Day 3 at the Circular Ball

The Blazers completed a 2-1 run at the 2009 Roundball with a nice win
over Our Savior New American this afternoon. The guys competed very
well and made some of the most unselfish plays I've seen all year.

My Bus

.....and Damian(but call him Sean)

The Band

Promo shot as we entered the Tanger Outlet. It'll be on the cover of
our new album called "Bad As I Wanna Be and Bad Hats"

The Lodge

Blas holding kourt with a K

Win!

We beat John Carroll from Maryland. No, the school John Carroll. If
there's a guy named JC from Maryland I apologize.

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Hope Springs Eternal

Not sure what that means but will the Cowboys win a playoff game this
year? The kid in the top picture thinks so.

KD in the bottom knows the truth

Ironic?

Took the loss this morning to Pinewood Prep.....cool quote here that
was on the whiteboard after the game. Make any assumptions that you
would like

The New Al's Upstairs?

Throw Him Under the Bus?

Ok so there wasn't a bus for our trip to Charleston today which is why
we were at the airport Budget Rent A Car renting two SUVs last
night....why you ask? Wardrobe malfunction. Yes. Blame it on Janet
Jackson.

We are playing in the Piggly Wiggly Roundball Classic at West Ashley
High School. Updates to follow....

Final

Final score:
Oak Hill 89
Ridge View 65

Overall a successful and eye opening experience I believe for the
Blazers.

Team

The final team meeting right before taking the floor against the #3
ranked Oak Hill Warriors.

Wall of Fame

Oak Hill's wall of fame where jerseys of all the Division I players
that have come out of there.....and one more piece of history. If you
look closely you'll see my shirt and tie combo that would be worn
later hanging on the wall on the bottom right of this picture.

So unofficially I have had my shirt and tie honored in historical Oak
Hil gym

Look Familiar, Teachers?

I hope not. This is CL dreaming about being more like Coach Rose when
he grows up. Sorry, CL, many have tried and failed....

Our MJ

......getting interviewed by the guy the internet radio station.  

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Motorcoach Safety Video

Yeah so the busdriver just fired up a motorcoach safety video. In the
unlikely event of a water landing your seat cushion can be used as a
flotation device....

And now some pictures from the beginning of our 4 hour journey

Roseoverexposed travels to Mouth of Wilson, VA today as the Blazers take on national power Oak Hill Academy tonight. Where is Mouth of Wilson you ask? Great question

Smelly Freight Elevators

So we didn't get to take the old freight elevator like the old days
but it was still a good day in the Garden.....even though we lost our
scrimmage

A Boy and His Dream

So the subject line would only be funny if you were on the Staten
Island Ferry with us. Sorry folks

The bottom picture is from Ground Zero. The gentleman on the left held our guys' attention for around 10-15 minutes giving them history about 9/11 and the new developments in the area. He was one of the most dynamic speakers I've ever seen.

DO

Possibly the creepiest car sales ad I've ever seen

Who knew Donnie Osmond was a car salesmen on the side?

Yeah, good point, on the side of what?

Grate Thought

Ok so I know by now you must be thinking, "Brian is one of the
greatest thinkers and writers of our time.".

Why, thanks. That means a lot coming from such a well-known
literary critic.

With that being said, I couldn't help but think how many things are
dropped through these types of grates in cities. I thought that as my
hands suddenly became sweaty while walking over this grate. But think
about it......phones, iPods, wallets and other valuable things like
toothpicks and safety pins must routinely fall through these on a
daily basis.

And what happens to them? Do city workers do the right thing and
find the rightful owner?

I'm sure they do

On a related note, how does one "mark" sarcasm when writing?

Oh, update on the trip.....just hopped on the 1 train and heading to
ground zero then maybe the Staten Island ferry. We are scrimmaging
Bishop England in the Garden at 2.

The Garden

Made it into the Garden. Cal getting smoked by 20 at the moment. The
'Cuse is pretty good

ESPN

The guys in the ESPN zone, times square.

Chap's Alive!!!

......and this is the best pizza you'll ever have in NYC....

Ok well i don't want to speak for you so let me say this is the best
pizza IVE ever had in NYC

Also, just got a call from Chap. He's back from Costa Rica and will
be on his way to Macedonia tomorrow. The story continues!!!

P

Must be about time for pud....

Pockets

This guy stopped short of asking for an autograph at least

DF

Derek Fisher on the subway.....incognito in glasses

In the city

Smells

Ok so is there anything that smells better in an airport than a
Cinnabon location? I'll answer for you, "no"

New York City?

I think even my alarm clock was thinking, "it's too early"

Oh and one side note, if you're picking up the Ridge View basketball
team, would either A) pick them up from Ridge View High School or B)
pick them up from Spring Valley High School. This question just may
be tougher than you think......

Live Local News

Live Local News

Columbia SC news stations begin their live local news shows at 5am.
At first, I thought, "Wow, that's early and I doubt anyone watches
that." But now that I get up at 5ish during the week, I appreciate
Curtis Wilson and Nat Roers being there to tell me what's going on in
Columbia, which of course usually is not too much. But this morning
as I was roused at 4:03 AM, I noticed a lively voice on the TV talking
about the current weather conditions in Indy. Quite amazing that a
news show would be live at 4 AM and actually be good and informative.
But I guess that's what you find in a progressive city.

Don't get me wrong. I like Columbia. Heck, I may even love it. But
there is a certain charm about a city that seems to be on the same
page in a lot of ways. There's always a new building that has been
built since my last visit(this time it was a phenomenal addition to
their library.....last time was Lucas Oil Stadium which is still
unreal) there are always plans to revitalize an area or some thing
else cool going on in the city. Indy just simply has it going on.

Maybe I feel this way about Indy because my guide for the weekend
knows everything there is to know about her city. And there's a lot
to know. Working for the Chamber has served her well but I would
imagine that the Chamber is esctactic to have her serving with them.
If there was ever a picture of Midwestern hospitality it would be Alane.

As I expected, I still love Indy. I look forward to coming back in
April for the Final Four and seeing what is new in the city and what
it has in store for me.

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Yeah

.....she's laughing at my lack of hair

Day 2

Found this on Branden's fridge last night while we celebrated his 30th
birthday. What's that? Yes. That's correct. Last night was the
first time I met Branden.

What a great crew though. Thoroughly enjoyed myself hanging out with
the many Butler University grads in the house.

Brickyard Crossing golf course. Inside the IMS

BF

Butler Fieldhouse!!!

Two Things

This airport is awesome.

The dude holding the sign has to be "Class Checker of the Year"

Yes, America, Stuart Scott's lazy eye is even grander in person

Ok so the definition of 3G in DC is slightly different than in Columbia. And by "slightly faster" I mean "wow this thing is fast"

BW

Looking like Bill Waldrop really never entered my mind.....that is,
until I agreed to shave my head if the boys won region this year.

The top picture is a result of allowing the guys to shave my head. I
kept this look for several hours and must say got some hilarious looks
from people that I know and people I don't.

But alas I had to shave it all the way to remain somewhat professional

Probably could have timed it better than to shave my head before
heading north...but a victory is a victory and a promise is a promise.

Also, a receding hairline is a receding hairline

Rollers

Have I ever given you my thoughts on rolling carry-on bags or rolling
bookbags?

Well let me tell you that I'm not a fan. But before I do expound on
that, let me welcome you to "roseoverexposed travels to Indy." I
couldn't be more excited and I can tell you are too. I mean who is
reading this blog about my travels to one of the greatest cities ever?

Anyway, rolling bags are where I draw the line in my bag purchases.
And yes. I do draw a literal line in the baggage store.

I would rather carry a 121 pound(yes I spelled out "pound" because I
wasn't sure whether to use "lb." or "lbs.") and have a sore shoulder
than to be seen with a rolling bag. Don't get me wrong, if you're a
person that employs the use of a rolling bag.....more power to you.
No literally of course as all you have to do is roll a bag but you
know what I mean.

For some reason I think I would be considered weaker or less of a man
if I used rolling bags.....as if writing a blog from the CAE terminal
makes me more of a man.

And why did I feel compelled to place hyphen in carry-on and not
bookbags?

Off to Indy!

Indy Trip #3

10-24-09

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Sing it, Bruce

Backstage with Bruce Hornsby. Thanks to Brett for this!

Final Thoughts

While it is still fresh in my mind, I wanted to get some thoughts down
about this trip.

First, did I enjoy myself? Yes.
Am I glad I did it? No question, yes.
Did I make mistakes? Without a doubt.

Most everywhere I went people asked me what the highlight of my trip
was, and my response has been my initial swing through Ireland and
Scotland. Over time that may still prove to be true, however, I must
say that the entire experience from planning, to prodding, to
implementation, to completion has been the highlight.

I told Beth last night and when I first arrived that I could tell
Barcelona was going to be a great place for my journey to end. That
couldn't be more true.

This trip stretched me as a person and allowed me to see how I can act
away from the comfort of Columbia. Some things I liked, others I
didn't.

It goes without saying, but this trip was made by the people that were
around me. And being that I travelled solo I had to find people to be
around. That's why I say the first week was amazing. The Irish and
Scottish people were incredible and the people from other countries
that i met while in ireland ad scotland were amazing as well. I know
now that if I do this again that I will spend time in smaller towns or
seek out locals that are welcoming and want to learn as much from me
as I want to learn from them.

The reason I consider Barcelona a perfect last stop is that I was able
to hang out with a friend for a day and a half that is living it. I
mean really living it. Beth has dove(or is it dived?) head first into
Spain and the Spanish culture and it's amazing to see. Here's a
person that is open to making decisions that go against the norm of
being an American and especially being raised in the south and she's
thriving. She's learning new things everyday and is growing beyond
belief. Quite encouraging for me to see. Thanks so much to her,
Andreu and Andrino for welcoming me like they did.

Best memory? Getting to know local people at the stops I made along
the way.
People like:
David at Doolin Hostel
Stephen and Aileen Browning, The Springs, Tobias and Julianna at
Castle Hostel in Tralee
Miles, Brenda, David, Deidre, Brian, and Dylan in Waterville
Felix and Anka playing golf in Waterville
Marilyn and Bill Burns in Stranraer
Ryan Simpson in Turnberry
Lucy and Jacque in London
Beth, Andreu and Andriano in Barcelona

Favorite moment? Right now, definitely playing music in Waterville.
That was unreal. Still can't believe that actually happened.

Dumbest move? Without a doubt missing my flight this morning. Wow

Best transportation siting? Probably the train ride from Edinburgh
to London. It was for hours of great scenery and wifi. Sounds like a
small deal but I was able to learn about the places I was passing as I
passed them. Quite cool. How did I know what I was passing? Yes,
Blas, this phone has GPS.

Worst moment? Hmmm that's a tough one. I didn't ever have a "bad"
time or a moment where I said "get me outta here."

Things I'm glad I did?
-The waking tour of London
-Walking to the top of St. Paul's Cathedral
-The bike tours of Paris and Barcelona(give you a great chance to
really see the city AND almost get hit by cars in the process)
-Visiting the Cliffs of Moher
-Going to two days of the British Open
-Sleeping on a Scottish beach
-Playing two great courses in Ireland
-Being open to meeting new and different types of people
-Maintaining this blog
-Seeing the major sites in London and Paris
-Riding the subways after finally figuring out the route systems

Thanks again to you the reader. The feedback I've received throughout
has been quite fun and inspiring. Hopefully you derived as much
enjoyment from reading this as I did from writing it.

Until next year....