Chloe the Goldendoodle!

Ever heard of a Goldendoodle? It's a cross between a Standard Poodle and a Golden Retriever. They are growing in popularity...at least in the Atlanta area. There's also the Labradoodle, which is a cross between a Standard Poodle and a Labrador Retriever...but that's not what Chloe is...



Our friends Sasha and Jeff got her about two weeks ago. I must admit, I'm not a froo-froo dog fan...I'm all about "real" dogs...you know...anything other than your typical "drop-kick" dogs. Chloe is different. Since the Standard Poodle is the "big" poodle, she's going to be a pretty big dog. Combined with a good Golden Retriever, she won't shed and will be a great indoor/outdoor dog.

They brought her over last weekend, and she is one little ball of fluff. They aren't getting much sleep at night these days, but I'm sure she'll get better with time. Regardless, she's a beautiful little pup....don't you think?!

I created a small gallery of Chloe photos, so check them out in the Photo Gallery when you get a chance...

Advice from Alice Cooper

So I'm on a flight last night to Minneapolis, and I'm reading the latest issue of Harp Magazine. There's a one-page article by Alice Cooper...where he gives his opinions or thoughts on certain things. Despite chopping up baby dolls, killing chickens onstage, and performing with a live boa constrictor around his neck...Alice is a pretty smart guy. Here are a few points that I thought were worth mentioning:



Women take much more pain than men, physically and emotionally. So we're really remiss in saying, "take it like a man." "Take it like a woman" is much more real.

My motto is: Be the person your dog thinks you are. Think about that. Because your dog thinks you are the greatest thing ever. You could beat your dog, throw him outside in the snow, and you go out there and he'd be going, haah, haah, haah. And he'd look at you and think you were the greatest thing of all time.

Everything starts at home as far as I'm concerned. I'm a true believer in the family, and it's not just because I have one, it's just the fact that family does mean everything.

One of the bizarre things in the world to me is that America is, I think, like 60-percent overweight. And yet all I ever see on TV is fitness and fast food adds--we can't make up our minds. I think of America like a kid in a candy shop.

What scares me the most? Probably CNN.

Mississippi State...Revisited

My ol' friend John Windsor sent me a link to this article today, so I thought I'd post it here for all to see. This is pretty typical, if you ask me...


SPD probes tractor theft as possible hazing incident

By BRIAN HAWKINS/Starkville Daily News

An overnight incident in which a member of a Mississippi State fraternity stole a tractor from a Starkville construction site and drove it onto campus has Police Department detectives investigating whether hazing may have been involved.

David Adam Eldridge, 20, of 113 Mosswood Lane, Clinton, was charged with grand larceny and DUI (first offense) in connection with the incident, which was occurred between midnight Thursday and 12:34 a.m. Friday.

Eldridge remained held on in the Oktibbeha County Jail Friday night on a bond of $8,476.

According to Starkville police reports, Eldridge, who officers later confirmed was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, took a $25,000 John Deere 5520 tractor from an apartment construction site on Russell Street at Planter's Row around midnight Thursday. SPD Sgt. Bill Lott would not comment on whether the key was left in the tractor or if it was "hot-wired."

Between midnight and the time of his arrest more than a half-hour later, he was seen driving the tractor past the Cheers bar in the former La Galerie shopping center then back east toward Highway 12, witnesses told police.

He then reportedly drove the tractor west on Highway 12 toward Spring Street, turning back onto Bully Boulevard to the MSU campus. He then drove the tractor onto C.O. Sheely Circle behind Fraternity Row, stopping behind the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity house when stopped by MSU police officers, reports state.

The owner of the tractor reclaimed it as Eldridge was taken into custody by Starkville police officers, reports state.

Though he would not give specific details, Lott said "certain information" obtained in the investigation has resulted in a further probe to determine if the incident might have resulted from hazing involving other Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity members.

Lott said officers have spoken with MSU Director of Student Life Eddie Keith, whose office oversees campus Greek organizations, about the incident and the ongoing investigation.

Keith confirmed for police that Eldridge was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha. Lott said.

Depending on what the investigation reveals, additional arrests could occur, Lott said.

"If this is indeed hazing incident, it could lead to the arrests of others," Lott said. "They would be charged according to their level of participation in the incident."

Under state law, those charged in hazing incidents could be charged with either first or second degree hazing.

First degree hazing involves conduct that causes actual injury or "intentionally or recklessly creates" a substantial risk of physical injury to an individual or to a third person.

The penalty for a first degree hazing conviction is a fine of $2,000 or six months in jail or both.

Second degree hazing involves conduct that "intentionally or recklessly creates" a substantial risk of physical injury to an individual or to a third person. The penalty for second degree hazing conviction is a $1,000 fine.

Montana

Now that the site is finally back up and running smoothly, I had a chance to upload pictures from our trip to Montana this summer. We went out there for the 4th of July and stayed for over a week...a much-needed vacation.

Towards the end of our trip, we went on a long hike in Glacier National Park. As you'll see, the scenery was amazing. I snapped a shot of some Bear Grass on the way down from the hike...and yes, I'm well aware of what the Bear Grass resembles...funny stuff!



Anyway, if you want to see the pictures, click here.

The Power of Words

For those of you out there that are not familiar with Fernando Flores, you need to be. When I joined the ranks of enfoTrust, Nick Steele...the President/COO and an '88 West Point grad...gave me a copy of an article about Flores that he'd had since 1999...


Fernando Flores

I won't go into too much detail, simply because I found a copy of the article on the Web and I'm offering it to you here. That said, if you're in the corporate world...I suggest you download this article and read it. Keep it in your desk and read it on a monthly or quarterly basis...to remind you that "Hope is the raw material of losers."

Click here to download the article.

Interesting find...

For those of you that are familiar with Pickwick, that awesome lake not far from Corinth...I'm sure you'll agree that somehow, someway...everything goes back to Pickwick. It's just a special place, and most of us from Corinth have spent our formative years there.

That's why I had to take a picture of what I came across at breakfast this morning here in Golden, Colorado:



I doubt there's any relation to "our" Pickwick, but I thought it was worth taking a picture....

Spooky Stuff

So I'm in Denver on business, and I walk into my hotel tonight, and I'm totally unprepared for what I see. As I'm standing at the counter checking in, this little kid starts screaming bloody murder. It scares the hell out of me, so I obviously turn around to see what the commotion is about. All I see is this little boy, about 3 years old, standing in the lobby screaming his head off, and pointing down a hallway that I can't see. I walk over and lean out to look down the hallway, and I just about start screaming myself....there was a freakin' clown slowly walking down the hallway towards the lobby. Go ahead, call me a wuss...but it scared the you-know-what out of me, too.

So that got me to thinking about all the things over the course of my 34 years of life that scared the hell out of me...or at least creeped me out to no end. Although most of them are related to movies or specific scenes in movies, it doesn't matter to me...they scared the hell out of me at one point in time, and to be honest with you, they probably still do.

Of course, we all know that if you DO get scared, the only thing you have to remember is that if you are in your room and it's time to go to bed, if you can stretch your leg all the way and touch your bed post at the same time you turn your light off on the wall switch...as long as you don't break contact with your bed and you inch your way and jump under the covers, whatever is lurking under your bed can't grab your leg and pull you under..........

Lady Elaine Fairchilde

I don't know about you, but this woman/puppet scared the hell out of me from the very minute I first saw her. If you ever watched Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, she was in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, and every time that little train went through the tunnel and she showed up on the screen, I got creeped out. I'm 34 years old, and every time I think about her or see some late-night rerun of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, I get the chills...

Outerscope II


Some of you might not remember this, but back in the mid to late 70's, there was a show called Vegetable Soup. The beginning of it had these bowls and spoons dancing around on the screen, singing. Anyway, it had several different recurring segments on each show, but there was one that just never sat well with me. It was called Outerscope II, and it was about these puppet kids (with huge human hands) who built this spaceship out of junk in their backyard. They went on different trips, and learned lessons along the way. But the only lesson I learned was that these puppet-kids were scary as hell. In fact, I just got goose bumps just thinking about it....

Jaws


I can remember when we first got HBO. It was a cream-colored plastic box that sat on our TV. It had two sliding buttons that allowed you to switch it to HBO. I stayed up late one night...or rather...I snuck downstairs and closed the french doors between the den and my parent's part of the house. I sat there and watched Jaws in the middle of the night, and I can honestly say I've never been the same since. At least not when it comes to getting in ANY body of water that's not a swimming pool. If I can't see the bottom, then I'm not exactly having the time of my life. My friends Judy Whitehurst, Melinda Williams, Glenn Krohn, Tayler Archer, and Weston White all had cabins out at Pickwick, and I spent tons of time over the years out there. But I was never really content in the water...I was always, in the back of my mind, waiting for some freshwater shark (that no one knew existed) to come up and chomp one of my legs off. Believe it or not, I still think that to this very day...and always will...thanks to Mr. Spielberg...

Anyway, there were two scenes that just really got me...the one where the lady is slowly, out of nowhere, attacked......and the one where Richard Dreyfuss is scuba diving, finds the sharks tooth, and then the dead guy floats into view....just about made me pee in my pants....

Carrie

For some reason, I remember watching this on television while on my grandfather's houseboat out at Pickwick. I don't remember much about the movie, except when Carrie got the blood poured all over her. That image was burned in my mind, and like I've said many times already, it scared the hell out of me...

Halloween

To be honest with you, I never got past this scene...where Michael Myers is standing there with the sheet over him. I don't even remember how old I was when watching this....which is probably a good thing because I know I wet my pants, and I'd like to think I was in diapers at that time, but I know that's not the case. Anyway, for those of you that saw the first Halloween, if this scene didn't scare the hell out of you, something ain't right with you!

Invasion of the Body Snatchers


I remember watching this with my parents...as a family...back in the late 70's. I think it was a made-for-television movie, too. Regardless, it was a scary-ass movie, that's for sure. The scene (above) where the dog had a human head on it...just about put me over the edge. And then at the end, when Donald Sutherland opens his mouth and makes that scary noise....let's just say I didn't get much sleep that night....

Magic

When I was a very young lad, my parents gave me a Howdy Doody ventriloquist doll. I was way too young to use it, but it was a toy that I couldn't get enough of. In fact, I was so young, I couldn't say "Howdy Doody," so I just called him "Doo-Doo." Needless to say, I'm sure my parents got a big kick out of that. They never knew whether I wanted my toy or if I had some major "issues" going on....

Anyway, in the late 70's when we were getting our fill of HBO, the movie Magic came on, and my father and I stayed up and watched it together. For those of you that never saw it, Anthony Hopkins played a vintriloquist who had a doll that came to life and started killing people. I gotta tell you, it wasn't such a good idea to stay up and watch it. That movie freaked me out so much, I never looked back on my days with "Doo-Doo" in the same way again. It made me realize that "Doo-Doo" was evil and probably tried to kill me many different times. How I stayed alive all those years, I'll never know...

Salem's Lot

Ok. This has got to be one of the scariest things I've ever seen on television. Back in 1979, they made a television movie based on Stephen King's book, Salem's Lot. I can remember watching it and thinking it was semi-scary until the scene where his buddy, after being bitten by a vampire, floats up to his bedroom window and starts scratching on the glass. I swear...I just about had a nervous breakdown when that happened....probably one of the scariest parts of a movie I've ever seen....wow...

The Shining

Before I get to the pictures, I just have to tell you that The Shining has got to be one of the most disturbing, horrifying movies of all time. I can't even narrow it down to one or two scenes...there were so many scary parts to that movie....it's unbelieveable. Anyway, I'll post a few pictures that relate to some of the scariest scenes...at least as far as I'm concerned...








Like I said, almost every freakin' scene was scary. I can remember exactly when and where I saw this movie. My parents were having a dinner party, so my sister and I were next door at Tom Miller's house. Davis fell asleep, and Tom and I switched it to HBO, just in time to watch The Shining. We sat there and watched that movie with our mouths wide open...and when my parents came over to get us, they were pretty mad that we'd watched it...because even they thought it was scary. Wow. Definitely one of the most horrifying movies ever....

The Omen

I don't remember exactly when I saw this movie...all I know is that little Damien scared the hell out of me. How they were able to get such a young actor to be so evil...just his eyes were enough to cause sleepless nights. In the beginning of the movie, when the nanny hung herself, I didn't think I would ever sleep again. The way Damien reacted, and that spooky older lady...I don't remember her role...I just remember she gave me the creeps. This is definitely another scary-ass movie. Man, I'm starting to get a little scared now...are you?

Phantasm

I never saw this movie. I just remember seeing the previews for the movie when it was in theaters. It was something about two kids getting locked in a morgue...and weird things start happening. There was this floating orb that would stab people in the head....and I remember someone laying in bed, and these giant arms come out from under the bed and pull him through the bed. Anyway, like I said, I never saw the movie...because the freakin' previews were too scary....

Motel Hell

Again, I never saw this movie. All I remember is I was over at Jeff Williams' grandparents' house one night, and there was a group of us that were spending the night with him. We all went to the movies to see Every Which Way But Loose, and they played the trailer to Motel Hell. All I remember is that there was this man with a chainsaw and he had a hog's head on HIS head, and he was cutting people up with his chainsaw. Pretty freaky. I can also remember going to Sunflower with my mom and hanging out at the magazine rack the whole time, and I saw a Fangora magazine and the guy with the hog's head was on the cover...

Scanners

This was probably the most bizarre movie I've ever seen. It wasn't so much scary, as it was just plain weird. I remember watching it and just getting this weird feeling in my stomach...because these people could make other people's heads explode. Definitely an early 80's flick that just screwed with your head....

Alien






So I'm in the 4th grade, and I'm spending the night at Bobby Burns' house. Whereas we usually went to the movies on Friday nights, this time we stayed in...to watch Alien. We sat there for almost 2 hours and were completely blown away...we'd never seen anything like it before, and it was definitely a scary movie. Not only was the alien itself scary, but the scene where the alien comes out of the guy's chest....man, that completely blew our minds. I think Bobby and I stayed up all night, thinking there were little aliens all over his house. Now that was a great movie...and scary, too!

The Exorcist

Need I even say anything? This movie...to this day...will keep me up at night. And it's not just the visuals...it's the sounds that Linda Blair makes when she's possessed. I'm not sure how they created those evil sounds, but when combined with the rest of the film, it makes for probably the scariest movie I've ever seen. It literally scares me now to watch it...absolutely scares me to death!!!!

Trilogy of Terror


So I'm in the 3rd grade and Jeff Williams is spending the night with me. We out most of the afternoon riding our bikes, and Jeff wipes out coming down a hill in Creekwood. We get back to my house, get him all bandaged up, and settle in for the night. We play with our matchbox cars on a track that I had, and then when my parents go to bed, we stay up to watch more TV. As I'm channel surfing, I come across this weird show about a woman that somehow gets a Zuni doll. It actually comes to life and starts attacking her. Let me tell you....that scared the HELL out of Jeff and me. In fact, to this day, I think about that damn Zuni doll when it's late at night and I'm walking around my bed...with my feet kinda under the bed skirt. I swear I still think about that little doll coming out from under there and attacking me.....

American Werewolf in London

This movie came out when I was in the 5th grade. I can remember Michael Sawyer telling me one day at school that he went to see it in the theater the night before. This was obviously an R-rated movie, but I guess it didn't matter to him. Of course, it didn't matter to me, either, but it DID matter to my parents. Needless to say, I didn't go see it in the theater. I did, however, see it over at Bobby Burns house. Once again, he and I stayed in one Friday night to watch it on HBO. As usual, it scared the hell out us. It had a little comedy to it, but it was mostly a horror flick...and the seen above where this guyhas a dream while in the hospital...just about pushed us over the edge....

Poltergeist


Sixth grade....a group of us get dropped off at the Crossroads Twin Cinema. We all get into the theater and pile in the same row...about 15 of us. Well, that is, aftere playing a few games of Donkey Kong and Pheonix...both of which were up at the front near the bathrooms and concession stand. The movie starts, and when the clown scene happens, Merrell McQueen leaps out of her seat and into my lap for the remainder of the movie. That clown scene is one that I've never been able to shake off....the very idea that a toy or stuffed animal would come alive and try to kill you....definitely a kid's worst nightmare. Anyway, there's another scene where the backyard gets flooded and the mother ends up in the pool...and bodies start floating up around her. That scared us, too. We all screamed for 2 hours straight....no kidding!!!

Gates of Hell

We're in the 8th grade...and our new rally point for spending the night out on the weekends is Taylor Archer's game room...which was a room outside that was attached to their carport. So we could bring our sleeping bags and stay out there and cut-up and be as loud as we wanted...and not wake Taylor's parents up. Well, that is, until we started running around rolling yards, and then we'd usually come running back to the game room and slam the door...which usually woke Mr. Archer up. Anyway, one night we rented a few movies, one of which was Gates of Hell. I doubt many of you have seen it, but if you have, you know exactly what I'm talking about when I say it's probably the grossest movie I've ever seen. Within 10 minutes, Glenn Krohn and a few more of us were out in the carport puking our guts out.....just like the lady (literally) in the scene above. This was probably the most horrid movie I've ever scene...just completely whacked!!!

Friday the 13th

For this one, we were in the 6th grade and were spending the night at Trey Brewster's house. We had pitched a couple of tents in the front yard, but had all gone inside to watch Friday the 13th on HBO. Now this was a pretty scary movie, especially consider the era and given our ages at the time. But the last scene, where the girls is sleeping in boat and Jason comes up out of the water....that cause us all to scream so loud we woke up the entire neighborhood. I have to say that was one hell of a scary scene...seriously. After the movie, we played a game of Truth or Dare, and Jay Green had to run all the way up to Traci Haskett's house buck naked, ring her doorbell, and run all the way back to Trey's. One of the funniest things I've ever seen....

Nightmare on Elm Street

So now we're in the 8th or 9th grade...and we're over at Judy Whitehurst's house on a Sunday afternoon. We'd rented a few movies, one of which was Nightmare on Elm Street. Although it was in the middle of the day, we had all the blinds drawn and it was nice and dark. We put this movie in, and were literally blown away. This was one of the scariest movies we'd scene...and the scene where Freddy's arms are streched out and he's scratching the walls....man, that got us good!!

The Exorcist III


It's the summer of '91 and I was home from college for about a week. Several of us had gotten together over at Trey Brewster's house to watch movies....Jacob's Ladder and The Exorcist III. Both of these movies were scary as hell, but The Exorcist III had some of the scariest scenes...one of which is the one above. A nurse, walking out of a room, is unaware of a ghost with a huge pair of shears coming right behind her. If you've seen this movie, then you know exactly what I'm talking about. There's another where an old lade is crawling on the ceiling. We were all about 20 years old when watching this movie, but you'd never have guessed that by the way we were screaming!!!

Well, that's it! Are you scared now???!!!!!