My NCAA Football Predictions. Including Florida State.

OK. so last year I went with LSU to win it all and I did say the SEC would continue to rein. I also just made a list of my picks. This time around I am going to do the top ten and actually give you my reasoning behind those picks.

Number 10. Oklahoma.
Bob Stoops will get the Sooners moving sooner (pun intended) then later. The Big 12 is not that strong. We all know Texas will lose to Oklahoma again this year.

Number 9.  Louisville.
Teddy Bridgewater will carry the Cardinals on his shoulders but only so far. Besides who in the Big East-American-USA Conference, or what ever name they are going by, will be able to beat them?

Number 8. Notre Dame
The luck of the Irish does not get them to the National Championship game again. They are a very solid team and will get at least a BCS bowl appearance. Brian Kelly needs more time to get them back to the top game.

Number 7. Oregon
The Ducks are flying high still. The PAC 12 is stronger with Stanford, USC and UCLA, but they are still a very good team.

Number 6. Georgia
One of three SEC teams I pick for the top ten. Their offense is strong enough to win most games but their defense will let them down. Opening weekend will see them deflate Clemson's bubble in a hurry as they knock off the Tigers.

Number 5. Florida State.
Ok, so this is my favorite team, but here is my reasoning. FSU will beat Clemson and they will defend their ACC title. The bad news is that after running the table they will lose their last game at Florida (the hated Gator fans rejoice), knocking them out of any chance for the BCS championship game. FSU is an SEC school in their method of play. Side note I have Florida losing at least two games in the SEC and they are out of the top ten.

Number 4. South Carolina. As much as I despise Steve Spurrier he will get to the SEC title game. Close but no cigar for the Gamecocks.

Number 3. Stanford.
They have enough talent to win the PAC 12. Oregon will test them but the Cardinals defense will be just enough to get past the Ducks.

Number 2. Ohio State.
Urban Myers will be able to keep enough of the Buckeyes out of jail to complete another undefeated season and this year they can go to a bowl. If he fails to post enough bail the night before some Big Ten games though it could be real disappointing in Columbus.

Number 1. Alabama.
The SEC does it again. Everyone is still playing catch-up and Nick Saban still has the best non-professional team in the country. They will do it the same as other years. Very good defense. Strong running game and enough passing to keep teams honest.

There you have it. My picks for the upcoming season. There is really no reason to watch the games, since I have already told you the outcome. On second thought I think I will sit back and watch about a million games with you and hope some of my predictions are right. Let me know what yours are. Until next time, "Keep it Old School".

My Commute Time Just Increased By 25%.

As most of my friends and followers know, I left Sea World and am now working as a School Crossing Guard. I have been bragging about only having to walk past three house to get to my post, each morning and afternoon. Well I am wrong. I have to walk past four houses to get to work. I am not certain if the oversight is because  of my advanced years, of which I am sure Pat would say, or just forgetting to count each house that we have driven past, oh I don't know, maybe one zillion times. But, I digress. The real problem is my time and distance has increased 25%. It used to be three house and now it is four.

Think of it this way. If your average commute today was one hour and tomorrow it is one hour and fifteen minutes, you have now increased your travel by 25%. The point is not the length of time but the percentage. Now don't you all feel bad for me? You should!

And the Oscar Goes To !

Tomorrow night the Academy Awards show is on display in Hollywood. This is the one award show that I admit watching at least part of every year. It makes me think back to a time when we viewed the glamour life of the stars in a different way then we do today. We placed the old time stars, such as Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne, Grace Kelly and Jimmy Stewart on a pedestal and left them there to admire. Today we try and find ways to tear them down or have photos of them in bad situations. That being said I am not going to try and predict the outcome for tomorrow. I have only seen the movie, "Flight", which Denzel is up for an Oscar. I am anxiously waiting to see, "Lincoln",  "Zero Dark Thirty" and even "Silver Lining Playbook", so I really would not be able to make a choice with no information. Although I saw the trailer for Amour and can guarantee, I will not be renting this movie. As a matter of fact any movie with sub-titles is too much work and I have never seen one I like.

Today, I am going to list some of my favorite movies.

In the western category, my favorite is, Outlaw Josie Wales, with Clint Eastwood. I have to admit after the empty chair bit at the Republican convention I almost took it off, but I still like the movie. Some of the others I like are, Chism with John  Wayne, Jeremiah Johnson with Robert Redford and again with John Wayne, The Sons of Katy Elder.

Action movies. I really enjoy the newer movies. The Avengers and the Iron Man movies are a lot of fun and plenty of action. Also any of the James Bond movies. I particularly like the Sean Connery, Bond but Daniel Craig really gives James Bond that darker side that comes out in the, Ian Fleming books.

Comedy. Anything with Chevy Chase, cracks me up. His vacation movies are hilarious and he is in one of my favorite, Caddy shack. The best comedy is Animal House. When I want to just laugh, no matter how many times I watch it, this is the best.

Romance. Yes once in a while I can sit and put up with a, "chick flick". Of course Casablanca is my favorite, but Meet Joe Black is there in the mix. We recently watched The Word, which was very good.

Romantic comedy. You've Got Mail, is very good, but Leap Year with Amy Adams, who I really enjoy, is so much fun.

Musical. Some people do not believe it when I say, one of my favorite movies is Singing In The Rain, with Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds. I have watched this at least a dozen times.

OK, lets get off the softer side and talk about war pictures. Saving Private Ryan is amazing, especially the opening scenes depicting the Normandy invasion. Any, John Wayne war picture is great. But, my favorite is Patton with George C. Scott. I have watched that movie, on Veterans Day for twenty years making it the movie I have watched the most.

Sports movie. I like Rudy, plain and simple, but The Legend of Bagger Vance is my favorite sports flick and again one of my favorite movie of all time.

My list is quite eclectic. Pat and I have enjoyed going to the movies, but I must admit that with the advent of downloads we tend to wait for them to hit our big screen in the living room. What is better then a day of movies and popcorn in the comfort of your own home. Vudu and Amazon loves us, as we expand our library of films. We used to run out to Target when a movie was released, now we just order it on the television or Blu-Ray. What a world. Now for the big finale. Drum roll, please. My favorite movie of all time is. Patton. No explanation, just really enjoy it.

As you prepare to watch The Oscars tomorrow night think of your favorites and share them with us. See you at the movies. Eye roll , please!!!!!!!!

Mathnasium is the Answer!

   I remember, and at times not too fondly, my struggles with math and in particular Algebra. I had an easier time with Geometry, but the thoughts of theories can still release panic attacks.
   Helping to raise my grandson, Jayden, has placed me in the position of dredging up the ghosts of Math past. My patience can sometimes be at a premium, which does not help my grandson to learn, but probably leads to his apprehension. I am sure that Grandfathers are no different then any parent, when we start down the path of afternoon math homework.
   What is a parent to do? Along came a great idea with the unique name. Mathnasium. Jayden is in third grade and on his first report card he received a "C".  We did not want him to fall behind.
   I called and arranged an appointment to do an assessment for Jayden.  Ms. Anabel Thomas the director of Hunters Creek Mathnasium met us and while Jayden did the assessment Ms. Thomas explained the program to Pat and I. She reviewed Jayden's test and we met her again to go over the results. In general he was where he should be, we wanted him to be more at ease and even ahead. We enrolled him and success soon followed.
   The program is set up with the student in mind. We can go each day Monday through Thursday and Saturday. Jayden spends an hour at each session. It varies from doing homework, to going through his personal notebook assignments, to even playing games at the end to further enhance his Math skills. The young people that tutor him are very patient and extremely knowledgeable. Ms. Thomas or Jessica are the two that Jayden has spent the most time with.
   As with any learning program, results are what everyone is looking for. A couple of weeks ago Jayden got his second report card and the hard work of the people at Mathnasium and Jayden paid off. An "A" in math. There are side advantages for me as well. I no longer dread opening his homework folder each day and be faced with isosceles triangles or fractions. Also while he is learning Math, I sit and enjoy reading my latest book.  To Ms. Thomas, Jessica and all of the people behind Hunters Creek Mathnasium, Pat and I say,  "Thank you," and to all of the people that read my posts I say "what are you waiting for?" If a child in your life is struggling with Math get to Mathnasium and start solving your own problems.

RIP Arnold Horshack!

Ron Palillo, aka Arnold Dingfelder Horshack, has gone to that big classroom in the sky. For many of you my age and even younger people, that have seen "Welcome Back Kotter" through syndication, laughed, to the verge of tears, at the antics of Horshack and the "Sweat hogs" as they interacted with Gabe Kaplan and the array of oddballs on the show. Week in and week out during the show's run, from 1975 to 1979, we all turned in to see Vinnie Barbarino, Freddie "Boom Boom" Washington, Juan Epstein,  Arnold Horshack and their high-jinx.

As Palillo approached the pearly gates, St Peter, posed a question and in his Arnold Horshack approach, Ron said "OOH, OOH, OOH, Hellllo Mr. Peter. " All St. Peter could do was laugh and open the door. Heaven is certainly laughing a little more today. RIP Ron, you brought us all many moments of joy and laughter.

Hey, Orlando Drivers, Where is Your Turn Signal???

Driving home yesterday it finally hit me, most drivers in Orlando do NOT know where or how to operate the turn signal. I am sure this is not new to most of the unlucky commuters here in the vacation capital of the world, but maybe nobody ever taught them how to use it.

OK where we go. First slide into your car. Whoops almost forgot. Make sure you are in the drivers seat or you will never locate the turn signal. We there? Good. Look down at you steering wheel. In case you don't know that is the thing you turn with your elbows while texting. Also this would be a good time to put down that phone.

Looking at the steering wheel, there is a lever that protrudes from the left side of the column. Play with it. Turn on the car. Now push the lever up. Bet you didn't know this. The turn signal lights on the back and front of the car just started blinking. You just signaled a right hand turn. Ok, you are doing great. Now for the other, "biggy", push the lever down. Again all of the lights are now letting everyone behind and in front of you know that you are going to turn left. That wasn't hard was it?

You are now ready to take your new, found knowledge onto the road. Take your time. I do not want to overload your brain, but with practice, you can master this move. One more thing. When you are going to turn, push that lever to indicate which direction, you are turning, but please do it a distance before slamming on your brakes to turn.  What do you get in return. Maybe a safe journey to your destination and safe return home.

Before I end this sojourn into knowledge, remember, if you start hearing a chiming noise there is nothing wrong with your ears. You forgot to turn and everybody behind you is cursing the idiot that has driven the last 10 miles with their signal on. Just reach over and replace the lever to the upright position. Everyone will thank you.  Good Luck and I will be looking for improvement on the road.

Remembering When, Women!!!

We all tend to romanticize the past and I am as guilty as everyone else. there is however a dark side when we look back in history and one of those areas is women's rights.

It is not that long along when women were treated with less respect then we do today. They were denied the right to vote. Owning property was only available to men. If a women talked the wrong way to a man, he had a right to strike her and she had no right to protect herself. Women, who wanted to end a pregnancy were relegated to back alley operations, by unscrupulous men, women  or doctors. A woman was called a slut, while the men she had sex with were labeled studs and worshiped for their virility. Women were submissive to men. Women were sexually harassed. Men would pat them on their backside and women were told to appreciate the attention. Women finally had enough of the second class citizen treatment and demanded equality and respect. It was and still is a slow process.

For the most part women and men joined together to change all of that. It is an ongoing process, but one that is constantly being attacked by people, who do not really believe in equality for every person. The attacks on women and how their own bodies are treated has been debated over and over again. Men, in leadership positions have tried to take over the conversation and exclude women as they discuss their own health.

Would Republicans exclude men from a discussion on prostrate cancer or erectile dysfunction? I can guarantee they would be included. Yet this past week, Congressman Issa, led his Republican cohorts as they held a conference on women's health and excluded the very people that are affected by the process. The Republicans say it was about religion, I say it was about  turning the clocks back at least 100 years on women's rights.

This week I have written several times about this issue, and some people wonder why, being a man, I would be so concerned about this issue. Easy. I care because I respect women. I have been married for thirty seven years and I care about my wife and her health. I helped raise two daughters, grew up with two sisters and I am the grandfather to two granddaughters. I have many female friends and I care about their rights and their health. When I say the answer is easy I mean it. Women that I love very much are threatened, by the backward, uneducated, and ridiculous movement, that the Republicans are leading. They want to strip away, rights from over half of our citizens, women. They want to dictate how they use their bodies. they want to eliminate the responsible approach of birth control. They talk about religious freedoms, which are protected, while they take freedoms and rights from women.

My response is to speak out. Now I need you, my readers to do the same. Men and even to a degree more, women need to be heard. Write back to me. Encourage others you know to comment and I will forward those messages to the Congressmen and Senators. I will send the results to the White House and let the President know we are behind him as he fights to uphold your rights. The choice is clear. The time is now. Speak and be heard. Silence will only embolden the people who what to rip freedoms and rights from the American citizens. Demand they stop and leave you free to make the choices that are best for you and your family.