of bugs drawn to our headlights (and thus, the windshield) reached the low millions. Bug guts everywhere. I guess that’s one perk to being stuck in Bammerham traffic: it’s hard to bring a bug’s life to a squishy end if you’re only going 2 mph!

Like, Love and Don't Like

This week, I like the way The Masters ended. At the beginning of Sunday’s round, I was rooting against Rory McIlroy but as Tiger Woods made his charge and Rory began fading away, I found myself feeling a little sorry for the young golfer. Not to worry because we’ll be hearing his name for a long time! What a great final round! Guys were playing lights-out down the stretch. Adam Scott, Jason Day, Luke Donald and yes, even Tiger made a great final push. But they wouldn’t match Charl Schwartzel, a little-known player from South Africa. Charl birdied the last four holes at Augusta on Sunday and all he got for is efforts was a green jacket!



This was a special tournament. A very good friend of mine attended a practice round at Augusta on the Tuesday before the tournament started. He brought back lots of great photos, videos and stories. I was fortunate to watch the final round with him on Sunday and it was very interesting to listen to someone that had been there just a few days prior describe the course layout.

This week, I love downloadable schedules for Outlook. I downloaded the 2011 schedule for the Chicago Cubs and I now have a listing of all home and away games on my email calendar at work. Even better, scores, links to stories and game recaps are included on each entry the day after a game is played. This will be a special season for the Cubs and this downloadable schedule will help me stay on top of every game. Go to www.mlb.com to find your favorite team’s website, click on the “Schedule” tab and find the “Downloadable Schedule” link. Directions on how to create a new internet schedule in Outlook are available. GET ONE TODAY!

This week, I don’t like Kwikset locks with the Smart Key feature. Remember when Julie painted our front door? I tried to make the project easier by removing the deadbolt and door knob for her. When I re-installed the deadbolt, it would not lock and unlock at all. The door knob lock didn’t work properly either, but would suffice. I found a cool replacement deadbolt from Kwikset that had a neat feature that would give you, a common citizen, the ability to rekey the deadbolt. I purchased said deadbolt and installed it with the greatest of ease. But somehow I missed a step in the rekeying instructions and made it so that NO key would work on this spanking new lock. I researched Youtube and found some helpful videos but nothing I tried corrected the problem. I even managed to stump a locksmith that came by the house (he charged me a service fee). Fed up, I purchased a door knob/deadbolt set from Lowes and had them rekey both locks for less than I paid for the first deadbolt. I should have done this first and not even bothered with the deadbolt with the Smart Key feature. DON’T GET ONE TODAY!

Like, Love and Don't Like

This week, I like On Demand. I fully support the concept of “appointment television”. I don’t like commercials and thanks to DVRs, I enjoy being able to watch my favorite programs whenever I desire. I started exploring the On Demand feature of our cable box the other day and I found some nice surprises. I’m not going to pay to watch any On Demand content but there are a lot of good shows available for free viewing. I’ve watched the entire 3rd season of Parks and Recreation and ESPN has some great programs available too. We have over 300 channels and nothing to watch. On Demand, Instant Netflix and the DVR have become my go-to entertainment tools.

This week, I love our “new” grill. We didn’t get a new grill. But I did manage to purchase and install new grill parts that totally brought our gas grill back to life. The difference is night and day but let me tell you – this was a challenge. The grill on our deck is so old that it no longer features any identifying labels or model numbers. I scanned the internet armed only with the manufacturer’s name and the dimensions of the parts I needed. I came across this parts company’s website that looked straight out of 1994. Despite its looks, I was able find what I needed after carefully examining the diagrams. I placed my order and waited – FOR FOUR WEEKS. The parts finally came in. I installed them and put them to the test earlier this week. SUCCESS! As I ate the cooked meat and tasted the delicious juices, a sense of usefulness and mastery of animals came over me. It was good meat and a good rush.



This week, I don’t like the flat-bill look. You know what I’m talking about -these baseball players and their flat-billed hats. Alabama’s own Colby Rasmus is a prime example. What is that?! When I was coming up through the ranks, the more curve in your bill, the better. Seriously, if your bill was flat, you were a total dweeb. (And yes, I know what sound like right now) The flat bill, which looks like it could have been created by a surfer, has penetrated the national pastime and is considered high fashion by the youths of America. What’s worse is that I’m starting to see professional golfers incorporate this look into their wardrobes. It was OK when Rickie Fowler was the only guy doing it. But now I’m starting to see other players (like Hunter Mahan) sport the flat bill and I’m fully expecting my good friend Clay Branch to succumb to this fad very soon. In closing, it just looks stupid.