Countdown to Kickoff

Licensure Exam!

The last few days have been a bit stressful for me. I was scheduled to take my Board Licensure Exam on Wednesday. This has been something that I had been putting off most of the summer, mainly for two reasons:

1. I just finished school, I didn't want to study anymore.
2. How can you study when you have a new addition to the family??

Okay, maybe there is another reason....... What if I didn't pass? I had spent the last three years of my life working to have the opportunity to take that test!

As you probably know, I don't really get stressed out about much of anything, other than OU football. See other post for Countdown to Kickoff. But this really had me freaked out. So much that I didn't study for it like I should have. It didn't help much that between the two practice tests they gave us in school and the three practice tests that came with my study I passed a grand total of ZERO!

I took the test yesterday, it only took me 4 hrs and 10 minutes. I left with my brain feeling like someone had taken it out and played with it like playdough. They told me it would be between a couple of days and a couple of weeks for find out how I did.

Just for the fun of it I decided to check the Oklahoma Board of Medical Licensure to see if they had updated my application. THEY HAD! The moment of truth had arrived pass....fail.....pass.....fail.....PASS!!!!! I will let you take a look for yourself. The right hand column where it says fully licensed, that means I passed.

To those of you who prayed, fasted, ate curly fries, etc for me on Wednesday I appreciate it.

I am a smoker now!

Through a series of rather fortunate incidents I have become the proud owner of a Bradley Smoker . This past weekend I had the privilege to cook up a couple of slabs of ribs. I have to say that this has become my new hobby.

My next endeavor will either be some quality pork tenderloin or maybe a some jerky. Any and all suggestions are invited.

History in the Making

I know that there are only a few who read this but I thought that I would quickly give you my take on the whole Barry Bonds HR record chase.

1. Do I believe that Barry Bonds has used steroids? Here is a picture of him his rookie year....around 185 lbs......And next to it a recent picture......around 240 lbs. As a rookie he was smaller than I am!!! People do naturally gain weight as they get older, but not 55lbs of muscle! In case you don't get the hint, YES is my answer.

2. Is it a big deal that he is breaking this record? YES, of all the records of all the sports, this is THE record. No other record has the same aura about it.

3. Does taking steriods make it any less? No but yes at the same time. When you look at the numbers, hitting 756 HR in a career is an amazing task. But the dark cloud of steriods and the poor job of handling the steriod situation by Selig brings it all down.

4. Should there be an asterisk next to his record? No, there is no way to tell how many other records were accomplished with "help." Second, performance enhancing drugs were not against the rules until recently. I know they were illegal, but baseball had not made their own stance.

Those are just a few of my thoughts. In case you are wondering I am writing this as the Giants game is being played I have the game on the TV and ESPN Gamecast going at the same time. Bonds is 0-3 and likely not to bat again tonight.

One last thing I have to say, when I was playing ball, if someone had come up to me and told me that I could have made it to the pros by doing steriods.....I wouldn't have thought twice about it.