World Cup Game Previews and Picks for June 16

Portugal vs. Germany

A battle between the group heavyweights in wwhich the winner most liklely will be crowned the group winner. A supposedly "healthy" Christiano Ronaldo enters this game with a knock to his knee which may see his play limited but likely he will be nearly 100%.  Of course when the side you are playing is full of top flight players it is difficult for one to make a certain difference for the other team.  Germany are flat loaded at every position and I have a likely "easy" win of course nothign is easy and it could go either way.  I see the final 3-1 Germany.

Iran vs. Nigeria

A battle between an African side that usually performs well in World Cups and a side that should be the joke of the tournament sans Australia. I cant see how Iran keeps this close but of course African team have a tendency to start slow and if Nigeria is caught off guard early with a goal against this game could be interesting.  I dont see that happening and have the final 2-0 Nigeria.

USA vs. Ghana

Ah the two meet once again.  This should come as no shock it seems FIFA finds a way for it to happen.  I will be none surprised with any of the three outcomes as Ghana are suspect but ahve a great attacka nd the US is questionable as to how they will play with how young they are from top to bottom.  I see this game going to the Africans cause I just dont trust the US team at this point and think they are a Cup away from being an interesting side.  I have it 2-1 Ghana with their attack from Gyan.

World Cup game Previews and picks for June 15

Switzerland vs Ecuador

The amazing thing about Switzerland is their ability to make other teams look poor with the fact that there aren't many household names on their side.  I am always impressed with that ability and this game should just further their name in that regard. Ecuador is one of the lower ranked teams in the tournament and only the second lowest in the group.  I can't see them providing a test of any sort to one of the best TEAMS in the world.  That is just what the Suisse are, a team.  I see the final being 2-0 Suisse.

France vs Honduras

The French have really fallen in recent years from being easily top ten in the world.  It really has been disappointing but this game should help them to being at least number two in this group.  Honduras isn't ranked even within the top 30 in the world so the French should have little trouble but of course this is the French.  Honduras could make it 3 out of 3 for the Concacaf region in the cup but I just don't see that stretch continuing against a healthy Fench side.  The Ticos had the benefit in their first game to miss out on facing a Suarez led Uruguay side but there just is too much firepower with the French.  I see it 1-0 France.

Argentina vs Bosnia-Herzegovina 

This game will most likely determine the top spot in the group as the Bosnians and Argentines are the class of the group.  Both ranked within the top twenty in the world, this game should showcase a quality match.  Argentina boast the worlds best player in my hook and a heck of a striking attack with Messi and Aguero up front along with Higuain. The Bosnins match that attack with a quality one of their own led by Edin Dzeko.  I just see this as a bit too much quality and the large number of Argentine fans bringing the best out of their side.  I see it 3-1 Argentina.

World Cup games preview and pick for June 14th

Greece vs Columbia

Without Falcao on the squad Colombia is in a world of hurt.  They have others that could step to the plate but are not as known on a world stage for their competence like Falcao.  The Greeks are a very systemic team and this match should be a take away for them based on their systemic approach.  I look for the game to be a very slow moving and ball controlled match.  It may not be overtly pretty but it may just do the job.  I see it Greece 1-0.

Uruguay vs Costa Rica

Uruguay should make a piecemeal work of the Costa Ricans as they are without a doubt a class unto themselves over their foe.  The Costa Ricans should just be please to be here and use this experience to make themselves better. I am not saying that they couldn't surprise down the road but this game is certainly not it in my mind.  I see it Uruguay 4-0.

England vs Italy

This match should be a barn burner and a clinic in how football is played.  Two of the countries known for their quality of football, even if are gland can't seem to win the trophy.  I expect to see England and Italy to go at each other from the opening whistle to the end of the 90 minutes.  This game in my mind will end in a draw...1-1 but with a ton of quality play.

Ivory Coast vs Japan

Ivory Coast and their talent (but age) should take this matchup barring the slowdown and opportunistic play of Japan being a problem for them.  Ivory Coast is going to be a question in this tournament due to their aged team but their talent is without question.  I see this game coming down to that little bit of talent difference and the ability for Ivory Coast to make one extra play over Japan.  I see it 2-1 Ivory Coast.

World Cup complete Group Stage Preview and Picks

Group A Brasil, Mexico, Cameroon, Croatia

The host country is usually in one of the easier groups as they should be so this really is no surprise.  This year the host country gets paired with a team from CONCACAF  that has struggled all qualifying long and barely made it into the World Cup finals. Mexico is this team and in any other year I would say they would give the hosts a run for their money but with the way the team has played it is given reason to pause.  Croatia, however, could cause MANY teams a problem with their height and skill.  Modric and others up front will cause issues and scoring will be no problem.  The problem for them will be on defense where they are rather porous. Cameroon comes off a World Cup in 2010 where they really struggled to get off the ground against bigger, stronger teams who matched their speed.  This time should be no different.  The hosts, Brasil, have what is deemed to many in the world to be the deepest and most skilled team in the field....it also boasts a ton of youth which should benefit them greatly with the temperatures in their home country.  

Brasil 9 points

Mexico 4 Points (moves to knockout on goal difference)

Croatia 4 Points

Cameroon 0 Points 

Group B Spain, Netherlands, Chile, Australia

Group B is hi lighted but TWO world powers in football.  Netherlands and Spain are a formidable twosome up at the top and odds are they wil be the two to move on from the group.  Netherlands blast a heck of a scoring attack we what I believe is enough of a defense to keep most teams at bay.  They are led by scoring power houses Arjen Robben and Robin Van Persie.  Spain obviously is coming off winning the title in 2010 and the two top teams in this group played each other for the title. The first match for this group naturally had to be these two in a rematch so look for the winner of that game, if there is one, to be the winner of this group.  Spain are an older team and their goalkeeper has been suspect all season for Real Madrid which could cost them greatly.  Chile struggled in qualifying and it took a coaching change in order for them to go on a run and make the finals.  Although this was the case, I believe is team to be very good and should challenge the top two for a place in the final 16.  Without question the worst team in the World Cup has to be the Socceroos. They boast perhaps only one world class player in Tim Cahill who has been practicing his trade in arguably the worst of the major soccer leagues in the world, MLS. If he is the only thing holding this team together it will be a LONG tournament which could see a record in goals allowed.

Netherlands 9 points

Chile 4 points (advance on goal difference)

Spain 4 points

Australia 0 points

Group C Columbia, Greece, Ivory Coast, Japan

Ahh the easiest group in the World Cup by far.  Who in the world thought this foursome would be paired together in this tournament.  Columbia is a very questionable team which is full of flaws but just might get through based on the relative lack of experience in this group.  Greece on the other hand have to be the class of this group.  They usually play very well in major tournaments as they surprised a ton of people a few years ago with their run in the UEFA Euros.  I look for this to be another one of those runs.  Ivory Coast could be the second best team in the group on paper if everyone is healthy from Toure to Drogba, etc.  I look for their health to be good and this team to make a decent run to press for a place in the final 16.  Japan is another enigma. They come from a relative easy path in Asia to make the Cup so their competition is not really indicative of whether they can compete with the best.  With the kamikaze style they play it will be no doubt they will take tons of chances against everyone.  This could be a positive or negative.

Greece 5 Points

Ivory Coast 5 Points

Japan 3 Points

Columbia 1 point

Group D Uruguay, Costa Rica, England, Italy

What I consider group of death number one. This group has three major teams that could all win the group but just as easily be the one left out.  Uruguay with Suarez and Forlan will be VERY formidable up front and they aren't lacking in the midfield or the defensive side of the ball.  It wouldn't surprise me one bit they win this group with their quality of play and constant attacking style. Costa Rica to me seems to be the whipping boy for this group and I think it will be more than just a feeling....it will be reality. They really don't have much that can contend for three group games against three of the world best.  England, while being a good team, can be an enigma.  I will also say that the selections for the team also were questionable to say the least. While boasting a world class keeper and a great midfield the striking may be in question unless Rooney is healthy and plays well. I really think this will happen.  Italy is the oldest team by far and boast a TON of questions from top to bottom.  Will Buffon be the keeper and how well will he play? Will Chiellini, Pirlo, De Rossi, and Balotelli all play to their ability? We shall see.

Uruguay 7 Points

Italy 5 points

England 4 points

Costa Rica 0 points

Group E Switzerland, Ecuador, France, Honduras

A group with a clear cut leader in the clubhouse is finally seen...lol. France is by far the class of the field in this group with their depth and their up from of Benzema and Giroud.  Switzerland to me could surprise.  They are VERY difficult to play against  and are very system oriented. It wouldn't surprise me to see them play France to a draw to possible make a game of this group in terms of challenging to make goal difference the decider with France. Of course their is the spoilers of the group with Ecuador and Honduras.  I don't foresee much from either team in this tournament as they just don't have enough world class talent.  Of course things do happen and a draw could make the difference in bending one of these two to the final 16 and sending one of the big two home.

France 9 points

Switzerland 6 points

Ecuador 3 points

Honduras 0 points

Group F Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iran, Nigeria

Again we have another group with a clear leader.  Argentina to me is without question the class of the group with their ridiculous depth and talent.  They have virtually no equal out of any of the other three which could see Aguero and Messi go nuts in the goal scoring category. For Bosnia-Herzegovina to do well in this tournament Begovic in net and Dzeko out too will have to take care of business.  They are fully capable and I see them to be the second best team in terms of capability in this group.  Iran is going to be run roughshod over by the group due to their complete lack of quality players.  It is possible though that they could be a spoiler and somehow grab a draw with Nigeria or Bosnia to give the other the second place spot.  Nigeria will be undoubtedly fighting with Bosnia for number two in the group.  They have a number of quality, world class players on their side which could challenge the lads on the Bosnia team.  Issue is can they get goals past Begovic when they and Bosnia play?

Argentina 9 points

Bosnia 4 points (advance on goal difference)

Nigeria 4 Points

Iran 0 points

Group G Germany, Portugal, Ghana, USA

Well it is my heritage against my home country.  Not shocked to see this happen.  On paper this group is Germany's to lose with their overwhelming talent and DEEP bench.  The team was so deep that when Reus went down in a warmup game they didn't replace him with another mid they put in another defender for his spot on the team. The team is led by a ball handling and talented midfield with Özil, Götze, Schweinsteiger, and Schürrle. A phenomenal keep in Neuer, forward group of Podolski, Klose, and Müller also will not be a problem.  Portugal boasts without question either the best player in world or the second best in Ronaldo with world class players in many other positions.  However, the one position they may be in trouble is between the pipes and for that reason they are a rung in my mind behind Germany.  Ghana has some serious talent and if they all come together this team could surprise anyone in this group. It even wouldn't shock me if they drew the Germans.  From a midfield with Essien and others to Gyan up top they are formidable.  Now for my home country and the team I think is quite a questionable squad.  Klinsmann went for serious youth which was his way of pointing to 2018 and jot giving his team much chance in this cup.  To me it was a serious mistake but I digress.  The team as assembled doesn't have the world class talent up and down the lineup to beat the best in the group and to me will be challenging to even score a goal.  Now this could easily change as this team is such an unknown but to me I go with what is on paper and not what could be possible or to my heart.

Germany 9 points

Portugal 4 points (advance on goal difference)

Ghana 4 points

USA 0 points

Group H Belgium, Algeria, Russia, South Korea

Another group that on paper should go to one team.  In this case that team is Belgium.  The Belgians to me are a team to look out for in this cup.  From Lukaku and Hazard to the defense of Van Buyton,etc. this team could be a big mover.  The rest of this group I know VERY little about so I will just say the other three will battle for second and it will most likely be who beats who.

Belgium 9 points

South Korea 4 Points

Russia 3 points

Algeria 1 Point

WORLD CUP! WORLD CUP! WORLD CUP!!

Okay my favorite sports event has begun...stupid me I forgot to do a preview before yesterdays games so I will preview todays games and pick winners.

After that I will do a more formal preview of the whole cup tonight.

So on to todays games!!!!

Mexico vs. Cameroon

The greatest stage always brings out the best in teams and like always I expect the best from Mexico.  They have played, arguably, the worst of all the teams which made it to the World Cup during the qualifiers. I expect next to nothing from them since they are so anemic and this game may very well do them in if they do not play well and win.  The Mexican players have shown that when they get down they struggle to bring themselves out of it. This is certainly not the stage and definitely not the game to let apathy affect your play.

Cameroon is probably tied for the best with Cote d'Iovoire and Ghana as the best teams out of the CAF but I cant see them being a MAJOR factor through the entire Cup.  This game, however, is another story.  I foresee a lackadaisical Mexican soccer team coming into the World Cup which Cameroon could EASILY take advantage of with their speed.

I see this game going to the Africans by a final of 2-0.

Spain vs. Netherlands

Ah the replay of the final in South Africa. The day the pots were drawn this matchup was one of, if not, the biggest games in the group stage.  Now the fan in me sees this as a Dutch vistory or a draw but we shall see what I truly feel in a moment. The Spanish side is not anywhere near as crisp this season as they were in 2010 when they won the cup but of course neither are the Dutch. This seems to me to be a battle of older teams that can make some noise but in the end dont have enough to challenge fully for the overall title.

The Spanish side is still made up of the same boys from South Africa and while they are more in the prime or just past their prime it still doesnt bode well for future glory.  Of course the Dutch are as much or worse in terms of age. This matchup could be the game to see in the group stage and I think it will live up to its billing,

I see the game being a hard fought affair with nothing between the two teams.  I see the final 1-1.

Chile vs. Australia

This to me should be the most lopsided game of the day. The Socceroos really have no business being here and are by far the worst team in this group.  Chile is one of the best in the world so this should be little to no contest.  The Socceroos have lost pretty much all of their talent from previous World Cups except for their easy federational area for qualifying...lol. The Chileans, although they didnt have to face Brasil to qualify, are one of the best teams in CONMEBOL.  I foresee a rout here of epic levels for a World Cup.  Final 3-0 to Chile.

June 6-8 weekend of sport

The first full weekend of June brings us the end of the French Open from Paris, the beginning of both finals series for NHL and NBA, and a full slate of motor sports.  

French Open Womens Title

We begin with tennis from Paris as the final for the Women was played in gorgeous conditions on Saturday June 7 between Maria Sharapova and Simona Halep. The match began as many had suspected with the two players blistering shots at each other.  There was not much between them with long rallies leading to and even start but at 3-2 on serve Sharapova broke Halep and held again to take the 5-2 lead which looked like the set was a cruise for Maria.  This was not to be the case as Halep held to love and broke Maria back to make the set 5-4.  Simona had all the momentum and the set was believed to be headed to a close end but it wasn't to be as Maria found the inner strength to break Halep back and win the first set 6-4.

The second set began much as the first ended with Maria taking an early break from Halep but quickly gave it back to the Romanian.  The set became a slugfest much like the first until 4-4 when Halep broke Sharapova in a game that should have been handled by the Russian but points were not put away.  The match looked to be made even with Halep's serve but the previous game would turn out to be the beginning of a break Fest. The four last game before the tie break were won by the returner and even the tie break was a situation of who would hold their serve best.  This turned out to be Simona as she won the last four points of the tie break to even the match and push it past the two hour mark.

The third set much like the previous two was a slugfest the entire way.  Each player traded breaks and hold of serves until 4-4 when Sharapova broke the Halep serve and would serve for the match.  It seemed we may be heading to more fun to end the match with players trading breaks but Sharapova was not to be denied and held her serve at love.  Maria fell to the clay on winning match point in disbelief having won her fifth Grand Slam title.

French open Men's final

In yet another installment of the Novak v Rafa battle it seemed Novak would finally get the better of Rafa on the clay courts of Roland Garros.  However, after looking very good in the first set it was obvious near the end Novak begins showing cracks.  The cracks were FULLY exploited by Rafa the rest of the way and after losing the first set he rolled to victory over his nemesis in four.  This is the fifth title at Roland Garros in a row for the clay court wizard from Spain. 

NHL and NBA Playoffs

Due to my team going out in the last round of the NHL Playoffs and not caring one bit about NBA basketball this will be short.  

The battle in the NHL would have been thought to be a battle of goalies but neither of the first two have proven to be so.  Both were high scoring affairs and ended in overtime with the home team Kings winning.  This series to me has long been headed for an easy LA victory and it wouldn't shock me it ends in four or five.

As for the NBA, of course it figures the two team everyone knew would be here (only one other team had legit shot in OKC) so this is why I loathe the NBA....NO PARITY!! Game one was held just prior to the weekend in San Antonio on Thursday in a sweltering stadium which saw the best player in the game cramp up for the umpteenth time in his career.  Lebron really needs to figure out his body and get this thing corrected.  Of course some people have been complaining that the game should have been halted when the AC broke in San Antonio but for goodness sake every player had to play in it and the fans had to deal with it as well.  Only one player seemed to struggle with the conditions so why should this game have been stopped? San Antonio went on a big run to end the game with Lebron out and take a game 1 victory by 15.

NBA game 2 to come.

Motorsports

Of course we have to go general on this topic as there was so many event this weekend.  

We start with Indycar...in what is one of their high profile races and one of their longest of the season the open wheelers were in for night of fun in Texas.  When NASCAR meets these cookie cutter tracks it is a bore of epic proportions but somehow the open wheelers have figured out how to have epic races.  Many side by side battles and changes for the lead happened all race so that the lack of caution laps didn't cause a problem.  Seeing these cars run lap after lap at over 200 mph at this place is epic and the end didn't disappoint.  Will Power who had been leading for much of the race was nailed for speeding on Pit road with little of the race to remain but was able to stay on lead lap after serving his penalty so he got a break when the late caution was waved for a smoking Takuma Sato.  He came in to take new tires and started fifth on the grid.  There were only two laps left but he made them count and nearly made it to the lead.  He finished second to Ed Carpenter, the oval ace, with the final order being Carpenter, Power, and Montoya.

What more could you expect from Montreal! A phenomenal F1 race came for those who watched it rather than the drab race in Pocono (more to come on that). What seemed like another march to victory for the AMG Mercedes Petronas team became a debacle as Lewis Hamilton lost his brakes and in the closing laps team leader Nico Rosberg lost the lead to Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull Renault.  Nico had the same issue as Lewis with bad brakes but limped home in second followed by world champion Sebastien Vettel in third.  The race was marred by a last lap wreck which saw fourth and fifth at the time Sergio Perez for Force India and Felipe Massa of Williams involved.  The wreck happened near the middle of the track going into a turn with Perez seeming to take a bad line which blocked Massa and caused the wreck.

As for NASCAR it was once again a trip to Pocono and the track that means so much to be out front.  A race dominated by Brad Keselowski saw him lose the lead on the last five laps when he was trying to get garbage off his grill.  Folks please stop losing control of your damn trash! His water temps were increasing forcing him to do whatever he could to get it off.  He attempted to get behind the lapped car of Danica Patrick but to no avail so he lost the lead to Dale Jr who ended up winning his second of the season pretty much cementing himself in the Chase.

Toronto Trip

This year if ifnally said enough was enough with having not visited Canada in so long so I went.  The original plan was to go to St. John, NB for the Womens Curling World Championship but that was scrapped due to a wicked snow storm that affected the eastern seaboard just before the day I was to leave.  It ended up not being as bad as expected and I thought I could end up going...but thank God I didn't as later in the week when I would have planned to be leaving St John for Toronto the weather took a nasty turn which caused chaos from NB through Quebec.

Thankfully I had already changed plans and decided I would rather spend a week in Toronto.  This was a driving trip once again and this time thought the countryside of PA and NY to the epic waterfall, Niagara Falls. It was a beauty to once again see this sight as it had been nearly 20 years since I last visited it...this time was even more fun since it was frozen.

After spending the night in Niagara on the Lake, Ontario it was on to the fun that encircles that town....wineries! All of the big name wineries of Canada are located in that town so I decided to hit all of them as well as locations that are obscure to many in the States but big to those who have ventured even once to the North.  The wineries I visited were the Jackson Triggs, Inniskillen, Peller Estates, and Reif Wineries.  I came away with quite a haul that I knew would be such fun going through customs to bring back to my country.

After my visit to the wineries it was on to the hotel for a week in downtown Toronto.  I don't think I could pick a better hotel then staying at the Intercontinental Hotel City Center.  It ws centrally located adjacent to the convention center and across the rail tracks from Rogers Centre and Skylon Tower.  My view out the window of my room was quite stellar and is the next photo.

The night I arrived was the first of two trips I made to nearby Oshawa.  It is a small town of middle class Canadiens, my type of people, which have the same problem as I do... An undying love of hockey.  The Oshawa Generals have been a staple in this town for decades and their new rink, at least to me, is the GM Center.  It is a beauty and definitely the type of place a team of the caliber of the Generals would have for their home.  I got to see two wins in the playoffs by the Gens while I was in Canada as well as get to see one of the top five players in the 2014 NHL Draft in Michael Dal Colle.

The second day of my trip saw a FULL day of fun starting with a visit to the Skylon Tower.  It is much like the towers in Niagara Falls and Seattle which have great views of the cities sites and are must does as long as you don't have a fear of heights.  The Skylon Tower in Toronto is famous as well for its bottomless floors in the elevators and on one of their floors in the main part of the tower.  The second thing I did was go to the only Canadian round of the Monster Energy Motorcross series at Rogers Centre.  I was only able to stay for the prelims and qualifying as I had tickets for another event that evening but let me say it was a wonderful experience even though I never got to see Ryan Villipoto race a lick.  Last item on the day was to see an epic event that not many people see per year....the Leafs vs. the Canadiens.  This game has ALWAYS been a must do for me as a hockey fan and it lived up to my expectations.  The venue, Air Canada Centre, is EXTREMELY loud and even more so when the Canadiens come calling.  Unfortunately, the Leafs were screwed by a bad call and ended up losing this game but it ws fun and something I will do again.  It ws also one of two games of the Leafs that I got to see on the trip as I ended my trip seeing them play the Blues.

The rest of my trip was mainly sight seeing and what would a trip to Toronto be without going to the Hockey Hall of Fame. It is the hockey fans epicenter of fun.  All of the trophies handed out by the NHL are housed here for the year and of course you also get a photo opp with the biggest one, The Stanley Cup.

Among the other things I went to do on the trip was to see the Leafs old stomping grounds the Maple Leaf Gardens which has now been turned into a combination supermarket on the lower floors and a hockey rink for a sports club on the upper floors where the original rink was located..  I also had to shop at the place I always buy clothes from in Canada, partially due to the owners being from the same college as me as well as e quality of clothes they have.  The location at Eaton centre in central Toronto is considered their flagship store and it is a gorgeous store with three floors of clothes.  Eaton centre is also home to a HUGE Hudson Bay Company (HBC) store which I was able to purchase items from the Canadian Olympic Team.

The last major tourist thing I did was to go to the Toronto Zoo.  It is a short drive up the 401 from downtown and is a must do for the city as it is a large zoo with many specimens you may not have in your zoo back home.  They have Polar Bears (including a baby), Pandas, Grizzly Bears, Moose, Australian animals which are very unusual to see as well.  They also have some penguins that REALLY love cameras.

The other thing about Toronto is you never know when you will see a television show or movie shooting in the city.  It is a MECCA of productions and is considered the NYC of Canada for the production Companies.  On two consecutive days I ran into the shooting for the CW show Beauty and the Beast and got pictures of the main cast.  It ws quite funny as on one of the days they were shooting it ws FRIGID...I mean 20 degrees with 30MPH winds and light snow.  On that day they shot a scene where a lady was taken by two agents while wearing a sleeveless wedding dress.  It was beyond funny to watch since they were frozen.

All in all a GREAT visit to Toronto and am already planning on a repeat either the end of the year or same time next year.  

On the way a home I was also able to go to a place I had long wanted to try due to it being on television for weird eating contests to finish large items quickly.  I was not going to be stupid enough to try a ridiculous sized one so I only had...the One Pounder...lol.

CPAC 2014

Well another year has gone by in relation to politics and the CPAC event.  Of course it seems a year in politics means much the same to the folks in this party.  As an independent politically I like to go to various events to see the truth of what the people of that party believe.  You see the side constantly that they want to show you on TV or in the events where they are viewed by a greater audience but when they are with their "people" you get to see the real person.  For this reason I HIGHLY recommend voters get out there and go to events to see the truth behind the candidates to make a FAR more informed decision on what they truly believe when it comes to their politics. 

This year saw the usual suspects from Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Sarah Palin, and Ann Coulter.  These folks grace this stage every year and this year seemed like the same message as the past years...Obamacare is terrible and everything government is the devil.  It really ticks me off sometimes to hear this constant tirade from this side of the aisle since it seems they don't have answers it is just that every thing the othe side thinks is trash.  If they would come up with some ideas we would be a much better off country as we could have a real debate on the ideas and even maybe work together to compromise on some things to get the people in this country better lives.  

The surprise this year, however, was of last years snub Chris Christe.  He was very good in my mind as although he was obviously hitting some of the tones of the rest of the far right of the party he at least was calling out things that need to be done differently by them.  Of course he pretty much had already killed his campaign the weeks before by the scandal involving Bridgegate.  Among others to grace the stage was Col Oliver North which I can not understand as a hero of this side of the aisle when he is a disgraced officer but I digress.

Of course it is also pretty easy to get access to many of the people in attendence as they are walking the media area within arm distance of all to he attendees.  Here I am with Col North, Dinesh D'Souza and media members EJ Dionne and Dana Loesch.

All in all it ws a same old, same old mentality for this convention.  But I will say it was MUCH smaller this year and it is quite possible that they may either move the event next year to another city, cancel it altogether, or downsize further.  It seems attendence is waning and the organization in charge of it needs to rethink the way they are running the event to make it a success further in the future.

AMS Meeting Atlanta

Prior to going to Disney my boss asked me if I was willing to go in his stead to the AMS conference in Atlanta.  This being the first time I have attended since I was in college it was a blast.  Now mind you, you have to be a weather need to really get anything from the conference. I have degrees in meteorology so this was an easy sell.  With it being on the way back from FL and the following week after our vacation we went directly there since we were in a car going to Fl.  

We arrived to downtown Atlanta the day before the conference as a whole was to begin and mind you I hate a this city....  

We stayed in the downtown so that we could have access to the convention center without issue and access to the touristy things when we weren't at the events.  Unfortunately, due to the fact that Atlanta does a poor job with their sidewalks and the city itself is on a "hill" it made it difficult when your mother has a hard time walking and is in a wheel chair. 

The day after we arrived was Super Bowl Sunday so we spent the day at the sights seeing the Olympic Park and Coke World.  After doing a part of our day in the touristy things I went off to meet a fiend in Buckhead to watch the game at Twin Peaks...little did I know we would run into an Atlanta icon...Chipper Jones.

The conference itself started the next day and was four days FULL of VERY informative sessions on the science of weather and the new advances from college, private industry, and National Weather Service entities.   My favorite sessions included a half day symposium on the Fujita scale and changes to the scale people would like to do as well as scientific techniques that could make for better understanding of what the true classification of the Tornado should be.  Another was the entire day spent discussion major events from 2013 and what was done scientifically and otherwise in response to those disasters. Of course the biggest event I went to (I have to say this...lol) was the Family of Services and Partners Meeting for the National Weather Service where we talk to our private industry partners on the advances we are doing in our offices to make their lives "easier".

Of course as a weather need we also had the opportunity to see some of our faves in the industry from Josh Wurman, Mike Better, Dr Greg Forbes, and Ryan Maue.  Of course the best part is being a part of the AMS website for a year since they snapped you while being in line to get your book signed by your Director.

No trip to Downtown Atlanta would be complete without seeing the obvious epicenter of the city, CNN Center, or the icon of the city, The Varsity.  CNN center has a great VIP tour you must take which gives you an up close view into the daily operations of the television station with visits to their control rooms and right outside their many broadcast areas.  The Varsity is an icon for a reason unto itself...it is built into what could have only been a roller rink in its earlier days and is now a drive in fast food joint...it is without a doubt a don't miss on a vacation to Atlanta.

Family trip to Disney

Time for a bit of catchup....I slacked again! 

After Rolex 24 the family went to Disney for a trip this time with my sister and her family.  This was the first time my sister has been to Disney since she was in High School (now 30) and the first for her two kids.  Usually the trips we take to Disney are adult trips so this was fun to we it in the eyes of a child again.  

We were there together mainly due to a convention my brother in law was attending but it was just a good excuse to get to a warmer climate.  The first three days were spent without him due to going to the convention and he joined with us once again for the last two days.  We had a grand time by going to all four parks seeing many characters and going to many of our favorite haunts since my mother and I are regulars.  

It was great to see the interaction the children 2 and 1 had with the characters.  They were such cheeses in many cases plus it was great to get pictures with my niece and nephew which I don't get to see as much as I like.  

Another great thing is the family portrait which always is taken by the castle.  It is a time honored item to have as it signifies the vacation to a T. It is all about having a magical time in a place that is taken from reality and puts you into a new way of being.  

Of course, myself, I couldn't leave without adding to my collection of pictures with the characters.  Since Anna and Elsa were new due to Frozen (with their five hour waits being a rule) I had to get them plus my usual picture with Cinderella.

This is always a favorite of mine to go to and with the Be Our Guest location which is a favorite of ours for dinner and staying for a first time in Polynesian Resort it was a winner.  Unfortunately, due to Disneys lack of building new areas quickly to keep pace with Universal and it's lack of items to do as a person more than ten it has become a place where I can only justify going to on a a much rarer occasion going forward. 

It is still a great destination for many....so always Wish Upon A Star.