Chalmers and Arthur apologize

I just read in the Lawrence Journal World that Mario Chalmers and Darrell Arthur have apologized for their dismissal from camp. Mario explained that, "Everyone who knows me knows I am a good person and I pride myself on doing the right thing, I am embarrassed this happened. I broke the rules, but I did not smoke marijuana.” Chalmers went on to express:

“I made a poor decision in putting myself in the situation that I did. It is a dream of a lifetime to play in the NBA and be part of the Miami Heat. I look forward to starting my NBA career. This was a one-time occurrence and it won’t happen again.”


Darrell Arthur also had an apology too: “I want kids not to make the mistake I made,” Arthur said. “I want to try to teach them the right thing to do. If you follow the rules you won’t be in the same position I’m in. I feel terrible. I should have never opened the door. If I wouldn’t have done that, everything would have been cool. I knew the rules and I made a mistake.”

Miami Heat president Pat Riley called the expulsion of Chalmers “an embarrassment.”
“It’s something that really can’t be tolerated,” Riley said. “The shame of it is it is an embarrassment. He’s absolutely embarrassed and morose about it. I don’t think he’s that kind of person, and I don’t think he’ll get himself caught in that kind of situation again.”

They might not have had the marijuana, however they did break the rules by having women in the apartment. Kids need to think, and I mean seriously think before taking action (example, having women in the room) before they DO that. They need to think about the consequences so none of this happens in the first place.

Darnell Jackson's Letter to Fans

In a time when some role models fall, some rises in our hearts. This is a letter from Darnell Jackson, former Jayhawk who signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Here is the letter:

Dear Jayhawk fans,
Just about five years ago I realized a dream when coach (Bill) Self offered me a scholarship to become a Jayhawk. I came to Kansas as a young man who had a lot to learn in a lot of ways. My freshman year was a real eye opener.
On one hand I got a chance to play with some of the greatest players to don a KU uniform in Aaron Miles, Wayne Simien and Keith Langford.
But the rigors of big time college basketball were a real challenge. I had to grow up quickly and learn to take care of business in the classroom and on the court. As all of you know I was a role player my freshman year and played in only 13 games.
But what I hope you all realize is I felt so fortunate to play for the Jayhawks and especially to practice with and learn from guys like Simien and Langford.
By my sophomore year I was a little more prepared for what I needed to do. Coach Self gave me a chance to play a lot more. That year was one of the hardest years of my life. As most of you probably recall, my mom and grandma were hit by a drunk driver that year.
I was already struggling with trying to grow up and be a better student and a better teammate. Then when my mom was seriously hurt and my grandma was killed, I felt like the world was caving in on me. That, I think, was the first time I really truly started to understand what it meant to be part of the Jayhawk family.
Looking back I see what incredible support I received from so many Jayhawk fans that I had never even met. At the time I was really struggling to battle the “woe is me” trap. But now I can look back and see how I learned so much from all of you who were so ready to offer love and support.
I can tell you now, that is one of my most cherished memories as a Jayhawk. I loved winning on the court but it was then I started to see that being a Jayhawk was really something that would be there for me the rest of my life.
By my junior year I was still struggling with insecurity about handling all the stress I felt. My mom was still in pain and needing surgery after surgery. My little brother and sister were growing up and I felt I needed to be there for them. I still lacked confidence that I could step up and be what the coaching staff was hoping from me.
I felt like I needed to be a leader and to represent KU in a great way that all you fans deserved. But I still needed to grow up and learn how to handle all these things. But everywhere I turned there was always a KU fan with an encouraging word.
At the time I sometimes thought that no one really understood what I was going through. But looking back I have learned that even if that was true what really was amazing was that people just wanted to show love and support.
I now realize how that continuous support from all of you was always something that lifted me up and made me feel good and positive. It was my junior year that all my inner turmoil came to a head. I felt so overwhelmed by everything that I just reacted without really thinking and came home to Oklahoma City. I just felt I couldn't take care of my family and school as well as being the Jayhawk everybody wanted me to be any more. I was just feeling overwhelmed.
That is when it happened. After coach Self came down and talked with me I decided to come back. It was then I started to realize that the reason I was feeling so overwhelmed was that I was mostly focusing on myself and my stress. All this time I was playing for the greatest basketball school in the country with the best fans hands down.
I started to see what a blessing it was to have people who were so willing to show love and support. And I can assure you that you fans did show love and support far beyond anything I could have hoped for. I also realized that the coaching staff was trying to get me to become the best I could be.
I realized that all of the yelling and pushing was just trying to get me to work harder and improve. Over the summer between my junior and senior years I got to spend a lot of time at home. I really began to see and focus on all the blessings I had rather than all the trials. I came back for my senior year determined to be the best Jayhawk I could be.
A very close friend of mine, my mentor, always would tell me that when I was so blessed I needed to understand that put a responsibility on me to multiply those blessings by giving blessings to others.
I really was seeing what a great blessing it was to be on such a great team, with great coaches but most of all having the Jayhawk on my jersey in a packed Allen Fieldhouse with the most knowledgeable and enthusiastic fans anywhere.
So I wanted to start giving back by playing my butt off and giving all you fans something to cheer about. In April I was able to realize a second great dream along with all my teammates when we brought a National Championship back to Lawrence.
I didn't think anything could ever top running out on the court at Allen Fieldhouse. But when 100,000 fans showed up to celebrate our championship I truly felt so honored to be able to be a small part in bringing such joy to all you fans.
Believe me, it only begins to pay you back for all the love and support you have given me these last four years.
Well, this week I realized a third dream when I signed a multi-year contract to play in the NBA for the Cleveland Cavaliers. I am very excited to play in Cleveland. But I want all of you fans to know that no matter where I go or what I do, I will forever be thankful to you for showing all the love and support for me these last four years. I AM FOREVER A JAYHAWK. I even have a degree to prove it. You fans have taught me so much and meant so much to me so I wanted to send you this letter saying THANK YOU.
Rock Chalk Jayhawk,Darnell Jackson
-------
Thank you Darnell! What a guy! :)

Ramblings

I'm humming that tune from the "Golden Girls,' "Thank you for being a friend." Not that I watch that show but a friend who is a regular reader of the blog gave me some good words of advice and support. Thank you scrapbook granny for being a friend. She knows what she said and thanks for making me think what I do makes a difference.
------
Tonight I am watching some interesting movies. One is called "The Three Travels of Gulliver." It was made around 1960. Gulliver travels to Lilliput where he is a giant and the people treat him like royalty until a fire starts. Then he spews liquid out of his mouth to put out the fire, and in the process he ruins the Queen's dress. Then the Lilliputians want to get rid of him. Then Gulliver traveled to another island and this time he is tiny. So tiny that he and his bride are in the forest alone and a giant squirrel goes after him. It's too funny! Kind of reminds you of those King Kong movies. Big ape and everything else is tiny. Or giant dinosaur destroys a city...goofy movies like that.

Then before that I cried my eyes out watching "Where the Red Fern Grows." What a movie!! If you love dogs this is the movie to watch. I saw this movie on the BYU channel.
-----
Some of my favorite things that I have discovered is a new product out by Pillsbury. It is Boston Cream Pie Toaster Strudel. Yum! The fat grams are pretty high, so I only get to eat this treat once a day. I probably shouldn't eat it that much. It reminds me of a donut I used to get at Dunkin Donuts many years ago in Wichita. It doesn't remind me much of Boston Cream Pie though.
-------
Thinking of Boston Cream Pie reminds me of HS food as that is where I was first introduced to that dessert. The food at my HS was pretty decent. They had great desserts and a main meal called Chicken Tetrazinni.

When I got to SC, the food was awful. We always would wonder what kind of "mystery meat," they were serving each day. Then there was a sign that would hang in the caferteria it read "Food, " followed by a question mark. On somedays that was very true, it was like oooh yuk! My least favorite food there was "pepper steak." No wonder everyone would travel 8 miles north to get Pizza Hut, Sonic, Taco Grande, or Peter Pan. Or if we wanted to save gas we would just eat at Broadway Pizza. Broadway Pizza is no longer in Sterling. Too bad, that was a great college hangout. Brock Pharmacy (I think that was the name of it) had a drink fountain and that was pretty neat too.
-------
I'm looking forward to the new TV season. It will be interesting to watch "Desperate Housewives" (I hear that they are going to age the cast members, this should be interesting); "Dancing with the Stars," just to see which star dances great with what dancer; and my favorite comedy "The Office." Jim was supposed to propose to Pam, but Andy popped the question to Angela and at the end she was with Dwight (her ex-boyfriend). I wonder what will be next? New TV season is always exciting.

Disappointing Role Models

Tonight I heard that two of my favorite former KU players, Mario Chalmers and Darrell Arthur were busted from NBA Rookie Transistion Camp because they had marijuana and women in their room.

How disappointing is this?? These two guys were nice when meeting them at KU and they were role models for kids all around. Mario, my most favorite player, was always nice to talk to and had this great grin. He was the one who hit the shot for KU and leading them to a National Championship.

I guess since they left KU fame must of gone to their head. They had so much coming at them at once. They needed to think things through before doing this stupid stuff. Anyone who is a role model to kids should really think before doing stupid actions and doing drugs.

In a world where there is illegal drugs all around we are in need of a few good role models. Unfortunately, we just lost two and it's a shame. :(

I am disappointed in you two , Mario and Darrell. Now is the time you need to grow up and using drugs isn't a grown up thing. It's stupid.

Back Online...I Think

L talked to the "internet provider," about getting reconnected to the network. He had a hard time hearing them and to get them to understand the problem. While I was listening to the conversation he kept saying to them (and me), "This is the phone company and we have such a terrible connection!"

It seems as if these "phone company," jobs are shipped not only out of state (which happened back in the 90's), but out of the country. Some of these "call centers" are probably located in some third world country who has printed copies of how to handle people who can't set up their systems. I've noticed this when talking about my satellite programming too. I get someone with a thick accent (not a New Jersey or New York one) but like from India trying to explain to me what I need to do.

If this is what the companies (satellite or Internet provider) has done then they need to bring these jobs back to the U.S. so the greater population can at least understand them.

Today I had trouble connecting the computer to the Internet. It's either me or the new system or even the one who L talked to last night. We don't have dial-up and I keep getting messages that we do. Very frustrating. It's also been frustrating when it comes to my website to actually get logged in. Learning a new set-up/system is hard. But maybe I can get it together and it will be easy like the other computer.

Since I didn't save my bookmarks, I've been racking my brain and adding new bookmarks to this system as I go along. I had tons of bookmarks...stuff I never used so this could be a little more organized than the previous computer.
------
State Fair starts on Friday. I'm not sure when and if we will be going. I know S would want to hang out with friends and the following week there is an athletic event that she might have to attend. I need to go to H town anyway to get my hair cut and updated sometime this month. But first I have to stop in Wichita to pick up a prescription, unfortunately I can't get a 2 months supply of what I need, so I have to visit the pharmacy at least once a month for that particular drug.
------
S is on the tennis team at HS. She really enjoys it. Yesterday she played doubles and her and the partner won a match! No one else on the team won anything yesterday just S and C. So that was pretty cool. I know that Debate will be starting soon too, I hope she enjoys that too. She tells me that there is a lot of filing to do. She'll be getting second phase braces next week. Something that we didn't think we were going to do again, but she has gaps in her teeth. The orthodontist said, "She'll have a wonderful smile once she is done with treatment." Yeah, she ought to considering the bucks we have to pour into this project!
------
J gets upset with me as I still don't like the shirts he is wearing to school. He sighs LOUDLY and grumbles. When I pick him up from school I always have to remind him to bring his trombone. I get after him to practice every night too. I tell him that is his homework too and that if he wanted on the computer he should start his homework sooner. I can hear him growling!
------
Very untypical September day. It is actually cold! Cold by my standards at 61. Cool front came in as well as rain chances because of tropic depression Gustav. I'm just not ready for it to be fall!

After a Brief Respite

I am back on the blog and the computer...sort of.

We have the new computer set up and running. But I cannot get on my e-mail account yet. Now that's frustrating. The email is probably stacking up. I lost all of my favorites and so now I am racking my brain to think of the sites that I used to use and post on. Once I get my email up and running, I'll feel a little better. HOWEVER, I will need to replace all of my bookmarks. Oh fun!

Unless there is some way of taking off the bookmarks from a computer that won't turn over (sort of like having a car with a bad starter), then I'll have to recall the sites I frequented, which is no easy task.

I've been searching through the Internet all this morning and writing down every address so I am slowly building up a list. Having bookmarks are a convience but when you can't get your old computer to even start then you have to rely on your brain. As I recall, I had MANY bookmarks. Maybe I can cut down on this on the new computer. That would probably be smart.

As far as email contacts I may have to write some people with snail mail and tell them of my predicament. Although I do have church contacts thankfully and I have my Facebook that will just cover a few. Those who don't email me regularly may not hear from me for a long while. Hopefully they won't think I'm mad.

I'll just explain that my old computer went mad and crazy. Next time, I'll keep better hard copy records. You never think it will happen to you, but it does. :(

Crashed!

I haven't been on lately because my home computer has crashed! It officially crashed Sunday night. It went on strike. Nothing works on it. I am fearful that I have lost some files.

Fortunately, we do have a new computer sitting in my front room. We were planning to transfer the files as we saw the warning signs that the current computer was on its last days. The old computer would often stall or freeze up many more times than normal. We were having to restart it by turning it off more than once a day, it was more like once an hour. So we knew that it was dying a slow death.

Today, while searching for the startup CD (still haven't found it) I found out how long we had the previous computer. It was 2004...only 4 years old. Now, I'm not sure what the shelf life of a "good" computer is. But this one is constantly being used in daily conversation (IM is S's speciality), to gaming (J speciality), researching/writing/blogging/web page (me) and L basically everything else.

We looked up information on how to install our service (internet) on the new computer. I guess our provider will be taking a call from us later on tonight.

I am hoping to be up and running soon. But until then I will just be doing other things and not being on the computer.

I don't know if I can stand it!