I started dating my wife, Beverly, in late 1997 and immediately became attatched to her daughter, Tricia, and her grandson, Ryan, who was ten at the time. He loved dirtbikes and I rode and raced them, and he and I were off and running from then on! I was injured racing in 2000, the day after Ryans first motocross race, still one of my favorite memories of Ryan. I was not able to continue racing after that injury, If I had been able to, Ryan would surely have become more involved in racing, and who knows what would have become of that or how it would have affected his football career. He was already a great youth league football player, and although his teams in youth league never did that well, HE always stood out. I loved watching him play and travelled to as many of his games as possible. His Mom moved the family down to Bakersfield from Tehachapi before his freshman year and when he went to tryouts for football at West High, he failed to mention he was a freshman. He made the J.V. team with ease and was soon the top player there. When the coaches found out he was a freshman they figured he didn't need the frosh-soph experience and graciously allowed him to stay on as a starter in J.V. He played both sides of the ball and had a huge impact on the team's performance and results and he did the same when he stepped up to varsity in his junior year. He was a starter at outside linebacker and was a tail back in West's four man deep running game. When West made the playoffs in 2005(his Jr. year)he stepped in for the suspended star running back in the semi-final game and rushed for over 100 yards and two TDs, with a couple of sacks thrown in for good measure. In the Championship game the star runner was injured on the opening kickoff. Ryan stepped in and rushed for 246 yards and six TDs leading West to the Central Valley Div. II championship in a 51-26 win over Tulare Union.

This year West had lost it's running and defensive depth to the class of 2005 and Ryan was now the "go to guy" as a running back. I really didn't expect West to do well in 06 because they had lost so much of their depth and after dropping two pre-league games to Clovis East and Liberty, it looked like I would be right. It didn't matter, I would be there cheering the team, and my grandson on anyway. At the Liberty game, the starting Quarterback was injured on the first series and Ryan was thrown into that position. West had no shotgun plays and Ryan was trying to run from under center..It didn't work out. Then something happened. West developed a shoutgun set to allow Ryan the time he needed to get momentum and they started winning games by huge margins. The defense had stepped it up and so had Ryan. Even in the losses he had run for 212 and 111 yards, respectively. Then he went on a tear with three games over 300 yards rushing then the big 415 yard game against South. His passing improved which opened up the offense and kept teams from simply keying on his running. He ended up leading the Nation in rushing with over 3,700 yards and over 4,000 in total offense. Through it all, he remained humble and heaped praise on his teammates, declaring that it wasn't the "Ryan Mathews Show". I had no such humility issues. I knew where the scoring was coming from, and now that the season is over I can say, "Son, YOU may not have called it the Ryan Mathews Show, but everyone else did"!

Ryan has many offers on the table from colleges and rightly so. His numbers are not a fluke. I have no sons, so Ryan is the closest to it I will come. My wife is older than I am and Ryan is in the age range my natural children(24, 13 and 11). I don't know how far he will take his football career, but if it never went any further than it has, he would still one of my heroes. Watching him over the last ten years has been a huge part of my life and supremely satisfying. My chest hurts from sticking it out in pride, my jaws ache from grinning, my voice has changed from shouting and my neck hurts from shaking my head in amazement.

I expect nothing from Ryan except his hugs and grins and I look forward to riding dirtbikes with him again when I get a new one early next year. I don't know what the future holds for Ryan professionally, but I know what it holds for him within the confines of our relationship, and that is what it has always held; My unconditional love and admiration. Here's to my Grandson, the Hero!

One of my friends had a friend who sent her a list of ten things she was thankful for. She passed it on to me and I am going to pass it on to everyone else. Life can be hectic, uncertain and unfair, but there are always things we can be thankful for if we look for them. Here are my ten things:

1. My Faith: Without it I am, and have nothing. It is the beginning and the end of everything.

2. My Health: In the last year I have come to realize that this is something I always took for granted. That is no longer true. I want to be healthy so I can enjoy all that I have been blessed with and I want to feel good about myself too.

3. Being Clean: 16 years ago my life was a wreck. I had lost touch with everything I had been raised to beleive in and respect, including myself. Today I am able to focus on the important things, the REAL things.

4. My Family: Mom and Dad. My wife, Bev. My girls, Ariel, Camilla, Cassie and Tricia. My boyz, Ryan, Dante, and soon enough, Aidan. Sis, Katie, Blaine and Kaley. I would kill in defense of them without hesitation, I would die in their place without conscious thought. My life is rich in their fold.

5. My Friends: I have MANY aquaintances, but only a handful of true friends. I thank God for them every day. My life would be a pretty boring and empty place without them.

6. My Job: Over the last 27 years there have been many times I could have, and should have, been fired, but I wasn't. They stuck it out with me and I them. I may piss and moan about it a lot, but I am thankful for it.

7. My Home: This is our place..Our base of operations. It's where we come for safety and warmth and familiarity. When we say "Let's go home", we know where we are going, and not everyone can say that.

8. My Desire: I HAVE to learn. I LOVE to learn. I read and study voraciously and absorb everything I can to satisfy my curiosity. I also attribute my talents as a poet, musician, astronomer and even my motorcycle skills to my drive to learn and succeed.

9. My Backbone: I am a nice guy, but I will not be pushed around. I will not compromise my beliefs or views to appease another person, no matter who that person is. If I am right, I will never, ever back down.

10. My Toys: My telescope, my guitars, my computers, my Harley, and soon, another dirtbike!

So, there you have it. Now. I challenge YOU. Ten things. Just do it!

It has been a week since I have had any time at all to write anything and that stinks. I am so tired of being tired, and this entire year has been like this. I have had virtually no time to sit and relax, although I have been able to spend a good deal off time off riding over the last three months. I have missed out on so much blogging and/or commenting on others blogs, and on current events, that today I decided to take on some items I found amusing and the whole Local section of the Californian. At least the parts I had something to say about. Who knows when I'll be able to have time to write again? So..Off we go....

Al-Jazeera is now offering their services in english! Maybe the left wingers can finally have a station that agrees with their views on terrorism and how America is to blame for the problems we face with that institution.

John Mertha, who is being considered to be the Democrat's mouthpiece and muscleman in the new world order has been having HIS past unearthed, specifically his role in the "Abscam" mess. I don't know what he expected, but he says he thought we were above digging into peoples past wrongs..Hmm..We must have risen above it in the last week or so. I wonder where this thought process was prior to the 00, 04 and 06 elections and where it will be prior to the 08 elections?

"Shafter High student dies in car rollover" "Girl,14,killed as truck hits tanker"

I will never understand why people run from cops. You are going to get caught. Don't they watch "COPS"? Now a teenaged girls is dead and the cop didn't even chase them when the driver sped away from a traffic stop. I am curious as to what crime the 23 yr old driver was so afraid of being hauled in for? Another teen girl is dead after her 27 yr old boyfriend alledgedly stole a car and then crashed it. What in the world are parents doing allowing a 15 yr old to date a 27 yr old? I hope this guy gets locked up and has the key thrown away and I hope parents everywhere take note of this and pay closer attention to what they are allowing their kids to do.

"Spirits soar with Hubble mission"

I am elated that the Hubble will be re-fitted and serviced. I know there are those who say the money could be better spent on earth, but tell me, on what? Another social program doomed to failure at the hands of an incompentent bureacracy and a scamming public, or buttressing up an already failed social program..pick one..any one. They are all money pits. At least the Hubble will NOT have any more money spent on it after 2013 which is more than can be said about any social program, past, present or future.

"Promote youth voting"

Getting the kids away from their PS3s and MTVs is a very good thing and a daunting task, but it's not enough to get them off their asses and out to vote. It is important that they understand what they are voting about and not just do what their parents or Puff Daddy tell them to vote on.

"A double standard"

It's not just politicians who get to take incredibly lax plea agreements. It happens to everyone, you just don't usually hear about it. Someone claiming they victimized another person because they were victimized as a youth, or blaming bad behavior on a litany of "diseases" or "conditions" has been made popular, and in some cases, mandatory, by liberal do gooders over the years. It becomes an excuse for everything from committing crimes to permanent disability or governemnt stipends. I know quite a few people who have plead for better deals and taken disability for just such things, and I assure you, none of them are politicians OR wealthy!

"Disparity noted"

I am not sure, but in the Public School system, don't they decide where kids go based on where kids live and not where their parents work?

"Forgive Haggard"

The anti-God crowd(mostly on the left) are not interested in the truth or humility. They don't care if someone shows a little humility, admits their wrongs, and leaves a post, whatever that post is. If that person does not line up with their agenda, they are ostracized and beaten down. Forgiveness is not in their policy or best interests when it comes to the other side. Now, if that person were one of theirs, they would circle the wagons and blame a "vast right wing conspiracy" for daring to expose one of their own as a liar, cheat, thief or pervert, all of which have happened in the past. Their double standards know no bounds!

"Wall won't work"

I love it. Someone comparing Mexicans to animals. Cats, in particular. Well, not a bad animal to be compared with, I suppose. Now, if that person were making that comparison and was a Bush supporter, it would be curtains, but since they aren't, that indescretion will be overlooked. I don't think the wall will is the greatest idea we have come up with, but we have to something! I believe it is more symbolic than anything else, although shoothing at them should send a message. I guess we need to shoot in spanish to be heard though.

"Work together"

I'll bury my animals where I damn well like.

"Leaders needed"

Wait a minute! If the President is a politician and is a leader, then why aren't all elected politicians leaders? Sounds like more excuse making rhetoric to me.

"Protect victims"

The next time someone is beaten by their spouse and the cops don't do anything, go to the emergency room and have your injuries documented. File a complaint yourself. The DA WILL act on it, but the spouse HAS to stay the course. Too many end up dropping the charges in the face of a weak apology or threat of more violence. Get a gun and the next time he/she raises a hand to you, shoot them in self defense. Get a bat and beat their brains in the next time they are passed out drunk after beating you again. Stop making excuses for going back and do what needs to be done. The old "I have nowhere else to go" is lame in the face of your impending death or permanent disablity. Once you have submitted to this type of treatment you are no longer a victim, you are a volunteer.

"Response slow"

Your neighborhood is no more important than another. God forbid you have to smell fumes from an idling vehicle while the shorthanded cops respond to real emergencies! If no person is in imminent danger, you will be place behind those calls where someone may be. You waitef two hours to turn the car off? What were they going to do, arrest you for illegally turning off a car stuck in a fence? I once called 911 for a small riot involving a bunch of teenagers in my front yard in Stockdale. I took care of the problem myself(without using violence), and three hours later the cops called and asked if I still needed them! I had to laugh. You are in good company(I am sure THAT is a matter of opinion!).

"Prison gang restriction "horrendous"....

I really don't care about prisoners rights. They are criminals, NOT victims! Where is all the outrage toward the rights of the victims these thugs brutalized and killed? Who cares if these idiots go nuts in a cell. Don't do the crime if you can't do the time.

"Literalism(is that really a word?)leads us to dark Ages"

Society, following the lead of the probing media, has made it mandatory for ALL public figures, whether official or entertainers, to defend anything they have ever done, said or been accused of doing or saying whether or not it is true. Once an accusation is made in todays world, it may as well be true because nobody will believe anything else(see my post about "Bad News"). That is not George Allen's fault, it is society's.

"Voters want problem solvers, not politicians"

I couldn't agree more, and I am glad to see the media starting to see that. This was not an election about right or left, it was election about change. Change from the staus quo that politicians seem to feel they have to perpetuate. The problem, and we will all find out soon enough, is that there weren't very many problem solvers elected, and if they were, chances are that they won't be problem solvers for long. Most career politicians started out as fire breathing idealists and ended up towing the line to keep their jobs. The leadership of the left is not interested in solving problems, they are interested in pushing their agenda(just like the right was)and the party whips will see to it that that is what happens. I guess we will see in the next go-round who is going to come out on top, the politicians or the problem solvers. I know where I am putting my money.

"Star Chart"

Like we can see any of these celestial wonders with the disgusting air and light pollution in this city!

and finally, if Miles Musio doesn't get us some rain and cold weather soon, I am going to start digging in to HIS past!

So..there you have it. My blathering about a day in the news, letters and opinion columns. I am sure this will elicit more responses than my recent posts about the good things in life such as being a proud grandparent or being a winner, but I suppose that is the nature of things.

I will soon be a Grandfather by blood and I am excited about that. It is going to be a boy and his name will be Aidan. I will not get to be there for his birth because my daughter lives in Las Vegas. I don't know how involved I will get to be in his life because my daughters boyfriend and future husband is in the Army and is not likely to be stationed in California. He was very badly injured in Iraq(and he still loves the military and agrees with what we are doing there)and is completing his rehab in Washington, D.C. My daughter seems to think their post will be in Texas, or possibly, overseas. My grandson will know who I am, but will not know me, at least not for some time. That sucks. I am very happy for my daughter and Joe, her man. I am glad to see them spread their wings and do what they want to do. Both are in their mid 20s and are ready to start their lives in their own fashion, and I am down with that. I sometimes wish I had taken similar steps as a young man, but I didn't and I won't make them feel bad about doing it themselves. At least Joe and Cassie love dirtbikes too and plan on getting Aidan involved in riding.

I am blessed with a great family unit here with my two youngest daughters living(my pride in them will be the subject of another blog soon enough) with me and my wife. I have an adult step daughter that I could not love any more were she my own flesh and blood. Her son has given me a peek into what being a grampa is all about. Even though he was nine when I started dating his grandmother(in 1997), I have had the chance to be involved very much involved in his life as his father has never been around. My daughter has done it alone. He and I have ridden and raced dirtbikes together and I have been blessed with seeing him grow into a great football player. He has smashed all the High School county running records this year(as a senior), led the state in rushing and was second in the nation. He is a good kid and I love him dearly. I am so overcome with pride sometimes I am moved to tears. To hear him say "Thanx Pa" and see his smile when I hug and congratulate him after a game makes me think my heart will pop right out of my chest. For you locals who haven't figured it out yet, or just aren't into football, my grandson is Ryan Mathews. Remember that name because you will be hearing it on Saturdays soon enough. Even with all of Ryans accomplisments in football, one of my favorite memories with him was during his first motocross race(he hauls the mail on a dirtbike too)when he was about twelve. He charged off into his first "first turn" and went down. He came back down the start chute and said "Pa, my clutch lever broke off". I said "Screw it! GO! It'll be OK"! He charged off a good thirty seconds behind the pack and caught all the way up to about fourth place in a class of 20 or so. I was going crazy urging him on! He was really flying that day, and again, I thought I would burst with pride. He thought he hadn't done that well, but I made sure he understood his accomplishment.

Ryan has an adopted brother who came into our lives around 2000. Dante. He calls me "Pa" too and I love him as I would a son just as I do with Ryan. He came to spend a week or so at my daughters house as Ryans best friend and just never went home! Trish was granted guardianship of him a few years ago. Last year at Senior Night at West High, Dante asked if I would wear his jersey and walk with he and Trish onto the field. Again, my chest was swelled like a cheap door in a beach house!

I like being a grampa, and am looking forward to my first natural granchild. It has been many years since I held an infant. Eleven years, to be exact(my youngest daughter is eleven)and I miss it. The best thing about grandkids is that I can send them home when I am done with them! When Aidan gets older and starts doing whatever it is he will do that makes me proud, I am just hoping that my chest has had suffecient time to recover from all the swelling it has done with Ryan and Dante.

I read today about Iraqi police forces torturing and killing detainees. Hmmm..It wasn't us, and I guarantee you, they didn't just learn how to mutilate and kill each other since 2003. These people have been doing this since the first two muslims looked over a dune at each other and it won't stop just because we leave. This has nothing to do with the war on terror or the war America is prosecuting in Iraq. It has to do with the fact that they hate each other..The Sunnis and Shi'ites. Well..No Shi'ite Sherlock! Is the media just figuring this out or are they just releasing this tidbit as the voters hit the polls? The left has accused the right of October surprises as if they never pull such shennanigans. In any case, it is happening and it will continue to happen as long as they are left alone with each other. Does that bother me? Not in the least. I couldn't care less what those savages do to each other as long as they don't have the teeth to become anything more than a nuisance to the civilized world(it ain't perfect, but it is the best we have). Saddam HAD to be stopped. WMD or no, the guy was dangerous because his arrogance would have led him to seek and utilze whatever he could get his hands on on whomever he had an axe to grind with. I know there are many out there whos blind hatred of the president will not allow them to see this, but that doesn't make it untrue. The guy used WMD on his own people and the Iranians, for cryin' out loud! That has never been in dispute. He would have figured out a way to do it again either directly or indirectly and everyone with half a brain realizes it, they just don't all want to admit it. OK..Now he is gone. One way or another, sooner or later, we will be gone too. We can scold these guys for being what they are, but they are still going to be that way. A leopard can't change his spots, especially in just three years. The handful of Americans who have been involved in such acts are a drop in the ocean compared to the violence these Arabs will perpetrate against one another in our absence. They don't have a probing media and a liberal populace that will squirm in the face of such treatment and they don't care what the world thinks. The closet capitalists of the worlds so called socialist societies have already proven that U.N. resolutions will not stop them from profiting in the face of severe economic sanctions. And Halliburton gets a bad rap? Give me a break! It's the reason they were all so paranoid about us attacking in the first place. They didn't want us to be able to link them to Iraqi money trains. So, should we stay and provide a calming effect as we did in western Europe and South Korea for 50 years(I never heard anyone grousing about that)or should we leave them to their devices? I say leave Iraq to the Iraqis and let's get on with the war on terror in the rest of the world with a firm warning to Iraq: "Kill each other off if you like, but stay home! You screw up this much, we'll be back in a heartbeat". The left can ballyhoo all it likes, but the war on terror is going to be continued because every politician knows that one more attack on American soil will put the other side in power so fast it will make their heads spin. This is for all the marbles. Nobody will get a second chance in this war. There are too many people out there with the knowledge, and too many others with the money and the will to bring the fight back to our shores in a much more destructive way. The lily livered countries of western Europe that have chastized us all along(France, Germany, Spain, etc) are no safer for their cowardice. The terrorists already know thay can be pushed around, it is up to US to show them that we can't. It's still early on election night and the races are tight. I don't kow who will come out on top, but it really doesn't matter. Whoever ends up in charge had better be ready to make some hard choices about what's to be done over there now that the mudslinging contests are done over here. I think the right has the moxy, if not the outright support, I still doubt the left has the stomach for it all and the terrorists know it.