Today's question: Who will win the Daytona 500 (America's Race)?

If we look at the past, it's pretty clear that the manufacturer will probably be a Chevy. Additionally, if we look back we could deduce that the winner will be one of a few drivers... Dale Earnhart jr., Jeff Gordon, Jimmy Johnson, or Tony Stewert.

Oh, we can't forget about Michael Waltrip who is also looking to win, and has won in the recent past.

Why is Daytona such a big race? I think the reason for this is that Nascar hypes it up with some great marketing, also during (speed week) they have a combination of all race leages begginning their seasons. Arca, Craftsman truck series, busch series, and the nextel cup series.... not to mention all the practice sessions and qualifications in addition to the 2 125 mile races which determins some of the qualifiers for the big race.

So pretty much it is an exciting weekend that kicks off the racing season and sets the tone for many of the teams that race there.

Too bad Mike Wallace didn't get in Sunday's race, But I'm glad to see that Kenny Wallace did make it.

Rusty is in the race with Kurt Bush driving the 2 miller lite car.... I think.

Well, have fun watching the race. Sit back, crack open a beer for me and eat a chip or two.

8 feb 2006

I think this dream could have been a telling of something that might happen:

This had to do with a huge strech of railroad. I was with my wife, and we were at a place that was situated near a railroad track that ran east-west. It was daytime, probably because the sun wasn’t neither setting, nor rising and even though it was obscured by clouds I could tell it was somewhere over my head.

My wife said what in the world is that? As she looked north toward the tracks. As I looked, I noticed thick black smoke billowing into the sky from spot after spot all along the tracks as far as the eye could see.

As I went to investigate what the burning was, breathing began to feel funny… like the smoke was tainted with some poison gas like CS, or some chemical agent… And, As I approached the first smoking area, It looked as if some pile of brush had been set on fire, but as I continued east alont the track I saw the black smoke being shot out oof watercannon-like apperati. Like the watercannons used on army washs racks… only these (as I stated) werespewing a toxic smoke into the air. Thankfully, in my dream, the winds were from the south, so I I wasn’t as effected as I thought I might be. (hey, this is a dream)…

So, I’m walking along and I see that every ½ mile or so a spot such as this exists… then I look at another smoke source, and a pile of wood like things (like wooden ‘C’s”is burning. Then, a road runs along side the tracks and a lot of people are outon the sides of the road wanting help, but the police arekeeping the people away from the train (stopped in the tracks) and out of the road. So, as I see an army guy and girl run past me going west, I decided to get behind them and act as if I belong there.

It turned out the girl was doing the same thing, and soon stopped to talk with her sister who was on the train. I kept running behind the soldier who was dressed in Camo. BDU’s.

What I get out of this dream is that Terrorists are planning to use out rail lines to inflict a massive amount of casualties all across the nation. I’d suggest that cargo vans be inspected, and that security in and around train stations and hook-up locations be beefed up.

By Daniel Taverne

According to Occupational Therapy, occupations are defined as those daily activities performed by individuals that give life meaning and contributes to the person’s over-all sense of life satisfaction. Using this definition, it should be easy to see how much blindness can impact who a person is, what a person does, and ultimately, how a person defines him/her self.

Think about the things you do that are important to you. Are you a parent? Are you a spouse? What work or activities do you engage in outside your home? Answering these questions will point out a few roles you might have. Each of these roles is comprised of occupations which enable each role to be performed successfully. In turn, each occupation is comprised of performance components.

If for instance you perform the role of parent, one of your occupations might be meal preparation. A performance component of cooking a meal is wrist strength. This performance component is important for lifting heavy frying pans, an opening cans and jars. So, poor wrist strength can contribute to an inability to perform the occupation of cooking which in turn could lead to a parent questioning his/her self worth. Now I realize this is a simplistic example, but I think I’m doing a good job of getting the point across.

Keeping the above example in mind, let’s consider the performance components affected by blindness. If a person is newly blind, the size of his/her world is only as large or as small as the space between his body and his outstretched hand. Therefore, if a person’s world is that small, all his occupations are lost in the darkness. This is quite a blow to a persons self worth, and the joy that comes with being one of life’s self determining participants can be lost there as well.

After thinking about this a while, I believe vision in it’s self is a performance component of virtually every occupation performed, especially by those who can see. Fortunately though, because I’m blind, I am discovering there are only a few things the blind can’t perform. For example, I can’t imagine ever driving again, nor do I think I will ever become a catcher for the Atlanta Braves.

The things I can do are surprisingly numerous though, thanks to the assistance of the Veterans Administration, as well as family and friends. For example, in my role of husband I cook dinner since I no longer actually work. In fact, I have overcome most of the barriers that blindness has presented in all my occupations.

The only real difficulty I currently have is a sense of belonging in a role outside my home. It seems I remember hearing pleas for volunteers at various places over the years, and now that I’m looking for a place to volunteer, I cant seem to find a place that will have me.

I suppose my blindness has made me dependant on others to a point that I am very willing to have a symbiotic relationship with almost any organization. They can have my time, benefiting from my desire and strength, In turn, I can derive a sense of belonging that comes with being a part of a collective motivated by a sense of purpose.

So, blindness impacts occupations on a large scale until new ways of performing are found. If you have someone in your life who has recently been blinded, be aware of the persons sense of self and how one’s inability to perform important occupations can diminish self worth, self esteem and self respect. Be there for that person by not treating him/her like a child. Instead, afford the person the same level of dignity you would want if your situations were reversed, by providing love and encouragement.

By Daniel Taverne

If you are like me, then you probably have a web log; otherwise known as a blog. Well, I was venturous enough to figure out how to put a guest book on one of my blogs so that visitors could let me know they were there. Unfortunately, thus far my guest book has received very few guest entries. Since I don’t like to feel like I wasted my time, I decided to have some fun by getting a few “characters” (some famous-some not so famous) to sign it. Printed below are some excerpts from my own guest book. (note: you can visit this guest book at http://www.dtaverne.blogspot.com
st book.
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Date: 1/24/2006, 4:44 pm, EST
Name: Rocket John Puckerd-but
Email: Puckerdbut@nickoftime.wowJavascript required
Web: http://www.puckerdbuttholdsontight.wow/
Number: 23

Hey there Dan,

Thank God I can type this, cause if I had to write it, you wouldn't be able to read it. You see, I just finished a tour of duty for Uncle Sam. I was an 'in-flight missile repairman, and let me tell you when you're slicing through the air at 500 knots and you got 2 hands in the control box, the only way you have to hold on, is clenching up your butt cheeks.

You should see how they trained us. They got some of President Bush's old file footage and played it for us for motivation sake... let me tell you, Bush could squeeze an hour glass shape in a pine log!... Any way, we had to sit, naked, on some huge pine log swings, with our hands tied behind our backs.

You should have seen how they checked our technique...we had 4 guys ring out because they didn't have enough butt to hang on at all.

Another thing they made us do is carry an olive around between our butt cheeks all day while jumping on a pogo stick - naked. If we dropped the olive, we had to eat everyone elses olive... yuck!

After I graduated, I got the W2 designation because I had the puckerest butt in the platoon... and I was put on immediate duty.... I was lucky becaus, though I did repair some large missiles, I mostly repaired the smaller ones that weren't quite as powerful as the others.

My last mission was in iraq, I was on the missile that was supposed to go up Bin-Ladin's butt, but my extra weight depleated the fuel too fast. by the time they clled out the in-flight missile refueler, the missile had made crashed... oh well... I parachuted to safety.

Well, you have a good web site here, keep up the good work
PuckerD
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Date: 9/20/2005, 2:11 pm, EST
Name: Osama Bin Ladan
Email: mailto:hiding@tokeepmy%20assfrombeingshotoff.badJavascript required
Web: http://www.sendotherstocommitsuicidewhileiliveon.nut/
Number: 15

I have mesagge for yu. my englis not gud cuz i am idiot. I angry all time cuz my drawers are chafin my ass. I miss my momma and want to come out from hiding but am chicken. I tryd to hide injury from firs attack of shock and aw, but injury was severe. Americans shot my johnson off.
Now, not only do I not hav backbone, I also have no pecker.
I tried to stop the bleeding by putting a turnakit on it but I could not find anything small enough to use. Even thread and a needle was too big.
I think I have sand in my underware.
Well, u americans, stop lookin for me.
I bin ladan later.
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Date: 9/13/2005, 1:33 pm, EST
Name: Britney Spears
Email: noshameforanyteengirl@brainless.galJavascript required
Web: http://www.culturekiller.com/
Number: 14

Hey sweetie,

I've finally been rubbed the right way! The only problem is I've been rubbed so much that I'm raw. It's like I've been 'scrub'bed. I would probably like what you have written on your site if I knew what most of the words mean. I mean, it's like wow, man. What is a 'cultural report' anyway?

Anyway, I hope the world will always remember what my mid-drift looks like, the exposition of the mid-drift by millions of young girls is my legacy.
XXOO;
Brit
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Date: 11/1/2005, 1:33 pm, EST
Name: Para Mecium Protozoa
Email: reallyreallytiny@cantseeme.bitJavascript required
Web: http://www.makeyouitch.inyourdrawers.eew/
Number: 17

Hey bud,
I know it's been a while since I visited you, but you and I could be seeing more of each other if you want... well I could see more of you. Just don't wash your hands, have someone with the black plague cough on you, eat those hairy peas in the fridge or go hang around the hospital and handle those red "bio- hazard" bags... open up a few and give 'em a good stout sniff.
I just love you! I love your friends too... as a matter of fact, I visited that last girl friend you had,
and had a few relatives grow on her. She itches and burns allot now....
Well, good to see you, and don't take care...
Your Favorite Germ
Para
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Date: 8/25/2005, 11:18 pm, EST
Name: Oprah
Email: mailto:Oprah@IJavascript required
Web: http://lightbulbmoment.com/
Number: 11

Great to see you found something to do.
Ladies and Gentlemen, here is a man who has overcome extreme odds and still found happiness. He's an inspiration to us all. I will now send to you 200 million dollars to spend as you like... wait, let me see if I have it in my petty cash fund. . . Okay, I have it, and then some.

Well, If this money helpes, here's a few of my favorite things: A choclate covered microphone ( I can constantly lick it while on the air)...a Super Wonder Girdle complete with ratchet straps and reinforced titanium battle buckles...a hair treatment device called an Integucraft which molds ugly hair into wonderful looking topiaries...a bottle of 'stop-give' pills given to me for my incessive desire to give away my stuff and just stuff in general.

Another favorite thing is my strechable bathtub I can enter and exit with ease. I have a pair of industrial strength slippers which can support the weight of an elephant... and I had a pair that lasted me 2 weeks! Longest ever for me.
Also, I have pills that make me fat, although I am anorexic....
_____
note, Oprah is not anorexic.... I am just having fun here at her expense... none of what I am saying is a reflextion of her at all.... thank goodness.

Well Dan the manhave a good life
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To sum this all up, guest books are great to have on your site, especially if you actually have people sign them. If not however, you can have fun and humorously sign them your self the way you might imagine some famous people might sign them. An interesting note here is that the spelling and grammar need not be perfect in a guest book since guest books are largely informal. So, have some good clean fun without the pressure of being intellectually stimulating and soon you will see your guest book filled up with entries that are well worth reading.

This blog, Southern Observer, is dedicated to the proposition that all men are created flawed. To that end, I intend to point out those flaws in some interesting ways... hence, the (observer) illiteration as expressed in this blog's title.

But, Man's flaws are not the only subject of this blog. I'll post humorous articles on a wide range of subjects, articles on dopit-yourself projects, and even self improvement articles that may or may not be helpful to people.

It'll be important then, for you to keep in mind that I am not a professional thinker, writer, or anything else. I'm just a disabled veteran with a lot of time on my hands.

Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful life away from your computer.