In Honor of the Midsummer Classic

Tonight, as the MLB All Star game is being played to cap off the first half of the baseball season. Congrats to my boys Brian McCann, Johnny Venters, and Craig Kimbrel for making the team. I've been reminiscing the good things and the bad things of the first half of my summer. Let's take a look shall we?

We'll start with the good things:

1) Russia! - Naturally, this would be my #1 good thing of the first half. I had the incredible opportunity of getting to spend four weeks in Moscow, Russia on a summer project through Campus Crusade for Christ. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Brief highlights: metro rides, interesting food, sharing the gospel, the banya, flaming football matches. I don't regret embarking on this journey in the least bit. 

2) The Atlanta Braves- The Atlanta Braves own the 2nd best record in baseball right now and will only get better in the 2nd half. Tomahawk chop!

3) Road trip to the Metroplex- 'nuff said.

4) T&T Dr. Peppers - Oh how I've missed these divine delicacies.

5) Mineral Deeds - To most, this means nothing. To me, this means everything. Mineral deeds are the simplest of documents to record at my job and any time one pops up, it brings a smile to my face.

Now that we've covered the good things, let's observe some of the bad things from the first half of this summer.

1) Transition from Russia back to America - This has been a fairly difficult adjustment to make. The most challenging being the fact that I spent four weeks where the temperature was in the 70s to going home where the temperatures have been hovering around 110.

2) The Philadelphia Phillies - Despite the Atlanta Braves having the 2nd best record in baseball, the Phillies have the best record. Unfortunately for the Braves, the Phillies are in the same division. Thus, the Braves are in 2nd place.

3) 335 miles - Not a pleasant distance to cover.

4) Mortgages - The bizarro mineral deed if you will (Superman reference). This vile instrument is always a pain to record at my job and I do not enjoy them in the least bit.

There ya have it. A recap of the first half of my summer. Here's to hoping the second half is as good as the first.

P.S. Prepare to have your mind blown with this:

My Experience with a Russian Soccer Game, erm..Football Match

Hello again!

I am keeping my word. Here's another blog. I would like to share my experience with my first Russian football match. If I had one word to describe this whole experience, I would choose the word "chaos." From the time we boarded the metro to the time we arrived at our destination, we saw at least 100 policemen and greeted to the chant of, "Spartak!" followed by three distinct claps. From there it felt like sheer pandemonium. There were people EVERYWHERE! Everyone was dressed in red because the two clubs playing that night both wore that as their primary color. The match that we went to watch was Spartak vs. Locomotiv.

After waiting in "line" for a while and successfully making through three security pat downs and bag checks, we made it into the stadium. Since we didn't really have any affiliation to either team, our game plan was to cheer for whoever's section we were in. There was one problem..our seats were located right in the middle of the two sides. I had a gut feeling about Spartak so I decided to cheer for them.


The match started off normal enough. There were fireworks, a national anthem (Russian, of course), and the introduction of both teams. The match was fairly slow for much of the first half until Spartak struck with two goals towards the end of the first half. That proved to be enough for the victory. You're thinking, "Great..he told us the ending. Story's over." Wrong! The second half is where all the fun started.

Shortly after the second half began, we all started noticing very bright flares being lit on the Spartak side of the field. All of the sudden, these flares were being thrown onto the field. This is where the term "chaos" comes into play. Men dressed in firefighter garb began running to and fro, trying to stamp out the flares before fires began. The following pictures show the scene:

Yes, that is a chair on fire. One of the many that we saw during this time. So anyway, as you can see, things weren't really controlled..on the inside. The entire walk from the stadium to the metro station (about a mile or so), the sidewalk was lined with riot police. At least several hundred of these men in full gear made sure that no "Green Street Hooligans" fights broke out. Needless to say, it was one amazing experience. Everyone should go to at least one match. That's all I have for now. Peace out.

Freedom, Liberty, and Blogging

What's more patriotic than patriotic Pop-Tarts?

July 4, 2011, a date which will live in infamy. My fellow Americans, I have engaged in a war..a war for freedom..a war for justice..a war for liberty. There is a blogger out there whose name will not be mentioned. She uses pictures, videos, and a silly voice. Since I believe in the idea of literacy in America, I use words. Worse, this blogger is from Hodessa! If I lose this war, I must concede my truck to this girl for five minutes as she drives it around a parking lot. Please do not let my poor Sandy fall under the tyrannical reign of this dictator. As incentives, I shall be posting a blog every day this week. This is just another benefit of living in the great U.S. of A. Here is how we achieve victory: tell all your friends about this blog, read this blog every day, comment on this blog to boost my confidence, and pray, for we are a God fearing people. The goal is to get as many views as possible. You can help make this happen! As you take a break from eating your ribs, brats, or any other type of bbq you may or may not be having this 4th of July, take time to read this blog. Do your duty as an American. A great man once said, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country!" I appreciate each and every one of you. Until tomorrow, GOD BLESS AMERICA! and this blog... LET INDEPENDENCE WEEK BEGIN!!

The most inspirational speech you will ever hear (The Hodessa blogger is the embodiment of the Soviets)