March 29, 2009

March 29 is the 88th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 277 days remaining until the end of the year. We often take our days for granted and historic days go unremembered. Today is a pretty cool day. Today is Coke's birthday.

On March 29, 1886, Dr. John Pemberton brewed the first batch of Coca-Cola in his backyard in Atlanta, Georgia. He named the concoction cocawine and it was intended for use as a cough syrup. It was a wine. This occured during the time of prohibition in Atlanta so he changed the name and began marketing it as Coca-Cola. The first sales were at Jacob's Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 8, 1886. Coke was initially sold as a patent medicine for five cents a glass at soda fountains, which were popular in the United States at the time due to the belief that carbonated water was good for the health. Kinda strange with all the warnings of coke now. How did anyone survive?

By the time of its 50th anniversary, Coke had reached legendary status in the USA. Coca-Cola was sold in bottles for the first time on March 12, 1894. Canned cokes began appearing in 1955.

And sonething that I did not know, Coke concentrate, or Coke syrup, was and is still sold separately at pharmacies in small quantities, as an over-the-counter remedy for nausea or mildly upset stomach. So you cna go to the pharmacy and ask for coke? HA! I don't know why that is funny to me. I even worked at a pharmacy for years and didn't know this.

The exact formula of Coca-Cola is a famous trade secret. There are rumors as to where the coke formula is. Some say it lies with one man and should he die, coke would be gone forever. No need to worry though, no wide spead panic is needed. The original copy of the formula is held in SunTrust Bank's main vault in Atlanta. So the secret is safe.....literally. No matter what happens, we'll still have our cola.

So just how successful is our addicting bubbly drink? Last year alone Coke boasted $969 million dollars in sales. WOW. While other companies are failing, coke continues to reign supreme.

Happy birthday bubbles :-)

Exciting day today

Today has been such an amazing day. First I got my official acceptance to UMT. Wonderful thing to see in the mail. After I opened my letter I then went and created my new email. So I'm truly official. I have the official UMT email address. I'm in the Master's program at UMT working towards my degree in journalism. :-) Back with my MBA, I'm hoping my future looks bright.

Then to make things even spiffier (Spiffy is Allison's word but I'm borrowing it here). Tonight I got an email from Player's Press. I sent in an aritcle on Chipper Jones and now they want to publish me. I start writing for them and can hopefully work my way up the ranks. The great thing is that one of the conditions of my degree at UMT is I have to have a published work by my graduation. Well, my Chipper article is being published. So that is already a given. Such an awesome feeling to have someone tell you they are publishing your work.

Now I just have to come up with more ideas and mroe articles. I'm hoping we can get to the braves games and the Gwinnett Braves games and I can get more articles written. I can interview Al and maybe Jasha....Even call Carp. This is exciting. I can not wait. I'm nervous but I can't wait to get started.

Mr. McSparkly

Yesterday I got a phone call. It was blockbuster telling me that I cna pick up my copy of Twilight at midnight. coolness.

So last night me and Allison went to Blockbuster at midnight. We were about the 5th in line because we thought there would be more people. We got there around 11:15. Noone was there. Good for us cause the line was probably 20-30 people and they said they would only stay open for 15 minutes after 12.

We brought Mr McSparkly home and watched him together. Graham, Julianna and Maggie wanted to watch btu Maggie went to bed at 8:30 (I knew she couldn't make it) Julianna was asleep on the counch by the time we got home and Graham fell asleep in the middle of the movie. I was pushing it by the end. (La Push baby) Allison said she was too.

This morning Julianna wanted to watch it so I watched it with her.

Mr McSparkly is in our home. :-)

Thursday

So, I started my new blog today. It's sad when you start a blog and have a negative energy. It really was bringing me down and I felt self conscious in posting anything newsworthy for fear of who would read it. So, I created a new email and a new blog. Today I shall start anew. If you follow my blog then this is the new address and it's posted on my facebook account.

Tonight is baseball practice again and tomorrow is Maggie's field trip. I had intended to go, told her I would go. They are only allowing 2 parents from each class go due to the lack of room in the theater. They are watching a play tomorrow and evidently the auditorium will be packed. I was tempted to go anyway because I'm a student at that college and had actually received an invitation but I don't want to step on toes and make anyone mad so, I'm not going. I talked to Maggie about it and she says she understands but deep down I can see it in her eyes that she really wants me to go.

Speaking of baseball this is a baseball filled weekend. Graham has 2 games. One on Saturday and one on Sunday. He invited one of his friends that he played with in the past to come and join them part time and he went Tuesday night and said he loved it. His parents aren't going to let him play though. I keep hearing the same thing said....because Brook quit the team.

See, Graham was going to play Fall Ball with the Rec department with his school and before the season started he got an offer from a travel team in Gwinnett to come play. Brook was coaching the rec team. Graham had been saying he wanted to just quit. He was hating rec ball. You couldn't get him to go to practice. It was horrible. When he got invited to play travel ball he was so excited. He wanted this more than anything. And while we normally would never let our children quit anything we allowed Graham to move to the travel team. He would play more games, be with boys with more experience plus be playing with boys his own age. We made a big decision. it wasn't an easy decision but after many days of considering it and talking about it we knew that it was the best thing. So Brook talked to the team, told them he was following Graham, turned the team over to another coach. Everyone said they were OK with but from there on out, it was different. I knew people got upset and really don't blame them. but I had to think about MY child and what was best for him. I think I'm still getting those same bad vibes from parents on that Rec team. Anyway, I was told today that the boys dad didn't want him to play on Brook's team after he left the boys in rec ball the way he did. I had parents say we left the team with nothing by pulling Graham. I completely disagree, there were plenty of players that could step up and besides, just as in the past, Graham could not carry the team alone.

At first I was upset about it but now, it didn't take long to get over it though because I do know that I made the right choice. In the end, with Graham at Chipper Jones and the fact that his attitude about baseball has changed. We are where we need to be. He was invited to join try out for the Clermont A's and said he did not want to do it. He likes being in Duluth. Likes his team. Loves his pitching coach.

So from here on out, I'm going to stop feeling bad about a good decision. From here on out, I will accept the fact that some people are mad about Graham leaving the team. It hasn't hurt us or changed us. We know we did the right thing. So it's time to move on.

A True Brave

It is June of 1990; enter a skinny, 18 year old from Pierson, Florida. 6 foot 3, 180 pounds, a kid who was named Florida player of the year. Little did anyone know, that kid would become the signature of the Atlanta Braves team. Bobby Cox made the decision that year and chose Chipper Jones as the overall 1st round draft pick for the Atlanta Braves.

Chipper began his lifelong career with the Gulf Coast Braves where he played 44 games in 1990. In 1991 he played for the Macon Braves as Shortstop leading the league with 71 double plays. He would later go on to play for the Durham Bulls and the Greenville Braves before making his debut in the Majors on September 11, 1993. That first game he went 2 for 3. Bobby had nothing but good things to say.

By 1996, Chipper Jones was playing 3rd base and becoming a shining spot on Atlanta’s 40 man roster after having a phenomenal 1995 season and winning his first World Series Ring. Since 1995 he’s been a part of 12 National Championship titles, Rookie of the year in 1995, 6 time All Star, National League MVP in 1999, 2 time silver slugger, 8 consecutive 100+ RBI seasons, 14 consecutive 20+ HR seasons, several player’s choice awards, the batting title in 2008 and a Legacy award in 2009. Chipper is behind only Mickey Mantle and Eddie Murray on the all-time career home run list for a switch hitter. He is considered one of the game's best all-around hitters, and one of the best switch hitters in the history of the game.

What’s next for Chipper? Hall of Fame? Many have their opinions on that but ask any brave fan. No one is a better candidate. No one.

Chipper has always thrived off being the youngest one on the team. He gained strength from older players, learning from them, having role models. Spring training 2009 brought a new era for Chipper. He found himself being the oldest one in the Clubhouse. With that realization Chipper knows that his time is drawing near. Young players coming in to the game are now drawing off him.

Negotiations are now being made to keep that tomahawk on his chest. Chipper says himself that he probably won’t play past 41. That will give him a good solid 20 years in the game. He said he grew up in Atlanta and hopes to retire a Brave. So with sadness Atlanta comes to the realization that “Crazy Train” will be played for another 4 years or so, another representation of the good times gone by. He’s the last player left of the 1995 World Series Braves.

Chipper Jones has proven to be a leader in the clubhouse and a model to Braves fans everywhere. He’s Mr. Atlanta, the hero of little boys everywhere. Just as baseball and Apple pie are American signatures, Chipper Jones is an icon of the Braves. We want to keep him here, our true Brave.