Great idea

for me the whole event was tainted by not getting to see high level MMA fighting with the fight that we got.the Henderson/Guida fight would have been a way better representation of what this sport has to offer.
i almost got the impression from Dana White at the press conference that it was more of a statement from FOX then an MMA event that was being televised. a counter programming type use of the fight more then trying to attract a new audience.
if the purpose was to attract new fans and viewers for more then 1 time then it felt like it failed to me. Not trying to take anything away from JDS’s victory, he deserves all the accolades that he gets but as an example of what MMA has to offer the fight fell short.
i am excited that MMA is finally going mainstream television and i hope it maintains its integrity after the television vultures get there claws in it. an independent MMA channel is what this sport needs in my opinion and i feel its inevitable that it will eventually grow into that as the commercial money value rises with the popularity.

UPDATED:

i guess i should say for what it was, it was a great show and went over well before and after the fight. great informational pieces and personal pieces on both fighters. i would think they both gained more fans then the sport itself did. Both fighters stories played out well and made you want them to succeed, also huge props on keeping the whole UFC crew and adding people to compliment them, all that worked out very well in my opinion. everyone seemed right on cue and played their role well.  

the whole before and after shows on fuel TV was great, lots of interviews and information. may only problem was they didnt get to show some real back and forth MMA and that’s the best part for me and what makes it exciting as a fan of the sport. knock outs are part of the sport i know but the real heart and character of the fighters comes out in the extended battle, especailly the ones that go back and forth when each fighter gets and loses the advantage and the fight is so close that fans on both sides make an argument for their guy.

i don’t know, its just my opinion. i love this sport and it has pretty much ruined me for all others. they all seem slow and boring to me know. i still hold onto football but even that just doesnt seem the same anymore.

i want this sport to be successful and grow into the major sport that takes over for all others. i’ve always said fighting was the first sport and will be the last sport. this was a big step in the right direction for the growth of the sport in a business sense, which is what it needs more then new fans right now. build it and the fans will come, it is a primal instinct to fight so watching others fight will come natural, everyone wants to think how they would fair and imagine themselves in the fight, atleast i am willing to bet it is a “man” thing.

my daughter seems to have adjusted to college life fairly easily so far. she is doing great on her work and has met a lot of new people. it’s early still but she is doing just what i expected her to do, be successful at whatever she does.

one thing i noticed lately that makes me proud is when she comes back to the house or meets us somewhere, she is bringing her new friends with her. just last weekend we took the girls to go on a hayride and pick out a pumpkin at one of the local farms. we called the oldest to invite her along. we all met at the farm and sam had brought a couple friends with her.

at first i frowned but then after giving this some thought, it occurred to me that she could have easily made any excuse about studying or having plans and not came but not only did she come but she invited some of her new friends to come with her and meet her family. 

it makes me extremely proud that she doesn’t have the standard “embarrassed by parents” issues that i thought every kid had and not only would want to come to a get together with the family still but want to share the experience and her family with her new friends that might not have family close or didn’t have anything to do. 

could she possibly be as proud of her parents and family as they are of her? i dont think that is possible but i’ll take whatever it is cause it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside and i like it.

my wife has done a fantastic job raising our children, us deciding she would stay home and raise our kids instead of a daycare doing it has paid off big. the girls have the compassion for others my wife has and the common sense that i like to think comes from me.

they are, by far, my greatest accomplishment and biggest contribution to society. anything else i have done or will ever do, could not have an affect on the future as dramatic as my children will by being themselves.

sometimes i really doubt that i deserve the family that i have, someone messed up and gave me “top shelf” when i was supposed to get “house”

http://www.pumpkinmasters.com/free-patterns.asp
http://www.squidoo.com/free-pumpkin-carving-patterns
http://www.pumpkinlady.com/pumpkin-carving-patterns/free-pumpkin-carving-patterns/
http://www.carvingpumpkins.com/
http://fantasypumpkins.com/free-patterns.htm
http://www.pumpkinglow.com/Patterns.htm
http://www.bhg.com/halloween/pumpkin-carving/printable-pumpkin-stencils/
http://www.spookmaster.com/pumpkin-carving-patterns-freebies.htm
http://www.history.com/interactives/pumpkin-carving-patterns
http://family.go.com/disney/pkg-disney-parties-and-holidays/pkg-pumpkin-templates/
http://www.parenting.com/gallery/halloween-pumpkin-carving-stencils
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/halloween/mpatterns.htm
http://www.nickjr.com/printables/nickjr-pumpkin-stencils.jhtml
some not free
http://www.zombiepumpkins.com/
http://ultimate-pumpkin-stencils.com/jack-o-lanterns?gclid=CPSRiavs3qsCFcG8KgodnGkhPA

I was approached at work by my boss with an idea for a new department in our shop.

this new department would take care of all new jobs coming in the building, work out all the problems then pass the job onto production for higher quantities.

this department would have the best machines we have in the building to cover anything we can do. the biggest 5 axis, the bigger mill turn lathes, a crew of the best and brightest people to operate and program, an engineer to help develop any aspect of the part the customer has not, and eventually it’s own inspection equipment.

i get to run the show, if i could hand pick and make up a job, this would probably be real close to want i would take.

i will only have to deal with smart, like minded people and none of the people who don’t want to be here or are only here to get a paycheck. nothing wrong with those people i have just never been one of them.

my drive has always been to know more and be able to do more them anyone else on the floor, no matter where i worked. to me knowledge is power. that power has been my means of climbing the ladder anywhere i ever worked.

once i got to the top of the ladder i realized, i now had to deal with all the people that don’t care and it has been a tough road. i can’t seem to express my disappointment in people without making them feel like i’m picking on them for some reason.

i’m not very good at people skills and expect some level of common sense from anyone working for me. this is a skill set i have been working on but have not mastered. it’s very hard for me because i take my job serious and expect nothing but perfection from myself. 

make me look good and i’ll take a bullet for you, make me look bad and i don’t want you anywhere near me. 

anyway this whole new plan sets me up to shine at what i do best, the hardest most challenging work that only the top tier people in the building can handle.

i will create the process, programs and any tooling needed to finish the parts then ship them off to production after all the problems are worked out. I will be dealing directly with customers and designers to assist the customer in any way they need to get their product in their hands as fast as possible to generate the confidence in us they need to give us their work.

the fact that they want me to be in charge of our “showcase of abilities” and the owner saying i still need to be available for him to discuss new jobs that he is quoting like we do already gives me confidence that they do respect my abilities and opinions enough to put me out front and have the faith in me to be able to build the company’s customer base for the future.

Tomorrow is the day they make the announcement to the whole shop about these plans for the future of the company and how it will unfold this year.

My daughter is on a school trip to Spain this week. her physically being out of reach is driving me crazy. knowing if something goes wrong i can do nothing soon enough for it to make any difference is torture. of course everything will be fine and she will have a great time but till it’s over there is a spot in the back of my mind reserved for instant panic.

they started in Barcelona http://www.barcelona.com/barcelona_city_guide then they were headed to Madrid http://www.esmadrid.com/en/portal.do 

we have got short calls from her and calls from a family friend that is close friends with the main teacher in charge saying all is great and they are having a good time but until we pick her up at the airport on friday night around 7:00 pm, i can’t really relax.

this is the first year me or my wife didn’t go on any trip either one of the girls took with school. one of us being there always made these trips no big deal. can you say control freak? I can.

whole crew

photos of the actual magazine that they interviewed me for at work that i mentioned in an earlier post