Back To Life...

Well the race Sunday was a great one, especially the finish. Carl Edwards has definitely arrived.

Two of my drivers had a good days: Mark Martin finished 4th and Elliott Sadler got up as high as 4th or 5th (?) before fading back to 14th. EDIT: And coming back up to 10th. Guess the guys in the Hollywood Hotel didn’t figure he was worth covering. >:( Mark too, it’s like they only mentioned him under duress. “Oh, jeez, he’s in the top five, well…I guess we have to talk about him now.” What did I tell you guys; nobody thinks of Mark and *pop* there he is.

BTW-Props to Mark’s Pit Crew in the first half of the race. Dayum, guys, way to move! Now keep that up through a whole race. I didn’t se the times for the Brew crew yet.

Dale’s day was…not so great. Now I have not signed onto any of the boards right now because I know the flipping out that is probably going on. Guys, look at how long it has taken crew chiefs to settle in with drivers I the past. It’s usually a process of months before the two completely acclimate to one another so anyone who expected stellar results right out of the gate was engaging in some wishful thinking. (Second, it hasn’t all been the car. One-third place finish, one bad car + bad ties, one driver error and one bad car + driver error.) What’s important at this point is how they are getting along, how well the communication is coming along, how well they are problem solving, etc. And in that regard, both Dale and Pete have been doing a great job and making progress and I still have confidence that this is for the benefit of everyone.

Odd notes:

~Is it just me or is Jimmy Fennig going greyer by the minute? Kurt, that’s his kids job, you know that!

~Did anyone figure out what the hell turned Mears around?

~Props to Mikey and the guys in the garage. But the new Napa guys pit stop times were atrocious. Come on guys, just because you’re wearing blue now that doesn’t mean we don’t keep an eye on yas!

~That was the single worst National Anthem I have ever heard, anywhere, ever.

~Hammond’s “Speak No Evil” when asked about cheating in the pre-race and his imitation of DW’s race chatter, “It’s loose. It’s loose. *squeak* IT’S LOOSE! *squeak*” was probably the highlight of the broadcast side of it.

Can’t Get Away From It

I basically spent this weekend in a dark hole with the world pulled up over it, ie. being a vegetable, which means I spent a ton of time watching TV, watching DVDs and reading. Now we all know you could not turn on the television without getting whacked over the head with the Schiavo case. I am all for Right to Death provided that there is a living will that stipulates that (and apparently you also need someone with a power of attorney to carry it out) or the person is conscious enough to say, “Yeah. I’ve had enough.” But it seems to me that Shiavo’s husband maybe jumping the gun here. The telling thing to me is the fact they are making a big deal out of removing her feeding tube, not a respirator, and that she is expected to live a few weeks off of it. Obviously she is not a complete vegetable or a person already on their way out.

So as much as I hate the idea of the government interfere in such a private matter as someone’s death and as much as I hate the way this has been politicized, in this particular instance, the government may be saving someone’s life and the bill passed last night sets no precedent for rabid neo-conservatives to use in the future.

Addemndum: Having read more of the history (I didn't realize it had been going on for so long through that many courts) and medical testimony, I can see where the husband is coming from. Without a written living will I can understand the parents taking it to court, but the no legislature has any business in this family crisis.

Still Adjusting

My walk was really lonely this morning.