Do you ever check out your stats?

Do you ever check out your stats? I've been paying closer attention to my stats recently and looking for trends. I have learned that I have more regular visitors than I realized. I have family in Minnesota that reads regularly and friends in Minnesota that read regularly. But what I find interesting is that people I don't know are coming here on a somewhat regular basis and reading lots and lots. One reader from a Southern state spent almost a half hour yesterday and read several archived posts. And this was their fourth visit to my site and all visits have lasted more than a half hour.

If you aren't using a stat counter, scroll to the bottom of my page and click on the numbers and add a stat counter to your blog or website. It's free and it will tell you first time visitors to your site and those that return regularly to your site. It also tells you how they found your site and, depending on how you store your past posts, which ones they've read.

AJ

Kallsen's news...

Kallsen had two things happen to him today. First, he fell off of the slide at school and busted his lip and bloodied his nose. The ladies at his school told Sara Beth that he didn't even cry until they took him inside to clean him up...he wanted to stay outside and continue playing even though he was bleeding. As you can tell by this picture, Kallsen is fine. In fact, this picture was taken because he decided to act cheesy for the camera when I was getting a picture of the score board for Joseph's baseball post.

The other news...his instructors at school want to move him to the two-year-old room early. Kallsen is 20 months old and already wanting to work with shapes and likes to page through books. These are things that apparently kids don't start wanting to do on their own until 2 years of age. I knew my boy was smart!

AJ

2-0

Joseph's team improved to 2-0 tonight. Joseph was 1-1 hitting a double in the first inning. He had one ball hit between him (right field) and the center fielder that he got to first and had a nice throw into the cut off man.

In Little League, you're suppose to play seven innings with a time limit of two hours. Tonight's game ended at the two hour mark.

AJ

Everything is a lesson. If not, it's an achievement.

While there may be better ways to say it, the above is correct. No regrets.

AJ

Bad idea...

...to wear a turtle neck and black sweater today. Right now, in Clayton, it's 69 degrees. I'm burning up.

AJ

Parker's First Tooth

Parker's first tooth is coming in. He has been very irritable and just not very happy these past couple of days. Parker decided to chomp down on my finger and that's when we discovered the tooth was coming in.

As you can see in the picture, Parker doesn't feel well.

AJ

1-0

Joseph's baseball team won their first game on Monday night. They won 17-9. Joseph only had one at bat. He struck out. He had two innings in right field and had two balls hit in his direction and field them pretty well. His next game is Thursday.

AJ

I'm Not Sure What I was Thinking...

but I ended up with the winning bid on this item in our radio auction. What that means is no one bid and I ended up buying it for the opening bid price.

I guess this means I need to one day own a cabin on a lake in Northern Minnesota that has an outdoorsie feel where a string of carved wooden fish would add to the decor.

Before anyone laughs, this string of wooden fish may end up as your Christmas gift.

AJ

PS-the fish were carved by a local Rabun County artisan and they are carved from Laurel.

Baseball Practice, On a Sunday

Joseph's baseball coach informed my wife this afternoon that there is a practice scheduled for Sunday morning at 11:30. She was told if we couldn't attend because of church, he'd understand.
This is the same coach Joseph had last season and we had some practices on Sundays last season but they were in the afternoon. Not at 11:30 in the morning. I think the lesson learned for Joseph, that he is part of a team is important, so he will attend practice. I just wish the coach would understand the importance of church for those of us that attend regularly and maybe next time we could wait and start later in the afternoon.

AJ

A bit of luck coming my way...

So the lady renting my house in Union that was suppose to purchase the house this April has backed out. She still wants to rent, just not buy the house. She is apparently pinning her hopes on becoming Section 8 qualified. That's apparently where the government pays part or all of your house cost.

Anyway...bad news, right? Well yes...but today two different people I know in Clayton know I own a house in Union, SC. Well both are now interested in looking at the house because they want to get into the rental business and thought I might be interested in selling because I am moving to Iowa in June.

I'm traveling to Union Sunday morning to show my property. Hopefully, one of these two folks will be interested in buying the property.

AJ

No Pacifier, No More

Tonight marks the seventh night in a row that Kallsen has gone to bed without his pacifier. He's growing up.

AJ

Check this out...

...My Irish friend Joe's blog. This is a really cool picture.

Thanks Joe!

Find News Fast...Upgraded...

I have spent the last three hours working on Find News Fast. Please check out the site, the links and let me know what you think. I'll be updating and tinkering with the site over the next eight weeks or so. Also, for those of you that blog, please link to the site. I need all the help I can get...

AJ

Kallsen Talks to Grandma

After Kallsen got out of the bath tonight, he wanted to call his grandma...

AJ

The Aftermath

The family has been placed in another home. I'm not sure how much, if anything, they were able to save.

Fire in Mountain City, Part II

The fire, apparently out according to the local fire chief, started back up at 10:15 this moring. This first picture is taken from the deck on the front of my house looking directly across the street.
I talked with the Mountain City Police Chief and he told me one of the volunteer fire chiefs said the fire was completely out before the departments left just before 10:00 this morning. Well that wasn't the case.

The roof collasped about 11:00 this morning.


AJ

Fire in Mountain City

As I write this post, the house across the street from me is on fire. Apparently, the occupants put a cardboard box into their fire place this morning in an attempt to get the fire going and the box fell out of the fireplace, on to the floor and caught a pile of wood on fire. The pile of wood caught the wall on fire and then the fire just grew rapidly.

There's five children that live in the home. The oldest is a boy in high school, the second child is in the 10th grade the two youngest are in 3rd and 4th grade. The fifth child is a baby the family has been caring for for someone else.

I've offered my home for shelter and warmth and they've turned me down instead electing to stay in their van and watch the fire. While this family attends our church, they are not members. I have called the preacher and informed him of the fire so there can be an attempt at collecting food and clothing for the family.

The Boys Are Back

After a weekend away, Sara Beth brought the boys back home. It is amazing how they grow in such a short period of time.

Joseph and I had a boys weekend. We watched Star Wars movies, played baseball and had a good ole time.

AJ

RIP Lynn F. Whittaker

Lynn Whittaker died Sunday. He was an older gentleman at my church who had taken me under his wing when he realized I was willing to put forth time and talent when it came to communications and trustee issues. He'll be missed.

AJ

57 Unique Visits First Day!

I launched Find News Fast Saturday. My stats tell me that on Saturday alone I had 57 unique visits. That's counting each computer that goes to the site only once. The average number of different news links looked at (or clicked on) by each individual user was 6.75.

I'm excited about getting some visits right away. The page will completely change its view sometime in late May...when we'll start streaming world news headlines on the site.

Please visit often, link to the page and support Find News Fast.

AJ

Find News Fast...the launch...

did not go as planned. My source for streaming news...upto the minute streaming from associated Press...did not work as planned. I was told that the streaming would be operational by middle of the week. I bit disappointing being that there is a lot of code to be installed and without the codes, I can't work ahead. And I have no idea when I'll have the time to put into the site like I had this weekend.

Either way...Find News Fast is up and running. All the site does now is link to the major TV broadcast network web sites and the 50 biggest newspaper web sites. I'll link major internet sites in the next couple of days and sport sites as well.

The site will have streaming news soon and it will link to blogs and talk radio sites as well.

AJ

Joseph and Dad Today

There's no school today or Monday in Rabun County so Joseph will be spending both days at work with me. And Sara is headed to her Mom's this afternoon and she's taking Kallsen and Parker with her, so Joseph and I will be having a father/son weekend.

We're going to purchase Episode III from the Star Wars movies and watch that and I plan to work tomorrow on my Find News Fast web page. Should be a good weekend.

AJ

A new look, not too different...

Happy Birthday Mom!

My Mom celebrates her birthday today. If you go to her blog you'll find she has been celebrating all week long. My friend David says about my Mom's blog, "It's like being at Disney Land while enjoying a glass of wine."

If you want to be truly moved by how someone views the world, my Mom's blog will do that. She has the most positive view of the world we live in and she continues to inspire people everyday by her writings and thoughts.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Adam

PS-the picture is of my Mom and Dad on their first visit to Rabun County in May 2003.

Music as a Time Machine

As I got ready for work this morning, I was listening to SKY 104 and our interim morning man played U2's 'With ot Without You,' which is from 1987's album The Joshua Tree. I all of a sudden was back living in California and attedning The American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

So I got to thinking about how music transforms you to a previous time and place. Everytime I hear Dan Fogelberg's Longer, I'm taken back to my wedding day.

Longer

Longer than there've been fishes in the ocean
Higher than any bird ever flew
Longer than there've been stars up in the heavens
I've been in love with you
Stronger than any mountain cathedral
Truer than any tree ever grew
Deeper than any forest primeval
I am in love with you

I'll bring fire in the winters
You'll send showers in the springs
We'll fly through the falls and summers
With love on our wings

Through the years as the fire starts to mellow
Burning lines in the book of our lives
Though the binding cracks and the pages start to yellow
I'll be in love with you
I'll be in love with you
Repeat First Verse
I am in love with you

When I hear the Eagles, I'm back in my Dad's car traveling to Aitkin to go hunting for the weekend. When I hear Neil Diamond's 'What a Beautiful Noise' I'm taken back to driving through Utah with my Mom when I moved to California.

Music does this everyday. One of the great things about music and working in radio. We transport people into the past.

On my Mom's blog, judyslife.blogspot.com, she has been walking down memory lane this week and she has been doing that by posting pictures and having music added to her blog.

AJ

One Last Look

I'm really not looking forward to Kallsen getting his hair cut tomorrow. I really like his curls and the way his hair looks now. His bangs could use trimming, otherwise I think we should let his hair grow a little bit more. Here's some pictures taken after his bath tonight.

The Haircut

On Thursday Kallsen will be getting his first haircut. I think it's a little early for the haircut but I have been out voted. I guess when your son's hair is down to his shoulders, he could use a little trim.

I've heard all kinds of stories about kids having nice curls like Kallsen has and once they've gotten their first haircut, the curls never come back. And I would hate it if Kallsen lost his curls.

I had some other plans for Thursday but I will make some changes. Someone will need to help keep Kallsen still while the other takes pictures. We may even take some video. Either way, we'll have before and after pictures posted on the blog sometime Thursday evening.

A Little Moore blog joins my blogging family

My friend Matt and his wife are expecting and they have started their own blog that will follow their journey to parenthood. Matt and I met in High School and have been friends ever since. In fact he was the bestman at my wedding and the only friend I still talk to regularly from my high school days. Matt and Carrie were married in October of 2004. A beautiful fall day in Wisconsin. Matt and Carrie have joined the blogosphere along with my Mom, Dad, my friend Patrick, my friend Nathan, my newsman and friend David and my Irish friend Joe. I hope they know what they're getting into...

One thing I like about blogging is it is a much easier way to share what is going on in my life with family and friends and I feel as if I communicate more so with family knowing they are reading my blog.

Matt & Carrie,

Congratulations!

AJ

Daddy Gym

So my back was hurting on Sunday so I laid down on the couch to rest. Sara Beth handed Parker to me, which was fine because how much trouble can a five month old be? He can only attract trouble when his 19 month old brother decides he wants Parker to share his Daddy. While I love playing with my boys, I think I paid the price last night. I got hit in the head, kicked in the head and Kallsen even gave me a snotty kiss right on the lips. My saving, the fact that Sara Beth was able to get pictures and video.As you can see in the picture, Parker's foot is to the lower right of my chin and Kallsen is in the process of pulling my hair.

I don't think I've heard Sara Beth or Joseph laugh as long or as hard as they did watching Kallsen pounce all over his Daddy.

Tonight's the Night

That The Sopranos come back after close to two years away. I'm excited about the premier of the sixth season of Sopranos and the series premier of Big Love. Big Love is about polygamy. It follows a Salt Lake City buisinessman and his relationship with his three wifes and seven children. And its a comedy.

The making of Big Love is at 8:30, the season premier of The Sopranos is at 9:00 and the series premier of Big Love is at 10:00.

PartyWright, LLC still getting calls

I have received three calls this week from folks interested in renting from PartyWright, LLC. One person wanted four tents, another want the bounce house for a party and the third wanted the accelerator slide for three different weekends this summer.

With the amount of calls I've received, I now believe that if I hadn't sold the business and if I wasn't moving in May that I would have been close to booked up for most of the summer. During last season several customers requested that I book the same weekend for them the following year.

If there is someone in Rabun County looking at starting their own business, the Party Rental Business is a great nitch to fill.

AJ

PS-if you're interested in starting your own inflatable rental company,

PartyWright's website

is full of links to lots of companys that sell inflatables.

Church Web Site nearing Completion

I have signed up with e-zekiel.com and begun the building process for Clayton First United Methodist Church's website. Through out this next week, I'll get links for stream our 11am service, a daily audio blog for our preacher and other links to things important for our church.

I really think the website will prove to be a great ministry for our church and will be a more important ministry than the TV or Radio ministries. I think this because the web reaches everywhere, whereas the local radio and TV service just the local population.

AJ

A good night's sleep

Last night Parker slept through the night for the first time. He went down about 8:30 and I had to wake him up at 5:45 this morning to get him dressed for the day. The blanket he is using was knitted by my twin sister Kara. She also did one for Kallsen.

My sister Kara is a very crafty (I mean this is a good way) person. She has made a lot of the gifts she has given me and my family over the years. These blankets are the ones these boys will end up using with their kids years from now. Thanks Kara.

Need to see more, need to do more...

I was thinking about my upcoming move and I realized that I haven't taken advantage of the things that surround me where I live. Nor have I taken advantage of the drive between the South and the Midwest.

With my family living in Minnesota and my wife's family living in South Carolina, no matter where we live, we will always be traveling to one place or the other. And there's a lot to see in between Minnesota and South Carolina. So I now have new goals, and that's to do more between Minnesota and South Carolina.
In Rabun County, where I now live, I have not been to the gorge in Tallulah Falls. They say it is the deepest gorge east of the Mississippi. I also want to see the new aquarium in Atlanta, the Coke museum, and go white water rafting in Rabun County.

I've lived in Minnesota, California, Wisconsin, South Carolina and Georgia. I will soon live in Iowa. And I have traveled all over the United States and I have not taken time to visit many places. And America in full of great things to see and do.

On the way back to Georgia after spending Christmas in Minnesota, we stopped and toured the Louisville Slugger museum and we really enjoyed that experience.

I want my kids (and hope this doesn't sound bad) to moan and groan a little every time Dad stops to see something on one of the many journeys we'll take through the years. Because while they may moan and groan, I know they'll always remember those side trips and they'll do the same when they're older and have families. And I think they'll be better for it.

Just some of the sights I want to see between Minnesota and South Carolina include the racing museum in Indianapolis, Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, The Arch in St.Louis, The Radio and TV museum in Chicago, and The Grand Ole Opery in Nashville. Things I want to do between Minnesota and South Carolina include a ferry ride across Lake Michigan, an Amish buggy ride in rural Southern Minnesota, A river boat ride on the Ohio in Cincinnati and do the alpine slide in Wisconsin.

It may seem like a lot but I have 20 years traveling with my family before the boys are grown and gone. I think I'll get all this and more done.

AJ

A Rival to Mircosoft Office

I have discovered, or should I say,'come across' a new piece of software that is free and does everything Mircosoft Office does and it does it just as well if not better than Mircosoft. Open Office came bundled with NetObjects Fusion 8, which I got free from my web hosting company.

Open Office resembles Microsoft Office and works great. And it will open all of your Microsoft Office documents with no problem. While I'm not out to get 'The Man,' there's no reason to spend $200 or load pirated software on to your computer when something that works just as well is available for free.

If you have used Open Office or download it and enjoy it, please comment back to me. I'd like to get some feed back to what others think.

AJ

The Sopranos

It's been two years since we last heard from Tony Soprano and his crew. And with the way the last season ended, this may be the best season yet for the HBO show. I'm really excited about this upcoming season. If the show is half as good as the trailers for the season have been, it will be the best season yet for the show.

The last season ended with Johnny Sack being arrested by the FBI, Adrianna being whacked, Tony B being whacked and Tony Soprano trying to get his marriage back on track. With Johnny Sack being behind bars, the New York crew in hiding, there's lots of rackets all of a sudden available and lots of rats wanting the goods for themselves.

This is going to be a great season.

AJ

PS-if you're family or friend, don't call on Sunday nights after 9pm eastern time

RIP Kirby Puckett

My favorite Twin's player has died. Kirby Puckett had a stroke earlier this week and died tonight in Arizona. Kirby began playing with the twins in the erly 1980s and led them to victories in 1987 and 1991 in the World Series.



AJ

You know your son had a good day when...

You get home and he looks like this...

Not the best picture in the world but the only one where Kallsen was showing his hands. He got a hold of a black Crayola marker and went to town. And as you can see, he had fun while going to town.

I'm just glad he didn't do what some other kids have done when getting their hands on some markers...



I'm afraid one day I'll come home and Parker will be colored in Crayola Colors.

A Game of Catch

Today, after church, we went to Wal Mart so I could buy a glove to play catch with Joseph. I've decided that each day Joseph doesn't have baseball practice, I'll play catch with him in the yard. I think this will be good for several reasons...it will keep him loose, I like playing catch and it will be good father son time.
Of course Kallsen couldn't be left out...
I realized one thing today. I will be playing catch with one or all of my boys for the next 20 years. If not with a baseball, it will be a football or a frisbee. What ever it is, I will be playing games of catch with one or all of my boys for the next 20+ years. And I'm looking forward to it.

Laundry

Kallsen likes to help. Be it folding clothes, doing dishes or the laundry. So I guess that answers how a deck of cards made it into the dryer.


AJ

New Friend

Blogging has opened a whole new world for me. I have gained regular readers from across the country and overseas as well. A friend of my Moms, Joe from Ireland, has become a regular reader of my blog and had begun his own blog. And I discovered his blog last night and saw that he has linked his blog to mine, so I now link to his blog as well. Hi Joe!

For a brief history of my blogging world, I hired David Shideler to be my newsman at my radio stations last March. David has a blog, DK Republic, where he talks about and comments on local news, national news and world news. David's blog inspired me to start a blog which inspired My Mom and Dad to blog and my Mom inspired Joe to blog. And I link to each of the folks that inspired me or I, hopefully, inspired them to blog. Other folks I know started blogging after I started include Nathan and Patrick both Patrick and Nathan I know through the radio stations.

Blogging is free, easy, fun and a great way to update your family and friends on what's going on in your life. I know both my parents and my in laws like being able to keep up with my kids via my blog. If you join in the world of blogging and one of the people mentioned here inspired you to blog, please let me know and I'll do my best to track the ongoing blogosphere started because I hired David to be my newsman. Thanks David!
AJ

Parker with his Mama

These pictures were taken on Friday night.

And one in Black and White.

I'm a lucky man.

Another view on Eminent Domain

This article, from the Minneapolis Star Tribune is reprinted without their permission. (if you're with the Star Tribune, please take it easy, I'm just wanting to share a little of your wisdom.)

I think this editorial makes sense. And maybe, just maybe, if we had heard all the aurguments before the Supreme Court, we would feel differently than we do about Eminent Domain.

Before swallowing whole the notion that government's power of eminent domain should be severely restricted, Minnesota legislators should look soberlyat the potential consequences.

Do they really want to dissuade the revival of older communities; to further starve older tax bases (and school systems); to further concentrate poverty, and to encourage urban sprawl and its expensive byproducts -- traffic congestion, environmental degradation, energy waste and higher infrastructure costs?

If not, they should consider cooler, more balanced reforms than those sought by a nationwide libertarian blitz against last year's Supreme Court ruling in the Connecticut property rights case, Kelo vs. New London. Yes, some local governments have bullied property owners into condemnation proceedings to advance private development projects. But that's rare in Minnesota. The bipartisan bill offered at the behest of a Washington-based property-rights group and Minnesota's auto dealers' association uses a sledgehammer to swat a fly. Property owners deserve fairer compensation, and should get it. But removing local government's last-ditch tool for
redevelopment goes too far.

Are the people of St. Louis Park better off because of the Excelsior and Grand project? Have people in southwest Minneapolis benefited from 50th and France? Is Richfield better off with a Best Buy headquarters than a car dealership? Has the whole metro region benefited? We think it has, even though these cities used eminent domain (or its leverage) in each case.

Drawing a sharp line between public purpose and private gain is all but impossible. There's potential for private gain in every public action. Critics don't complain about condemning property for roads and other public projects. Yet roads spawn enormous private benefit. Just look at what's built beside them. It's especially ironic that roadside auto dealers should complain about government's authority to, as a last resort, condemn one private property for another. No corporate interest has gained more from eminent domain than the auto industry.

Some reforms are needed, but proposed changes in the blight and environmental standards go too far. The greatest danger isn't that urban development would stop entirely, but that a developer who discovers one reluctant seller would simply decide that business is easier on the metro fringe, where taxpayers will be left with the costs of redundant infrastructure and the consequences of urban neglect.

These arguments may well fail, not because they are wrong but because they are complex. The libertarian lobbies have both momentum and emotion on their side. They use fear to portray property owners as helpless victims of predatory governments eager to condemn their homes solely to reward rich developers. It's the kind of demagoguery that works at election time.

If legislators are, however, truly interested in the public good, they will carefully examine the proposed changes, consider the consequences and find a fair balance between the interests of private property and community.

I tend to better understand the need for eminent domain. In fact, I've never been against it. I do think, in some situations, it can be abused. But so can every other power a governement has.

AJ

Let's talk about Links

On the right hand side of this blog is list of links to other web sites and blogs. I like to refer to the links as Where I Hang Out. I call the links list that because those are some of the places I enjoy on the web or web sites that I own. Or are related to me through the radio station or church. I would like for everyone that comes to my blog to visit one or more of the links.

The first link, Find News Fast is a site that I'm currently developing. It's going to be a site that will stream news headlines from AP and will link to all the major news sites on the web and some minor ones too. There will also be an editorial page. I will do some of the editorials and I will ask others to also do editorials. Most of the editorials will be on National and International News.

The second link, Start Your Own Inflatable Rental Company is where you'll find links to companies that sell inflatable games. Be it bounce houses, slides or obstacle courses. If you're looking for a business of your own, inflatable party rentals is a low cost start up and can bring big rewards.

The next link, google news, should speak for itself.

The next site, My Site, is just that. It's my site. I've not done anything on the site yet....but it's coming.

The next is the first of many blogs I read or check on everyday. Mommyblog is my Mom's blog. I introduced her to the world of blogging in January this year and she continues to inspire and encourage people everyday by her thoughts and feelings.

The next blog, daddyblog, is my Dad's blog. He is mostly working on creating a really nice video blog. If you keep checking back, I'm betting he'll be on top of the video blogging world as it continues to grow. Also, the video blogs will most likely give you a chance to see my Minnesota family in action.

The next site, Rabun Restaurants, is under development right now and will point visitors to Rabun County Georgia to the best places to eat in the Mountains of Northeast Georgia.

The SKY 104 site is the radio stations site. It isn't being update as ofter as we would like due to the station staff being short one fulltime employee. It's a great source for local news.

Newsman's Land is my newsman's blog, DK Republic. I call it Newsman's Land because I think its David's goal is to form his own country.

Mountain Surfer is my friend Patrick's blog. He lives in the Mountains and loves to surf.

Minnesota News is the Minneapolis StarTribune's site. All that is Minnesota can be found there.

What's Fit To Be Right is Fox News. What's Left Over is CNN.

Parent's Know Best is my Mom and Dad's professional website. Lots of good information on family and marriage on that site and a great radio interview I conducted in January, 2006.

Weather says it all.

My Church's Site is under construction and should be up within two or three weeks.

Nate Doggy Do Little is a friend of mine who is in college and doesn't post to his blog often enough but it is still a good look into the average college guy's world

And last is PartyWright, LLC's site. Same as the second link.

On Party Wright and Find News Fast, I earn money everytime someone goes to those sites and click on one of the links. So if you don't mind...

AJ

Kallsen "muscle man" Wright

At Joseph's baseball practice Thursday night there was an orange cone in the space between two of the ballfields. Kallsen knocked the cone over and then stood it up, all on his own. Nothing is too big or too heavy for Kallsen.
One thing I love about Kallsen is once he sets his mind to something, he's going to get it done. It doesn't matter if its climbing something, tackling something or picking something up. If he wants something done, he'll get it done.

The weather on Thursday night was really mild for March. Temps in the 60's and lots of wind. Kallsen was just loving being outside, running up and down and knocking over cones and picking them up again.


Parker pretty much just hung out and didn't do much, other than eat, during ball practice.

AJ

On the mend?

So another night of wild, sinus drug induced dreams and I'm still feeling the effects. While my sinuses aren't as bad off, the drainage has left my throat sore and my ears ringing. Hopefully, we'll make it till Friday afternoon so I can sleep in on Saturday.

AJ