Random Picture Friday
July 30, 2010
Going with the wedding theme for this weekend, here's our wedding rehearsal dinner.
For the life of me, I can't figure out why y'all let me dress like that. Check out that camcorder!
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12 years ago
Fight, Tigers, Fight, Tigers, Fight, Fight, Fight
July 27, 2010WELCOME CLEMSON FANS
You might not be aware of this, but woohooing during Tiger Rag sounds awful. Stop it.
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I won't speculate on scores, but here's how I see Clemson's 2010 football campaign shaping up.
WINS: North Texas, PC, Miami, Maryland, Boston College, NC State, Wake Forest, UNC, Gimmick Tech, Soccer Liner
LOSSES: Auburn, Florida State
Experience tells me one or two of the games I have in the Win section will be losses. I just don't know which games Clemson won't show up for.
CLEMSON VS. NORTH TEXAS MEAN GREEN
Clemson cruises to victory on opening day.
CLEMSON VS. PRESBYTERIAN BLUE HOSE
The only thing Presbyterian wins on this day is Best Mascot Name. Tajh Boyd gets a lot of practice.
CLEMSON AT AUBURN TIGERS
Auburn has an extra two days to prepare for Clemson. Fortunately for Clemson, they don't have to show much of the playbook during its first two games.
Auburn lost to Kentucky at home last year, while Clemson beat Kentucky in the bowl game. Auburn signed a top-5 recruiting class this year, and Chizik has them rolling on offense, but Clemson's defense is legit.
In the end, Clemson can't handle a night game in the heart of SEC country against a prototypical SEC team.
Auburn wins.
CLEMSON VS. MIAMI HURRICANES
Miami comes to The Valley this year, bringing their back-to-back-to-back top 15 recruiting classes, while Clemson brings the noise. Seriously, just watch this video from the last time Miami was in The Valley.
That's what you call a three and out, right there.
The Hurricanes can't communicate, and Clemson wins a thriller.
CLEMSON AT UNC TARHEELS
The Heels have three first rounders on their defense, but there's nothing to fear on the other side of the ball. It's an ugly game, but the gap between Clemson's offense and UNC's defense is not greater than the gap between UNC's offense and Clemson's defense.
After Auburn at night, UNC's place will not rattle Clemson.
Something tells me UNC will win this one, but I'm going to say Clemson wins.
CLEMSON VS. MARYLAND TERPS
Swinney learned his lesson after whatever caused the debacle against Maryland last year. Clemson wins with no problem. However, this could be the annual lay-a-turd game that I've become accustomed to seeing.
CLEMSON VS. GIMMICK TECH YELLOW BEESI can't begin to express how much I do not like Paul Johnson's system. I've never loathed the Gamecocks as much as I loathe Gimmick Tech's offense.
I hate His Royal Highness Paul Johnson's arrogant attitude towards his system.
I hate Kirk Herbstreit's inexplicable infatuation with Gimmick Tech's offense. With a straight face, the man actually said their offense is exciting. Go watch some high school games if you like to see less-talented linemen dive at other players' knees on every play instead of blocking straight up and actually out-playing the other guy.
I hate the general perception that Paul Johnson is some sort of brilliant play caller just because he doesn't hold a clipboard during games. I mean, you don't need a clipboard to point to your team and say, "You: dive at that guy's knees. You: run left."
I've always wondered whether or not it's a penalty to accidentally step on a guy's fingers with your cleats while he's down there trying to hurt your knee. Hey, if you don't want your fingers stepped on, then get up and man up.
Thomas (who will be a flop in the NFL, by the way, because he doesn't have any experience dealing with traditional defenses) won games for Gimmick Tech simply due to his size (you can't double team Gimmick Tech's receivers).
Nesbitt throwing ducks around Death Valley won't get it done.
Clemson wins.
CLEMSON AT BOSTON COLLEGE EAGLES
Boston College hasn't shown me much since Matt Ryan left. Along with a good defense, Herzlich is back from cancer this year.
Clemson still wins.
CLEMSON VS. NC STATE WOLFPACK
I don't see where the Russell Wilson hype comes from; He hasn't beaten Clemson yet. NC State had a 2-6 record - in the ACC - last year.
Clemson wins.
CLEMSON AT FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLESLike Russell Wilson, I don't get the hype around Christian Ponder. He was clobbered figuratively and literally against Clemson last year. Still, you don't just waltz into Doak and get a win any old time you please, unless you're Urban Meyer.
Florida State pulls this one out.
CLEMSON AT WAKE FOREST DEACS
Clemson cruises, but be on the lookout for a letdown after a hard game at Florida State and the Chickens looming next week.
CLEMSON VS. SOCCER LINER CHICKENS
I could analyze this matchup 'til the cows come home, but the truth is neither of these teams stand out in front of the other to me. That might change by the end of the season. For now, I will go with history -- Clemson hasn't lost two in a row to the chickens since the sixties.
Clemson wins.
Random Picture Friday - The Market
July 23, 2010
Will at the Market in Charleston. Just think; someone stacked those bricks there 200 years ago.
Visit 10,000
July 19, 2010
Today, TaiMelWillHaden.com welcomed its 10,000th visitor. Someone from Solihull, England visited this page.
Y'all subscribe and come back often!
Random Picture Friday
July 16, 2010
a poster of me looking James Bondish in the boys' room
Speaking of which, I finally finished another book. It's been a while since the last one. School got to me last semester, and I just didn't have much reading in me.
I finished Live and Let Die last week. It was okay. It was missing a lot of witty 007 innuendo-filled banter that I like about Bond.
It also had way too much exposition. I'm not a fan of that, but I think it was commonplace with older novels. Maybe we've collectively lost a lot of patience as a society, I don't know.
Mid-Year Review
July 12, 2010
It's time for a mid-year review of our financial situation.
See our January 2010 diagnosis
As of the end of the second quarter, we've increased our overall net worth by 3.5%, which is not on pace with our year-end goal by a long shot.
The shortcoming is primarily due to the overall condition of the stock market, as most of our net worth is in my 401(k) and ETrade account.
Again, we're sitting on a modest increase YTD, even though the S&P 500 was down 6.5% through the second quarter.
Had the market simply broke even through June, our personal net worth would be in a great place. But, that is what comes with riding the market long-term -- ups and downs (historically more ups than downs).
Our Asset Allocation
23% Foreign
19% US Bonds
18% US large cap
14% US small cap
13% cash
10% REITs
2% commodities
1% Prosper loans
From the cash flow side of it, we went way overboard on our vacations this year. We are over budget by about 200%.
But, our justification for the cost was that it was Mel's birthday. Besides, we had a blast, and when viewed as a percentage of net worth, the cost was minuscule.
As Brad said in Key West, "You can't put a price on a good time."
True that.
If It's Gettin' Cold, Reheat It
July 11, 2010
Mel made us some fried green tomatoes, pork chops, brown rice, and crock pot macaroni for supper.
Oh Yeah Baby
July 9, 2010
Since they had enough sense to make two movies out of Deathly Hallows, let's hope it is nearly as good as the book.
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