I have to say, 1990 was the year of luck for the Reardon Family. Georgia Tech made the Final Four in basketball and won the National Championship in football later that fall. But the day that eventually made me thank my lucky stars each and every day was March 17th, 1990. This was the day my Grandfather was elected Grand Marshall of The St Patrick's Day Parade in Savannah. In what was at the time the closest vote in parade history, my Grandfather accepted this with the grace and honor he has lived his life. He now is embarking on his 20th year anniversary as the "Grand Marshall who has walked the most miles".
At the time of this great honor, I was a seven year old who tied his shoe in a unorthodox way and called Burger King, "Burber King". I had no clue how much this moment shaped my life until around 2006. At 23, I realized, I am part of not only a great event that you get to hang out with friends and drink,it is a celebration that brings in tradition to the forefront and makes you appreciate your Irish Heritage in the highest regards. I Credit this to my Grandfather, Robert H Reardon.
He loves the parade more than anyone, and I know every Grand Marshall loves it immensely. But, My Grandfather wants to make sure he can march the whole route each year. So he walks Lake Mayor weeks prior to get himself in tip top shape to walk the most coveted walk on March 17th. This June he turns 90, and I just want to say I cherish each and moment I share with him. Congratulations to the 20 year Anniversary of being Grand Marshall of the St Patrick's Day Parade in the greatest city, Savannah GA!
Herb also counts a number of grand marshals in his green-tinted bloodlines...An uncle, Denny Leonard, a former coach at Benedictine and subsequently at Boy's Catholic and later Aquinas High School in Augusta, and his son, Michael Leonard, served as grand marshals of the Augusta parade in 1981 and 2008, respectively.
I also thought this was a great picture from 1975. Check out the pants!
The Grand Marshal's Reception this past Sunday was great, as usual. This picture was taken later that night after the accountants had gone home. The party moved from the KofC to Kevin Barry's, where we were recruited by the CWO (Counihan World Order). I think Couniballs and I shared a total of about ten words between each other during our time together at BC. Well, he was my best friend Sunday night. He informed MAR and I that he was starting his own construction company and he asked us to join the CWO in forming the ultimate voting block within the Parade Committee.
An excerpt from our conversation: "Where are all the guys that played football and shit? I have people calling me for work. Join us and we can run this thing. We can decide who the Marshal is every year."
Calendar of Events: March 5: My birthday March 7: Public Investiture of the Grand Marshal March 8: Irish Sing-A-Long at BC March 11: Gael Force Run March 13: Tara Feis and Tybee Island Irish Heritage Parade March 14: Celtic Cross Mass, Ceremony and Reception March 16: Jasper Green Ceremony and Limerick Society Party March 17: St. Patrick's Day
This was the scene in Savannah on Monday for President Obama's recent visit. And the dapper looking fellow in the trench coat is a one BC alumnus Chris Hagan.
Congrats to the '09-'10 Benedictine basketball team. Hell of a job, Cadets. I haven't run the numbers but this may end up being the winningest team in BC history. It has to at least be the first to have an undefeated record at home. And hats off to Thomasville, who will probably end up winning the whole thing in a couple weeks anyway.
- BC is clearly the underdog going into Tuesday night. I don't know much about Thomasville but judging from their record and schedule they must be ridiculous. Not as ridiculous as Groves, though.
- Apparently a few Only in America members will be making it up here this weekend. Looking forward to it. We are in the process of teaching Rick how to look both ways before crossing the street so any additional help we can get with that will be good.
- Turns out I will be able to make it home for March 17th. 2010 marks the 6th year we have gone w/o starting our own Irish group after the initial idea was brought forth. I believe the goal was having a group in the parade by 2006. There is a lot of blame to go around as to why this has not yet happened, and a lot of it rests on me and a few of the '01 class members for not taking action. Any ideas on how to expedite this process are welcome.
- President Obama will be coming to Savannah in a few weeks to help defend John Barrow's house seat listen to people's concerns about jobs and the economy. Does anyone know what Webber's plans are for that day?
Good morning. Welcome to Benedictine Military School. I am Cadet Colonel Snuffy P. Smith, Brigade Commander of the Corps of Cadets. I hope your stay here will be both pleasant and rewarding. The Brigade is looking forward to the upcoming inspection and review.
**UPDATE**
The Brigade scored 592 out of a possible 600 points to retain the Gold Star for the 24th consecutive year.
Donnie from GA asks: "Pat, what are your thoughts about the results from the CPAC Straw Poll? I realize it's a straw poll and in itself doesn't mean a whole lot, if anything, but who do you feel is the early favorite to represent the GOP in 2012? Is BMBS ready to endorse anyone yet?"
Thanks for the question, Donnie. It makes me feel relevant and important.
I don't make anything of the straw poll. I know this will piss Ryan off but Ron Paul never was and never will be a serious presidential candidate. He never came close to winning a single primary in any state in 2008 and he continues to poll in the low single digits in every scientific sample conducted. His supporters are all college kids who stay up til 4 in the morning in Ayn Rand chatrooms arguing over the best way to privatize the sidewalks. They make up maybe 4-5% of the electorate but are vocal and dedicated as hell. And they have endless time on their hands.
This is not to say I do not like Ron Paul. I really like most of what he has to say, own most of his books, and appreciate him being the only GOP candidate with truly small-government views and convictions. But the stuff that I don't like kills whatever chances he has of being a viable candidate. Terrorists should be afforded constitutional rights? Since when? Under what precedent? I don't remember Lincoln affording Southern sympathizers such protections (much less Southerners themselves) or FDR treating citizens of Japanese descent that way. Why should Aba Daba Mohammed, who is actually a sworn enemy alien and admitted conspirator in the death of thousands of innocent people, be any different?
Judging from the current field, we will not be endorsing anyone for president in 2012. Palin is terrible. As are Romney and Huckabee. None know what the hell they are talking about and none have convictions. It's all just warmed-over George W. Bush/Karl Rove-style talking points that aren't backed by any real record of conservative accomplishment or well-thought out political philosophy. Only Reagan had these and it is becoming clear he is the last great president this country will truly have.
Our political matra here at BMBS is "everyone leaves everyone else alone." We will continue to fight for this creed in the coming months. We think Republican victories this November would be good because divided government and gridlock are actually good things and anything to stop the Obamanomics freight train would certainly be welcome right now. But we do not believe the GOP is anywhere near ready to govern again any time soon. At least a few more election cycles in the wilderness will be necessary.
Thanks Donnie, and let me know if you have any further questions.
Mr. Bush sighting! At the corner of Broughton and Barnard. Time - approximately 2:45pm.
I have just been informed that round 1 will take place at the BC gym (not Armstrong). Which means if anyone plans on watching the game they should get to Seawright Drive no later than, say, lunchtime on Friday. It also means I will not get to see the Cadets play again, unless some really crazy stuff happens and we somehow end up in Macon.
Thanks to the GHSA for placing the quarterfinals in Americus - a hop, skip, and jump away from nowhere.
The Cadets took care of business over the weekend, easily dispatching of counties Tattnall and Appling. The stage is now set for this Friday night as MCA comes to the Bat Cave with the regular season region championship on the line. (Technically, it will be for a share of the regular season region championship, but BC holds the tie-breaker, which would give them the #1 seed in the region tournament and the right to host the tournament.) With all the hoopla surrounding this contest, it is easily the most anticipated BC basketball game in recent memory. The student section will be doing another white-out as well. Get there early, as a standing-room-only crowd is anticipated.
The Cadets have to take care of business this weekend, in order to set up the epic showdown with MCA next Friday. To avoid distractions next week, CJH moved Senior Night to tonight's game against Tattnall County. The seniors will be honored tonight at 6:00, with tipoff following at 6:30.
This is arguably the best senior class to ever wear a Benedcitine basketball uniform. As a freshman team, they went undefeated and now, as seniors, will lead the Cadets to their first state playoff tournament since 1977 and possibly their first region championship since 1959.
As great as the senior basketball players have been, the senior-led student section has been just as dynamic. Ever since the white-out against Long County, they have created a theme for each home game. Last Saturday was Biker Night. Tonight is Sweater-vest Night and tomorrow night is Boater Safety Night. Next Friday's theme is to be determined.
Remaining Schedule Feb 5 Tattnall 6:30 Feb 6 Appling 7:30 Feb 12 MCA 7:30
Rankings GASports.com State Coaches' Poll: 9th SMN Fab Five: 3rd WTOC Super 11: 9th
Next week we will be celebrating our 5-year anniversary. The shirts below are available at cafepress (apologies to "MAR", who was not part of this blog when the shirts were designed). I will probably design a 5-year shirt at some point but am too lazy right now.
Act now and you can also get a 10 pack of "BC GOT 'EM" stickers that none of you have bought yet.
Stay tuned as we keep you posted on anniversary week festivities.
The Cadets finish the regular season with four straight home games, beginning Saturday night. One win in that span will clinch the Cadets' first state playoff berth in basketball since 1977. If BC wins out, it will win the regular season championship and host the region tournament. We should win our next three games against Charlton, Tattnall and Appling, which would set up a defacto regular season region championship game versus McIntosh on Feb. 12th. The Cadets' lone region loss was at McIntosh, where BC squandered an 11-point lead and lost by 8. The Alumni Association is also hosting an Oyster Roast before the McIntosh game. I encourage all of you to make your best effort to attend this game. The atmosphere will be unlike any BC basketball game you have ever been to. If you can't make it, then listen to the game on the BC Sports Network.
UPDATE: Brown handily wins by a 5-point margin. Republicans just picked up Ted Kennedy's Senate seat in Massachusetts and BC is ranked in the state in basketball (although they did lose last night). I really think I have seen it all.
It's hard to believe that we are already halfway through with the high school basketball season. The Cadets had lofty expectations enterring this season and, for the most part, they have lived up to them. BC is currently ties with MCA atop Region 2-AA with a perfect 6-0 region record. The Cadets are 11-4 overall, with all losses coming to 5A or 4A teams.
BC is getting some good press as well. #5 in SMN Rankings #11 in WTOC Super 11
And our players are being recognized. Area Statistical rankings
Points per game 6. Jibri Bryan 16.2
Rebounds per game 1. Daniel Coursey 10.8 9. Jibri Bryan 6.8
Steals per game 3. Jibri Bryan 2.6 5. Joey Friess 2.5
I know most of you really hate this bastard, but here's a clip of Urban Meyer supposedly getting a text last night when he learned of Lane Kiffin weaseling his way to USC. I think this may actually be a blessing for Tennessee. Good luck with those oncoming sanctions out west Kiffin.
I just got done explaining how bad The Hangover was, and I noticed a few commenters posted what I guess were quotes from that movie (but to be honest I couldn't tell you because it was so awfully unmemorable that I don't recall a single line from it).
Once upon a time, movies actually used to be funny and reflected a culture that didn't require the f-word or male genitalia being exposed every five seconds. I am talking about a style of humor that I'm not smart enough to think of myself. I am talking about real comedy. I am talking about movies like 1993's Groundhog Day.
I remember going to see this modern-day classic at the Spartanburg Carmike theater in fourth grade. It has since become standard wintertime cable movie channel programming, and America has never looked at February 2nd the same away ever since.
We start with our protagonist, Pittsburgh weatherman Phil Conners. Disgruntled Phil despises having to go to Punxatawny, Pennsylviana to cover the annual Groundhog festivities. In Phil we see a more bitter sarcasm than we are used to in Murray; a more vitriolic side to the traditional typical 80's smart-ass roles we are accustomed to watching him play. Basically a Peter Venkman who wakes up on the wrong side of bed in the morning, every morning, both figuratively and literally.
While Murray's performance is unparalleled here, Andie "hey, Andie MacDowell ever give you one a these? Eh?" MacDowell and Chris Elliot are also key ingredients to the film's success. MacDowell (who is also from Spartanburg) plays the soft, compassionate, idealistic producer who loves people. As Conner's opposite, it is ultimately she who helps him appreciate the simplicities of life. Elliot, meanwhile, natrually portrays the gawky, maladroit (thanks Thesaurus.com!) cameraman and reminds us of a time when the David Letterman show was actually worth tuning into.
To this day, Groundhog Day has become the classic "snowed in" movie to watch in my household (and I'm the only person in my household so that works out pretty well). Perfect example: it snowed earlier today in Atlanta, roads are iced over, everyone has the day off from work; so without any hesitation my first move this morning was to pop in Groundhog in the old Xbox DVD player, fix some Orville Redanbachers, and enjoy Harold Ramis' writing and directing genius for two straight hours.
This is not to say that Day doesn't contain a few flaws. The glaring problem is that Murray is rewarded for abandoning his self-centered, jerk self and becoming a nice guy. I usually only like movies where the selfish, egotistical guy wins out because, in my mind, selfish people usually do a lot more for the world than nice people do. That's just the Ayn Rand in me, I guess.
But all in all, this is a comedy and we're not ultimately concerned with issues like plot resolution or character development. It might be true that this was Murray's jumping off point where he would start increasingly doing more serious and "ambitious" (read: boring) projects, but, like with Ghostbusters or Caddyshack, the measuring stick remains how much laughter is obtained from the audience. And Ramis clearly hits one out of the park on that basis alone, easily making Groundhog a masterpiece.
So over the next month, when you're flipping through channels like USA, AMC, or TNT, be sure to catch Hog at some point. Phil Conners demonstrates that sometimes we could all use that annual trip to our own "Punxatawney;" that place deep inside of all of us where we learn that mistakes may be repeated, where we can't seem to get our own personal Sonny and Cher songs out of our heads, but where redemption can ultimately be found.*
*That last sentence really made no sense but I had to cap things off in some way that sounded real powerful and allegorical.
I'm pretty sure 2009 will go down as one of the worst years of the 21st century, right on top of 2008. We've seen the worst job market in at least a quarter century, the most liberal administration since the 1930s, probably the worst Georgia team since Ray Goff despite 8 wins, Michael Jackson's death, and swine flu.
Top stories: Washington now owns the car companies, the insurance industry, and the banks. Next target: the healthcare sector. Apparently winning the White House isn't enough when you want to be president of everything.
Movies: all terrible. Especially the Hangover, which was by far the worst "comedy" since Borat. Haha yea, funny! Cussing and drug references and gross stuff and cussing! Yea! Funny! Take your five-year old with you!
Weddings: Congrats to Snuffy, Sabogal, Jue, and all others who've signed the one-hole contract. No turnin' back boys. Actually there is -- it's called divorce and some of you will probably do it.
More like disaster.gov
Music: Kings of Leon, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga.
Girls of the year: Taylor Swift and...that's it. No others.
Moral of the story? Apparently things have to get really bad before they start getting better. And that's why we're optimistic about this year. Predictions for 2010: BC will make the playoffs in football, the Republicans will pick up 20-30 seats in the House of Representatives, and...BC will make the playoffs in football.
After 226 votes cast in what was probably the most hotly-contested competition we've had on here, Coach Curley beat out Chris Connolly to capture our Man of the Year award. Coach amassed 116 votes (51%) to beat out Chris' 101 (44%).
Two Shillelagh only managed to garner 9 votes, but we have not seen the last of him. I'm told he will appear on Bing Crosby Rockband, which is due out in March.
In the news lately, the media often tries to pin Catholics as hypocrites in the abortion debate, especially surrounding the impending Obamacare. The media slams Catholics for denying the right to murder children, while at the same time supporting the death penalty.
The Pope, then Josef Cardinal Ratzinger, reminds Catholics the fine line between intrinsically evil acts (e.g. Abortion and Euthanasia) and acts of the prudential order (e.g. Waging War and Capital Punishment.) Acts of the prudential order's sinfulness depends on the facts and circumstances, while intrinsically evil acts are always immoral in and of itself.
Cardinal Ratzinger: "For example, if a Catholic were to be at odds with the Holy Father on the application of capital punishment or on the decision to wage war, he would not for that reason be considered unworthy to present himself to receive Holy Communion. While the Church exhorts civil authorities to seek peace, not war, and to exercise discretion and mercy in imposing punishment on criminals, it may still be permissible to take up arms to repel an aggressor or to have recourse to capital punishment. There may be a legitimate diversity of opinion even among Catholics about waging war and applying the death penalty, but not however with regard to abortion and euthanasia."
I've been out of town the last few days without internet so sorry for the delay. Voting begins now and ends at 11:59 pm on New Year's Eve. Should be an interesting contest this year.
Being a former winner of this prestigious award given out each New Year's eve, I wanted to make a splash in my first year nominating . So, I went to the drawing board and came up with only one name that graduated from BC, and made it to 8 Straight Proms. Yes, this would be the one, the only, Cris Connolly.
Chris was born in Savannah, GA back in 1979. He was raised Catholic, attended Blessed Sacrament and graduated from BC in 1999. His first year of college was spent in beautiful Knoxville, Tennessee as a Volunteer. After one year of living the dream away from home he returned to Armstrong to reconnect with all his friends and make new ones.
I knew Chris a little at BC, but I got to know him through Randy Gill out one night at Spanky's on River Street in the summer of 2001. Ever since then, there has been nothing but classic stories filled with improbable circumstances, finished off with some of the best quotes known to man. I know I can't share them all, but here is a glimpse of a classic:
-The Blowup Doll Summer 04: Connolly brings a blowup doll with him to the pier on Tybee. He busts out with "bitch I told you I did not want to eat there tonight" this leads the to doll being slugged onto a tybee police car....I forgot what happen after that -Statesboro 03: Connolly gets a hatchet thrown at him by Charlie Webber. You had to be there to see how close that was from being disastrous -Athens fall of ?: Sees a drunk guy telling a waitress "I want 10 Yeager bombs, riggggghtttt now" This would be a line he would use at the bar for many years to come. -Proms: Attneded SVA prom from 1998 to 2005. -Citizen Patrol: Caught someone stealing at the Stagg Shoppe and he chased him down in the Macy's parking lot. Who needs mall security when Connolly is around? - Karaoke..... The man is relentless with a mic in in hands, belting out such classics Livin on a prayer, The Weight, Love Shack and I Touch myself. -Classic Quote:"Bottle of Crown $27 Dollars, Burberry Scarf $110 Dollars Flossing a Scarf between your legs at the office Christmas Party, while dancing and singing to the song "Touch Myself" By Divinyls. PRICELESS !!!!!"- Connolly Enough said!
Nominated by Snuffy P. Smith at 3:17 AM on the 17th of December. Will and Jack sing O'Sullivan's praises on the main stage at Kevin Barry's.
There's many a man that rode a horse across the western plain. There's never been one like the Irishman, O'Sullivan was his name. He never packed a shooting iron, the need he never felt, with two shillelaghs always hanging there, a'hanging on his belt.
O yippee ki yi oh, me bucko! B'gorrah an yippee ki yo! Two Shillelagh O'Sullivan, he'd give any man a go.
Har the shillelagh. You know we call it the Tipperary rifle. You never have to reload it.
This bronco-busting Irishman, from the heart of Erin's Isle, it was after living peaceful, like he always wore a smile. But when the smile was leaving him, in a fight he'd come unwound. Bad cess for any crossing him, they'd wind up on the ground.
O yippee ki yi oh, me bucko! B'gorrah an yippee ki yo! Two Shillelagh O'Sullivan, he'd give any man a go.
Why he was so strong, O'Sullivan, he could put his right hand in his own left pocket, and hold himself out at arm's length.
No man could do that.
It's O'Sullivan I'm talking about.
Oh, well he could.
At throwing the rope for branding calf, he was a mighty man. At throwing his two shillelaghs now, the fastest in the land. T'would be a sad mistake me boys, to reach for a 44. Before you could get the hammer cocked, he'd have you on the floor.
O yippee ki yi oh, me bucko! B'gorrah an yippee ki yo! Two Shillelagh O'Sullivan, he'd give any man a go.
Did you know O'Sullivan played the Irish Harp? Oh, sure, and he did. He put 75 strings on his two shillelaghs. He'd stretch them out 24 feet, and he had four leprechauns dancing on them to make the music. Oh, the wonder of it. Sure and he would charm the coyotes out of the hills.
Across the range from morn 'til night, he rode for days and days. A'fixin' fences here and there, and a picking up the strays. A cattle spread he really built, as big as Ireland, where he could range a million head and a shamrock be his brand.
O yippee ki yi oh, me bucko! B'gorrah an yippee ki yo! Two Shillelagh O'Sullivan, he'd give any man a go. A bit of his lip, he back of his hand, and the toe of his shoe to boot.
Now if you're ever riding through the sagebrush wilderness,and you suddenly come upon acres and acres of shamrocks sprinkled with stardust, well, you'll be after knowing, that you've just arrived at the O'Sullivan spread, known has the Lazy Leprachauns. Stop in, won't you? Sure, and they'll give you a belt of Bushmill's.
Everyone knows the past few years have spelled turbulent times for our beloved alma-mater. I won't get into the details regarding the faculty and administrative changes, and I'm not even going to attempt to "take sides" because I can't even pretend to know anything about the real reasons behind those controversial changes.
But there's one thing I do know: we here at BMBS salute Coach Bill Curley, freshman English teacher and freshman football/basketball/varsity baseball/cross-country/everything coach, for being a strong anchor that pins down and holds together everything that is right about the school in the choppy waters it currently finds itself charting through.
Middle-aged and hailing from Connecticut, Coach may not look like your typical nominee on the surface. But this man's unyielding commitment to BC athletics and Catholic education clearly makes him MOTY material. Strangely enough, what we love most about Coach is that he is not only a die-hard defender of all things BC, but that he's not even from Savannah. I have never seen this man miss a home football or basketball game. Hell, I've never seen him miss any away games come to think of it. And it takes a LOT being one of those liberal, pinko, commie yankees Coach Yeckley warned us about to come to the Deep South and come to love and respect it, and to be able to earn its respect in return.
What has Coach done this year specifically? To be honest, I have no clue. I left that campus 8 years ago so I couldn't tell you. But if his past attitudes toward coaching, teaching, and life in general that I have come to know are any indication, I'm sure he's done some great things. How about we focus less on a 12-month period and broaden things to a 12-year span instead: the man has coached virtually every sport outside of the chess club. In the classroom, he actually makes his students do this daunting stuff called homework, begins every class by leading his students in saying a Hail Mary, and consistently preaches and practices the tried and true virtues of integrity and discipline.
True, Coach is not some legendary Savannah/BC-native institution, but if you took away his Yankee accent you wouldn't be able to tell. His teaching and coaching styles are just as old school as Cannon's or Owens'. And at the same time, he goes out of his way to keep up with and mingle with all of the young alumni that have had the pleasure of knowing and learning from him. In this way he is both an authority figure but also one of us. You'll run into him on St. Patrick's Day morning at Pinkie's or at Spanky's after a basketball game and he'll want to have a beer with you.
This man's nomination is long overdue: vote for Coach Curley for man of the year.
So far nobody has been nominated for the 2009 BMBS Man of the Year. Nominations are due by Tuesday. As the three-time reigning Nominator of the Year, I was going to sit this year out. However, I do have an ace up my sleeve and I will use it if I have to.
Anyone who lived on 323 S. Church street knows the importance of "the list." Well, this time around, for sentimental purposes, I thought it would be appropriate to "list" the decade and its events.
For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, you soon will. Basically what we'll do is split each year into halves, where "part 1" encompasses January - June, and "part 2" means the rest. I will then list inside jokes, catch phrases, people, songs, sports events, bars, and more inside jokes that were relevant at the time (chronologically, if possible). I need everyone's help in adding to the list to flesh things out as much as possible, because everyone has different but valuable perspectives/memories from the same time periods.
I know most of ya'll are thinking all this reminiscing is a childish and gay idea, especially for someone who's almost 3 years away from being 30 years old. Well guess what, don't really care. I don't think any of us have matured at all these last 10 years so now is no time to start.
Anyways, enough talk. Let's go ahead and kick things off with Part 1 (January-June) of the Year 2000. Here we go...
This was prompted by the Debbie downers commenting in the previous post that the music of the past decade was "awful." "MAR" went so far as to say "music sucks big time today." Whatever, man. There have been some great tunes released these last 10 years, but you obviously don't know where to look or are just content to remain stuck in the past. So please sit back while I educate you on the best 6 albums of the 2000's.
6. REM - And I Feel Fine...: The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982-1987 (2006)
Before Michael Stipe actually started pronouncing his lyrics, REM was probably the greatest rock band of the 1980's and maybe even of the entire post 1960's era. Their raw but eclectic sound was impossible to define but it was really awesome. They're terrible now but last time I checked this compilation was released in 2006 so it's allowed on our list.
5. The Beatles - Help! (Remastered edition, 2009)
I was estatic when this was finally released a few months back. The reason this CD is so great is because I didn't even have to buy it: it sounds exactly like the same one released 44 years ago which I already own. So it's just as good. Which means it's great.
4. The Drifters - The Millenium Collection: The Best of the Drifters (2000)
Save the Last Dance For Me, Sand in My Shoes, Up on the Roof, Saturday Night at the Movies. All conveniently placed into one CD that will make those hour-long July drives to Tybee go that much faster. And all originally recorded in the 1950's and 60's.
3. The Temptations:The Millenium Collection: Best Of The Temptations, Vol.1 - The '60s(2000)
When I first heard this CD I thought "Man! This sounds just like the songs from my parents' old CD's!" For this reason it easily gets the #3 spot. 2. The Beatles - Rubber Soul (Remastered, 2009)
I immediately fell in love with this album upon its release. And then I figured out why: I already owned it. Rubber Soul marked a turning point in the direction of rock music and I'm not really sure why I like it so much because I think it's evident by now that I'm not a huge fan of much of the music that has come after this turning point.
1. The Beatles - 1 (2001)
Easily the decade's best album for the simple reason that these songs sound identical to the ones already on Beatles albums. Somehow or another, McCartney and Lennon were able to come together and recreate the same songs from their original time together. I thought Lennon was dead but apparently not because you can clearly hear his voice on here. The songs are so identical to the ones originally released in the 1960's it's almost spooky. What the producers were able to do by taking the original recordings and simply copying and compiling them onto a new disc is nothing short of amazing.
Honorable Mentions: Jackson 5 - The Millenium Collection (2000), Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway (2004), Various - Power Hour Blues (2004), Marvin Gaye - The Millenium Collection (2000), Various - 25 Beach Music Classics (2003)
Hard to believe we're about to see this decade come to a close. It seems like only last night we were at Joanna Curry's house on Wilmington Island counting down to Y2k. Here are the top 6 (weird number, I know) inventions of the last ten years:
6. Wireless Internet: We all take this for granted now but it wasn't too long ago you had to deal with a million different cords and connections and still pay $40 per month to hobble back and forth between the TV screen and your computer to look up lines, place bets, listen to the BC sports network, watch naked girls do unspeakable things to each another, etc.
5. Fox News: FNC actually debuted in '96 but did not reach its full prominence until around 2001-2002. For the first time ever, a non-liberal TV news organization. Don't get me wrong, I don't believe for a second that Fox is fair and balanced, but neither are any of the other bazillion media outlets/newspapers/universities that liberals have dominated for the last half-century. Finally we get to have a voice.
4. The Self-Scan at Grocery Stores: These came about a good while back but we can't leave them out. If you're like me and you've worked at a grocery store and/or you hate dealing with people (both apply here), the self-scan is definitely for you. The wait is usually a fraction of what it takes to get checked out at a normal register, you don't have to talk to anybody, and it helps the economy by allowing grocery stores to become productive with less employees, which means lower prices for the consumer.
3. The Ipod: Like most people on here, I was skeptical of MP3 players when they first arrived on the scene at the beginning of the decade, and remained so until a couple years ago. Nothing aggravated me more walking around campus in Athens seeing metro-ATL douches with their earplugs and their "I'm in my own world right now because I don't have people skills" attitude. Which is why you'd never see me with one of these things outside. But for driving purposes and especially long road trips through areas that do not have oldies stations, the ipod is now a must.
2. Carey Hilliard's Wing Zings: but only when they're half price (during the entire month of September!!).
1. Coke Zero: Our #1 product debuted in the fall of 2005. I never drink any non-Coke soft-drinks (except Dr. Pepper because it is from Texas, the greatest state in the union), so I was happy when Coke Zero arrived. Don't get me wrong, Coke tastes great and remains my favorite all-around soft-drink, but after you drink it you sometimes get that sugary feeling that coats your teeth and it's real annoying. The only alternative pre-2005 was Diet Coke, which isn't all bad but certainly doesn't live up to its prototype. Enter Coke Zero, which tastes just like Coke but isn't bad for you.
Honorable mentions: Hi-definition TV's,GPS, the yellow line first-down marker, blogs, Carabba's.
It's official. We're in 5A. Just like the good old days. Thank you Snuffy, Coach Stroud, Ms. Youngblood, and anyone else who had any influence in the making of this decision. I can take the poll down now.
Unfortunately, Camden is staying in region 3, and we're not splitting subregions with them. But hey I'll still take this any day over what we've had the last 6 years. Plus it gives the region at least some legitimacy. It is also interesting to note that for the first time in history, St. Vincent's Academy will not follow BC and will remain in AA.
The New Region 3 AAAAA:
Div. A Beach Benedictine Camden County Groves Savannah Arts Academy
Div B Bradwell Institute Jenkins Johnson Savannah Windsor Forest
Chris Connolly is leave Tiger Woods alone all the guy did was mess with Strippers and drink Vodka. He's worth a Billion Dollars, I would do the same thing if i had 1000 dollars.20 minutes ago ·
Rick Schwarz's bar tab at just one of the many bars frequented this past weekend. I think that turns out to be something like a 70% tip.
OIA has the weekend's full recap. All I will say is the image Saturday afternoon of Rick violently parading down that long stretch of 5th street in Midtown (which is full of Starbuckses, bookstores, Asian cuisines/cafes, and other "smart people" places), along with the words coming out of his mouth, will be one for the history books.
UPDATE: I go to 5:30 mass like always but am surprised to find Rick and Pat McCarthy in a pew. Rick is donning a bright red Georgia sweatshirt and says he hasn't been to mass in a decade or so but he's there because he all of a sudden "has a lot to be thankful for". We leave after communion, and as we're quietly streaming out of the church building alongside other parishioners, Rick declares in a much-louder-than-necessary volume: "I don't care what anyone says, I still think that shit is overrated."
Since we did Thanksgiving at my brother's house in Arizona this year, Rachel and I decided to take off for a day and make the four hour drive to the Grand Canyon.
It's hard to adequately capture the vastness of this place with the camera on my phone, but the Grand Canyon was incredible. We hiked about two miles into the canyon, then turned around to make it out by sunset. That's about when this picture was taken. Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
“I think one day I’ll live on Tybee [Island, where The Last Song was filmed]. That’s where I see myself 10 years from now. I could see myself maybe wanting to just chill out and be somewhere like that. And that’s where I feel at home, where I feel like my heart is.”
BC seniors Jibri Bryan and Daniel Coursey signed national letters of intent yesterday to play basketball for the Mercer Bears. Congratulations guys, but wacth out for the Mercer fans, they are a wild bunch.
Things started off well Friday night. After sitting on 316 for what seemed like hours I roll into town in my rental car and enjoy a nice dinner with the other three members of my family at Olive Garden (which is really just the Italian Applebee's because everything is obviously just heated up frozen stuff; I could do a hell of lot better spaghetti and meatballs than they do).
We get to the BC reunion at Bourbon Street upstairs around 10:30 and it's already packed. But that's okay because anywhere between 30-60% of the entire crowd is BC/SVA people. Fight song was sung numerous times, both Friday and Saturday nights. Just as Donnie Bell tells his fifth or sixth prospect he wants to rape her and tells her something about 9/11, power hour ends and everyone is angry because liquor drinks are now $2 instead of $1.
We stay at "Bourbon" for awhile and then hit a few other places. Finally make it back to my sister's around 3 am.
We head to a tailgate the next morning where cadets Fogarty and Shearouse are present. We celebrate the 5A decision and sing the fight song. I then finally get in touch with Ryan Smith, who I think is still a blogger on here. We head downtown and knock a couple back at Arch Bar.
Somewhere in between figuring out the only state capital that contains three words and hearing Ryan's story about having to leave the homecoming game because he felt awkward for purposely giving Nardis Walker his parent's phone number instead of his own to avoid having to explain why he hadn't been returning Nardis' calls which then prevented Nardis from being able to call him right there on the spot and confirm it was in fact his cell phone number, I get a phone call from Stephen Bruce. Unfortunately my phone doesn't have an option where you can replay what the caller is saying at one-tenth the original speed (kind of like the Talkboy from Home Alone or that thing they used in Dick Tracy to find out what Mumbles was saying), so I have no idea what he's told me. I always have a problem interpreting Burnside Island accents but Bruce's is by far the worst.
Anyway, I assume he's trying to say that he's in town and at the Zeigler's tailgate, and I'm right. We meet up there and I try to convince him that marriage is a poor decision. Given my track record with Will and TC, it surprisingly doesn't stick and we leave from there to get something to eat at "Tate II," a giant waste of marble and concrete that serves no economic/academic purpose whatsoever but looks pretty cool.
After the game we make it back to Bourbon Street. Same crowd is there for round 2. After about the 7th Toby Keith standard everyone heads across the street to what used to be Tasty World. Schwarz and McCarthy need a place to stay so they come back with us. Rick has a few choice words for the random people already asleep on the sofa.
We all head out the next morning, leaving the Classic City so we can hurry back to the "real world", filled with its traffic, minorities, middle-aged fat women, overpriced alcohol, and poorly-run Chick-fil-A's.
I can only end this on a positive note by saying move over Kelly and say hello to my new crush. Her name is Taylor and her song gets played every hour in every Athens bar. Why can't she see? She belongs with me!
I'm no great prognosticator and a million things can and will change in the span of 11 months, but my guess is that if the Republican candidates keep hitting hard on the stuff they should (taxing/spending/big government and big deficits are evil-type issues) and moderate on the social issues that few people care about, we might be looking at a GOP sweep next year.
One of the most important events ever occurred. I know you would rather read something from Snuff-dog about the Cadets. Me too. But on this day, November 5th, 1955, a certain doctor, while standing on a toilet to hang a clock in his bathroom, slipped and slammed his head into the sink. He then had vision, nay, a revelation. A picture appeared in his head and it changed the world.
Rumors keep popping up regarding reclassification. Effingham and South Effingham are now apparently considering the move up to 5A as well. It all comes down to money and the less travel you have, the less money you have to spend. Feel free to comment, but I promise not to post on this topic again until something official has happened.
The word on the street is that Richmond Hill is seriously considering joining BC in 5A. RH currently reside in Region 3-AAA, with Liberty County being the only other school within a 2-hour radius. If that happens, Region 3-AAAAA would look like this: Beach Benedictine Bradwell Camden County Groves Jenkins Johnson Richmond Hill Savannah High Windsor Forest
According to the GHSA by-laws, regions consisting of 10 or more schools must be subdivided. The GHSA also states that schools in a subdivided region for football must play region "cross over" games so that 70% of the season schedule is against teams in the same region.
Snuffy, what does all this mean?
I'm glad you asked.
If Richmond Hill joins 5A with BC, that will create a 10-team region that will have to be subdivided. The football schedule would include 4 sub-region games, 3 region cross-over games, and 3 games that BC can schedule on its own. The top 2 teams in each sub-region would advance to the state playoffs. This is similar to our old arrangement in 5A, except it was a 12-team region with Glynn and Brunswick included.
If Richmond Hill does not join 5A, then that will leave a 9-team region. The football schedule will consist of 8 region games and 2 non-region games that BC can schedule on its own. The top 4 teams would advance to the state playoffs.
