2nd Greenville Drive Game

Good Morning All! ... Last night some of my close friends and I attended my SECOND Greenville Drive game... one might think that I am developing a fondness for the game... and they would be right. I have attended both games with people who take the time to explain to me different things and who are easy to talk to during the uneventful eras. It has been great. Last night my friends and I went on what was intended to be our "tripple date" with; Alyssa, Joe, Stephanie, Cory, and Joe's daughter Anna. But my sweetie was actually on field emceeing while the rest of us were in the stands cheering for him. ENTERTAINING... All I have to say after last night I will RARELY bring up this pizza thing because of an afro and a hot dog eating contest.

Untapped Talent

As I was reviewing the hometown of the top 12 American Idol finalist for this year I realized that 50% of them were from states recognized as "Southern" and and 67% if you include Virginia and Florida. This thought lead me to think that there is a well of "untapped talent" because there is not a convenient outlet for talent to be found in southern states without extensive travel or complete uprooting. Yes, there is Atlanta and Nashville and those are wonderful places that one can be discovered, or make a name for yourself...However I wonder if it would be beneficial to establish or fund the establishment of some type of talent agency that looks primarily in small towns, rural areas, and/or southern states. I believe that there is this "untapped talent" that is waiting to be discovered that does not want to move to the big city or for reasons not yet known/researched/what have you... that if presented with the opportunity tailored for maintaining somewhat of a connection with their hometown or community that they would be inclined to share their talent with the world, as well as a lucrative investment for some willing soul...I don't know.. this is just another LizaCorrine random idea...

1st Greenville Drive Game

Last night was my first Greenville Drive baseball game. The drive won 12-1 It was Kris' first night as on-field emcee. He did a GREAT JOB! He is so good at things like that! To watch him is simply amazing, he has so much positive energy that it exudes from his being... but that is just one of the many reasons I love him! I never really thought I would enjoy baseball, however I believe that it may take the right recipe to really enjoy oneself. With the right person to watch the game with (THANKS ANGELA!) and the fact that my honey was the on-field emcee I had a GREAT time! My Next game will be this Saturday and since tickets are so economical that maybe I will treat different people to the games to enjoy the sport, get away from everyday routines, and see my honey in action.

Slower Traffic Keep Right

While I am not the fastest driver in the world I am often bothered by slow drivers. I try to convince myself that maybe they are God's way of keeping something bad from happening to me, kind of like my divine hold up so to speak...

However, today's blog topic is going to be my personal vent about slow drivers. One of my pet peeves is for people to drive under good weather conditions in the left lane when people are passing them in the right. If I recall correctly I believe Kentucky or Tennessee has a posted road sign that reads, "Stay in the right lane unless passing"... I remember thinking how much clearer could that be. South Carolina has signs that read, "Slower Traffic Keep Right"... maybe that is not clear enough for some, or that may leave room for interpretation error.. I don't know. I believe that if people could follow this simple rule of driving that there would be a slight reduction in traffic congestion and an even smaller decline in automobile accidents. I also believe that we would also see a reduce in the prevalence of road rage.

The following are a few personal suggestions to drivers...
- IF you choose to talk on a cell phone and drive ... PLEASE STAY IN THE RIGHT LANE
- If you really have no where important to be and you know that you drive slow, please do not leave around 8, lunch, or rush hour (especially in areas where there are only two lanes)
- When you are driving with your windows up and another driver is annoying you in some way.. please do not yell at them.. they cannot hear you and if you have passengers there is no reason to subject them to your disgruntledness

No I am not in a rush, I just think that by adhering to a few of these suggestions the world stress level will/would decrease slightly. Again I would like to reinerrate I am not the best nor the fastest driver in the world however the aforementioned are my opinions.

The spirit of the child

Quote of the day...The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of the child into old age which means never losing our enthusiasm - Aldous Huxley

Meeting Dr. Essie Mae Washington-Williams & Genealogy Research

On last evening my mama and I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Essie Mae Washington-Williams, the half African-American daughter of the late Senator Strom Thurmond. She spoke of why she kept quite for so many years, a little about her book, her strong support of education, and her current and future plans and thoughts about race relations. She conveyed in her talk something that I don't think one can truly understand unless they cannot trace their ancestors if desired... which was... the African-American/Caucasian union to create child was very common however she was just brought to light because of the notoriety of her father. This is a message I think needed(s) to be echoed because I am into genealogy. I research in my spare time and try to talk with the older people to record as much information as I can to pass on to my descendents if it be God's will. What intrigues me personally is not so much her birth father because once she has that she can find generations of records but her mother,Carrie Butler. I would love to be able to help her find a picture of this lady to pass along to her future generations.

I suppose why this sticks out in my mind is because my great grand father, Jessie, was a child of a biracial union as well, and to insure his safety (his mother was Caucasian and father African-American... from what I have been told) his mother placed him on the doorstep of an African-American family. I suppose, and this is only an assumption, that this was safer during this time because she may have been made to get rid of the baby or she may have been disowned by her family. And like Dr. Washington-Williams stated, during earlier times children were expected to be seen and not heard henceforth if adults of this time knew the true genealogy or if children were curious it would dare not be discussed.

Greenville Drive's Opening Game

Today is the opening game for the Greenville Drive... the new minor league baseball team for Greenville, South Carolina. My boyfriend, Kris, is on the promotions team and he took me out to see the stadium and just hang out while he practiced yesterday. That was fun... just to watch all the happenings and rush of everyone getting ready for the opening day and they hadn't put up this or that sign, hadn't finished that sidewalk completely, had mud all over the road... it was amazing to see the work .. then I watched the players practice... looked around some of the facilities... tried some of the stadium food... and watched Kris dressed up like a slice of pizza... who oh why did i not have my camera phone then? :) But there are still some Montana pictures that will be posted and post dated recording my last days of break spent in Montana.... Today is a great day!