Deigned a cute little webpage

A lot of time that I spend on the net, I spend posting with what could be called my cyber family over at the Blue and Gold News. Many times there are literally hundreds of us online, and when West Virginia University is playing a game we are online in a thread discussing the game.

I had a little inspiration this past fall when we played South Florida, they had a small site set up for their posters to go in and do an IRC chat. I thought to myself why don't I design one and actually bookmark the parent page.

I forgot all about it until yesterday when I was looking through my bookmarks and rediscovered the Parachat site. I remembered my idea from a month and a half ago and started to design a quick, simple, user-friendly page that my associates from Blue and Gold News and I could all use.

Yesterday I took a couple hours (mostly designing and deciding what links to use at the top) and designed a page. Ironically WVU plays St. Johns today at 2:30, so this will be a great chance for me to do a test run and get some feedback on the page.

Everyone is welcome if you want to come and enjoy some IRC company of some Mountaineer fans during the game by going to the Chat Page and enjoy some company as we cheer on the Mountaineers. Feedback appreciated.

Last Kim Update from Robert

Thanks to Robert for giving us daily information on her condition.

She's home! The doctor pulled out her drain tube and sent us home today. We got on the road around 12:00pm and arrived home by 3:00pm. Unfortunately the ride went as expected and was very very painful for Kim but she toughed it out and we made it home. Kim will have a catheter in for the next 2 weeks while she is recovering and then I will remove it here at home. I will also have to change her bandage where her drain tube was for the next few days until it heals over. Her staples will come out the end of next week and then stent comes out in 6 weeks. We hope to only have to make one more trip to Cleveland (for the stent removal) and then we're home free. We will be monitoring her vitals daily for any changes that might tell us that something is going wrong but for now all looks good. Kim is in good spirits but has a lot of pain. She will be spending the next few weeks resting and walking more and more each day. All things considered the stay in the hospital was a very good one.

Updtae #3 on Kim from Robert

Today was another good/bad day with much more good than bad. First of all we managed to get into a private room this afternoon which makes things much easier on us. The big concern for today were Kim's lungs. They were starting to fill up with fluid from her pain medicine (morphine) and her lack of activity. We were able to reverse this process, however, with a fair amount of walking and some breathing exercises. Her blood oxygen level is now in the upper 90's on it's own. Her temperature has stabilized and has been within normal levels all day. She is still in alot of pain but they removed her from her pain pump and she is back on a regular diet without any intravenous fluids. They left the IV in her arm just in case they need to administer something to her later. She also still has a drain tube in her abdomen to keep any excess fluids from building up in her abdomen and casing her more pain. With any luck she just might be able to go home tomorrow though we both know that the ride home will be excruciatingly painful for her. If all continues to go well the doctor will remove the drain tube tomorrow before we head home and then Kim will have her staples removed in about 3 weeks. The stent will remain in for about 6 weeks to allow her time to heal.

As far as mother nature goes I guess she decided she didn't want a piece of me after all. They were calling for 12 inches of snow with 30-40mph winds this morning but we only got about 2 inches. I guess the weathermen and Ruby doctors have something in common. If you know what I mean.

Talk to you all tomorrow hopefully from home.

Another Kim Update

Another e-mail from Robert


Good and bad news from today but I would say overall more good than bad. First Kim was able to get out of bed and walk a short distance around the hallway this afternoon and then again this evening. She is still in a lot of pain and remains on the pain pump for now. The biggest concern is that Kim is running a low grade fever off and on that I will be monitoring closley. Also her oxygen level in her blood went to new record low according to her nurse of 80%. Normal levels should be 96% or higher. She was put on oxygen and the level came up immediately but will also need to be monitored closely.

On another note mother nature now apparenlty want's a piece of me as they are calling for 8 inches of snow with 20-30mpg winds and snow drifts of 2-3 feet. Bring it!

Just for you Kim

I said i would get it for you, Original Steelers Polka

E-mail from Robert

For all those concerned, Robert is a little more specific.


All,

Kim's surgery went well and last for just over 2 1/2 hours. The doctor did say that the scarring on her ureter was much larger than what he had expected but that didn't really change the outcome of the procedure. He was able to re-implant the ureter into her bladder without any real problems. She has yet another stent for at least the next 3 weeks to give her time to heal and then if all goes well the stent will be removed and the nightmare will be over. For now she is in a semi-private room pending a private room freeing up. We did have some initial issues with getting her pain medicine ordered but all has been resolved and I WILL be taking that up with the doctor in the morning. For the most part she is resting well and hopes to be able to walk around some tomorrow. Cell phones are not allowed in the patient rooms so I only have limited access to call with updates but will do the best I can. That's it for now I will update you all again tomorrow.


In closing I just wanted to thank you for all your support. We could not have made it this far without it.

Updates on everything.

First off, I didn't get a chance to talk to Robert Yesterday, we were playing Phone tag trying to communicate on Kim's condition. I did however get a message from hima nd talked to Mom about Kim's condition.

I found out that she went in for surgery, roughly at 11:00, and the surgery lasted about two and a half hours. When we were playing phone tag yesterday, she was back in her room and in a little bit of expected pain.

Talking to Mom, who was talking to Robert when I was trying to call him, there appears to be no complications and the surgery was a success. I really have no more information than that other than she should be back home by the end of the week if all goes well. I know she's been through a lot through this whole ordeal, and I wish her a much needed speedy recovery and closure to this whole ordeal. I spoke to her a couple of hours prior to her surgery and she appeared to be in good spirits, she wanted me to find a copy of the Original Pittsburgh Steelers fight song for her. Reminder for self, get that song.

I'll try talking to her today and get a few more details for everyone. I know she has a fewcaring friends who check out my Blog for updates on her condition. I've got you covered and will help to keep everyone informed as best as I can.


Second, looks like I am going to be a Great-Uncle again. I was talking to Val and Bobby last night, and Val informed me that she is pregnant expecting another wonderful bundle of joy. Sje already has one that I'm trying to teach to say "Eat Shit Pitt". I have Erica doing the hand pumping, now we just needs the words to come.

Third, Terri and Nick are waiting for the technical bureaucracy to open up...Nick and Terri's Bar. Everything has already been approved, it's just a matter of the commissioner signing the License and assigning them their number so they can call the distributor and purchase their initial stock. I have a funny feeling this bar is going to be very successful, customers are stopping in left and right and they aren't even open yet.

Last and certainly not least, a couple of my softball friends had a baby this past week. Brian and Natalie Hill gave birth to their first bundle of joy (and future Hall of Fame Shortstop) Braedyn Alexander Hill. Braedyn Alexander Hill. Congrats to Brian and Nat.

Have a good day.

SUPER BOWL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, I think Bill Cowher has come up with the solution to winning the AFC Championship, don't play it at home.

This team for their leader Jerome Bettis, are on to Super Bowl XL in Detroit. This will end Jeromes illustrious career in his home city of Detroit.

WOOOO HOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tidbits

* I thought I was a little over due for a tidbits post, so here it goes.

* I first have to start out with a couple belated birthdays. First Mom's was January 11, and I stayed true to form in never being able to remember anyone's birthday, so Belated Happy Birthday Mom. After this happened, I tried adding a few Birthdays to the calendar on my phone. Once again another belated birthday to Nick whose was January 19th. I got to come up with a better system, I'm horrible at remember dates.

* The weather has been unseasonably warm this January, I'm not complaining, I'm enjoying this very much.

* A couple weeks ago I pointed out that one Associated Press Voter had named the West Virginia University Football Team Pre-season #1 for 2006. I knew at least one would do that. Now make that two, ESPN
has us as the #1 team for the 2006 Pre-season.

* In a game that is reminiscent of the old Larry Bird - Michael Jordan nothing but net McDonald's commercials of the 1980's. West Virginia University Basketball's team show that they can play this game too. There is a writer for Sports Illustrated who names eight teams every year, out of these eight teams he guarantees the NCAA Champion to come out of these eight. Read his entire article, and don't forget to look on page two for the rest of the names of the eight teams named. The next 365 days could be very interesting here in Morgantown.

* Nick and Terri's is now officially Nick and Terri's. They have passed their Mon County Health Department inspection and have their liquor license approved. They OFFICIALLY Open for buisness Monday. It's amazing how much work they have done to this location. I'll swing by monday and get a few pictures from the official opening.

* It's the NFL's Conference Championship weekend. My Pittsburgh Steelers are going to try to see if they can have any better luck playing AFC Championship games on the road, since they haven't had too much success winning these games in Pittsburgh. Nick's Carolina Panthers are in the NFC Championship. Here's to my team beating his team in the Super Bowl.

Poker Night at the SanJulians

Tonight was Poker Night at the SanJulians. Kim had invited me up to play in a little Texas Hold em Tournament. I had a great night and it was really a challenging round with some really good players. I came in third and Kim managed to come in second.

A Few pics of the nights events.

I knew someone would say it.

The 2005 West Virginia University Football campaign was arguably it's most successful in school history. A season that started in Syracuse, New York with little to no flair ended up with a Big East Championship, a Sugar Bowl win and a #5 Post season ranking in the AP Poll. Pretty impressive considering that the season ended with their pre-season second string Quarterback and fourth string Running Back stealing the show.

When the season ended and the fact that we beat a very good Georgia team on the road I said then that we basically return everyone for next season. ESPN did a 2006 Pre-Season poll for the 2006 season right after the bowl games and predicted us as #3.

Since then, the Nations best player, Vince Young from Texas, and a few other talented underclassmen have opted to enter the NFL draft a year early.

I had a hunch remembering back to Beano Cook picking the Mountaineers #1 in his ESPN pre-season special in 1988, that someone would pick us #1 for the 2006 season in a pre-season poll. 1988 was the year we managed to play and lose to Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl for the National Championship.

We return a lot of talented players and Rich Rodriguez offense is one that other teams are starting to take notice and really give it a hard look. We return two very exciting players in Pat White and Steve Slaton as well as a whole lot of talented and experienced players in a supporting cast.

Well, I thought we would have to wait until this summer to have someone confirm my hunch that someone would name us #1 in the Pre-season polls. I was wrong, it was confirmed for me, by get this, The 2005 National Champions University of Texas's hometown Newspaper, The Statesman. Happy reading.





The pre-preseason Top 25 in college football
Friday, January 13, 2006

Picking t
Nine days removed from the greatest Rose Bowl in history, the last of the multicolored confetti has floated back to the ground and Austin has finally come back down to earth.

Right. Who are we kidding?


This party may not end until, well, what time is Texas' season opener next September?

That's fine by us, but we ask for a brief timeout before the Longhorns are worshipped one final time on Sunday night as we offer our annual pre-preseason Top 25 football forecast.

And who better to climb college football's highest mountain in 2006?

The Mountaineers, of course.

Bear with us here. Every team we looked at has warts, but remember that Oklahoma was ranked 19th in the preseason when it won the title in 2000.

In a tight decision, we settled on West Virginia just ahead of 2003 BCS champion Louisiana State and resurgent Notre Dame. Filling out our top five are Ohio State and Florida.

There's not much not to like about the Mountaineers, whose bowl performance made them look like the strongest team in college football that didn't play in the Rose Bowl or the Fiesta Bowl, in which the Buckeyes beat the Fighting Irish. West Virginia put up a 28-0 lead on eighth-ranked Georgia in the Sugar Bowl and held on for a riveting 38-35 victory in the second-most exciting postseason game.

West Virginia has everything a team needs to stake its claim to No. 1:

Good head coach. Rich Rodriguez is quietly building a monster in Morgantown. Did you see his gutsy fake punt call to seal the win over Georgia?

Solid quarterback. Pat White turned down a baseball offer from the Angels and a football scholarship from LSU and quickly took over the reins of the offense. He's part of the new generation of mobile quarterbacks.

Sensational running back. Like White, Steve Slaton burst upon the scene as a freshman, showed a quick burst through the hole and broke Tony Dorsett's Sugar Bowl record with 204 yards rushing. This guy's a star.

Top receivers. The team's three best are back.

Winnable schedule. The Mountaineers trade in Virginia Tech for Mississippi State and will sleepwalk through Marshall, Buffalo and Maryland. Only possible potholes come at Louisville and Pittsburgh.

Less competition. West Virginia is easily the class of the Big East, and with the talent losses at Texas and Southern California, no dynasty remains intact.

LSU can make a strong case for winning its second crown in four years after ripping Miami 40-3 in the Peach Bowl. Eleven starters return, with quarterbacks JaMarcus Russell (coming off a shoulder injury and wrist surgery) and Matt Flynn back for their junior seasons. Running back Justin Vincent should be full speed after knee surgery, but he'll have to fend off Alley Broussard, returning after knee surgery as well.

Les Miles does have to rebuild his defensive line since only former Longhorn Chase Pittman returns. He'll also have to find two new linebackers, and the schedule is torturous with trips to Florida, Auburn, Tennessee and Arkansas.

Notre Dame has the likely Heisman Trophy favorite in quarterback Brady Quinn, the most underrated receiver in college in Jeff Samardzija and 17 returning starters. But the Irish are still too slow and lacking in defensive playmakers, and they have a grueling slate with USC, UCLA, Penn State, Michigan and Georgia Tech.

Had Ohio State not been gutted on defense — where all three linebackers, including A.J. Hawk, are gone as well as perhaps all four defensive backs — the Buckeyes would have entered September at No. 1. They do return quarterback Troy Smith, game-breaker Ted Ginn Jr. and running back Antonio Pittman but will miss wideout Santonio Holmes.

Florida lost star receiver Chad Jackson to the NFL but returns veteran quarterback Chris Leak among 14 starters. Now that Urban Meyer knows the SEC is a little tougher than the Mountain West, he'll be restocking with the best high school talent in the nation.

Auburn could make a bid with returning quarterback Brandon Cox, a strong secondary and a weak nonconference schedule. Texas will be much better than most expect because of 14 returning starters, including every skill position player — ahem — except one. (And tight end David Thomas.)

USC lost three guys who could be NFL All-Pros soon. Still, it could reach the national championship game given the wideouts, the defensive returnees and an influx of great recruits. Don't count on Oklahoma staying down with the cocksure Rhett Bomar at quarterback and Adrian Peterson hellbent for contact, the Heisman Trophy and an NFL pass after next year.

Most of all, remember, this is January.



With the Mountaineer Basketball team already proving they can beat any team at any location this season (Lost by 1 point to #2 Texas, Beat #8 Oklahoma and #3 Villanova, all on the road), 2006 is shaping up to be a very good year for West Virginia University Athletics.

Nick and Terri's

I stopped down at the new bar last night to visit Terri and see how the bar was shaping up, boy was I surprised to walk in and see how far they have come in a short period of time in restoring and getting this old building ready to be an establishment again.

Every time I stop there are patrons from the other bar there working to help get this one up and running or a couple people stopping in to see if they are open yet. It's really amazing what some of their customers have done to get this up and running. I've been there twice now and a friend of theirs named Radar (Vietnam Vet) has just been busting his butt both times I stopped by helpign get this thing ready.

They should be open within the next couple weeks and I'll be sure to go and get a few pics. The first time I stopped Terri wished she had a before and after pic, and that was last week.

I'm really looking foreward at seeing this bar when it's done. They have really busted their hind ends on this project.

Decision Made

As I stated in one of my posts last week, I was faced with a decision as to continue to live in Morgantown or relocate to Frostburg. I had been wrestling with the decision since about mid November when the possibility of me working for a company in Morgantown arose. That is another story, and I think I have given up on that situation. I contacted them at the beginning of the year and heard nothing more from them. Lack of professional courtesy is one reason I am closing the book on that opportunity.

I said the day of my interview that if I was hired I would work there for two years and go from there. It would allow me the opportunity to get some professional experience outside of what many employers would probably deem an academic environment at WVU, even though this could be no further from the truth. I will continue to work at VARGIS, but I think I want to continue to explore other employment options.

I'm happy where I am at at this current time in my professional life, but I also want the best opportunity to grow. So, during the next 12 months I plan on remarketing myself and see if I can find a more suitable situation for me.

It honestly was a very tough decision for me, but I am going to continue to live in Morgantown for the next 12 months. If I am still working at VARGIS in 12 months, then I will relocate to the area, but for right now I think I want to try to market myself again and see what kind of opportunities present themselves.

There were some decisive factors in my decision to stay in Morgantown. Family being #1 on the list. Friends being #2 on the list financial situation played heavily in the decision.

I had to prioritize the things in my life that are most important to me, my goals, the climate of where I will be living and financial situation and come to a decision. This may not be a permanant decision, but this is the final decision concerning the next 12 months.

You guys are stuck with me for 12 more months. Is it softball yet?

2006 Sugar Bowl Highlight Video

Another great WVU Football video done by the guys at BloodyFlux

#5 in AP, #6 in USA TODAY

Final College football rankings for the 2005-6 season.


AP

1. Texas (65) 13-0 1,625
2. USC 12-1 1,560
3. Penn State 11-1 1,484
4. Ohio State 10-2 1,428
5. West Virginia 11-1 1,325
6. LSU 11-2 1,314
7. Virginia Tech 11-2 1,197
8. Alabama 10-2 1,081
9. Notre Dame 9-3 1,019
10. Georgia 10-3 994
11. TCU 11-1 937
12. Florida 9-3 817
12. Oregon 10-2 817
14. Auburn 9-3 799
15. Wisconsin 10-3 786
16. UCLA 10-2 778
17. Miami 9-3 589
18. Boston College 9-3 545
19. Louisville 9-3 410
20. Texas Tech 9-3 359
21. Clemson 8-4 339
22. Oklahoma 8-4 329
23. Florida State 8-5 232
24. Nebraska 8-4 128
25. California 8-4 45


USA Today

1. Texas (62) 13-0 1,550
2. USC 12-1 1,483
3. Penn State 11-1 1,421
4. Ohio State 10-2 1,357
5. LSU 11-2 1,281
6. West Virginia 11-1 1,235
7. Virginia Tech 11-2 1,176
8. Alabama 10-2 1,066
9. TCU 11-1 914
10. Georgia 10-3 900
11. Notre Dame 9-3 866
12. Oregon 10-2 837
13. UCLA 10-2 774
14. Auburn 9-3 760
15. Wisconsin 10-3 739
16. Florida 9-3 718
17. Boston College 9-3 584
18. Miami 9-3 558
19. Texas Tech 9-3 422
20. Louisville 9-3 342
21. Clemson 8-4 310
22. Oklahoma 8-4 274
23. Florida State 8-5 209
24. Nebraska 8-4 109
25. California 8-4 68

Sugar Bowl Champions

WOW, What a game that was last night. West Virginia became the 2005-6 Sugar Bowl Champions by defeated the University of Georgia 38-35 last night in the first and only Sugar Bowl game not played in New Orleans.

West Virginia went into Georgia's back yard and jumped ahead to an early 28-0 lead and never relinquished the lead. It was a bit of a nailbiter at times, but Rich Rodriguez had this team ready to play.

West Virginia finishes the season with an 11-1 record for the third time in school history (1988, 1993), but this is the first time we did it by winning our bowl game. It was sweet to sit there and watch us finally win the Big Game.

West Virginia was led by two Freshmen, Steve Slaton and Pat White. Slaton set a Sugar Bowl rushing for 204 yards, a personal career best at this time and managed to become the third WVU Freshman to even rush for 1,000 yards in a season. Amos Zereoue and Avon Cobourne being the other two freshmen WVU Running Backs to accomplish this task.

Pat White came within about 50 yards of ALSO rushing for 1,000 yards this season as a Freshman. We will definitely end up in the top 10 when the final polls come out, I'm hoping that we will finish 5th or 6th in the final polls which should be out in a few days.

Happy New Years!!!!

Auld Lang Syne

Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and days of auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and days of auld lang syne?
And here's a hand, my trusty friend
And gie's a hand o' thine
We'll tak' a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne


Happy New Year Everyone. May everyone have a great and prosperous 2006!!!!