NHRA Summer Nationals

Last Sunday I went to Heartland Park in Topeka to see the NHRA Summer Nationals drag race. It was incredible! I've never witnessed anything so powerful. When the cars go by, everything shakes, your eyeballs shake inside your head. The noise is deafening when seated in the stands, my ears were ringing all day.

We got there just in time for the final elimination rounds to start. While walking from the car to the gate we could hear the cars going down the track. This was wierd because you'd hear them really loud at the start, then all of a sudden you'd hear them really loud - but from a long way away.

We sat and watched a few rounds, then went back to the car and grilled some brats. We came back in and walked through the pit area where you could see the crews working on the dragsters. We walked around, drank beer, and got some free stuff.

If you're a racing fan, I whole heartedly recommend attending an NHRA event. It's a very powerful thing to witness. So powerful, in fact, it has moved me to make the first top 5 list of the new era.

Top 5 sporting events I've attended:

5: IRL race at Kansas
4: KC Explorers w/ Anna Kournikova
3: NHRA Summer Nationals
2: Chiefs Playoff Games
1: World Series Games - Go Royals!

Honerable mentions go to: KC Explorers with Jimmy Connors, Chris Evert, and Michael Chang; Royals game in Anaheim; and Platte County Demolition Derby.

Remote Start Resolution

Yesterday I got rid of a problem that has been the source of so much frustration for me. I finally got some resolution in the matter of the remote start system. I can't remember if I've done a post about this or not, so here's a little background.

A year ago February, I took my car to a local car stereo shop to have them install a keyless entry/remote start system. It was more expensive to go there rather than best buy, or something like that, but I was less concerned with price than I was quality of work. They put it in, and it worked really well for about 6 months.

One day last summer I went out to my car to go somewhere. I started the car and put it in gear, then it just died. I tried to start it back up, and it did, and promptly died. At this point I noticed a flashing idiot light that read 'THEFT SYSTEM'. I came to understand that I couldn't start the car when the light was blinking. Sometimes it would come on after trying to start the car and would stay on for 10-15 minutes - which made me late for lots of things.

I took the car back to the shop to have it fixed several times. Each time it would work for a week to a month, then I would have to disable it because it would mess with the 'THEFT SYSTEM'. When it did it to me Monday night, for the first time in a couple months, it was the last straw. It had made me miss tennis and I felt like I wanted to shoot somebody.

What did I do? I called upon the services of my lovely and gracious sister LauraKCMO to assist me with my dilemma. Not only did she help me drop my car off, pick me up, and let me borrow her car the next day, but she talked to the mechanics for me too. Get this - she got them to take the system out for free and write me a refund check for the full purchase price. Thank you Laura! You're the best at what you do!

Ode to Dr. Rice

I'm writing this post to honor a much maligned member of the Bush administration who has been an integral part of our countries recent security transformation and the ongoing war against islamofascism.

Dr Condoleezza Rice, before coming to Washington, was a member of the board of several Fortune 500 companies; was an accomplished author; was a PhD with several honorary degrees; was an expert in foreign policy, national security, and intelligence specifically related to the Soviet Union.

As National Security Advisor for President Bush Dr. Rice oversaw the creation of a new bureaucracy - the Homeland Security Department - as well as sweeping changes to policies and procedures throughout government and government regulated industry that were rolled out relatively smoothly.

Currently serving as Secretary of State, Dr. Rice holds a position equivalent to the British foreign minister and the Queen of England rolled into one. Dr. Rice serves as the eyes, ears, and voice of the President when she travels abroad to fulfill her duties, and represents the US when meeting with foreign leaders.

Did you know that Dr. Rice is the highest ranking black woman in US government history? I bet you didn't. The two reasons for this are that she is not liberal, like most all-black organizations are, and she doesn't define herself by her skin color. She's humble and reserved while also being intelligent and eclectic.

Click here to view a quick Dr. Rice biography.

Click here to unofficially support Rice in 2008!

New Stuff

Hey y'all. I'm writing this post to highlight some new things on my blog.

Firstly you'll notice the new title picture. The lighter-than-air craft pictured is Airship One and, although it is the flagship, is only a small part of the AaronKCMO fleet which includes all manner of transportation. You may have seen this craft, or one of it's sisters, loitering above a stadium or race track near you.

Another new feature to point out is my new 'Guess my Number' game located at the bottom of the footer. AaronKCMO has always been a leader in interactive games on blogs, and we've now taken it a step further with this intriguing puzzle game. Enjoy.

Don't forget to check out the Music Video Du Jour. This time it's 'As Good as I Once Was' by Toby Keith. Don't forget to vote!

For the future I'm working on adapting some code to act like a magic 8-ball. I'll be sure to let you all know when it's finished.

Waterbed Sinks, Leaves Aaron Bedless

Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm proud to announce that I am no longer bedless. Last night my mom and I drove to her house in Chillicothe to pick up one of her beds for me to use.

The story begins a couple weeks ago when I decided I was finally going to get rid of my old fashioned waterbed. I was just tired of it, and mom had offered one of her beds, so I was in a hurry to give/throw it away.

So, two weeks ago I dismantled the waterbed and threw it in the dumpster fully expecting to drive to Chillicothe the next day and pick up the new bed. As luck would have it, it rained all weekend. I didn't really have a chance to go there between then and last night, so for the last two weeks I've been relegated to sleeping on the futon.

Don't get me wrong, the futon is a nice place to sleep in an emergency - just ask a couple members of the Pentarchy, but I'm ready to sleep in a nice bed for the first time in a long time.

AaronKCMO Parte Dos

Well folks, it looks like the effort to restore my lost blog posts will fail. I have sent several messages to blogger with no response. They won't even tell me what happened. I guess they're too 'busy' to answer. I would be happy to hear that the blog was deleted and I can't get any of my posts back - that would be better than hearing nothing. For those of you who are wondering what I'm talking about I'll refer you to this post.

I still like blogger best though. I will continue the proud AaronKCMO-Blogger tradition of being the flagship of the AaronKCMO movement. I will also continue to try to be innovative with my template and with my posts. Thanks to everybody who commented on my old blog, and I invite you to help me make Parte Dos bigger and better.

Champions!

We've done it folks!

The 123 Dough team and I have won our first tournament today.

The tournament started off well for us. We won both of our pool games - one against another E team, and one against a D team. After a 3 hour break it was time for the single elimination part of the tournament. In the first game of single elim we played another E team. At one point in that game we were down 12-1, but rallied back for the victory. Our final tournament game was against a D team, so we were given a 4 run advantage at the start of the game. That game ended up being a defensive struggle, and we won by one run.

This was the third tournament I've played in with the 123 Dough team. The first two were less than spectacular. I did better this time though - 4 for 12 with a few RBI's and runs scored. I love my new bat.

Cinco De Mayo Tourney
Age: Adult | Class: D, E | Division: Men
May 06, 2006 - May 07, 2006
Class..Place...Team Name....State....Won...Lost...Berths
E..........1.......123dough.com...MO........4.......0........0
D..........2.......Balls Out............MO.........3.......1........1
D..........3.......Rockhounds......KS..........2.......2........1
E..........3.......K.C. Lowballs.....MO........2.......2........1
E..........5.......Shockers............MO........0.......3........0
E..........5.......Gamecocks........MO........0.......3........0

Click here to download the statewide rankings. (excel spreadsheet, 187k) Be sure to notice 123dough.com at first place in the E division.

Brown Post

Ok, lets talk politics.

I made the comparison today that the steroid users have done to baseball what slick Willie did to the presidency. I will back up that assertion thusly.

The steroid users in baseball appear to only be more concerned about appearance, and less concerned about the truth. Jason Giambi recently held a press conference in which he profusely apologized for something, but didn't admit using drugs - maybe he's actually got a conscience. Barry Bonds and Mark McGuire flat out deny any use of any controlled substance. This flies in the face of the sworn testimony of people involved, namely Jose Canseco. As long as they keep denying it, and even if they admit to it, there will be a large contingent of people who will either deny that there was ever any illegal activity, or not care if there was.

Bill Clinton was also more concerned with appearance and less concerned about truth. This philosophy was embodied best by the Monica Lewinsky scandal. In the face of sworn testimony and physical evidence that confirmed sexual activity, Willie denied everything - and even looked upset that he was being questioned. "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Ms. Lewinsky." Clinton carried on his sharade to the grand jury and perjured himself. All the way through the ordeal millions of people had themselves convinced that the scandal was an evil republican witch-hunt.

Most Clinton supporters don't get it. The argument against slick Willie was not about sex. Not until he was impeached and convicted did he admit to any wrongdoing, and only because he copped a plea to not be prosecuted when he left office.

The whole baseball thing could've been avoided by doing drug tests. Major League Baseball is just as weak today as the republican congress was from 1994-2000. Neither group is willing to hold 'one of it's own' to the fire, and I have a lower opinion of them for it.