New Study from the University of Minnesota

No surprises here, but it is still interesting.
http://atheism.about.com/od/atheistbigotryprejudice/a/AtheitsHated.htm

Speedy Nine Holes at Nevel Meade

(I took a page out of Pop's playbook and "Googled" speed golf. I didn't wear jeans, but the rest of the attire is all me don't you think?)

I played nine holes at Nevel Meade last night after work. They sent me out on the back nine due to the men's playing the front. I hopped in a cart and headed out to the empty back nine. I didn't feel extremely confident, but was glad I had an open course and solitude to play and practice.
I played the front nine a week ago with guys from the Bats and played awful. I ended up shooting a 42 or 43. It's easy to forget those types of rounds. My play from 100 yards and in hurt me the most. I had just come off vacation and I didn't feel my concentration was where it needed to be. I blame the jet lag.
Last night I played the back nine in an hour flat (according to the cart GPS). I shot a tidy 34 with seven pars and a birdie on 16 and 18. I lipped out a birdie on the par 5 14th and lipped an eagle on 18. I like where my game is and how I'm striking the ball. I made some fundamental changes to my setup, grip and right elbow position at the beginning of the season and it has helped tremendously this year. I hope it continues, but nothing in this game is a sure thing.

FORE ya'll!

A Few California Pictures

These are just a few pictures from my camera. We have both of our pictures in an album that we look forward to showing everyone.

California Pictures (The House)

Next Stop California

As I'm sure everyone knows by now, we will be headed to Newport Beach on Saturday for a full week of relaxation. Julie's parents have been kind enough to let us use their house and vehicles while we are out there, thus making it a relatively inexpensive vacation.

The weather looks perfect with highs forecast in the low 70's with plenty of sunshine for the entire week. I am bringing shorts and sweatshirts, so hopefully I'll have enough room in the suitcase. I don't plan on swimming much, but I'm bringing trunks along as well.

Our friend Marilyn will be on the same flight going out Saturday by pure coincidence. She hopes to meet us one night for dinner, although she will be headed to Burbank. She is going with a friend of hers to hopefully spend a little time in the Hollywood area (and apparently see Leonardo DiCaprio at the "Inception" premier).

I have spent the work week creating a to-do list for my staff to keep them busy next week (though I'm sure other stuff will pop up to keep them from working on the list). I have also tried to keep up with paperwork because I know I'll have a huge stack when I get back.

I may post via mobile uploads while their, but I will have plenty of pictures and stories when I get back.

A Busy, but Fun, Stretch

It has been busy for Julie and I the past week or so and it looks like it will stay busy for the month of July. A big chunk of the month will be spent in southern California, so I'm not complaining.

• Work has been a madhouse with the day camps and pools being filled beyond capacity. This combined with major management changes has put everyone to the test. It beats working the long hours at the stadium, but it has been stressful.
• I have just about finished staining the deck. I need to buy a pint of stain/sealer at Lowe's today to finish touching up a few spots, but the deck looks a hundred times better. With the sanding, cleaning and painting, it took me a total of about 12-14 hours...not counting the 10 minutes I have left to touch up. I wanted to have the deck finished before our cookout with friends on Saturday. It will be a good test run for when we have family over.
• It seems everyone has a birthday in July. We are going to Outback tonight for our friend Natalie's birthday (which is today), then we will be celebrating Mark, Kevin and Julie's birthdays at Mom and Dad's on Monday. On July 9th, a few of us will be going out for Julie's birthday dinner (Julie's birthday is July 14th). I am sure she'll get a birthday celebration while on vacation, too. Geez, talk about a birthday season!
• Friday night we will be attending Night Racing at Churchill Downs. We are trying to score a few free box tickets. I think we may have a few, but it looks like we will be buying a couple more tonight in advance.
• I will finally get out and play golf again Sunday morning at Seneca with Dad, Uncle Mark and one TBA (Kevin, if you read this, let me know if you can play...I left you a voicemail). I haven't played Seneca for awhile because I'm still bitter about the changes they made to holes #1 & #10. However, the course looks in good shape and I always enjoy playing golf with my Dad and Uncle.
• Blues Traveler is giving a free concert at Fourth Street on Saturday, July 17th at 8pm, but our flight doesn't get in until 11:30. If I wasn't coming home from a marvelous vacation, I would be more upset about missing it.
• The Saturday after we get back from vacation, a group of us will be attending Hullabalou at Churchill Downs. I can't say I'm real excited about going. The headliner is Kenny Chesney and I can't name one song he sings. All I know is that it's "redneck noise" and it's not really my cup of tea. I am, however, looking forward to seeing Gov't Mule and a few other bands.
• The last weekend in July, my best friend Sparks and I are looking for a weekend trip. We thought about golf and a beach, but neither of us will be wanting to spend a lot of money. We may just take a trip to Cincy and catch a couple of Reds games. If so, I will try to get some free tickets. We may end up taking a day trip to Chicago in August to catch a Cubs game. Southwest offers cheap round trips, so we'll see where that goes.