tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78316420786679786692024-03-13T12:19:05.254-05:00A Legend In My Own MindEstablished December 2009Mr. McGoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754023282591632165noreply@blogger.comBlogger155125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831642078667978669.post-57573536187919865422012-12-04T14:57:00.000-06:002012-12-04T14:57:37.555-06:00Thanksgiving Festivities<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As Mrs McGoo stated on <a href="http://itsnotmydiary.blogspot.com/">her blog</a>, the McGoo's decided to stay home this year for Thanksgiving. A lot of intangibles went into the decision, but this was the first time I hadn't been back home for Thanksgiving (with the exception of one trip to KC) since I was in my 20's. So a long time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGeVSkD7rC86wzMbCR1eI12Nvw-Rl_7AlLLsKG3agzG6m8Qc9x0fBQLzuhoWRwGuUB2nNAl1DgYENvtnN5lbQMHmSGbM1OBb6NChdNYMldZ2uWxSz_-2S6DQ3puOh5F9Sc_vPJQqxcLGA/s1600/IMG_0978.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGeVSkD7rC86wzMbCR1eI12Nvw-Rl_7AlLLsKG3agzG6m8Qc9x0fBQLzuhoWRwGuUB2nNAl1DgYENvtnN5lbQMHmSGbM1OBb6NChdNYMldZ2uWxSz_-2S6DQ3puOh5F9Sc_vPJQqxcLGA/s320/IMG_0978.JPG" width="320" /></a>This time around we stayed in town and celebrated the holiday with Mrs McGoo's family. I questioned my mother-in-law (The Grinch) if we were having a ham on Thanksgiving. I've learned that it isn't something that everyone does (which is strange to me - I like ham more than turkey really), and she told me that she wasn't. I quickly complained about this issue and somehow she mental ninja'd me into deep frying a turkey and she would take care of the ham. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8AwmiIUTn8b5UNqVTxRmD6GKBDUuhyphenhyphenIGvj-Py8hVCnOK-kXjhVKID5Ou7JWg9-RzAXt7XIbrdZAIT6JhUsL8oP6N6z-Nhjw2AuqCrkrm7IqX1CfnS-_YRrCx8_4VMPlBGxgtrw1bScfI/s1600/IMG_0983.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8AwmiIUTn8b5UNqVTxRmD6GKBDUuhyphenhyphenIGvj-Py8hVCnOK-kXjhVKID5Ou7JWg9-RzAXt7XIbrdZAIT6JhUsL8oP6N6z-Nhjw2AuqCrkrm7IqX1CfnS-_YRrCx8_4VMPlBGxgtrw1bScfI/s320/IMG_0983.JPG" width="240" /></a>Reluctantly I agreed to cook the turkey. So I set out to Costco to get the oil and fixins for a marinade/seasoning for the turkey. Costco's options were - cheap kirkland's veggie oil, corn oil, and canola oil - all of which made for a tough decision. I've only cooked with veggie oil, so I went with the cheap oil.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ56ZzNawSu1awECjuRHsiuPXPOZZX_aswLHlqwXUqxBotBVUyew2EepBYMysET8vp-Tffk5ugYeMQZgQBZv9jsyOz6xSWJDgUt1HwKer8TA5l9HbfwRIWHSUE1FsbQ5dxSUk9wjXJF0U/s1600/IMG_0990.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ56ZzNawSu1awECjuRHsiuPXPOZZX_aswLHlqwXUqxBotBVUyew2EepBYMysET8vp-Tffk5ugYeMQZgQBZv9jsyOz6xSWJDgUt1HwKer8TA5l9HbfwRIWHSUE1FsbQ5dxSUk9wjXJF0U/s320/IMG_0990.JPG" width="240" /></a>The night before I stayed with the in-laws so I could prepare the turkey and get it all lathered up with seasoning and some marinade. <br />
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The next morning I fire up the cooker and get the oil heating up and go into get the bird out of the fridge to room temperature. I figure it should take about 40 mins or so for the oil to come to a boil. Equally, it should take about as long to get a few things taken care of in the kitchen. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitLGqj_Fjy5DammPcRmzJrMTveUmaXg5BqR2__rpz_KydiSPB81zTNr9IOPHcd8h-Q4SwhtCj44rGpgH6deQp3NiMcP0PIfpK2HQtObr_rG7n0aQ4pGAyXi43mEMPcIbmAVHS9nda6iUM/s1600/IMG_0991.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitLGqj_Fjy5DammPcRmzJrMTveUmaXg5BqR2__rpz_KydiSPB81zTNr9IOPHcd8h-Q4SwhtCj44rGpgH6deQp3NiMcP0PIfpK2HQtObr_rG7n0aQ4pGAyXi43mEMPcIbmAVHS9nda6iUM/s320/IMG_0991.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
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About 40 mins go by and I check on the oil and it is still not boiling. I check the temp and it's showing around 350 degrees so I decided to let it go for a little longer. Went back out a little while later and still not boiling and it reads close to 400 degrees. I begin to start to wonder what is going on and think that maybe I need to cover it and as I go to cover, it combusted. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNyQGTCK9foCepVxoOE6JhT1p6s8t7WkejG_b0BugcKY4Y_TILuD2N9sYVrymdWRjMJhsVniZuLIkBadiZ7tgCv7GG9Aw2kCOn0cv1nN78a-E8K3qULss5Dy6eTOrYY1eSXaFZiLFMeVU/s1600/IMG_0992.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNyQGTCK9foCepVxoOE6JhT1p6s8t7WkejG_b0BugcKY4Y_TILuD2N9sYVrymdWRjMJhsVniZuLIkBadiZ7tgCv7GG9Aw2kCOn0cv1nN78a-E8K3qULss5Dy6eTOrYY1eSXaFZiLFMeVU/s320/IMG_0992.JPG" width="240" /></a>I sat there for a while and began to wonder what happened. I'm thinking through everything I did and it was correct. Took every precaution that I could and still it caught fire. Thankfully I didn't have the bird in the cooker at the time and began to think about what I could do to "Save Thanksgiving." Thankfully, MILC went inside and found her roaster and we threw the bird in there, cooked it, and finished just in time for the rest of the family dinner time. <br />
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While we're getting the bird cleaned up a bit, my father-in-law Lloyd and the rest of the fam are outside taking a fire extinguisher to the pot of burning oil. Apparently there was a bit of a small explosion which led to a few small burns on his hand. Thankfully it wasn't anything serious and eventually the fire died out. <br />
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Thankfully, the Wilson's saved Thanksgiving. Which is quite ironic really when you think about it. <br />
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Didn't the Grinch save Christmas too?<br />
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Mr. McGoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754023282591632165noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831642078667978669.post-32610838486703806362012-11-20T12:45:00.001-06:002012-11-20T22:43:47.155-06:00A Year Gone By<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Hard to believe it's been a year since my last post. Truth is, there were plenty of times I felt like blogging, however, every time I went to do so, I saw my last post, read it, and didn't want it to become just another post. As time went by, I felt like I'd wait and come back and reassess things after a year.<br />
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I recently told Mrs McGoo that Monday, the 19th, was a year since Kodi had passed away. A lot has happened in that time, yet it still seems like it was a a few weeks ago that it happened. Still miss the guy like crazy and there are so many times I still look when I wake up in the morning to see if he is laying on his bed. <br />
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I still miss ya buddy.<br />
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So it has been a year since I last blogged and I figured I would document (somewhat) what has gone on in our lives since the last time I posted.<br />
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- I met one of my lifelong goals last December by graduating from college and, in fact, did it in three and a half years. Really big thanks goes out to Mrs. McGoo for being an incredible supporter of the venture. Honestly, it is something I had wanted to do for a long time and never thought it would be possible. <br />
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- After Kodi passed away, we felt like we wanted to wait for the right time to get another dog. I wanted to really be able to grieve and also give Dexter a lot of time and attention that I felt like he should get. However, we realized after a while, Dex didn't like the idea of being alone. All Dex has ever known was having a brother to play with around the house, so when we left the house, Dex was all alone. He started acting out a lot and tearing things up, which led us to believe he was lonely. So we talked and felt like it was a good time to get him another brother. <br />
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Enter "Tango" our new puppy. There is a story behind how we went about getting him and how we came up with his name, but I'll save that for another blog. Needless to say, he's been a great addition to the family.<br />
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- Mission Trips to Ethiopia and Uruguay.<br />
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- Mrs. McGoo one more year of Nursing school.<br />
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- Obama re-elected<br />
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Hopefully a lot more happening in the next year. If the Mayans were wrong...<br />
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I'm confident they were.<br />
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Until next time.</div>Mr. McGoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754023282591632165noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831642078667978669.post-56410801014711006092011-11-21T13:18:00.001-06:002011-11-21T19:30:49.749-06:00Kodi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Saturday morning I was awoken at 6am with a call from the vet. As I was half asleep and prepared to hear how my dog, Kodi was doing, she stunned me by saying, "I'm sorry Mr McGugan, Kodi passed away last night." As I lay in bed on the phone, Mrs. McGoo, who was getting ready for school, walked in and sat on the bed next to me. She could tell in my voice and the conversation that the news wasn't good. I got off the phone and immediately started tearing up. We embraced and I got up and put on some clothes to go to the vet to see him and speak to the vet.<br />
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I had taken Kodi to the vet Thursday, November 10 because I came home from Tulsa and he was limping pretty bad. They took an X-ray and discovered he had arthritis in his front right leg and it was extremely swollen. They gave us some medicine to administer and told us to let them know how he was doing at the beginning of the following week. The next day, Friday, he stopped eating and acted like he was zoned out. So we stopped giving him the meds and on Sunday, he began to eat and act right again. I called the vet on Monday to give her an update and she told me to try one and not the other to see if it was the meds that caused it. So we did and he went back to not eating and acting strange. The rest of the week was a tough one for him as he didn't eat anything and just didn't quite act like the Kodi I came to know and love. You could tell something was wrong. So I took him back to the vet on Friday and they told me he was really dehydrated. They gave him an IV of fluids and said to stop giving him the meds all together. When we walked outside to get in to the car, Kodi stumbled quite a bit and had a hard time getting in the car. When he was in, he looked glazed over and started breathing heavily. I immediately knew something was up and took him back inside to get a double check. The vet ran some blood tests on him and discovered he had pancreatic issues. She suggested that they keep him over night and give him an IV of meds and try and heal his pancreas. She said it was treatable, but they would know more from him in the next couple of days. <br />
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So I sat with Kodi for 45 mins while they did some other things and got a chance to love on him for a while. It was very evident he wasn't feeling well and I wanted to make sure he knew I was there. After I got the call the next morning that he had passed, I went up to the vet to talk to her. She told me that he slept through the night and, because he was still very warm, had just recently passed away. He looked very peaceful as if he fell into a deep sleep and never woke up. Later I found out from the autopsy that Kodi had the beginning stages of Liver cancer. It had dehydrated him, raised the levels of nitrogen in his blood (which led to being spaced out), and was affecting his pancreas. They told me this type of cancer was called the "Great Pretender" due to the fact that there are no external signs of it. The only way they can find it is by an biopsy and even then there are no guarantees he can survive it. So Kodi passed away at a good time. It was sooner than I was ready for and would have liked, but he wasn't in pain and had lived a full life. He was simply not feeling well and fell into a forever sleep. <br />
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I got Kodi when he was two weeks old from the animal shelter in late July 1999. He has been by my side ever since. I never thought I would feel as bad as I do, but the honest truth is, I'm crushed. See, Kodi was a dog I didn't have to do much for. He was well trained, wasn't all in your business, and loved people. The only thing I had to do for Kodi was open the door for bathroom breaks and fill up his bowl for food. I didn't need to calm him down when people came in, he'd just sniff them and get to know them better by sitting next to them. I didn't need to worry about my food around him because he wouldn't touch it.<br />
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Kodi loved crawling up in my lap when I sat in my chair. He would sit there for hours if you let him, so long as you were petting him. I didn't need a leash to walk him, he'd stay right by my side. He would sit in the kitchen if you were in there making food. He would sit in the bathroom if you were in the shower. He would sit outside the bathroom if you were in there cleaning up. He slept at the foot of the bed and stayed by the bed if you were sick.<br />
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I've had a couple of times in my life where I felt pretty alone in life. Before I met my incredible wife and before I came back to a relationship with the Lord, I lived by myself. I had a few years where I was a pretty lonely person and Kodi was who I came home to and played with. Through it all he was a constant in my house. Always there to greet me with a wagging tail no matter what kind of a day I had. I'd put my worries away for the night and have my best friend to spend some time with. <br />
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See a theme? No matter what it was in life, Kodi was always by my side. <br />
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Although I simply wasn't ready for this day to be here, it makes me feel good that knowing the last few hours of his life were upon him, we were able to sit next to one another for a while. I pet him and and loved on him, which in turn made him feel well enough to turn and give me a kiss. In that room, I was able to do something for Kodi that he did for years, for me. <br />
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Sit by his side. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8JADkTZJ8SupaD40J1UwaD7JXZi94mfun7z2-mpnMktqPf1Un1VqkWXbAO46wd_53W002PMIAGvGkFRLacXQo9zJOIN0n_ptJb74nfz-aYAzXk4rdvP392Rtw5xNBlhWVDsUzoQkige4/s1600/IMG_0809.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8JADkTZJ8SupaD40J1UwaD7JXZi94mfun7z2-mpnMktqPf1Un1VqkWXbAO46wd_53W002PMIAGvGkFRLacXQo9zJOIN0n_ptJb74nfz-aYAzXk4rdvP392Rtw5xNBlhWVDsUzoQkige4/s320/IMG_0809.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By my side - Helping me capture a lizard</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht53qSNRijW-USDFX6P2hvZsVySuypHIM7vKsbKk_8o_YzrSRHdj78aOES-E8XgwQQME4M5MY1ystpgbILUcpyp7BC7WOyMokIJ-NQxuRPUht0sAapgl0_hk5On1_trf5AWmdp9qSNBNQ/s1600/IMG_0822.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht53qSNRijW-USDFX6P2hvZsVySuypHIM7vKsbKk_8o_YzrSRHdj78aOES-E8XgwQQME4M5MY1ystpgbILUcpyp7BC7WOyMokIJ-NQxuRPUht0sAapgl0_hk5On1_trf5AWmdp9qSNBNQ/s320/IMG_0822.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By my side - Making sure I didn't fall in</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1tF_2ZmhfmbBCRtg-Daz8TyqO_6MwsT1MCmAF2YU8kX80R6UolZdmFY104ndgFNodfivbnOpsKUUGg0fuQTfbi_kz8TyY5o1VvhEloHVQLUx_TfzRdmyE-ShbLkXxlscEMj8PJg5gnhw/s1600/IMG_1255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1tF_2ZmhfmbBCRtg-Daz8TyqO_6MwsT1MCmAF2YU8kX80R6UolZdmFY104ndgFNodfivbnOpsKUUGg0fuQTfbi_kz8TyY5o1VvhEloHVQLUx_TfzRdmyE-ShbLkXxlscEMj8PJg5gnhw/s320/IMG_1255.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By her side - Giving "kisses" to Mamma</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEkWN0wjan-2WiZvZQYjIGV0hjmZmgmhZyIy0QlN6kWzRvmDg9mCjJC-Be7VLP1NHG_zYxVH5v3FCfKk1R4nlh1WrtN8mmhVgxfzXRkgzWofyKMm5Ervh1SyYQGdf4kfer3O01gs6Qy_8/s1600/PA050013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEkWN0wjan-2WiZvZQYjIGV0hjmZmgmhZyIy0QlN6kWzRvmDg9mCjJC-Be7VLP1NHG_zYxVH5v3FCfKk1R4nlh1WrtN8mmhVgxfzXRkgzWofyKMm5Ervh1SyYQGdf4kfer3O01gs6Qy_8/s320/PA050013.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By my side - Content with a hug</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjkmwmAU1p2zjqYkrox-ARXo3jr5utx66MSMjqjKoGjxdAJ3LPhEbz_5z2xukV85HD9uNk3uDBZET3tTgGUSPP0fdW3udEX8jGG-14NejPK7bnoPAC9MYGSDytpz_f-jBtgdXL61-atqs/s1600/PA050014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjkmwmAU1p2zjqYkrox-ARXo3jr5utx66MSMjqjKoGjxdAJ3LPhEbz_5z2xukV85HD9uNk3uDBZET3tTgGUSPP0fdW3udEX8jGG-14NejPK7bnoPAC9MYGSDytpz_f-jBtgdXL61-atqs/s320/PA050014.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By my side - Not liking the kiss</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWemjbIaCVB9pxNsl9ivBRj4zGtKF-7_KutejwiccU41SiGC4hiYAy8FJMf7ZjU9b5udAuf5qtCYd7x-KCO3ljj87giq-FWeT06WlpseIPbxNwBb5L64AqQGkTelA2q3TDmutOfmXf_sE/s1600/PC120333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWemjbIaCVB9pxNsl9ivBRj4zGtKF-7_KutejwiccU41SiGC4hiYAy8FJMf7ZjU9b5udAuf5qtCYd7x-KCO3ljj87giq-FWeT06WlpseIPbxNwBb5L64AqQGkTelA2q3TDmutOfmXf_sE/s320/PC120333.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By my side - Dad, your hat looks dumb. Do I really have to take this picture?</td></tr>
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Some people would say they've lost family pets. I'm here to tell you, we lost a family member.<br />
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I miss you buddy. </div>Mr. McGoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754023282591632165noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831642078667978669.post-72213925003099304552011-11-16T13:42:00.002-06:002011-11-16T13:48:18.753-06:00Thankful for Wildcats, the Letter K, & Redemption<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">In this season of giving thanks, I thought I'd post something I'm thankful for: my hometown, childhood, and current favorite team - The University of Kentucky Wildcats<br />
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Sure, I could have grown up in another city where they say that basketball is king, but God knew exactly where he wanted to place me. He knew where greatness exists and what kind of environment I needed to grow up in. In this day and age of what have you done for me lately, we tend to forget that you have to look at the full body of work for a program and when you do that, Kentucky basketball simply cannot be matched. That being said, I do remember what we've done lately. 75-65 Win last night.<br />
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I am also thankful for the letter K. The letter K was certainly the main emphasis throughout the night before, during, and after the game last night. Before it was Kool-ade, which is what I was drinking (and some may argue been drinking for a long time) before the game. During it was Kentucky. After it was a butt Kickin'. Aside from my name, there really wasn't any other K of consequence last night. <br />
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I am also thankful for my influence over friends and family. Had it not been for me, some of my closest family members, who were unfortunately not placed in great locations, would have grown up thinking that other programs where the greatest all time. Statistics aside (who uses those as a means of proof anyway), I couldn't let them go through life without knowing TRUTH. <br />
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Friends. I am proud to tell you today, we have seen the results of that very truth. Aside from the fact that statistics prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that UK is the greatest program of all time, we now have other visual proof that even the most stubborn of folks want to hold out on that belief.<br />
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<a href="http://fbasehor.blogspot.com/2009/08/kentucky-is-great-i-am-now-fan.html">Exhibit A: (click link)</a><br />
Notice the declaration for their new found love of the team. Notice the asterisk leaving him an out (which is common for anyone with lack of faith aka:haters). Notice the dates have passed on the pending investigation and nothing found.<br />
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<a href="http://fbasehor.blogspot.com/2009/12/favorite-college-basketball-teams.html">Exhibit B: (click link)</a><br />
See all statements from Exhibit A.<br />
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Subject has clearly gone from, what his grandson would call, Delusional, to a fan of the University of Kentucky. "The Guy" even went so far as going to bed early last night because he knew the game was in hand and a comeback by the other team was a wasted effort.<br />
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Sweet dreams UK fans. Sweet, Redemptive Dreams<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhShT8nU523DCh7bTRc_rOwaddOujH8m5zyigheMNB_zC9aI4EY1HL6E_zmGnBzi2piPa9ai3dbaDGa8yttLqokq5BrBxS4NPa8rgpSuK0F-X1tY7OSMvJ10J-CwPfn5pCEp1b-Kz5navg/s1600/FrankUK-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhShT8nU523DCh7bTRc_rOwaddOujH8m5zyigheMNB_zC9aI4EY1HL6E_zmGnBzi2piPa9ai3dbaDGa8yttLqokq5BrBxS4NPa8rgpSuK0F-X1tY7OSMvJ10J-CwPfn5pCEp1b-Kz5navg/s1600/FrankUK-2.JPG" /></a></div><br />
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</div>Mr. McGoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754023282591632165noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831642078667978669.post-31170819362822996862011-10-22T13:39:00.005-05:002011-10-22T13:54:27.696-05:00Idol Worship?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I have been around the game of soccer for a long time. I started playing when I was 5 years old and up until I joined the staff at the University of Memphis Men's Soccer team, I never took a season off. Additionally, my childhood was comprised of other sports such as football, basketball, and baseball. Needless to say, I spent a TON of time in my childhood playing sports.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB4zEqAduyeYBdrvj1L9SeLey56bjc86ppwA5uZCEvnEitBm3NuSc2hY8YkIphEaynDuCD82Li1XNvDVX_l6P7TMpD1MM6huGhcpW90jfmZpin_PCNDk_BJgKVOLvZh-hwqNkBazdn4bg/s1600/Kelly+024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB4zEqAduyeYBdrvj1L9SeLey56bjc86ppwA5uZCEvnEitBm3NuSc2hY8YkIphEaynDuCD82Li1XNvDVX_l6P7TMpD1MM6huGhcpW90jfmZpin_PCNDk_BJgKVOLvZh-hwqNkBazdn4bg/s320/Kelly+024.jpg" width="229" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aspiring Wildcat to be</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table>That being said, there were two days in particular which I hardly ever played or practiced. Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights were always days/times reserved for church. Heck, even the youth leagues knew not to schedule games or practices during those times because people wouldn't show up. When I got into coaching, much of this was still the same. Sure there were times when I was playing or coaching that we would have a tournament or two that we had to be at and Sunday's might have a morning game with an afternoon one. But this was not and every weekend situation. <br />
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I say all this because I have noticed a trend in youth sports nowadays. There is never an off day or a day reserved for families to attend church. Heck, now a lot of churches don't even schedule Wednesday night services because parents will be with their kids at games or practices. <br />
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My question is, when did this happen?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfwBv9liKvUWK2Spw0Th0va_ju6YWg5NA8N5OVOHD_q4KWpZm_KCvy5NSq_nvEcKbZBk9EpNUSPtr6-pM-SCjgMxx8FruJsp2KUBDNY20HBCDSUmOKTu1I4y4hdnTma-UyJQAxAQVzDOo/s1600/Kelly+061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfwBv9liKvUWK2Spw0Th0va_ju6YWg5NA8N5OVOHD_q4KWpZm_KCvy5NSq_nvEcKbZBk9EpNUSPtr6-pM-SCjgMxx8FruJsp2KUBDNY20HBCDSUmOKTu1I4y4hdnTma-UyJQAxAQVzDOo/s320/Kelly+061.jpg" width="224" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coaching</td></tr>
</tbody></table>A friend of mine, who I admire and respect greatly asked me a while back to pray for him and his family. Ok...nothing new there. But what he asked me to pray about was the kicker. He said, "Kelly,our son is playing youth soccer and is really good. We're about to get to that point where people are going to start wanting him to play competitive ball and I'm a bit worried. You and I both know how much fun it is and how much we enjoyed it and quite frankly, I enjoy watching him play. Please pray that we do not make an idol out of our son playing athletics." He went on to add that he wanted to instil in this son that being at church and worshiping our Lord and Savior means more than playing in a youth sporting event.<br />
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Those words really struck me then and continue to resonate in me now. It got me talking with Mrs. McGoo about how we'll be as parents. If you didn't know, she was quite an athlete as well and we very much want our children growing up in team sports. The values that are taught and ingrained into kids during their developmental years is invaluable. While we don't have kids, we know plenty of folks who do and I've noticed a trend that comes with having them. Kids first, spouse second, the Lord gets what's left. <br />
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If that's not idol worship, I don't know what is?!?! I had the opportunity to tell that to someone recently...that he's put his child first, wife second, and Lord third. I cannot say it was the easiest thing to say, but it was completely spirit led. I'm proud to say he took those words to heart and reflected on it and has made some alterations to how he went about his "worship."<br />
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So my hope is Mrs. McGoo and I continue to put the Lord first in our marriage as well as when kids come along. <br />
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</div>Mr. McGoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754023282591632165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831642078667978669.post-75381139664449550012011-09-15T15:44:00.000-05:002011-09-15T15:44:45.684-05:00Last Semester<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">One last semester down before I graduate in December. All I have left is 14 hours to complete. 12 of those must be an internship (which I am still looking for) and 2 is racquetball. <br />
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I've also gotten back to getting active. I started playing kickball again and workout after my racquetball sessions three times a week. Next week I start a 6 week boot camp that I bought on Groupon for $10 (regularly $210). The only problem is my body isn't holding up. Two games into kickball and I pulled my quad and my right toe is bothering me a lot because I have a bone spur on it. Additionally, I have a torn rotator cuff in my right arm, which doesn't lead to much fun after 3x's a week of racquetball and once a week of kickball. <br />
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This just in...I'm falling apart. Maybe I should start a painting class or something...</div>Mr. McGoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754023282591632165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831642078667978669.post-91158989724894645922011-07-25T11:06:00.000-05:002011-07-25T11:06:58.343-05:00London - Day 16 & 17<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">The past two days have been a bit uneventful. Everyone has left that I was in the program with and I am back at my cousin's flat just hanging out and enjoying some down time. Yesterday we went on a walk around the area and made our way to a really old cemetery. The headstones were really interesting to look at as a lot of them were from the 1800's. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPptU-NNOwyj9Moz9VXj3FS35-i845BCbTdSr7fQjVSNS88WZja-t-lomMVgXx6r96ryF8aAuhvcYCSLzBBeNNB7FpMjG7Zz9ddCY9RQQ_9WNMW28r-wlhw5PGsvxWP0LZwdOfooJp-90/s1600/2011-07-24+16.16.11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPptU-NNOwyj9Moz9VXj3FS35-i845BCbTdSr7fQjVSNS88WZja-t-lomMVgXx6r96ryF8aAuhvcYCSLzBBeNNB7FpMjG7Zz9ddCY9RQQ_9WNMW28r-wlhw5PGsvxWP0LZwdOfooJp-90/s320/2011-07-24+16.16.11.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chapel roof was destroyed by fire in 1970's</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfdDD9-PR-3JvJIEIBSxDcLOUtYL7WsRyn9f7XCIUlo_ranMhdVMfmdGhmxz32OkzdMF3oUJaH3isbcAj7xeylF03lkkXi5848QlYMXO2R9v_PODho-hzruTeq9cF6_p4kTGVbxm6bdvE/s1600/2011-07-24+16.12.44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfdDD9-PR-3JvJIEIBSxDcLOUtYL7WsRyn9f7XCIUlo_ranMhdVMfmdGhmxz32OkzdMF3oUJaH3isbcAj7xeylF03lkkXi5848QlYMXO2R9v_PODho-hzruTeq9cF6_p4kTGVbxm6bdvE/s320/2011-07-24+16.12.44.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Path leading into the cemetery</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidve_ZwtkmRVxxXC5JQ3PvyQeY_6yAd4PSYtSpXmmIOXisddH8ZMPvpAD94oJvo-LLTFDFzSIr9dZKjj10lPxZj3orVu9cIk5MJPaB2Mg86SJZ5G8gjP3c7rHVpLrvdDz8FRYuM_Gegrc/s1600/2011-07-24+16.29.27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidve_ZwtkmRVxxXC5JQ3PvyQeY_6yAd4PSYtSpXmmIOXisddH8ZMPvpAD94oJvo-LLTFDFzSIr9dZKjj10lPxZj3orVu9cIk5MJPaB2Mg86SJZ5G8gjP3c7rHVpLrvdDz8FRYuM_Gegrc/s320/2011-07-24+16.29.27.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Someone enjoying a seat </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1EKQGAjAgMbjLPX11WUuETuFx3cRWqbRBXt_op79TlVHw0gTzR_s3L98kbGLEP63e5AcJZOoAhUd1N-7dMpAMklO_9ys_o5gOw39nKnRShFG4i6Qi6krc3FW5dkZ_Yq_mNAloptSfJ-E/s1600/2011-07-24+16.22.34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1EKQGAjAgMbjLPX11WUuETuFx3cRWqbRBXt_op79TlVHw0gTzR_s3L98kbGLEP63e5AcJZOoAhUd1N-7dMpAMklO_9ys_o5gOw39nKnRShFG4i6Qi6krc3FW5dkZ_Yq_mNAloptSfJ-E/s320/2011-07-24+16.22.34.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cool headstone</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVOtAMeNJqJn-80WS90woaTuP5n11WZ9maGnSBejMN-J6AcjxCc04sYG3yFdKH4-mmI25v4ai4LjdK-793UVedJ_RxtB8Ks2JXuCkEErPskFljH7xwqtPTVyIpLdIqNFP0otvqtKE2YvU/s1600/2011-07-24+16.37.59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVOtAMeNJqJn-80WS90woaTuP5n11WZ9maGnSBejMN-J6AcjxCc04sYG3yFdKH4-mmI25v4ai4LjdK-793UVedJ_RxtB8Ks2JXuCkEErPskFljH7xwqtPTVyIpLdIqNFP0otvqtKE2YvU/s320/2011-07-24+16.37.59.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look closely and you can see St. Paul's Cathedral. Bench was behind me where you could sit and see it</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEChz1GlyAob7dUN0_TeXn0g6LSOzGQdC7i7jNZbumlqse-oq7HuoOE5X-a7GV4-P7NHk5HZEwZtCOcuN2Dq1GzyReUC8tipw8KSn7XN0TjGpa8jEZTqFovrJNfi3-nN7vV7tkoitAYiQ/s1600/pie.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEChz1GlyAob7dUN0_TeXn0g6LSOzGQdC7i7jNZbumlqse-oq7HuoOE5X-a7GV4-P7NHk5HZEwZtCOcuN2Dq1GzyReUC8tipw8KSn7XN0TjGpa8jEZTqFovrJNfi3-nN7vV7tkoitAYiQ/s320/pie.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can you see how many letters and hearts there are on the crust</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Ally, my cousin Andrew's wife, saw that I posted a picture on facebook a while back that I enjoyed the Steak and Ale pie I had at a pub. So Ally took it upon herself to make me a pie last night.<br />
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It was delish. <br />
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This morning I woke up and took a walk around town. Unlike the university I was staying at, where they live isn't the most easy place to get to downtown and back. <br />
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So I basically spend my time walking about the area close to their flat. It isn't all that bad though. Less traffic and congestion, which is a good thing for someone who doesn't like large crowds. <br />
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Today I walked to a place called "Lordship Lane" which seems a bit of a weird name for a place. However, it seemed fitting once I got there. It is all about consumerism and shopping. Really expensive clothes and other items a person might desire. So yeah, very fitting it is called "Lordship Lane." <br />
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Tomorrow I head back to the states. I am flying from London - Heathrow to Detroit and have a 6 hour layover there. Hoping to catch up with my buddy Jeff and grab a bite with him. Then I'll head back to Nashville where I am staying with another buddy until Wednesday when Mrs. McGoo can pick me up. <br />
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Pray for safe travels as the Mrs. and I are both traveling. <br />
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Oh, I got a little bored the other day and decided to make Mrs. McGoo a comic strip. She got a kick out of it. Let's see what you think?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA1bDNWO9lBh6yDR7ehSXsIUwV8o12B_nCQ5YeY9QJPQ_NRqd6SHgfa3B6qYwDYj71dFwUIbhvi4EB2T8HfRhTzqJBb2jZz0mYwCLZ2Vv4H3lud8D2cSMS1YiRBoVSJSyu6_AXIw8P8ic/s1600/ComicBook-App.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA1bDNWO9lBh6yDR7ehSXsIUwV8o12B_nCQ5YeY9QJPQ_NRqd6SHgfa3B6qYwDYj71dFwUIbhvi4EB2T8HfRhTzqJBb2jZz0mYwCLZ2Vv4H3lud8D2cSMS1YiRBoVSJSyu6_AXIw8P8ic/s640/ComicBook-App.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
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</div>Mr. McGoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754023282591632165noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831642078667978669.post-37535484239154412442011-07-24T06:09:00.001-05:002011-07-24T17:26:32.069-05:00London - Day 13, 14, & 15<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Apologies for the lack of updates the last few days. Again, was a busy few days here in London. Let's get right to it shall we?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ48jaCKTYNOWIVsffIkNt7RrGLoIgMiQBEeQlmI-nr2HR9F9DovcNA0y8Dox-Vrqpm2ZNeFmAEfQjQcaQ6FhOoDOuK0rU-vkkIHF0szI-6IV0tL6KeU-eoJCXs32lG1HCtDtS96uB8i4/s1600/2011-07-21+08.54.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ48jaCKTYNOWIVsffIkNt7RrGLoIgMiQBEeQlmI-nr2HR9F9DovcNA0y8Dox-Vrqpm2ZNeFmAEfQjQcaQ6FhOoDOuK0rU-vkkIHF0szI-6IV0tL6KeU-eoJCXs32lG1HCtDtS96uB8i4/s320/2011-07-21+08.54.14.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Olympic Torch</td></tr>
</tbody></table><b>Thursday - Day 13</b><br />
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Today, we had a little role reversal with our lectures and visit. We went on our visit first, then had our lecture. This was all due to our host visit, The British Olympic Association (BOA), being extremely busy getting ready for the London 2012 Olympic Games. <br />
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<b> </b>We had to be at the BOA for a 9am meeting and they are located across the city. So we had to allow about 2 hrs for travel,which made for a early rise to get going. Once we got there, we walked in and saw a interesting slide show and videos of the promotions they'll be doing once the games get closer. One of the cooler things they had were torches from previous games on display. I tried to take as many as I could, but there were so many, I couldn't get them all in the amount of time we were waiting around. I kept looking for the Atlanta one, but couldn't find it.<br />
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After the visit, we headed back for a long, 3 hour lecture from one of the professors. I really enjoyed the lecture, but got very irritated because we did not get any sort of break and I'm of the mindset that after an hour, one needs some kind of break to give your mind a rest for a few minutes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk3Yk1FMoBXi4C1DOfkUw-9A8NSE8q8FBhszRof6fJm14m2MZll7JhlrdJpc6XA87cUIBb5mioNIFlhyphenhyphenXlU_iqju5liA9nf74Mzy2wYoXiAUJOafkpDHdFqetc_1dQXR2dDFlbRwzfq0U/s1600/2011-07-21+19.21.45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk3Yk1FMoBXi4C1DOfkUw-9A8NSE8q8FBhszRof6fJm14m2MZll7JhlrdJpc6XA87cUIBb5mioNIFlhyphenhyphenXlU_iqju5liA9nf74Mzy2wYoXiAUJOafkpDHdFqetc_1dQXR2dDFlbRwzfq0U/s640/2011-07-21+19.21.45.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Craven Cottage</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
After the lecture, I went back to the room to get cleaned up and try to catch Mrs. McGoo online. No such luck as she was away from the desk, thus went another day were I wasn't able to chat with her. (side note, it has been very difficult to catch each other online while I've been here - so there have been multiple days where we weren't able to talk)<br />
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The night was the best part as we were able to watch a Europa Qualifying match with Fulham vs the Crusaders (small Northern Island team) at Craven Cottage. What is really interesting about London is the amount of Premier League teams they have. Just in London alone there are Fulham, Chelsea, Arsenal, & Tottenham (not accounting for West Ham who have been in the Premier League for years but saw them relegated last season). Also there are a bevy of other clubs in London such as Millwall and other lower division teams. To put it like this, imagine New York City having four or five teams in the NFL. You would think that those teams would have a hard time generating revenue and fans.<br />
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One thing about London is that it is very tribal with fans of their teams. The fans are generally surrounding the areas where the stadium is located. So I wouldn't dare walk around Tottenham with an Arsenal jersey on and vice versa. So I looked up some of the colours of the Crusaders to make sure no one from our trip wore them to the game. Red is their dominate colour and Fulham are White and Navy/Black. Check. Don't wear Red. I told everyone, so everyone went with neutral and I went with good old fashion blue U of M soccer gear. When we get there, the Crusaders are wearing blue kits. Ugh. I immediately start getting looks as I am sitting in a Fulham supporters area. I don't generally like zipping my jackets up all the way but in this instance, I took my zipper on my black jacket as far up as it went.<br />
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Great match, great time.<br />
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<b>Friday - Day 14</b><br />
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After finishing up all of our visits, today was the last day for our program. We had been told earlier in the week that we had a presentation we were in charge to deliver to the class about our organization our groups were in charge of hosting (Mine was Tottenham). Here was what we were given.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">"Identify the key strategic issue that your organization currently faces. You are required to identify some recommendations to the CEO of the organization, including specific steps that will be needed to achieve the ultimate goal (e.g., a marketing plan, television strategy, change in brand identity….)<br />
You will need to identify the key contextual issues that effect (and are effected by) the organization. Think about the global-local/something-nothing dimensions discussed by Dr. Andrews, and the various political, economic, technological and cultural inter-connectivities that have been discussed throughout the program that should be subsumed within such informed decision-making."</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">We were told we had 7 mins to present and would have 3 mins of questions from the audience. We were given this slide at the beginning of our program, but told it would be emailed out to us - so naturally, I didn't copy it down. We got it on Tuesday and haven't had a day to work on it. The one day we had was Thursday after our lecture, but it ran long, so we didn't have much time at all - and I was brain dead from the 3 hour lecture. We woke up and met at 8am to work on this presentation to be delivered by 10am (talk about last minute).</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">I unfortunately had two people that know nothing about Tottenham and what they are trying to do, so I devised a marketing strategy to build a stadium and all that goes with it - naming rights, luxury suits, community center and shopping areas where the old stadium would be. Tottenham has just signed a multi-year deal with Under Armour, who are looking to globalize their brand and I took the approach that both Tottenham and UA both have the same agenda - they currently want to be the best and have a dominant company(s) in front of them (Nike, adidas, Manchester United, Arsenal). </div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">We devised a 5 year plan for building the arena and developing the local area, which is currently pretty run down around the current stadium. We would partner with Under Armour and called the promotion "Protect this House." (Not bad if I do say so myself). So we presented this and faced off with some heavy questions, which I handled and fended off easily - I'm good at debating, just as Mrs. McGoo.</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">Once all the presentations were finished, we were asked to vote on the top four groups and were not allowed to vote for ourselves. The top four moved on to a second round and were given a question and had 10 mins to go outside and develop the strategy to address the issue/question. You were given 3 mins to present your idea and then faced 2 mins of questioning. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCL4fntCq3Jx__-Ta0CHwDJTSLS5607SSTk9GsVVp6N8PcBVGelc1gMbHOUeY5qZ9RUNAkkaUEgloHLxv_7scFg1EtR9RYNuFt4xMNkJUw3ByMMMYamouIyhs6AOrS6g-5HKtNQccNgl0/s1600/2011-07-21+19.24.37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCL4fntCq3Jx__-Ta0CHwDJTSLS5607SSTk9GsVVp6N8PcBVGelc1gMbHOUeY5qZ9RUNAkkaUEgloHLxv_7scFg1EtR9RYNuFt4xMNkJUw3ByMMMYamouIyhs6AOrS6g-5HKtNQccNgl0/s320/2011-07-21+19.24.37.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At Fulham </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">We made it to the top four and thus devised our plan. The question was basically saying it was 2050 and the government had taken over all sporting events and programs. They were forcing your organization to come up with programs that were to ENHANCE, EDUCATE, and ENTERTAIN the local community. I came back and delivered this speech.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">"Because we built a community center 35 years ago, we are going to put in a vocational program for adults that could use specific skills to better the surrounding areas and their families. We also will have a satellite campus for universities where adults and youth and go to for day or night classes. We will offer youth academy's for kids to develop their sporting skills and child care for those adults who wish to utilize the vocational program and/or college courses."</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Our questions were targeted at facilities being old and funding - to which my reply was since this was something the government was requiring, so we'd get money from them for the necessary upgrades and funding. "Anything further?"</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">After everyone went, they told us that the first round winner was a landslide winner and everyone else from 2nd -8th were close. They announced our group as winners of both the first and second round. My reward? A size medium adidas shirt with the London Olympics logo on it. Who says I don't come back with gifts for my wife?!?!</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj10TLc5vuI4LvckPnXJdox0wmln1I9QKam6FQ1eXeKiPmabV5UVEh9wMoFJl3uvvc3mU-tV3Hx6yQtwo2pA-hTX2pP24WJrre33MPT9MmXXBp_PtZlKOcK5vsmYFD7pc3JIvUk0LmZJDM/s1600/2011-07-22+14.42.12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj10TLc5vuI4LvckPnXJdox0wmln1I9QKam6FQ1eXeKiPmabV5UVEh9wMoFJl3uvvc3mU-tV3Hx6yQtwo2pA-hTX2pP24WJrre33MPT9MmXXBp_PtZlKOcK5vsmYFD7pc3JIvUk0LmZJDM/s320/2011-07-22+14.42.12.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Five Living Legends</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I then headed to my happy place - Emirates Stadium - Home of The Arsenal Gunners. It was a thing of beauty. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">We then headed out for a dinner celebration put on by the professors where they rented out an upstairs room at a restaurant and we enjoyed a good night of laughs.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Saturday - Day 15</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">Not much to say for this day other than most everyone was leaving and I slept in. Went and grabbed a bite to eat with by buddies Tony and Keith, who were staying an extra day. We went to Piccadilly Circus to exchange a few things and then headed back to pack up. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b> </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b> </b>They came with me to my cousin's house and we went out to see a movie, grab a bite to eat, and show them a great view of the city from an "underground" rooftop party. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglYJyvTr33SgbFjIpAFWsiOya4k-aZa4tqnsasaa9cgn1hH0KjLE9fHGEiFvGANJHatTvjecFtHJ70x4uUe-CvC0GdtUrs7ZZvfqTHDFhyXwQJdchySDYe2EM-55QI6M6rkQmmt8kQA2g/s1600/2011-07-22+23.13.07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglYJyvTr33SgbFjIpAFWsiOya4k-aZa4tqnsasaa9cgn1hH0KjLE9fHGEiFvGANJHatTvjecFtHJ70x4uUe-CvC0GdtUrs7ZZvfqTHDFhyXwQJdchySDYe2EM-55QI6M6rkQmmt8kQA2g/s320/2011-07-22+23.13.07.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My New Buddy Bob - GREAT Guy</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKyEj4rdqoEshy6Pq1l9yKcI8D3vKVLYSLFycQZJKULqbd4h5C-2dF-lWXtW67IvXoSn77yKODaUV0X-9CU_oxuluyO5IJaqqmH-RfhV-3eiP3cN2WnxkNZKNYKxXh9cJ0S-3bdXTng4s/s1600/2011-07-21+08.56.54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKyEj4rdqoEshy6Pq1l9yKcI8D3vKVLYSLFycQZJKULqbd4h5C-2dF-lWXtW67IvXoSn77yKODaUV0X-9CU_oxuluyO5IJaqqmH-RfhV-3eiP3cN2WnxkNZKNYKxXh9cJ0S-3bdXTng4s/s320/2011-07-21+08.56.54.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old Torch</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKeyXXxYXiN4HiYOrqarSS-dSKnY9BVv0eLm3oaLPPsj6micYjkXuJ8xzhq6wXk5ZwhiMYH1G13KQfHUm3lbImNjqRHZz8E-CmtnlbS5MHJHBmFJ9afDHEh9jL-3GdFpmhQWge4ai0sO4/s1600/2011-07-21+19.26.02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKeyXXxYXiN4HiYOrqarSS-dSKnY9BVv0eLm3oaLPPsj6micYjkXuJ8xzhq6wXk5ZwhiMYH1G13KQfHUm3lbImNjqRHZz8E-CmtnlbS5MHJHBmFJ9afDHEh9jL-3GdFpmhQWge4ai0sO4/s320/2011-07-21+19.26.02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">U of M Colours for the bad guys</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHh11nfuAt1V5HuGp7hA36ImE9SAh53xSe0DiOC3gzS9ZCCnNCpIWjF91YjoqZMQrDNWutznlnwwlmuY3mdelJ2BgSQM0doc_Gkko43FeL9NGKhyphenhyphen3728pX-wyDSAQnKeoktZoHaeN7aQ/s1600/2011-07-22+14.37.41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHh11nfuAt1V5HuGp7hA36ImE9SAh53xSe0DiOC3gzS9ZCCnNCpIWjF91YjoqZMQrDNWutznlnwwlmuY3mdelJ2BgSQM0doc_Gkko43FeL9NGKhyphenhyphen3728pX-wyDSAQnKeoktZoHaeN7aQ/s320/2011-07-22+14.37.41.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Happy Place</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6AExek-IAA8-4QnPfKkuoaitOygB5Jq346AL22nj8UIdTtmGfVCVja2kJQ9cjr3o6pIDkPO_jsnJDE6dXNSMF-wn6Kvi_UcAsn4sbhnO1y6SuvOpY2fRCMATE3hevQXMUC3_uUJc2wos/s1600/2011-07-22+14.45.43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6AExek-IAA8-4QnPfKkuoaitOygB5Jq346AL22nj8UIdTtmGfVCVja2kJQ9cjr3o6pIDkPO_jsnJDE6dXNSMF-wn6Kvi_UcAsn4sbhnO1y6SuvOpY2fRCMATE3hevQXMUC3_uUJc2wos/s640/2011-07-22+14.45.43.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emirates Stadium </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJDsdd9JG2cQ1LFAhgc9WllosaA8k5rG2FRw5KwJQ9QpLOzyXrjtu73KnPPaJwU1u7VlF_fmArtTMiXptVz_zH3_Ra8sCI1Qk8331TfspFse__wdZHMcJgvzkjGEwjqrJZEn7m1YskOzg/s1600/2011-07-22+19.12.57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJDsdd9JG2cQ1LFAhgc9WllosaA8k5rG2FRw5KwJQ9QpLOzyXrjtu73KnPPaJwU1u7VlF_fmArtTMiXptVz_zH3_Ra8sCI1Qk8331TfspFse__wdZHMcJgvzkjGEwjqrJZEn7m1YskOzg/s640/2011-07-22+19.12.57.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The upstairs room they rented out</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipUEj9OjvAV4XNdaz10K9SIlglSt9hRsFeaf29ml0cZmK93J4K89LF2LX2rA0RwrsKRmQqXXBXzKs2QOG_qsq_bOqsUSOnpGkzK9JoOhFAaW7w_m8Nz45uz-g1Ceu4KwhGhLLXe7Cqjf0/s1600/2011-07-22+15.15.26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipUEj9OjvAV4XNdaz10K9SIlglSt9hRsFeaf29ml0cZmK93J4K89LF2LX2rA0RwrsKRmQqXXBXzKs2QOG_qsq_bOqsUSOnpGkzK9JoOhFAaW7w_m8Nz45uz-g1Ceu4KwhGhLLXe7Cqjf0/s320/2011-07-22+15.15.26.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arsenal's Newest Signing</td></tr>
</tbody></table> All in all a great time. Only four more days until I see my beautiful bride aka my Furbaby-Mamma.</div>Mr. McGoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754023282591632165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831642078667978669.post-9764608873119632922011-07-21T10:43:00.000-05:002011-07-21T10:43:15.233-05:00London Day 13<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC3zk0nLjApHisOqd4OtqWKCS8pas287NhFb5Sgz32ZJ8w2xn7bDcpdlp97sf2SPFrh1G1bv5lCcQ82yk7RqbjoC2boQX1n9LVDu6DHDpBfbAehyyTDqXpE98_VMCSjDf8wXlm9UEwSC0/s1600/robins+wedding+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC3zk0nLjApHisOqd4OtqWKCS8pas287NhFb5Sgz32ZJ8w2xn7bDcpdlp97sf2SPFrh1G1bv5lCcQ82yk7RqbjoC2boQX1n9LVDu6DHDpBfbAehyyTDqXpE98_VMCSjDf8wXlm9UEwSC0/s400/robins+wedding+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Two Hotties - Kelsey and Mrs. McGoo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>First things first, I need to say Happy Belated Birthday to my favorite Non-Married Sister - Freckles (And let's hope it stays that way for a while) - Aka Kelsey. She turned 21 yesterday and while I did send her a text to wish her happy birthday, I forgot to put it in my blog.<br />
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That being said, I'll say it in a way she'll understand. <br />
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Happy Birfday Kelwsey. You're smart, beautiful, and doggonit, you're speshal. <br />
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Really short blog today, as we have a large assignment due on Friday and we haven't been given much time to get the task finished.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoJb-ZGsUNJxfXHdtRlxsG1SzZ2jM8H6jjR_hl3NQHPD5mojQA2bw-fEjARnmUa732VfaVYj_lJBVpE4Sh9VFSZI_hFrJSabCdgBzbPxtR0BGDg3iX7BWHbJftMhqFEPded8TrH9maTJk/s1600/2011-07-20+14.21.54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoJb-ZGsUNJxfXHdtRlxsG1SzZ2jM8H6jjR_hl3NQHPD5mojQA2bw-fEjARnmUa732VfaVYj_lJBVpE4Sh9VFSZI_hFrJSabCdgBzbPxtR0BGDg3iX7BWHbJftMhqFEPded8TrH9maTJk/s320/2011-07-20+14.21.54.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The official trophies - they never leave Wimbledon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We made our way to <a href="http://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/index.html">Wimbledon All England Lawn Tennis Club</a> (That's a mouth full) today. We first got a tour of the museum then headed up for a lecture on how the museum markets itself as a different entity than the tournament. Once that lecture was over, the marketing manager for Wimbledon gave us a presentation of how they market the tournament. <br />
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One thing that is very evident with a lot of places we go to here in London - marketing "Englishness" or "Britishness" is of a high priority for these companies. The markets they are targeting - South East Asia and India - are very much interested in the "Britishness" of it all. Funny thing is that is completely opposite of how the London Olympic Committee marketed themselves to the IOC.<br />
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Anyway, we took a tour of the facilities after the lectures. Very interesting to find out that the grass they use for their tournament is killed off after the tournament is over. So the pictures you'll see are of the courts after they have killed the grass. When they re-seed the grass, they keep it cut to 8mm long. They cut it twice a day, which is fascinating. I told the tour guide that I knew of a guy in Kansas City that loves to cut grass and would be perfect for a job if they were ever looking for help. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh35oviqKcgE-A-9LTJKSPhbzbI7_3WZewF8T7kAz5dt6ZgXQvdq4BMtaXw983_TI61hX91NbbTgmpzUmvJAQe8E8bjSlGw8uKJ9M5JHwbi9T7Ya1Yr5JSqE1Ax_vdHw1IMDUPL7WgdWYM/s1600/2011-07-20+16.50.39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh35oviqKcgE-A-9LTJKSPhbzbI7_3WZewF8T7kAz5dt6ZgXQvdq4BMtaXw983_TI61hX91NbbTgmpzUmvJAQe8E8bjSlGw8uKJ9M5JHwbi9T7Ya1Yr5JSqE1Ax_vdHw1IMDUPL7WgdWYM/s640/2011-07-20+16.50.39.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Centre Court</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Today (Thursday) is our last tour - London Olympic Committee. We are also heading to watch Fulham football match. Probably will be the highlight of my time here in London, so I'm really looking forward to that. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs8CyTUL45mLfJ4AE8l-DW6SCn5kw5IG6Pg8QbDxIf0XAGri__aC-AF2OXfyJp0WkXR4e_YCCrqu8DjqSl5CiWF9PDc7bD-sLKzHJ78s6Ah0Ev8OUPNT2LCEqKhdcm-O6gbKbgjADfU-I/s1600/2011-07-20+14.18.11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs8CyTUL45mLfJ4AE8l-DW6SCn5kw5IG6Pg8QbDxIf0XAGri__aC-AF2OXfyJp0WkXR4e_YCCrqu8DjqSl5CiWF9PDc7bD-sLKzHJ78s6Ah0Ev8OUPNT2LCEqKhdcm-O6gbKbgjADfU-I/s640/2011-07-20+14.18.11.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Longest Match was played last year at Wimbledon</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWbYW3e6ng-fv9ay8HNDPXskavy9V2YNTGLxlWj8NutPMU8zbAV1Fy42CLF5xTWl-JVwSPTx3gEJUroy_fsooVbkoC9iOvbgNkr5luZa57dTQTVJnLQH8zsxpT8GvrEIAywAEmwcnpgJY/s1600/2011-07-20+16.30.01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWbYW3e6ng-fv9ay8HNDPXskavy9V2YNTGLxlWj8NutPMU8zbAV1Fy42CLF5xTWl-JVwSPTx3gEJUroy_fsooVbkoC9iOvbgNkr5luZa57dTQTVJnLQH8zsxpT8GvrEIAywAEmwcnpgJY/s640/2011-07-20+16.30.01.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The court the longest match was played on </td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjupET_5PwI8yPOBEQTEohaMv85Tq-_wakbqG_oMvZg7qzLTbSKvImROy7r-X1sJ4-WVwnwmmFxRoa1HWcvqzUlavQjZouKhf7FQKCjAKl9awVVLLMVAOeGE0Lswifj9s2sytu5VecZdsQ/s1600/2011-07-20+16.31.12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjupET_5PwI8yPOBEQTEohaMv85Tq-_wakbqG_oMvZg7qzLTbSKvImROy7r-X1sJ4-WVwnwmmFxRoa1HWcvqzUlavQjZouKhf7FQKCjAKl9awVVLLMVAOeGE0Lswifj9s2sytu5VecZdsQ/s320/2011-07-20+16.31.12.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Longest Match Documented</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihmPdyLnblTQB5x_xYpDgml_vL8CdaMjD6yYHFVsSULEVXsCdD6TL7-QhSGapZGX4vyw_DydRcqkX33i-b5yWsXBUZKPeKi7WNWqsA_o8zOG8zsXEfl8PZ13gD1u-bkw6jPAm-aYPNFx8/s1600/2011-07-20+13.43.40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihmPdyLnblTQB5x_xYpDgml_vL8CdaMjD6yYHFVsSULEVXsCdD6TL7-QhSGapZGX4vyw_DydRcqkX33i-b5yWsXBUZKPeKi7WNWqsA_o8zOG8zsXEfl8PZ13gD1u-bkw6jPAm-aYPNFx8/s320/2011-07-20+13.43.40.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front of Wimbledon</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjII4qmRjNJysSk5f6UkhXLj8hEVD2ZSfskhyVYCi4izFbOz6UvRzLTaAsUo2-8xr9tDZr5eybTr5yMrf-lKWflo-j7H8-6wXxCVnS9jd2vPfdqSPp0c520LB_W2i-kJTjGcnBoUZJ_gYU/s1600/2011-07-20+14.07.45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjII4qmRjNJysSk5f6UkhXLj8hEVD2ZSfskhyVYCi4izFbOz6UvRzLTaAsUo2-8xr9tDZr5eybTr5yMrf-lKWflo-j7H8-6wXxCVnS9jd2vPfdqSPp0c520LB_W2i-kJTjGcnBoUZJ_gYU/s320/2011-07-20+14.07.45.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John McEnroe Display</td></tr>
</tbody></table><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGSxzTVTBA0DazatjXPk-hR9Vx9eyA3RG0F8BJMVxPoDcN7G4bAy1zxobJ5QD0DMHNIQ9_ExHzoAGjNn6a2sqaGv5-RuBlvkspgd1F4805gxChVpQz1DBd1NKH913dQExEehFWcv7Ue7Y/s1600/2011-07-20+14.17.04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGSxzTVTBA0DazatjXPk-hR9Vx9eyA3RG0F8BJMVxPoDcN7G4bAy1zxobJ5QD0DMHNIQ9_ExHzoAGjNn6a2sqaGv5-RuBlvkspgd1F4805gxChVpQz1DBd1NKH913dQExEehFWcv7Ue7Y/s320/2011-07-20+14.17.04.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaA92rl3MlCn63BWrRoMzBVj8MHrtZx-kg64rVE3xKnwPi6DZ5nFb9NyjXFHj4hoxRFDaJ0sdl_OFX35gt7RhW51geo4cxhqMPl_GXFGmkg3oo-UpQThto_Q6Ien6tkISAtl7YvD6JOm0/s1600/2011-07-20+16.47.03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaA92rl3MlCn63BWrRoMzBVj8MHrtZx-kg64rVE3xKnwPi6DZ5nFb9NyjXFHj4hoxRFDaJ0sdl_OFX35gt7RhW51geo4cxhqMPl_GXFGmkg3oo-UpQThto_Q6Ien6tkISAtl7YvD6JOm0/s320/2011-07-20+16.47.03.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIH17pE75ErM8nOXNkGWIyCPhEfYG52A3ywatj5xDHH_vyNPVzG0VWM5kYPIMAy1XNwhLgAuGK3bTxK8aLbT_i-2NJdA6VHQp9rxbDDUNhSIYd4eTu2QrneZpk3Nyf9wDxvLj4vAnaT8o/s1600/2011-07-20+15.53.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIH17pE75ErM8nOXNkGWIyCPhEfYG52A3ywatj5xDHH_vyNPVzG0VWM5kYPIMAy1XNwhLgAuGK3bTxK8aLbT_i-2NJdA6VHQp9rxbDDUNhSIYd4eTu2QrneZpk3Nyf9wDxvLj4vAnaT8o/s640/2011-07-20+15.53.14.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Court One</td></tr>
</tbody></table><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2nGLAn8IflxEfAdQNvOxsUl8mD5F7mc8Ltkl1H1dVzpr6aVYrbJPfUb0u6P9bNMygQ3UjMir3i6CnuHf1i6hLqmGvqA7s_lO-glu1RUj1I-J8P3JFDdYLiA_lNOiJGN07q6Ce558-5vI/s1600/2011-07-20+14.19.00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="86" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2nGLAn8IflxEfAdQNvOxsUl8mD5F7mc8Ltkl1H1dVzpr6aVYrbJPfUb0u6P9bNMygQ3UjMir3i6CnuHf1i6hLqmGvqA7s_lO-glu1RUj1I-J8P3JFDdYLiA_lNOiJGN07q6Ce558-5vI/s640/2011-07-20+14.19.00.jpg" width="640" /></a>Cheers</div>Mr. McGoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754023282591632165noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831642078667978669.post-39441263537407329282011-07-20T03:43:00.000-05:002011-07-20T03:43:24.567-05:00London - Day 11 & 12Wow. What a busy few days it has been since I last blogged. I caught some heat from Mrs. McGoo about my lack of blogging over the weekend and promised to do better and yet I skip a day. I think she understands now as I was able to discuss with her what a normal day here looks like. Here's a taste of how a normal day goes here.<br />
<br />
Wake up around 7am and get cleaned up and read a bit of "Radical" which is the book I'm currently reading. Head to breakfast at 8 and then to lecture at 8:30. We'll have lecture, with a small 10 min break, until 11:30. Then get back and get dressed for our program visit and head to the buses/trains/tubes to grab lunch and travel in order to make it to our destination by 1:45 (It can take anywhere from 30 mins to 2 hours to get to a location). Our visit starts at 2pm and we'll likely get out between 5 and 5:30. Once we are through, we'll try and see some sights around the area and then come back to get cleaned up for dinner. Head to dinner around 7:30 or 8 and depending on where we go, will normally get back around 10:45 or 11. Once I'm here, I try and catch up with Mrs. McGoo online, but as she can attest, hasn't been all that easy to do. Either way, I'm now pushing midnight to try and get the blogging in or some general homework done (We specific people that present material for the lecture the next day - mine is this morning).<br />
<br />
So as you see, we don't get a ton of down time while we're here. I wouldn't change it for the world, but at least you can see how it can be hard for me to sit down and blog here and there.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQWBNsKfmC2BdsWecdc-dBn5wXSvFUEEniCJuadP3xyNT4AwRB0O2MnvbLq1vQ6Sv0UqbIEkFDoRo5xJJ7NgqKYs-7-rahO-4ZKGAdq0fyTElWhvLoqdlV8bROUJqhaxJWUda_8j6-zCU/s1600/2011-07-18+13.31.08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQWBNsKfmC2BdsWecdc-dBn5wXSvFUEEniCJuadP3xyNT4AwRB0O2MnvbLq1vQ6Sv0UqbIEkFDoRo5xJJ7NgqKYs-7-rahO-4ZKGAdq0fyTElWhvLoqdlV8bROUJqhaxJWUda_8j6-zCU/s320/2011-07-18+13.31.08.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sky Sports News</td></tr>
</tbody></table><b>Monday - Day 11</b><br />
<br />
Today we started off with a lecture from our very own Dr. Amis (Our Memphis professor) about sport sponsorship and how necessary it is in the global market. Sport is the one thing in the world that breaks cultural barriers and religions. <br />
<b> </b><br />
After our lecture, we cleaned up and jumped on a train to head to Sky. Sky is owned by Rupert Murdock, who owns News Corp, which owns tons of media entities such as Fox, The Wall St Journal, The New York Post, The Sun, as well as Sky. The closest thing I can associate to Sky is Fox. They have news, entertainment, sports, and other channels that are all driven by consumer interest. Sky Sports however is the ESPN of the UK. They show 150 sports and obviously football (soccer) is the most popular. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwVZWHxHTQ6A0AG8jfM2b6kUimmiHL_xsJsqqU__TOM1PGhTiYDr_rgwXxs-89ltvnGYhmA4CPcRl8zZPmV23NQqrp2UGXYvYhKzz5C0aPMBGB9feXmwRNgPFrI3mNL0sR6hPntdxgmG4/s1600/2011-07-18+16.06.03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="94" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwVZWHxHTQ6A0AG8jfM2b6kUimmiHL_xsJsqqU__TOM1PGhTiYDr_rgwXxs-89ltvnGYhmA4CPcRl8zZPmV23NQqrp2UGXYvYhKzz5C0aPMBGB9feXmwRNgPFrI3mNL0sR6hPntdxgmG4/s640/2011-07-18+16.06.03.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panoramic of Sky Sports News Center</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We got to hear all about their processes and how they are being innovative (sounded a bit like ESPN) with their 3D channel, Sky-Go mobile app) and their 4 channels plus Sky Sports 24 hr news channel. Sound familiar? Then we took a tour of the facilities and saw where they host their shows, news room, and control centers. I got a cook panoramic of the news room that I kinda liked. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDHOhPN-W0xMc3DSDxfdUcSKQg5U2GRQgQpUcW87AzXSEvDfRVPws4rmWZWzxwVv3AsEAfdeF7_74COzywzbt9mHO60Bk1_WIz0NKJL1eo71UiRDaQ0l7lcYnmhCqztff6VtzJOqxLQEY/s1600/2011-07-18+16.04.11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDHOhPN-W0xMc3DSDxfdUcSKQg5U2GRQgQpUcW87AzXSEvDfRVPws4rmWZWzxwVv3AsEAfdeF7_74COzywzbt9mHO60Bk1_WIz0NKJL1eo71UiRDaQ0l7lcYnmhCqztff6VtzJOqxLQEY/s640/2011-07-18+16.04.11.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>They were the first ones of all our tours to actually present us with gifts. We all got bags with tons of goodies in them - usb drives, pens, t-shirts, towels, and other stuff. Not bad Sky Sports News, not bad at all.<br />
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<b>Tuesday - Day 12</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHXqVBw54Uk-WgQjPJtR7HSbJJXuiGWeb87z3xJez0z6LWve4EVeizxpWWFmOKfiqiyTnVXXhnsOn92AWozM49nSMxg939uP44CiP8qsxokUOkprmdJG5AVhyOfPEXr5bAFJVt6aKLh2s/s1600/2011-07-19+14.23.05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHXqVBw54Uk-WgQjPJtR7HSbJJXuiGWeb87z3xJez0z6LWve4EVeizxpWWFmOKfiqiyTnVXXhnsOn92AWozM49nSMxg939uP44CiP8qsxokUOkprmdJG5AVhyOfPEXr5bAFJVt6aKLh2s/s640/2011-07-19+14.23.05.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White Heart Lane</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg3p2YJea9j5fSPuf67p0TN01pJp5clYJmylNJioaEapS0BwQFPn2RipUpryPha4eMuzuSzcqdS4D2fR0m-zUgwcoXK2VGidEKoUwX0ZQQUGTY7NqnXR8fNEuHRs7qwGmiWLn74IndS8Q/s1600/2011-07-19+14.43.06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg3p2YJea9j5fSPuf67p0TN01pJp5clYJmylNJioaEapS0BwQFPn2RipUpryPha4eMuzuSzcqdS4D2fR0m-zUgwcoXK2VGidEKoUwX0ZQQUGTY7NqnXR8fNEuHRs7qwGmiWLn74IndS8Q/s320/2011-07-19+14.43.06.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gives you an idea how BIG that trophy is</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Every day, we have a group that is selected to play "host" to our guest lecturers and visits. Today, was my group's responsibility and our visit was at <a href="http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/index.html">Tottenham Hotspurs Football Club</a><b>. </b>Right up my ally right? Yep, however, they are the bitter rival to the team I support, Arsenal. However, I didn't let that ruin my day, but it did amount to some good fun. <br />
<b> </b><br />
After our morning lecture on Sport Tourism, we headed out to Tottenham, which is located on the other side of the city. Our appt was scheduled for 2pm, with us making sure we were there at 1:45. We left at noon to make sure we had enough time. Not a chance. We after multiple train stops (literally stopping in the middle of the black tunnels) we made it to White Heart Lane (where their field is) at 2:10. So we got a late start to our visit. <br />
<br />
We toured their facilities and I was very impressed with their history and stadium, just not their locker rooms. They were a dump. The U of M soccer teams have nicer locker rooms and that is no joke. Walking around the stadium was really cool though, as you get the feel of being right on the pitch. Oh, and the pitch was in fantastic shape. They wouldn't let us walk on it because they are four weeks away from their first match. <br />
<br />
We then headed up to lecture where the lady speaking asked us in the room if any of us were football fans and a few of us raised our hands. She pointed to me and said, "so, who is your favorite team." "I'd rather not say at this point in time nor in this particular area of town." "Ahhh, you must be an Arsenal fan." Cue the laughter in the room by everyone. She then proceeded to show a highlight video of the previous season and how they fared. Half of the highlight video was of Tottenham coming from 2 nil down to beat Arsenal 3-2 in one of the final games of the year. She looked right at me and said, "You see this game?" To which I nodded and everyone laughed. Fun times...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpKQBvC42duZBK24RpF4qyLSUJdC91Q0g_GENMiDdhuZP_-J6v46qUozhfWwfWWJQJPxS5Q8o5aTFxEVfVJeZMAl9RuMwv61d9-jUtiXIxsmspU5-PcepjJB4_Qm0mzqi0v8DwqQVSJdo/s1600/2011-07-19+15.20.00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpKQBvC42duZBK24RpF4qyLSUJdC91Q0g_GENMiDdhuZP_-J6v46qUozhfWwfWWJQJPxS5Q8o5aTFxEVfVJeZMAl9RuMwv61d9-jUtiXIxsmspU5-PcepjJB4_Qm0mzqi0v8DwqQVSJdo/s640/2011-07-19+15.20.00.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Visitors Locker Room</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Overall a good visit. Tottenham are currently looking to build a larger stadium and upgrade their facilities. The problem they face is the area they are located in is a rougher part of town. Basically, not the London we have been touring around and seeing. It was like the rough parts of a city vs the suburbs and Tottenham was in the rough parts. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb4iECsibLTTdZ9jtbnNSoJNqJxj2VHvVCvwwoxePra6W805MDo_nm0ofU-04KLxVy_GK2KsMit31cJFa9oZWH-lRMG5swp8mLbAorzXAjJJPEzQvRECSsUiNigYU-GfAiECWPtYgcqlc/s1600/2011-07-19+15.34.12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb4iECsibLTTdZ9jtbnNSoJNqJxj2VHvVCvwwoxePra6W805MDo_nm0ofU-04KLxVy_GK2KsMit31cJFa9oZWH-lRMG5swp8mLbAorzXAjJJPEzQvRECSsUiNigYU-GfAiECWPtYgcqlc/s320/2011-07-19+15.34.12.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLYIGq2hsPTbx5HqPpW2IQlt6Ut0NjEmLqJL9whMP82-POxDTVySzv_aXfiDlnh1x15s-Z4oJqOkrlFzAPLxJML30EJKNn0PVlhVJjGX5xB6iJNMt5CVbKsNf6kGI23WEDrWg4tEJpuxU/s1600/2011-07-19+15.46.46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLYIGq2hsPTbx5HqPpW2IQlt6Ut0NjEmLqJL9whMP82-POxDTVySzv_aXfiDlnh1x15s-Z4oJqOkrlFzAPLxJML30EJKNn0PVlhVJjGX5xB6iJNMt5CVbKsNf6kGI23WEDrWg4tEJpuxU/s320/2011-07-19+15.46.46.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Today we head to Wimbledon. But first, I have to present to the class how the visit went and talk about how Tottenham can extend its brand globally. Should be fun. Wish me luck (actually, I'll have already presented by the time you read this).Mr. McGoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754023282591632165noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831642078667978669.post-47388991527919232122011-07-18T13:02:00.001-05:002011-07-18T13:02:57.081-05:00London - Day 8, 9, & 10I realized keeping up with a blog is a lot of work. Especially when I have the large readership and the tons of comments I continue to get (note the sarcasm), so I decided to take a hiatus from writing the blog for the weekend. (Actually I realized I wasn't getting much sleep and it was starting to affect how I was feeling during the day and compound that with no one is really commenting, I felt like a few days wouldn't be missed.<br />
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So now you are left with what I will call the USA Today of a blog - A weekend's worth of coverage, leveraged into one blog. Here goes....<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old Church and Graveyard in a park near Octagon</td></tr>
</tbody></table><b>Friday - Day 8</b><br />
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We made our way over to <a href="http://www.octagon-uk.com/home.aspx">Octagon</a>, which, along with IMG, is the biggest Sports, Marketing, and Entertainment Agency in the world. If you don't believe me, take a gander over to the site and check it out. The athletes and entertainers they represent is enormous. We got to listen to their pitch about how they do business and what their corporate goals are locally, regionally, and worldwide.<br />
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Honestly, I came away feeling a bit cheated by what I saw. It all felt very homogeneous to what IMG is about as well as other sports agencies. I really wanted to know what set them apart from the others and all I got was the line, "we believe we are the biggest and best because we do it this way...." <br />
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What was interesting about their presentation to us was they kept asking us how their presentation was. The lady, who had a thick Aussie accent, stated at least three times that she hoped their presentation was the best of what we had seen. Of course we said yes and while there were a few people that came away amazed at the dog and pony show they gave, the large majority of us came away thinking it could have been much better. The biggest thing I think I missed hearing was where they were wanting to go globally with the Olympics coming up in London. Not a word about it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizfTzC6Q7K-11vIHBN_L52KbMFG5KkuW_FMbeo-6kEEOGh7s8z0_Ruv_c31piIOAJWd6ulQVBVaoPz3D8vjIk34E60cwUzmGNjoG2h8so_U1HAazfNSk_jLYKqKv-OiYZpQv2UNLXjaew/s1600/2011-07-15+15.01.41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizfTzC6Q7K-11vIHBN_L52KbMFG5KkuW_FMbeo-6kEEOGh7s8z0_Ruv_c31piIOAJWd6ulQVBVaoPz3D8vjIk34E60cwUzmGNjoG2h8so_U1HAazfNSk_jLYKqKv-OiYZpQv2UNLXjaew/s640/2011-07-15+15.01.41.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Putney River</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjncGP9D-IkUT1OcPyZStmo23Aih9Au8hERVfeng7TWOiT0PgZj9gv5FCNT2jPWTev2hk8z-2ursQk38i1sQRsvyRHKgs3iGWgO1XCDeS-UFhXNt45sf0HiuSo04ODwDmJ-Zx4JHr3x19c/s1600/2011-07-16+11.31.02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjncGP9D-IkUT1OcPyZStmo23Aih9Au8hERVfeng7TWOiT0PgZj9gv5FCNT2jPWTev2hk8z-2ursQk38i1sQRsvyRHKgs3iGWgO1XCDeS-UFhXNt45sf0HiuSo04ODwDmJ-Zx4JHr3x19c/s320/2011-07-16+11.31.02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buckingham Palace - Changing of the Guard</td></tr>
</tbody></table><b>Saturday - Day 9</b><br />
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Today was our first "free day" of the time we have been here. A group of the folks I've been running with decided they wanted to use the day to catch all the major sights of London. Therefore, we got up and headed out around 10am to head in to the city.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Westminster Abby</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbBizvTMNeAddBgTwu73_Ty3HbOcPX0f_om3_aXxD9eERpiIYLrpIimGMDhYpAEDnqvWEw8lY9ptbay_NiBEJGHUD63-TlXY0945RPRmepnyZVTyeJzP_xqrrFlhETswjeYYWL6l6eOpk/s1600/2011-07-16+13.30.25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbBizvTMNeAddBgTwu73_Ty3HbOcPX0f_om3_aXxD9eERpiIYLrpIimGMDhYpAEDnqvWEw8lY9ptbay_NiBEJGHUD63-TlXY0945RPRmepnyZVTyeJzP_xqrrFlhETswjeYYWL6l6eOpk/s400/2011-07-16+13.30.25.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big Ben</td></tr>
</tbody></table>First up was Buckingham Palace and watching the Changing of the Guard. I've been around long enough to know that when you are in peak tourist season, going to a popular event, and add on a additive to that event, that it will be a mass of people (If the Peabody Ducks draw a stupidly large crowd, then this is going to be insane). I tried to explain this to the folks I was with and quickly remembered that I've also been around long enough to know that when women set their mind to something, they're doing it. So I trekked with the gang over to try and get a glimpse of the spectacle. Oh, did I mention there was a 70% chance of rain? Yeah, well, we got their and it began to pour. I'd say cats and dogs, but this was more like lions and wolves...it was miserable. I did however act as a fullback blocking for nine running backs and make my way through the masses to catch the changing of the guard.<br />
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Second up was trekking through the monsoon and going to Westminster Abby and see the church that the royal couple got married in as well as stop to get some cover under a building. One person checked on how long we'd have to stand in line for a tour of the building but it was an hour or more so we decided to venture elsewhere.<br />
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We then made our way over to look for the Imperial Museum and find out how much of the English influence has actually had on the rest of the world. We walked around in circles for about an hour and realized it was across the Thames River, so we trekked over the bridge next to Big Ben and Parliament (Que Chevy Chase). Walking by Big Ben is something to admire. It is massive. I can't think of anything more noticeable in London than Big Ben.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8VURomYbLHqZdXitCYqv2Cy2UjOjtiunOXW0_yTiFIcCwzuy14sGaMpnN0u4-Iq_dveb561DAcUHpDOmeTi-GLIczy1g3cHEiL32Sa8NkyZrVm9ifQ88bkUXUSraim1dL2RKKPA5sDjM/s1600/2011-07-16+16.41.13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8VURomYbLHqZdXitCYqv2Cy2UjOjtiunOXW0_yTiFIcCwzuy14sGaMpnN0u4-Iq_dveb561DAcUHpDOmeTi-GLIczy1g3cHEiL32Sa8NkyZrVm9ifQ88bkUXUSraim1dL2RKKPA5sDjM/s640/2011-07-16+16.41.13.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of St. Paul's Cathedral and other buildings - Looks like one is melting</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We then grabbed a bite to eat and decided that some folks had different agendas with where they wanted to go. So the guys split with the girls and we headed over to St. Paul's Cathedral. Up to this point, Big Ben was the coolest thing I'd seen up close. Then I went to St. Paul's Cathedral. Something about being on the grounds of St. Paul's was spiritual. You could just feel the hands and prayers of the people that had come in and out of that place over the years. We walked all around that place and then walked inside right before a mass/service. I really wanted to stay and listen but we had to get to another location. In a word, Beautiful. <br />
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We then headed to a place called Monument, which is dedicated for the Great Fire of London in 1666 that destroyed most of the city. It was built as a way of showing the city was rebuilt and has been a popular tourist attraction ever since.<br />
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After that, we headed back to the dorms and got cleaned up. At this point my feet were killing me and I wasn't really interested in going back out. However, I needed to take an item back that I had purchased, so I came back to the craziest part of London called Piccadilly Circus, which I call the Times Square of London. It's just a mass of tourists, consumerism, and advertising. We then grabbed dinner at a really good restaurant and headed back to get some shut eye.<br />
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<b>Sunday - Day 10</b><br />
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Today was the day I'd been looking forward to for quite some time. One of the things I really enjoy is going to sporting events that have a huge significance in their respective field. Today was the final day of the British Open at Royal St. George's in Sandwich, England. Sandwich is located on the eastern coast of England. We took a 2-hour train ride there and jumped off ready to catch the event.<br />
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Side note: I was a little worried about whether I would be allowed in the event since I purchased tickets that were marked for 16-21 year-old. Back a few months ago when I knew I was going to England, I went to purchase the tickets but all that was left were this type of ticket. Regular tickets were 55 pounds and these were 25 pounds. So while it was a gamble, I at least knew I wouldn't spend as much in the long run if I wasn't allowed in. I came with my student ID in tote and was determined to talk my way in (I had a handful of strategic ways to make it work, but you'll have to ask me in person for those). Much to my surprise, they didn't even budge or look at the ticket when it was scanned. <br />
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So we had a thirty minute walk from the train station to the golf course and when we got in, it was something to be seen. From talking to a local golfer there, the course is ever changing because of the conditions of the weather. It was extremely windy and raining, so the course erodes quite often and thus maintenance is always at a premium. I've had the pleasure of being on a lot of golf courses in Memphis and around other parts of the south and I've never seen a hillier course than this one. It was a workout just walking from one section hole to another. <br />
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We decided we would walk the whole course and check it out, then go and sit on 18 and watch the finish. The most impressing hole was the 4th. It was a 495 par 4 with two bunkers that is inset in the ground facing you. Put it nicely, if you hit it in the bunker, you would almost surely have to hit your ball to the side or backward. Pictures don't do it justice, it is a huge bunker.<br />
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After making our way around the course and seeing the large following that Rory and Sergio had, we decided it best to head to the 18th and sit in the grandstands to watch the final hole for all the golfers. This was the point that Phil Mickelson began to make his charge to the top and ended up tying Clarke for the lead. Then the rains came. What was a light drizzle before turned into a downpour. Fortunately for me I have rain gear supplied by the U of M Soccer team that is rain PROOF, unlike the many around us that wear flimsy rain resistant jackets and pants. Not a bit of me was soaked other than my shoes. Only problem is that everyone turned up their umbrellas and you couldn't see anything. So we would wait out the rain and it would get sunny again and everyone would clap when it happened. Then 30 mins would go by and it would pour again. This happened about five times and every time, the leader board would change - all with Phil dropping in the standings.<br />
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We stayed to watch Phil make it in and decided with the winner already decided, we'd head back. The largest ovations in this order were: Tom Watson, Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, & Sergio Garcia.<br />
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All in all it was a great event and I am so very blessed to have seen it. As someone told me, it was a Bucket-List type of event. I'd say, I agree. Check.<br />
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Only downside is they do not allow cameras for the event, so we didn't get any pics of the golf course. Stinks, I know.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlIbsTVwunP9RVwnmzwBtDI1PM7Sz1qKLxPJSskh_lKLQB3ReLrNqSJjDBGm7-qcRcLi4NZL2k7yejjyie3ZwMFXeNn-T8brMdzJbTtzil1mVJxYGWROGYtgXVT9I9ZYMPv65aDtviCZE/s1600/2011-07-15+14.57.50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlIbsTVwunP9RVwnmzwBtDI1PM7Sz1qKLxPJSskh_lKLQB3ReLrNqSJjDBGm7-qcRcLi4NZL2k7yejjyie3ZwMFXeNn-T8brMdzJbTtzil1mVJxYGWROGYtgXVT9I9ZYMPv65aDtviCZE/s320/2011-07-15+14.57.50.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-UAxMdEIQKHaNTs2NBMRGXIECeWCRa5gVhyphenhyphenIsiD7uvmDBx8-T8c8ayIdlHA5Vw_pCM2H1vgkhQqcNMAGVihjj5iUnQ7hTnr3eVQ3ELjtNKIk0EXRDVKqlqEsf9DQlgLLKEyvfcfnftxI/s1600/2011-07-15+14.57.36.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-UAxMdEIQKHaNTs2NBMRGXIECeWCRa5gVhyphenhyphenIsiD7uvmDBx8-T8c8ayIdlHA5Vw_pCM2H1vgkhQqcNMAGVihjj5iUnQ7hTnr3eVQ3ELjtNKIk0EXRDVKqlqEsf9DQlgLLKEyvfcfnftxI/s320/2011-07-15+14.57.36.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq6S9d3_yewqgU6xZi_tV7aBaxIn_Gh4ETsQctcKDQX0YIclsB1VNYcJfhh2VrUHbh0Ktj_A1SxXsPT3BomrI89MGeFzfwp7Whb1h7T-p8FhBBFu7S4EIG5Eteo4PZs5YSjibM7dK_0-4/s1600/2011-07-16+11.32.00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq6S9d3_yewqgU6xZi_tV7aBaxIn_Gh4ETsQctcKDQX0YIclsB1VNYcJfhh2VrUHbh0Ktj_A1SxXsPT3BomrI89MGeFzfwp7Whb1h7T-p8FhBBFu7S4EIG5Eteo4PZs5YSjibM7dK_0-4/s640/2011-07-16+11.32.00.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panoramic of Buckingham Palace</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-CuBGtmDvH3lLMs_xp6KXV1oniBARD-0tntMRnhphwVCGWqSL6mgZ0-IEnSK1dbXPet5SfwxKCGs1DDYbcMj9xfWjwXXuDIA2LDSvG_yS0GJy9BSLzUDZXEnSfEj2G-sYjTCmMLLSlFI/s1600/2011-07-16+12.01.19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-CuBGtmDvH3lLMs_xp6KXV1oniBARD-0tntMRnhphwVCGWqSL6mgZ0-IEnSK1dbXPet5SfwxKCGs1DDYbcMj9xfWjwXXuDIA2LDSvG_yS0GJy9BSLzUDZXEnSfEj2G-sYjTCmMLLSlFI/s640/2011-07-16+12.01.19.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Action shot of the Changing of the Guard</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7E-wd2_tHJ9t3OB6FbxEANR9397dimenRgSYVjjpfX84mNoR2LVSWNNxOhximGYTq2HsFxmH1N12gpJbaNzzgl0sAlruasJHVEPQG89qKnv_sauZRc0ZTFkYbHQn3nvxJmmyG6I5d8mI/s1600/2011-07-16+12.56.19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7E-wd2_tHJ9t3OB6FbxEANR9397dimenRgSYVjjpfX84mNoR2LVSWNNxOhximGYTq2HsFxmH1N12gpJbaNzzgl0sAlruasJHVEPQG89qKnv_sauZRc0ZTFkYbHQn3nvxJmmyG6I5d8mI/s320/2011-07-16+12.56.19.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicqk7k_Me77NuZ8srpPFUwYjrPTmdPJtV2nLJnAn21lKYMhZUg0xClgmDbNv_NAPEWpIplP4xRytmJgnv5vO6QsINdfxYpiJg8zuZ98i24Y7GEuVTj96cmFukA-qDryFW_3WbAqTks1KQ/s1600/2011-07-16+12.16.27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicqk7k_Me77NuZ8srpPFUwYjrPTmdPJtV2nLJnAn21lKYMhZUg0xClgmDbNv_NAPEWpIplP4xRytmJgnv5vO6QsINdfxYpiJg8zuZ98i24Y7GEuVTj96cmFukA-qDryFW_3WbAqTks1KQ/s320/2011-07-16+12.16.27.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHpLYkPeZhMOes1LDsLx3Jwye0OR8fl8lF_Cg1LHvcHfV_Zm0G4zC7qBBWRrivSu1E_U8vfF58yGAhuFOmUvpYPWNAlPrPGv-vkjbUoHc8HIzmnf-ZJcEA_biteJxbYK4vabqA74IDWQM/s1600/2011-07-16+13.14.21%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHpLYkPeZhMOes1LDsLx3Jwye0OR8fl8lF_Cg1LHvcHfV_Zm0G4zC7qBBWRrivSu1E_U8vfF58yGAhuFOmUvpYPWNAlPrPGv-vkjbUoHc8HIzmnf-ZJcEA_biteJxbYK4vabqA74IDWQM/s320/2011-07-16+13.14.21%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jumping Pic</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixyeDBf3FkjnpxuMUFMEUFgYHiaT1tlAfrFFhQpC1yYihrtiBgP3RBOiaMIo-lLVwGEjWssHS9JIvKQw1_UUXPsp39TEx_YFrdJNcjpJmtJpIIDjkYpJ3F5-pl0eZUuyzrqPE7Siff9VU/s1600/2011-07-16+16.37.27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixyeDBf3FkjnpxuMUFMEUFgYHiaT1tlAfrFFhQpC1yYihrtiBgP3RBOiaMIo-lLVwGEjWssHS9JIvKQw1_UUXPsp39TEx_YFrdJNcjpJmtJpIIDjkYpJ3F5-pl0eZUuyzrqPE7Siff9VU/s320/2011-07-16+16.37.27.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful Cloud Covering at St. Paul's</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi523jH2pJOUT1huOPuwU3peVwlMcoRkcfdB2j69I3zrXl6DiM2qthfC3klA5bP7kE6cXM5g_nT3n9nz_AwFmr_qe3zZIBFNSw6H3pdwuwOq6uljZNzTQEcJgaVCEvdn6khTrK0uCTeOl8/s1600/2011-07-16+15.58.46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi523jH2pJOUT1huOPuwU3peVwlMcoRkcfdB2j69I3zrXl6DiM2qthfC3klA5bP7kE6cXM5g_nT3n9nz_AwFmr_qe3zZIBFNSw6H3pdwuwOq6uljZNzTQEcJgaVCEvdn6khTrK0uCTeOl8/s640/2011-07-16+15.58.46.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charting Cross Train Station</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi10NyQkXzl1bhiGW_nTsvWSR-rkrE2xbAXpAFexCUpwZ-M7KiAySXiog1aTznYsvkVKYgSmvX5JciXnA_a_BOVeZLL4QX9ZuvkzSgW54F7eOcthiqNxd6b1oUYyt6VnU6RzmfHj89GF88/s1600/2011-07-16+16.44.29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi10NyQkXzl1bhiGW_nTsvWSR-rkrE2xbAXpAFexCUpwZ-M7KiAySXiog1aTznYsvkVKYgSmvX5JciXnA_a_BOVeZLL4QX9ZuvkzSgW54F7eOcthiqNxd6b1oUYyt6VnU6RzmfHj89GF88/s1600/2011-07-16+16.44.29.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful Cloud Covering at St. Paul's</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi10NyQkXzl1bhiGW_nTsvWSR-rkrE2xbAXpAFexCUpwZ-M7KiAySXiog1aTznYsvkVKYgSmvX5JciXnA_a_BOVeZLL4QX9ZuvkzSgW54F7eOcthiqNxd6b1oUYyt6VnU6RzmfHj89GF88/s1600/2011-07-16+16.44.29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeY53MB30Yo7X6NcTKf5zt6Kjq8okc-I45qmeSUmXpgCXyNzZW698U77jrBspBHZQVuPhqqwwMXGSjxs9bDrf84qI1PBafXjkvzMySEzy7DMrgw843bCi84BmT-OaTTnDr4Qy70Q3XPao/s1600/2011-07-16+16.45.37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSyqGPU26c4i9zmOlyEFbUIYxw2hlBMODQDCntHHJtxqrW9b9961pgMYKkoDBYAXXn0nPvC_xskdzCCSgxcxe7_VLKmjngAMJ1W3NK6b9Nk1DN9TBDbkc0d_1scIHi0eVQuaBiDrJpeWE/s1600/2011-07-16+17.02.32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSyqGPU26c4i9zmOlyEFbUIYxw2hlBMODQDCntHHJtxqrW9b9961pgMYKkoDBYAXXn0nPvC_xskdzCCSgxcxe7_VLKmjngAMJ1W3NK6b9Nk1DN9TBDbkc0d_1scIHi0eVQuaBiDrJpeWE/s320/2011-07-16+17.02.32.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAKeefsGPz7jDSZqUbKXUKyianemZeQOugwqC4gOWAzrdmT6oEWiaLSkH52SkBU_QqZBECPTBzUQEOstkCstFmmNFPv1jcJWfsW3lKnCmncfNYTQETdV_BWrMwgz-mC8q9kLFZqpMUW9c/s1600/2011-07-16+16.46.24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAKeefsGPz7jDSZqUbKXUKyianemZeQOugwqC4gOWAzrdmT6oEWiaLSkH52SkBU_QqZBECPTBzUQEOstkCstFmmNFPv1jcJWfsW3lKnCmncfNYTQETdV_BWrMwgz-mC8q9kLFZqpMUW9c/s320/2011-07-16+16.46.24.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvA17zMuJ_0ts3GLoAsniRXkTL1I-XehwnRM2wvA9cxRjBVQHf0r71MYVDLSctafz7JCIWi2yoHFq_edrQ1yp9GSP4wfobAXOMEj3KouVAWGgPKABLFeytKotH-8eomGqJZE0h2g9kalM/s1600/2011-07-16+17.23.40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvA17zMuJ_0ts3GLoAsniRXkTL1I-XehwnRM2wvA9cxRjBVQHf0r71MYVDLSctafz7JCIWi2yoHFq_edrQ1yp9GSP4wfobAXOMEj3KouVAWGgPKABLFeytKotH-8eomGqJZE0h2g9kalM/s320/2011-07-16+17.23.40.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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So that does it for now. Sky Sports is up next.Mr. McGoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754023282591632165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831642078667978669.post-3602953440401793662011-07-15T09:48:00.001-05:002011-07-15T10:42:42.902-05:00London - Day 7<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Bku5NEKEjO_QcpewzedoOi6CvXT1uiT9H10nU6sAl6Nkb_jivQzMRCduni4rMk3WmgJlAWibNPEqRN58cDw7fRAcikyNYAcZvgTDvcdGOMZza2TeBa8tZIqQhVOHiQc7UjXOE5BMJN4/s1600/2011-07-14+15.45.13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Bku5NEKEjO_QcpewzedoOi6CvXT1uiT9H10nU6sAl6Nkb_jivQzMRCduni4rMk3WmgJlAWibNPEqRN58cDw7fRAcikyNYAcZvgTDvcdGOMZza2TeBa8tZIqQhVOHiQc7UjXOE5BMJN4/s320/2011-07-14+15.45.13.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lord's Cricket Media Center</td></tr>
</tbody></table>After a pretty awesome day yesterday, I didn't have much expectations as far as how good of a day it would be by going to a place where Cricket is played. However, I actually really enjoyed it.<br />
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We started the morning with a lecture of how Cricket was started and how baseball draws its roots from Cricket. We then learned about how it is played and how colonialism in the West Indies, Africa, and India helped grow Cricket to what it is today.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioxg4HIqSpcE1kE4yTuKjzlaZZO9QS5oHshO08eIIb3r4yHpHZub_df5TyzRiY4QHQ64pNrQNPeO1qXgF7rdFllSGbAaUesL_fzeiLger9S6QiEa3IeUs9xcYc_YXlLRhTWi_Ma1Cx_Xw/s1600/2011-07-14+15.45.24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioxg4HIqSpcE1kE4yTuKjzlaZZO9QS5oHshO08eIIb3r4yHpHZub_df5TyzRiY4QHQ64pNrQNPeO1qXgF7rdFllSGbAaUesL_fzeiLger9S6QiEa3IeUs9xcYc_YXlLRhTWi_Ma1Cx_Xw/s320/2011-07-14+15.45.24.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Players Clubhouse and Members area</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>After the lecture we ventured out to Lord's Cricket Grounds, which is essentially the Augusta of Cricket. It is a members only club steeped in tradition. We took a tour of the facilities and learned that Lord's was actually the place where tennis was invented as well. Then people from Wimbledon sort of took the idea and ran with it. They have, what is called, Proper Tennis courts at Lord's now, which is a mixture of tennis, squash, and racquetball. Hard to describe over the computer, but it looked a little more fun than tennis, but I can see why it never caught on.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxE36f2Zy1LtGgaSIaT8lh1weIR92C6Q-xYQzZop24BQHszl3rSiVo1X508r6977odENuej6caK7XysnBj01w9kF1Lc_go5d5gsqnGkKW9aK4d-uk9tG1szxM3i8IMVu9LCm04Zj6vDxY/s1600/2011-07-14+15.46.17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxE36f2Zy1LtGgaSIaT8lh1weIR92C6Q-xYQzZop24BQHszl3rSiVo1X508r6977odENuej6caK7XysnBj01w9kF1Lc_go5d5gsqnGkKW9aK4d-uk9tG1szxM3i8IMVu9LCm04Zj6vDxY/s640/2011-07-14+15.46.17.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the whole grounds</td></tr>
</tbody></table>After we toured the grounds we received a lecture from the Marketing Director, who just so happens to be a graduate of this program I am doing and my major from Memphis. It was fun to chat with her after everything was said and done and pick her brain on what she went and did.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmAN4jlt42IbIzW8VYRqC3wZWx6zvavRS4bnUIYAsJ26FWb2-EpglLCPTu6BVtpNfP-SeGr8WOPcX-FcuNtvLcOyHp3-3hpFBK6a0UzR1-73MlOQ7BKeQcKckHPsler7c5emRTDqPEKhM/s1600/2011-07-14+17.31.54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmAN4jlt42IbIzW8VYRqC3wZWx6zvavRS4bnUIYAsJ26FWb2-EpglLCPTu6BVtpNfP-SeGr8WOPcX-FcuNtvLcOyHp3-3hpFBK6a0UzR1-73MlOQ7BKeQcKckHPsler7c5emRTDqPEKhM/s200/2011-07-14+17.31.54.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Regents Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We headed over to <a href="http://www.royalparks.gov.uk/The-Regents-Park.aspx">Regents Park</a>, which is a famously huge park in a well-ta-do part of London and where they house the London Zoo. While we did not make it to the Zoo, we walked around for a few hours capturing tons of photos of some of the sights. They had some of the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen. I even convinced my fellow friends to take a jumping picture. They did pretty well I must say, even one is a trampoline gymnast for Canada and hoping to qualify for the London Olympics in 2012. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsHqilEvvF8LBCYIMZUwhyphenhyphen09lVfcdY2qGLUKPD8jvQ2-nqr3XnKEydtqirapW_oqg7EENej1HZb0Z_V6YcvtodX1aFsWGCjPQukqhberf_f6VbwY1fmedOUeUjovFD4gNRPyYpvDChVfY/s1600/2011-07-14+17.47.33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsHqilEvvF8LBCYIMZUwhyphenhyphen09lVfcdY2qGLUKPD8jvQ2-nqr3XnKEydtqirapW_oqg7EENej1HZb0Z_V6YcvtodX1aFsWGCjPQukqhberf_f6VbwY1fmedOUeUjovFD4gNRPyYpvDChVfY/s200/2011-07-14+17.47.33.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful gardens</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The park provided much needed down time and rejuvenation, so we headed to the pub in the area and grabbed some food and headed home. When we got to the bus station, hardly anyone was there, but we did have an interesting thing happen. As we were standing around waiting, a man walked through our group and sat down. I noticed it because it was rather rude how he did it and when he sat down, I noticed he had blood all over him and a towel on his face. He dropped his towel on the bench and I realized what had happened. His nose looked mangled and he had a gash across the brow of his nose. I immediately felt compassion for the guy and looked at him and said, "hey buddy, are you ok?" He looked up at me as if he had never had someone engage him before and said that he was, he just got his "arse" kicked. It because aware to me that he had been drinking and didn't have his wits about him, but I still pressed him. I asked if he knew where he was and if he needed help? He said to not call the police or hospital and kept saying it. As I looked away, he reached in his bag and presented me with a large melon (I know, completely random). He said thank you and here, this is for you. I told him I did not want his melons, but only wanted to make sure he was ok. Again, he kept repeating himself and requesting we do not call the police or hospital. It was clear to me he had some bookies take a go at him and rough him up a bit.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKFVl7tP9ykBGClsnbcuGUuXZz8f5x3BDtSX0uAivmMoyHatLe4_jDKVjRXLK6ELQ6c_iZBqdkE8hBcTy-fQTmobBAOvhu9_KWKlCmMcWSZY1omNxHJlWMb8FYgltqr2_B3-S13J1ML-A/s1600/2011-07-14+18.00.24%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKFVl7tP9ykBGClsnbcuGUuXZz8f5x3BDtSX0uAivmMoyHatLe4_jDKVjRXLK6ELQ6c_iZBqdkE8hBcTy-fQTmobBAOvhu9_KWKlCmMcWSZY1omNxHJlWMb8FYgltqr2_B3-S13J1ML-A/s320/2011-07-14+18.00.24%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jumping picture</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I couldn't shake the issue and when the bus came, we left him there to fen for himself. It was haunting me in the bus right home and an English woman spoke to me while we were driving. She told me to not read in to it very much because it was a common occurrence there and I just needed to look the other way. Then I asked her politely, "I understand what you are saying, but at what point did he stop becoming human?" She didn't give me a reply. She sat and wondered and eventually said it was just one of those things that you see a lot. Again, I told her that I agreed that it would get old eventually seeing the same thing happen, but I still believed he was worth saving and everyone should make sure someone is well enough to take care of themselves. <br />
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Interestingly enough, one of the girls said to me after we got off the bus that she really appreciated how I cared for the man and that I showed a lot of compassion. Made me feel good, but still was eat up with thoughts of how easily we tend to look past people in situations where they just need a little help or just some acknowledgment. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0kQzdMD07UftPdCwELN5K7YuTR5Majwy8WZFaJEtdCwrE8ryT3nPb5Ur3C4JYLkwXjTy5s0sWre9dLmkQg-xDXKTWA112OrfyljuloCjOTcZP6D2_QEqvYRLC5XCsaCkeLsKkOCRc_q8/s1600/2011-07-14+18.15.19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0kQzdMD07UftPdCwELN5K7YuTR5Majwy8WZFaJEtdCwrE8ryT3nPb5Ur3C4JYLkwXjTy5s0sWre9dLmkQg-xDXKTWA112OrfyljuloCjOTcZP6D2_QEqvYRLC5XCsaCkeLsKkOCRc_q8/s320/2011-07-14+18.15.19.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For my UT friends</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw0mBCX0CjYIBnEZd7_PWevcccOQmvxaRSvQtNHpH-UzYh211GMQPw8CQxjVjkJWB26uvQcIxNl1BmlXUOJg55kBhn9FaNxkjLp_AjLYW5r4BaVaiAldV7pPIw9Qoe_h4tddrvSe9wNGc/s1600/2011-07-14+18.16.44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw0mBCX0CjYIBnEZd7_PWevcccOQmvxaRSvQtNHpH-UzYh211GMQPw8CQxjVjkJWB26uvQcIxNl1BmlXUOJg55kBhn9FaNxkjLp_AjLYW5r4BaVaiAldV7pPIw9Qoe_h4tddrvSe9wNGc/s320/2011-07-14+18.16.44.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sherlock Holmes door</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Today, we head to Octagon, which, I believe is a Sports Agency. Don't know much more than that, so I'll let you know how it goes.Mr. McGoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754023282591632165noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831642078667978669.post-73088885214861263732011-07-14T06:00:00.002-05:002011-07-14T06:00:16.729-05:00London - Day 6Today was far and away the best day I've had since I've been in London. I'll try and contain my joy into a single post...<br />
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The morning started off with a lecture from Dr. <a href="http://www.utexas.edu/cola/depts/sociology/faculty/bhc228">Ben Carrington</a> who is a professor at the University of Texas who deals with sociology in media, culture, and sport. He spoke on all of those and how they are interwoven in British-ness. He explained differences in the North and South of England and how ideologies are formed from an idea of nationalism in England. He showed us videos of pop-culture and how England (imo) much like America, is becoming a melting pot of different cultures. This has been initially been received with a bit of backlash because of the "idea" of what GREAT Britain is (Notice the GREAT). One of the videos was particular funny in that comedian Al Murray, plays on America and how great Britain is. Yet in it, he plays on a caricature of who we expect the typical English person is. Take a look at the video. I must warn you, it's English, so it is NSFW.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xUdaPNXC_68" width="425"></iframe><br />
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I was able to speak with Dr. Carrington for a bit after and pick his brain on specifics he discussed in sport - specifically dealing with racism in the game in Europe. It was refreshing to hear his thoughts. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZs7fEHHQxpO8li6GFp8fZSFhd1tWVd8Mlh1Z5xv0xAnIGZngHduOwnz4M0zHm0EFCgU5xJhXDigKQeotqL8YHNfLsFORJ4U7y979x82XSyqfRGnB60unPlBrpobfDmFWtvBE31sHIdcY/s1600/2011-07-13+13.36.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZs7fEHHQxpO8li6GFp8fZSFhd1tWVd8Mlh1Z5xv0xAnIGZngHduOwnz4M0zHm0EFCgU5xJhXDigKQeotqL8YHNfLsFORJ4U7y979x82XSyqfRGnB60unPlBrpobfDmFWtvBE31sHIdcY/s320/2011-07-13+13.36.52.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Premier League Offices</td></tr>
</tbody></table>After that, we hooped on the tube and headed to the English Premier League (EPL) headquarters. The building itself isn't something you'd think you'd see for a huge league, but inside it is very nice. They had already won me over in my mind and heart, but when I walked in to the room we were being lectured it, it smelled like choc chip cookies. Much to my surprise, they had made (warm too) fresh cookies for us and were delicious. Needless to say, I ate more than Mrs. McGoo would have allowed me to eat (But she's not around). For those that do not know, I am a huge Arsenal supporter and was really looking forward to hearing about how the EPL is run. We were met by Nick Noble, the Press & Communications Manager who took us through the full gauntlet of how the EPL is run. <br />
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It is really different than the NFL in that is does not seek to make profit for itself, but primarily for the clubs. I see similarities of it being like the NCAA in that it is comprised by the 20 clubs to help them run better. Their commercial interests lie within centralizing revenue streams from broadcast rights, title sponsorship and commercial licensing. All of these profits are shared evenly among all 20 clubs. They allow the clubs to take care of their own ticket sales, sponsors,and merchandise. In those ways, you see the differences between the Man U and Arsenal's of the league and the Bolton and Fulham's. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQSzYx3cIMqy_3boqXNp5e5P04hxOsyEbGfkLb_ln6B0y6mJmGd_xBctYt-TtB8CygAO3IOOBdrb7pOYKNR0leHU2oBbVxThjBOowYXJrAHUTF75bEgxXJSFqKY50ipPuKYEpnbmfCQXE/s1600/2011-07-13+13.50.12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQSzYx3cIMqy_3boqXNp5e5P04hxOsyEbGfkLb_ln6B0y6mJmGd_xBctYt-TtB8CygAO3IOOBdrb7pOYKNR0leHU2oBbVxThjBOowYXJrAHUTF75bEgxXJSFqKY50ipPuKYEpnbmfCQXE/s400/2011-07-13+13.50.12.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Premier League Logo</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table>I enjoyed the Q&A session with him as I was able to ask some questions that got some positive feedback from my professors and even Mr. Noble was encouraging to me at the end of the session. He sought me out and applauded my interest and questions posed to him. He was extremely nice. The best part was being able to have a long conversation with him about my passions with football in Africa and talked to him in brief about the sports program God has allowed me to start. In doing so, Mr. Noble gave me his card and told him to get in touch with him and he'd see if he could link me up with the individuals that started their "<a href="http://www.premierleague.com/page/CommunityPL/0,,12306,00.html">Creating Chances</a>" program. This completely took me off guard and I was blown away by the chance to share my vision and potentially work with the EPL!!!! This is like the NFL of Europe. In a word...HUGE.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7SnW9D87J_HvYvn7ch3AesCy0xn-XDzp_rQVV7zwBiaLtjdKvNQ_pLGUOthi8kcggf41QMm7S7d48OUKUU9XaCwAMydbSkygXGbyKGz65SRZDGsju4P0zxPHIov5Tnc0f-sr8RxyhviU/s1600/2011-07-13+14.03.31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7SnW9D87J_HvYvn7ch3AesCy0xn-XDzp_rQVV7zwBiaLtjdKvNQ_pLGUOthi8kcggf41QMm7S7d48OUKUU9XaCwAMydbSkygXGbyKGz65SRZDGsju4P0zxPHIov5Tnc0f-sr8RxyhviU/s640/2011-07-13+14.03.31.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Collage of past champions on the wall </td></tr>
</tbody></table>After that, I was on cloud nine and decided the best way to handle that was to take in the US Women's World Cup match and headed to a sports bar called the Sports Cafe'. We went there for our scramble the other day, but this time it was packed with Americans, so it was really cool to be in another country and have all the bar cheering when we scored each time and won. Afterward, I headed back to the university for a quick chat with Mrs. McGoo and am now heading to bed. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEaUZY9EMPTKsD4n5UwLZKS7UvMYihydbiivRt6gSsqzEZkXaqJcL5Daq6Sfvx1ZKvByKTok4KQOyhSuEFysRzQC4sc2kBS_ygbmCzZFBB4fv1xwmCFMpYQo6Eg4qLTm02hOij4-v8rP0/s1600/2011-07-13+19.16.56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEaUZY9EMPTKsD4n5UwLZKS7UvMYihydbiivRt6gSsqzEZkXaqJcL5Daq6Sfvx1ZKvByKTok4KQOyhSuEFysRzQC4sc2kBS_ygbmCzZFBB4fv1xwmCFMpYQo6Eg4qLTm02hOij4-v8rP0/s640/2011-07-13+19.16.56.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't know what this is called, but looked cool</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF8dUKLuOihGaEbotAqBBsrKJkIzhzTjgY0ZR2a5U-edRs994Yy2lRKKPLOSdoN9EP5x8rsTPDh1weOdq7twwcnIeuZsnw1OriArG3X6sIlDXZdJIg8zVU0V_TKDzFyISYT9qHSgHOmAY/s1600/2011-07-13+19.46.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF8dUKLuOihGaEbotAqBBsrKJkIzhzTjgY0ZR2a5U-edRs994Yy2lRKKPLOSdoN9EP5x8rsTPDh1weOdq7twwcnIeuZsnw1OriArG3X6sIlDXZdJIg8zVU0V_TKDzFyISYT9qHSgHOmAY/s640/2011-07-13+19.46.14.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Piccadilly Circle (Times Square of London)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> Going to <a href="http://www.lords.org/latest-news/top-stories/">Lord's Cricket Grounds</a> tomorrow. While I do not know much about Cricket, I do know this place is the Augusta or Wimbledon of Cricket. If you take a look at the site, it's pretty immaculate. So while I don't like Cricket, I can certainly respect going to the best venue for it. (Kind of like Daytona)Mr. McGoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754023282591632165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831642078667978669.post-55195731597982197592011-07-13T06:00:00.003-05:002011-07-13T06:00:10.720-05:00London - Day 5<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtUUVuFpK1wmjMLl6lP-j66jlnuI06wY0gAgkPnwb-_iAbRGLr_fYSHmugyEXyXugl-vFzzcC1SzNIMjT-0iBq_JoQiJTNZH4NE-AzR3kxtOOWhXXQMixhq_0YnCNI3BNwmyPvbj8EhR4/s1600/2011-07-12+13.37.11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtUUVuFpK1wmjMLl6lP-j66jlnuI06wY0gAgkPnwb-_iAbRGLr_fYSHmugyEXyXugl-vFzzcC1SzNIMjT-0iBq_JoQiJTNZH4NE-AzR3kxtOOWhXXQMixhq_0YnCNI3BNwmyPvbj8EhR4/s320/2011-07-12+13.37.11.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gang waiting to get in to Coke</td></tr>
</tbody></table>First of all, I apologize for the lack of pics today. We had lectures this morning and went over our scramble and how that translates to globalization. Then we went and met with the sponsorship director for the 2012 London Olympic games at Coke.<br />
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I thought his presentation was pretty interesting to say the least. He talked about how they are targeting 16-24 year olds with their Olympic campaign in London and how they go about integrating their brand into culture. Also, there is going to be a strong push by them for their brands - Powerade and Vitamin Water (I didn't know that was Coke). <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4UBRzcy6T22VkA47pH259NdDYJJEAe8d3FppVNXkzA4P-ZojJrkijOw7U6Y7q8L7B5K2kXs0YqV6z83PhyzirOur4AbaDD99MDQH0TMj1LEWNx2_VdDVKdP-BK9psoEre4u9RWMrBBRI/s1600/2011-07-12+20.02.37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4UBRzcy6T22VkA47pH259NdDYJJEAe8d3FppVNXkzA4P-ZojJrkijOw7U6Y7q8L7B5K2kXs0YqV6z83PhyzirOur4AbaDD99MDQH0TMj1LEWNx2_VdDVKdP-BK9psoEre4u9RWMrBBRI/s320/2011-07-12+20.02.37.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look from our dinner table</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Everything was going great with our question and answer session until I asked the rep about ambush marketing and he replied, "that's a bad question." Ugh...<br />
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He did say it in jest, I think. But he did answer it very well and talked about the investment they make in things and a certain expectation they have with the Olympics and local government to police those things.<br />
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After that, we came back to the dorm, rested for a bit and then went out for a bite to eat. Pretty simple day really. Not much sight seeing. Tomorrow we are heading to the Premier League offices and get to see where the biggest sports league in the world (Yes, bigger than NFL) does business. I'm pretty excited about this one.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB44UDHqAuO22kQvMu3SSERxilNs602UY1Jd4HRy1tFiA-uLuMGaOmV3h6T7mKT87t8X5ZOTQX_jFezl_vhVJjeDBvbqeF3GgZiCciej-D-xHpyDwXFohKvR9IBo17zg-w81BaqNWAtRo/s1600/2011-07-12+20.02.53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB44UDHqAuO22kQvMu3SSERxilNs602UY1Jd4HRy1tFiA-uLuMGaOmV3h6T7mKT87t8X5ZOTQX_jFezl_vhVJjeDBvbqeF3GgZiCciej-D-xHpyDwXFohKvR9IBo17zg-w81BaqNWAtRo/s400/2011-07-12+20.02.53.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My dinner party</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Dirf4NKv_UAGiKvvC-zdF58GML-52nWrgVFfTxBiUEf5c1vkF55lQGegZT-kJGV1FTXNrmh7nzLzPJvwG0Mn6b102kQdd5lsARWKjYM0YacM46EA0mbrr7ZpbRbuio03LICrA4iOYhQ/s1600/2011-07-12+21.46.23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Dirf4NKv_UAGiKvvC-zdF58GML-52nWrgVFfTxBiUEf5c1vkF55lQGegZT-kJGV1FTXNrmh7nzLzPJvwG0Mn6b102kQdd5lsARWKjYM0YacM46EA0mbrr7ZpbRbuio03LICrA4iOYhQ/s400/2011-07-12+21.46.23.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Boathouse for dinner</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFQsVMB4dwFm-VYWEdQ9sNVkwaOXuDLpFoTfUcAuAOjJzxgMUSxrMlqGAIgFDM3VBUojhnm96YM1zc_MmPzbpV3iLaXvAvREXOD6jBzeW1zssThzmqrjyykao_jv7oCAipCCXUkUfa-wo/s1600/2011-07-12+21.46.43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFQsVMB4dwFm-VYWEdQ9sNVkwaOXuDLpFoTfUcAuAOjJzxgMUSxrMlqGAIgFDM3VBUojhnm96YM1zc_MmPzbpV3iLaXvAvREXOD6jBzeW1zssThzmqrjyykao_jv7oCAipCCXUkUfa-wo/s400/2011-07-12+21.46.43.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maybe my favorite pic of the day</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Mr. McGoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754023282591632165noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831642078667978669.post-80894092819474559312011-07-12T01:55:00.004-05:002011-07-12T21:22:38.089-05:00London - Day 4<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ofNNvKgRO88iH7dN-OxNwyJiNxin6y7wKeH_lFmJDK0qHeFCaxXwi9MBoGFhBz6E4auKz__PGXnjHSVPpTKxXTtCZk6eE_EBvAwytbYrW0S7UZBuTnjA-zZwBwbZLkIs8JGxdAo7K5o/s1600/2011-07-11+13.07.44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ofNNvKgRO88iH7dN-OxNwyJiNxin6y7wKeH_lFmJDK0qHeFCaxXwi9MBoGFhBz6E4auKz__PGXnjHSVPpTKxXTtCZk6eE_EBvAwytbYrW0S7UZBuTnjA-zZwBwbZLkIs8JGxdAo7K5o/s400/2011-07-11+13.07.44.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harrod's. Massive</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Day 4 in London was my first official classroom day. We started with a morning lecture on globalization and how it has turned in to glocalization. We sat and listened to how the world has become more integrated and how technology and information continue to push us to continue to evolve in an ever changing world. Seeing all this at work, it really puts in to light how the rich get richer and how the gap between us and the poor continues to widen.<br />
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Speaking of poor, I don't know how anyone affords anything in this city. It is REALLY EXPENSIVE. I went and bought some soup today just so I wouldn't have to eat out everyday because the prices are really high.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZ9Q0QMzBEPDG-2Ls41DGhoJ6RnkDNpuotFmSiNwCJx1I1qr8EbT33lSKotZsdT7BZ7W03pV69vVWcw0Uhpnk6EQFgNsZXf0aQequHfgiXFHldTl799505RDsKsvrwJSh6jkl21ZnoqE/s1600/2011-07-11+13.28.56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZ9Q0QMzBEPDG-2Ls41DGhoJ6RnkDNpuotFmSiNwCJx1I1qr8EbT33lSKotZsdT7BZ7W03pV69vVWcw0Uhpnk6EQFgNsZXf0aQequHfgiXFHldTl799505RDsKsvrwJSh6jkl21ZnoqE/s400/2011-07-11+13.28.56.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glass fusbol table</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMHoPqC6_0rY7-XUHhVm4LC8sWZSeGqA3Pg7-hM4HK1q68LhmfMiqmhTxzDRVqCBetH_YbWAx8cvZ__xNsF6WoIFiO8YD0jmh3H_vky3W9wvUsn6FUmPCHgntwDQCLY1ADOcsRPy55pl0/s1600/2011-07-11+13.58.55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMHoPqC6_0rY7-XUHhVm4LC8sWZSeGqA3Pg7-hM4HK1q68LhmfMiqmhTxzDRVqCBetH_YbWAx8cvZ__xNsF6WoIFiO8YD0jmh3H_vky3W9wvUsn6FUmPCHgntwDQCLY1ADOcsRPy55pl0/s400/2011-07-11+13.58.55.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Niketown shoe display</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>After our morning lecture, we broke in to groups of six or so and headed out into London for a Scramble/Scavenger hunt. We we asked to go to different places and see how each place represents different things. Our first trip was to Harrod's in London, which would be considered by some similar to Macy's. It is crazy because you have this massive, historic looking building and everything inside is divided by room. One room might be a purse and bag room, next will be Egyptian Cotton room, next will be a room for booking travel on a yacht, next will be a Lee jeans room, while the next is a fine china room, and so on. It is just interesting to see how they have integrated something as simple as Lee jeans in one room and the next is a recreation room where a pool table is 20,000 gbp. The building is massive and looks very historic, yet around it looks modern.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWXtwjo027sBIVvMkBhgCNA8zjSJ2yqrJ6I5-sp1_Z7jrhaDOYrW3ntcZyAfqEioONHsyCqpnJcbn0pFo-hr53N_QwncugQV6p7edDpaMZwFypSofkmZZEIvCEG2sbAjpCWtgBY6lLmNE/s1600/2011-07-11+14.14.39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWXtwjo027sBIVvMkBhgCNA8zjSJ2yqrJ6I5-sp1_Z7jrhaDOYrW3ntcZyAfqEioONHsyCqpnJcbn0pFo-hr53N_QwncugQV6p7edDpaMZwFypSofkmZZEIvCEG2sbAjpCWtgBY6lLmNE/s400/2011-07-11+14.14.39.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Niketown</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We then went to Niketown London. Apparently, this place is so big, it has it's on town name. It was basically the online Nike, made in to a Nike store. It was really large as well, with 5 stories of product. One whole floor had football (soccer) and an endless supply of Arsenal gear (my favorite club). The top floor was all girls workout clothes and I must say, some of the stuff was more about sex than working out. Even the pictures were objectifying women. Some of it you would never see in the states because it showed a little too much. <br />
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We then headed to a place called Lillywhite's, which prides itself on being the largest sports store in the world. I have to admit, it was like the Foot Locker on steroids. It was quite large, but after a few rooms, unimpressive to me.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiachcuPixAD8OyqKYq-4JMOHmzzXuzyN6V5RYs13bNzKtNmCrzY7cloz0duffnCZK01QXsA9HOxfcBLTOPpuGACX6s27cibSka8KfjqlxdDp2heYbg-Pv0K2xth-LNVbpEMgSyiWwxStg/s1600/2011-07-11+13.59.36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiachcuPixAD8OyqKYq-4JMOHmzzXuzyN6V5RYs13bNzKtNmCrzY7cloz0duffnCZK01QXsA9HOxfcBLTOPpuGACX6s27cibSka8KfjqlxdDp2heYbg-Pv0K2xth-LNVbpEMgSyiWwxStg/s640/2011-07-11+13.59.36.jpg" style="height: 87px; width: 531px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the cooler displays I saw </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUynxsMeKzTUmRnYhzuOFxKwTd8vEW-DYLgO0pKqrNPxpFM2Bib2eXqLAuGb7cF3dv768E6iTQWPwmRKS70YzbuuKQsYE7ym-84n0Po3sOWGSXFixDmnyfu_H8a8zN8wSZtS5RjVQlEbg/s1600/2011-07-11+14.16.43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUynxsMeKzTUmRnYhzuOFxKwTd8vEW-DYLgO0pKqrNPxpFM2Bib2eXqLAuGb7cF3dv768E6iTQWPwmRKS70YzbuuKQsYE7ym-84n0Po3sOWGSXFixDmnyfu_H8a8zN8wSZtS5RjVQlEbg/s400/2011-07-11+14.16.43.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Street and buildings we went saw along the way</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Then we headed to a place called the Sports Cafe. The whole idea of this place was built around integrating US sport culture with European. There you would see signs that would tell you that you could watch "US ESPN" while having a Bud Light. They had waitresses that were dressed in cheerleader outfits and looked really out of place. Our waitress was from Australia and she had never seen a cheerleader before she moved to London only three months earlier.<br />
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We then made our way to two more places that were just complete tourist destinations. Large markets/squares where the typical people could go and buy everything you could buy in a mall in America. GAP and so on...boring.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh9PAvbqfJbK_t62P9IEWusn63NKlBpB3GlzDOTow-B-_prd5H-je2JpGcP1MreMuQC8wVcoLqlNwyuzi31-9BvU7qJNEo2-PURvqBS_II5xWVDo6wgL4lxxAwTIPIIuwncaQxS2lKtJ8/s1600/2011-07-11+14.43.13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh9PAvbqfJbK_t62P9IEWusn63NKlBpB3GlzDOTow-B-_prd5H-je2JpGcP1MreMuQC8wVcoLqlNwyuzi31-9BvU7qJNEo2-PURvqBS_II5xWVDo6wgL4lxxAwTIPIIuwncaQxS2lKtJ8/s400/2011-07-11+14.43.13.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Times Square of London </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwyTPftxQimd5PLABVo8ZZqK1Wy1R_egU1h5hgNyE-faa3EhmpKviQ1KJfAd3BE2KZXvtB-kpufz6tJwl-ZhcOFdYBMIxQkYc9gdSiOuxakdeA9_7Wq2uPC90zeprpRfxEeAkPjHTI0Q4/s1600/2011-07-11+16.00.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwyTPftxQimd5PLABVo8ZZqK1Wy1R_egU1h5hgNyE-faa3EhmpKviQ1KJfAd3BE2KZXvtB-kpufz6tJwl-ZhcOFdYBMIxQkYc9gdSiOuxakdeA9_7Wq2uPC90zeprpRfxEeAkPjHTI0Q4/s400/2011-07-11+16.00.14.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Historic next to Modern</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG8nlLtYGnTOCEMu9JscIe-Pst72RyYvjWwP4B9EAQw3pO7H0y5eMXk9gK3vanqvWdSYc-f-SYJCiAfxlsMOhjJ-Ogf4bAH0MZZGO05DpD8piMdbWK2W_wiIJLdcfXpTDU8y9Ojfd-Bb4/s1600/2011-07-11+20.23.59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG8nlLtYGnTOCEMu9JscIe-Pst72RyYvjWwP4B9EAQw3pO7H0y5eMXk9gK3vanqvWdSYc-f-SYJCiAfxlsMOhjJ-Ogf4bAH0MZZGO05DpD8piMdbWK2W_wiIJLdcfXpTDU8y9Ojfd-Bb4/s400/2011-07-11+20.23.59.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just looked cool from a walk</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheRBhuXwFED8zjMNoghpwOGgot2HgxxPeZuSTN9vCRN6XbqRQlBvIEuTrH4boXPTOIra6z5o6tDxX7Gk2d7QduXydPBUkVcexdfCWaEchzUJ0LD7mwXcMM0ORHxergGBJgtmEPo76w8cw/s1600/2011-07-11+22.26.45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheRBhuXwFED8zjMNoghpwOGgot2HgxxPeZuSTN9vCRN6XbqRQlBvIEuTrH4boXPTOIra6z5o6tDxX7Gk2d7QduXydPBUkVcexdfCWaEchzUJ0LD7mwXcMM0ORHxergGBJgtmEPo76w8cw/s400/2011-07-11+22.26.45.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our boy and his liquid confidence</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>One of the guys that was in my group turned 21 today, so we headed to a pub after we got back and took him out for some drinks. Needless to say, he was feeling pretty good after a night out with some of his close buddies and decided to sing karaoke. His song of choice? "Sweet Home Alabama.Mr. McGoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754023282591632165noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831642078667978669.post-39994794503719240112011-07-10T17:27:00.002-05:002011-07-10T17:40:27.374-05:00London - Day 3<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGmuKzRy4D2C45nUQgMX6qY_zvsrfbbUKGBLDadbZn4296gHAKZo5dW6dd_vTQ4jr2_UV5XcM9Y7C1sgVkUdk4MgtiXm6E2JbI0kYO6asP-o1XDiJq-saFazoPSgUkhw3OTWmMjL_1eWY/s1600/2011-07-10+21.21.30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGmuKzRy4D2C45nUQgMX6qY_zvsrfbbUKGBLDadbZn4296gHAKZo5dW6dd_vTQ4jr2_UV5XcM9Y7C1sgVkUdk4MgtiXm6E2JbI0kYO6asP-o1XDiJq-saFazoPSgUkhw3OTWmMjL_1eWY/s320/2011-07-10+21.21.30.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view down the street we walked along</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">Today was a bit of a boring day. I’m still getting adjusted to the change in time, so I actually didn’t fall asleep until 2am here. I did make myself wake up earlier than I have been in hopes of making myself a little more tired in the evening. My cousin’s wife, Ally, played wedding planner for some folks yesterday and was completely exhausted from the whole event, so they both slept in a bit. I didn’t want to wake them, so while I woke up around 9:30, I stayed in my room for a few hours piddling on my ipad and playing some games. I came out and sat with them for a late breakfast and listened to Ally talk about the wedding and then started to figure out a game plan for getting from their house to Roehampton University. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIIEkBFXBfUYKPOLvhCdmhU5SpG9Rn690Jomxpg6w3YKiAUyrNDoyXpl_HywZxUqsHbiIBXhyIWqkaJujwJ0bfnRvTT0YEE0P6xYHTTBqQkkooWh_rXFMrJi49G39raf9RQI9rRBm7gUE/s1600/2011-07-10+21.21.45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIIEkBFXBfUYKPOLvhCdmhU5SpG9Rn690Jomxpg6w3YKiAUyrNDoyXpl_HywZxUqsHbiIBXhyIWqkaJujwJ0bfnRvTT0YEE0P6xYHTTBqQkkooWh_rXFMrJi49G39raf9RQI9rRBm7gUE/s320/2011-07-10+21.21.45.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All Bar One - Where we ate</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">If you were to look at a map of London, Roehampton is on the Southwest part of London and where Andrew and Ally live is in East Dulwich, which is Southeast London. It doesn’t sound much like a trek to get to Roehampton, but it really takes a long time to get through the city. I really like the public transportation here (buses, tubes, trains, and cabs) but they make so many stops, it can take one a really long time to get anywhere. Andrew says I’m bad luck because every time we have been on a bus we seem to get delayed for some reason. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Needless to say, I left around 2:30 from their house and got to Roehampton around 4:00. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0h7K8ifrVjFq3EDlMstekr4ZWQvelppRBB3O1UBrkEtiPREXZXNmx4pBeA4mjd-i7tCkM1yyjRriLLXxC6CJ-vvKbtvjJcoaZT7pwBOkgP_odEjipJidyxyK8A1UNFXmky3jgpNZgiUE/s1600/2011-07-10+21.25.33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0h7K8ifrVjFq3EDlMstekr4ZWQvelppRBB3O1UBrkEtiPREXZXNmx4pBeA4mjd-i7tCkM1yyjRriLLXxC6CJ-vvKbtvjJcoaZT7pwBOkgP_odEjipJidyxyK8A1UNFXmky3jgpNZgiUE/s320/2011-07-10+21.25.33.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The river we walked by</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">After I arrived here, I checked in to my room. It is pretty basic with a bed, desk area and has its own bathroom. It has a solitary confinement feel to it though. Everything is concrete except the desk and bed. I have a wonderful view of everyone coming down the stairs, so I have to be a bit careful in the morning and evening. Oh, and another thing…if anyone has ever seen “28 Days Later” they’ll know what I’m talking about. There is absolutely NO ONE here. It is completely empty and everything looks like it was just abandoned. I walked into the cafeteria and it looks like people just stopped drinking and eating and vanished. There are wrappers and glasses everywhere. Really kind of creepy if you asked me. Has a feel of a Zombie movie. Unfortunately, because of international travel rules, I wasn’t allowed to bring the necessary things one might need to survive a Zombie attack. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I feel pretty confident I could hold off a good number of them if they are slow walkers, but if they are the fast ones, like in 28 Days Later, then I’m a goner. All that being said, here’s to learning… </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ1gtM3e7lAMHWz9siV4lzekYuGCEMaTBF8GxtA_5fMb9vrzcTFNU_rmfvJ3k1Zf3ZU8je4ON4qY39Sm_Dx_-egk9LkpiRYA-nxw7etTg74-h7i1lqDrYvZxEGHABUaMoAs7gizp5M_tc/s1600/2011-07-10+21.26.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="87" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ1gtM3e7lAMHWz9siV4lzekYuGCEMaTBF8GxtA_5fMb9vrzcTFNU_rmfvJ3k1Zf3ZU8je4ON4qY39Sm_Dx_-egk9LkpiRYA-nxw7etTg74-h7i1lqDrYvZxEGHABUaMoAs7gizp5M_tc/s400/2011-07-10+21.26.14.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panoramic view of the bridges and river. Also a guy playing the guitar</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">We met up for an informal meeting with the whole staff and students and went over the expectations for the upcoming weeks. After that, we headed out as a large group to grab a bite to eat and headed in to Richmond (some nice part of London) and got to know one another. FYI, half of our program is made up of University of Maryland students and the other half are Memphis. So we have a lot of kids from New Jersey and the other half is southern which should make for some interesting dialog and convos. There are two people that latched on to the Maryland program from University of Michigan and two from the University of Toronto. </div><div class="MsoNormal">After dinner we walked down by a really nice stream and bridge (I have no idea what it was called) and then headed back. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihHp-13602O-EBn-awlvik3Rl08LfdnASCxdo9PE-KUNvfiM9kxh8-XnXYgSUU4JeX8yIzY9GSdYnysLeVXgg-2jXixkLFWW7ld_LqEZAR9L41UWcQ4FOPw7d0QnEq6_4mkG9UqsZIhVE/s1600/2011-07-10+21.26.58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihHp-13602O-EBn-awlvik3Rl08LfdnASCxdo9PE-KUNvfiM9kxh8-XnXYgSUU4JeX8yIzY9GSdYnysLeVXgg-2jXixkLFWW7ld_LqEZAR9L41UWcQ4FOPw7d0QnEq6_4mkG9UqsZIhVE/s400/2011-07-10+21.26.58.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the houses that overlooked the river</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">Heading to bed now, so hopefully tomorrow brings more to my day than this one. </div>Mr. McGoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754023282591632165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831642078667978669.post-35275985695356482932011-07-09T17:33:00.013-05:002011-07-09T18:29:12.168-05:00London - Day 2Today my cousin Andrew and I headed out for a bit. I asked him to give me a mini tour of some of the more fascinating parts of the city. So we hopped on a bus, went to the second level, and rode it to downtown. Along the way, I was able to see a lot of the city that most, when they come to London, don't see. The architecture of the buildings in the city are really incredible. In some areas you can see older buildings next to more modern ones. I wondered why this was so, but found out that it was most likely due to WWII and certain areas that were bombed by the Germans when they stuck London.<br /><br />That isn't the only reason you'll see modern buildings, as London is really putting a lot of emphasis on the Olympic Games that are coming here next summer.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWgSHTNKLzGbNdC7e-1qBrSW7fLMgqn6TS0zLGKHl5Ihp_juG_B0j8545sxoBgD6V7GfLR8dbwCWnzahq6pmBwTlbAQA6iQl_Hbh8s3lP0qQUXJH8TISccoXOWyLw0n3CWWMHhxxZXUx0/s1600/2011-07-09+13.07.44.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWgSHTNKLzGbNdC7e-1qBrSW7fLMgqn6TS0zLGKHl5Ihp_juG_B0j8545sxoBgD6V7GfLR8dbwCWnzahq6pmBwTlbAQA6iQl_Hbh8s3lP0qQUXJH8TISccoXOWyLw0n3CWWMHhxxZXUx0/s320/2011-07-09+13.07.44.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5627487068477666562" border="0" /></a><br />This picture gives a good representation of what you might see. An older church and a brand new building going up in the back skyline. They are calling this new building "The Shard" because it is designed to look like a shard of glass. Right now they are still building it and you might can see how they are putting the glass in. It will be one of the taller buildings in the city when it is finished.<br /><br />After taking in a nice bus ride downtown, we stopped at the River Thames to walk along side and take in the sights.<br /><br />We walked on the London Bridge and I was able to get a good glimpse of the Tower Bridge (the famous one) but walked in the opposite direction.<br /><br />One thing I can say about it all is there are a TON of tourists that walk along the river. I purposely try and avoid those kinds of crowds and tourist traps, but didn't today. I got a few pics of Big Ben and the Parliament buildings (I don't know why, but I always think of European Vacation when I say that).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7LGnMEKN7-sSojCKoPBikpwM1QWkulrL4TppnYkIk8c1nrVxfE8cbqpFMI8c-WALiRconlOWgwuLGeJdGKR6OJpg4Y8En6m_PYqBK5W2o4TWOzWsl26WMmnARnrcaJXYahuqYPBzdimY/s1600/2011-07-09+15.00.01.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7LGnMEKN7-sSojCKoPBikpwM1QWkulrL4TppnYkIk8c1nrVxfE8cbqpFMI8c-WALiRconlOWgwuLGeJdGKR6OJpg4Y8En6m_PYqBK5W2o4TWOzWsl26WMmnARnrcaJXYahuqYPBzdimY/s400/2011-07-09+15.00.01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5627493327305623026" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Also was able to get this shot of the millennium bridge that feeds right into St. Paul's Cathedral<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWneHmzeFOle1dEcnBqoFCi-nN9TDb95fRxV6_BcqbEPwaSu-8p-qRrihHHhC-4MUzI8OwqA9jFqBddcQPEeuYHNYr25uOsmJ7CJmZfUot7DTOugBGnoTyuNt9Nby1X11o20dpgxsbc4k/s1600/2011-07-09+13.28.12.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWneHmzeFOle1dEcnBqoFCi-nN9TDb95fRxV6_BcqbEPwaSu-8p-qRrihHHhC-4MUzI8OwqA9jFqBddcQPEeuYHNYr25uOsmJ7CJmZfUot7DTOugBGnoTyuNt9Nby1X11o20dpgxsbc4k/s400/2011-07-09+13.28.12.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5627493078850253954" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Here is <a href="http://cathedral.southwark.anglican.org/">Southwark Cathedral </a></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDLnuItUi7T-5oyhavXVIZRORa8LZlnHU5MGlkyOj-ZvLpEgbaLa4JGbRnkT6-TKw0Bf_EPQunj8Qzys3soCAMIVSiqm5VktaEzX9u-hulLUZt6TOCG2jkXKaKAulyf787-XVb0SZ4wxM/s1600/2011-07-09+13.16.16.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDLnuItUi7T-5oyhavXVIZRORa8LZlnHU5MGlkyOj-ZvLpEgbaLa4JGbRnkT6-TKw0Bf_EPQunj8Qzys3soCAMIVSiqm5VktaEzX9u-hulLUZt6TOCG2jkXKaKAulyf787-XVb0SZ4wxM/s400/2011-07-09+13.16.16.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5627494035123202962" border="0" /></a><br /><br />After taking in some sights and sounds for the afternoon, we made our way back to the flat to freshen up a bit and then headed out for the evening. We went to an underground, rooftop bar. (Yes, I realize that doesn't make sense, but work with me here...if you need to know what that means, look it up) It was the best part of the day because we got a great view of the city from afar. Hopefully, this picture does it justice.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1XG_HLgSAexiOZ2mcsADPyj2MxYT_5cXNZIV3mym5YqUIKHOK6sLEXJ89-KejkAWaxvI6hyvVq77-CgspeD7wNTrhJSb05ywbG3_d_hYEVbMKB787JbeXqwVwYZOLUrFzL3lfPHJX8UI/s1600/2011-07-09+19.52.56.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 482px; height: 104px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1XG_HLgSAexiOZ2mcsADPyj2MxYT_5cXNZIV3mym5YqUIKHOK6sLEXJ89-KejkAWaxvI6hyvVq77-CgspeD7wNTrhJSb05ywbG3_d_hYEVbMKB787JbeXqwVwYZOLUrFzL3lfPHJX8UI/s320/2011-07-09+19.52.56.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5627495031612863746" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Not as good of a shot as I would have liked, but with a camera phone, one can't complain too much. Few more photos to follow and one that I just can't seem to get away from...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi68Bev5oQ719Bfp11X_h1CbNFt9B0_pXkFhoJ3u3bVjcsEbmKsU-_rsyTK_J9AHkCJDr7Cao-pHVVQ4F7s6P43XkEn5uHzr6Idm0lZ7IzY9KrSY94cJ6mtetbmYR-w11eB1pTo-WUsufc/s1600/2011-07-09+19.53.34.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi68Bev5oQ719Bfp11X_h1CbNFt9B0_pXkFhoJ3u3bVjcsEbmKsU-_rsyTK_J9AHkCJDr7Cao-pHVVQ4F7s6P43XkEn5uHzr6Idm0lZ7IzY9KrSY94cJ6mtetbmYR-w11eB1pTo-WUsufc/s400/2011-07-09+19.53.34.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5627497825690850898" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGpD-KV0h3yWHAwxxtOdNi_V84G2xqpu_bBz4iFtyG2TIPQe_VkIYcbZ_ZdlDStU2AFOvsTo83vt9_IcSTdtUbcoqMVBFAEQrnaS0s3c-dIF8UlPmu0eHz44Piov0_b86fosui5-GYwsY/s1600/2011-07-09+19.54.10.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGpD-KV0h3yWHAwxxtOdNi_V84G2xqpu_bBz4iFtyG2TIPQe_VkIYcbZ_ZdlDStU2AFOvsTo83vt9_IcSTdtUbcoqMVBFAEQrnaS0s3c-dIF8UlPmu0eHz44Piov0_b86fosui5-GYwsY/s400/2011-07-09+19.54.10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5627498022608981250" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgovIQ2RqhN9Mm4YkJ9BWuqstDrgvPlrnPAlFj3r3rI_Y01g_8Us3IYW2NIswayhLiNbOJct2NWVOE0_Ngx7wJETUJ4Rh0KiMtDgwyueoNZEZCfuiaBbILH87EgixwZ7CDkar6kaZ_28X8/s1600/2011-07-09+16.27.03.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgovIQ2RqhN9Mm4YkJ9BWuqstDrgvPlrnPAlFj3r3rI_Y01g_8Us3IYW2NIswayhLiNbOJct2NWVOE0_Ngx7wJETUJ4Rh0KiMtDgwyueoNZEZCfuiaBbILH87EgixwZ7CDkar6kaZ_28X8/s400/2011-07-09+16.27.03.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5627498164314525138" border="0" /></a>Mr. McGoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754023282591632165noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831642078667978669.post-74253633931770724362011-07-08T11:29:00.007-05:002011-07-08T12:21:28.879-05:00London - Day 1<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9_aXjI5Lhg_zHgps2cpfLD8Y6kUj3BEDufHo7gHQ0UO3yJTh9u-VLtAMS8cadH2kOVQI6uz3Xe55FMXU6lWvHFNnWYUtDuzINvUYPjRJ3dsv_k7MNvwMZiwlNb6ytNA7-Rjp9Cly4XUA/s1600/2011-07-08+16.27.58.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9_aXjI5Lhg_zHgps2cpfLD8Y6kUj3BEDufHo7gHQ0UO3yJTh9u-VLtAMS8cadH2kOVQI6uz3Xe55FMXU6lWvHFNnWYUtDuzINvUYPjRJ3dsv_k7MNvwMZiwlNb6ytNA7-Rjp9Cly4XUA/s320/2011-07-08+16.27.58.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5627025998246280274" border="0" /></a>I made it to London after a full day of travel from Nashville - Atlanta - and London. Was a little worried at first considering my flight out of Nashville was delayed, but Delta quickly stepped up and moved me to a different flight and got me to Atlanta after a few hours wait.<br /><br />I was telling Mrs. McGoo on the way to drop me off that I feel a bit coarse with 'goodbyes' considering I had to say it twice a year when I was a kid. Visiting my father when I lived in Kentucky and my mom when I lived in Tennessee led to many tearful farewells, so they don't seem to be as hard for me as they use to be.<br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /></span>However, seeing a wife who was trying her best to hold back tears when I left was pretty darn hard. Fortunately, I was able to put on some sunglasses and sit and wait on a plane. Mrs. McGoo, on the other hand, had to try and drive across traffic in Nashville to reach her brother in law and sister's house.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVBofBqu16liy3j_Dlxny64uxxZTZjeXnRXKkcpOvxH6pe3XKXh2wRABixcEHUmMEXhqQgecgR1lQUKeeH0KSdoaMLRxx93HSouUFDbrh4oYTfu-NmtuB_4GAnumKXyr1SaIzBuSna0yM/s1600/2011-07-08+16.30.00.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVBofBqu16liy3j_Dlxny64uxxZTZjeXnRXKkcpOvxH6pe3XKXh2wRABixcEHUmMEXhqQgecgR1lQUKeeH0KSdoaMLRxx93HSouUFDbrh4oYTfu-NmtuB_4GAnumKXyr1SaIzBuSna0yM/s320/2011-07-08+16.30.00.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5627026199720165634" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:78%;" >Maybe they're Florida fans</span><br /></div><br />Once I made it to London, I quickly had to get some money exchanged, then find the 'tube' (subway) and make my way across underground London to find my cousin Andrew, who I am staying with the first couple of days and a few on the back end of the trip. Once I got to Andrew, we made our way back to their 'flat' (apartment) and then went to a 'pub' bar for some much needed food.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDP7n_u123AggnV1O-YFjLFLKXFAHeiSmfUCSZC7qtnRlX3lESZjzZh1gWJogixap36PKgPlBcD00CJLHDyeXZ5-K5YRQqaGI5zrwsVGZhDMdUB1QJ2o2FJDuaYtmO-Mh1m5PevVZaX4U/s1600/photo+1.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDP7n_u123AggnV1O-YFjLFLKXFAHeiSmfUCSZC7qtnRlX3lESZjzZh1gWJogixap36PKgPlBcD00CJLHDyeXZ5-K5YRQqaGI5zrwsVGZhDMdUB1QJ2o2FJDuaYtmO-Mh1m5PevVZaX4U/s320/photo+1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5627030078286296450" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">View from my room</span><br /><br /></span></div>We then went to watch a 5 a side tourney that some of his co-workers are playing in and caught a bus back to the flat to meet up with his wife, Ally. We had some dinner and I headed to bed. I tried to stay awake for Mrs. McGoo to skype with, but quickly fell asleep and woke up around midnight and got online to quickly say goodnight. (Note: it doesn't get dark here til 10 or so and gets light around 4am)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQkkwuEFzl4hL3TBwNjr8NS-EmYutFEGLtWwO_f5T7PAcItw1zvPG2ZEDAS9dK09bHILwxcyse9DR4NJeqzckkhqLCQsmiFqHEVHPbFqla5SmYNP1Fr6LXWHTMBTQrPAvIt0H1yH7aaY/s1600/2011-07-08+15.36.07.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQkkwuEFzl4hL3TBwNjr8NS-EmYutFEGLtWwO_f5T7PAcItw1zvPG2ZEDAS9dK09bHILwxcyse9DR4NJeqzckkhqLCQsmiFqHEVHPbFqla5SmYNP1Fr6LXWHTMBTQrPAvIt0H1yH7aaY/s320/2011-07-08+15.36.07.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5627024572624094562" border="0" /></a><br />I woke up around 4am, closed my blinds and went back to sleep. I didn't wake up til noon and moped around for another hour and caught Mrs. McGoo on skype before she was leaving for work. Then headed out to look around the city for a bit and grab a bite to eat. My first official meal - Fish sandwich and fries.<br /><br />Still a little jet lagged here, but looking forward to getting out tomorrow and spend a full day around London before I have to head over to the University that I am staying at.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Fish Sandwich and a Brew<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div>Mr. McGoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754023282591632165noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831642078667978669.post-12804496567397573942011-06-21T10:53:00.008-05:002011-06-21T11:50:15.821-05:00Questions Abound<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRmefIbiHi5GOfdf8Lpkgg601MtDzBxz-263aFoX-LQN_i4KFynv524GrzYhfrMB5hj_qqMWg7scMCep907-BhMAsIrKY-EQNB4fHhH0KA7o96cPSXzT37V31s0LMOiFvhoNk5qT5vbo8/s1600/Kelly-Ethiopia-Greeting.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRmefIbiHi5GOfdf8Lpkgg601MtDzBxz-263aFoX-LQN_i4KFynv524GrzYhfrMB5hj_qqMWg7scMCep907-BhMAsIrKY-EQNB4fHhH0KA7o96cPSXzT37V31s0LMOiFvhoNk5qT5vbo8/s320/Kelly-Ethiopia-Greeting.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620712973392730482" border="0" /></a>Coming back home from a vacation is always tough because you want to stay where you are at. Coming back home from family visits during the holidays is tough because you can't quite seem to have enough of the food you grew up eating. As much as we love HOME, getting there when you have been in a place that steals or has some of your heart can be difficult.<br /><br />Much is the same for me when I leave Ethiopia. It quite simply is never easy. The toughest part is leaving the relationships and kids you have come to care so dear for. And it isn't like leaving a place that is a days drive or so away. That being said, life doesn't stop here in the states when I am gone. So while I am suppose to be reading 200+ pages worth of journals before I head off to England in July, I am struggling to do so.<br /><br />I continue to be conflicted with the direction God has the McGoo family headed. One on hand, I love my life here in the US. I have a lot of family, friends, furbabies, a great gig with the soccer program, and an incredible church home. I really don't want to go anywhere. <span style="font-weight: bold;"> However, the more I am around safety, security, suburbs, and a world that is built on keeping up with the Jones's, the more I'm drawn to get away from it.</span><br /><br />It is so easy to log on to Facebook and see a comfortable life in store for me and my network. The problem is that I don't know that I want that. And I know that God doesn't want that for me. Yeah, I want to provide for my family, but what is providing? Buying a large house with a picket fence? <span style="font-weight: bold;">Getting the biggest car I can get because I think I deserve it</span> (I've driven a 96 Saturn since I bought it brand new)? It's just not me. And I don't think that is what God has for me. I'm not saying it is all wrong, but I am constantly reminded of the things that do not matter the more I get out of my comfortable surroundings. <br /> <br />I'm basically a man torn between a life of comfort with a society that tells me I deserve all I should have and a life of servant-hood with a <span style="font-weight: bold;">God that tells me less is more.</span><br /><br />I have a confession to make. I went on this last trip to Ethiopia thinking it might be my last for a long time. I thought I could get this sports ministry program up and running and they wouldn't need me anymore. Exact opposite. I left with more questions than resolved answers.<span style="font-weight: bold;"> I left knowing that I was needed there more than I could have imagined. I left after having conversations with missionaries, government officials, and university presidents and ultimately God telling me they needed more of me. That after a years worth of work, I hadn't even touched the surface of what needed to be accomplished.</span><br /><br />One can certainly be discouraged by it all you know? However, God let me see what was possible. God showed me how when listening to him, he'd provide the way. I had a government official tell Nega (The director of Onesimus Children's Development Association) that if I had come all the way from America to tell people about Christ, he thought it would be good if he listened and learned more.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizxze4lWT1uRAZk6sjRudhVr3PNayyc-Nn3EFqauP5EaznTrcFdGyYs47T5RX5NJ6_s3ogz350YN05aNl9Zi0GzXcb9LlzhRPaJgOsYYsUB4TIjsDou_O0rSlpUW9S59YYArqPbmSzRbg/s1600/Ethiopia-2-5401-300x200.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizxze4lWT1uRAZk6sjRudhVr3PNayyc-Nn3EFqauP5EaznTrcFdGyYs47T5RX5NJ6_s3ogz350YN05aNl9Zi0GzXcb9LlzhRPaJgOsYYsUB4TIjsDou_O0rSlpUW9S59YYArqPbmSzRbg/s320/Ethiopia-2-5401-300x200.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620714063449048370" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">My Ethiopian Princess - Ruth</span><br /></span></div><br /><br />And just like that, God said, "<span style="font-weight: bold;">See Kelly. I'm here and I am with you</span>."<br /><br />I spoke with a missionary who said it took years of prayer for him and his family to decide to GO. The two hours worth of conversation with him was the best part of my trip. It affirmed in me that I didn't have to make a rash decision about things and that "providing" for my family didn't have to entail the American way of providing with big cars, big boats, private schooling, and the latest trends. I bought my first apple product before I went. Now I'm sick to my stomach because of it. I could have made better use of that money.<br /><br />All of this just affirms that I have a lot of prayer and decisions to make over the course of the next two years (While Mrs. McGoo is in nursing school), but I know one thing is for sure. <span style="font-weight: bold;">I'll be back in Ethiopia sooner than I thought.</span>Mr. McGoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754023282591632165noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831642078667978669.post-73651512006504332902011-06-09T09:08:00.006-05:002011-06-09T09:17:55.126-05:00African Adventures & Wayne RooneyToday I head out to Ethiopia for the third time in a year. You can read more about what my experiences will be like while I'm there on <a href="http://theforsakenchildren.org/blog/">The Forsaken Children blog</a>.<br /><br />I just found out a few days ago that I'll be speaking to about 300 or so people at the local university in Addis Ababa. I'm told I can share my faith and incorporate it into sports. Yeah...that's all I have to go on.<br /><br />I do have one thing going for me. Most everyone there thinks I am Wayne Rooney. If you don't know who Wayne Rooney is, look him up. Pretty famous footballer for Manchester United. So while I have many nicknames here in the states, Rooney is what I get called in Ethiopia and because of that, they'll listen to me. Hey, God uses people...<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYtZ9r1iznZhOLKKJjFSfpFUZyrhKWVHcHx84BF8U7jyulyy1IexIauYJQ9Gv2tJHkDKvzaGJIdSdv0vL0lv5SDRv-Q6bYFR8oevlI-VfcYRsm7BLKUrIhBa5lmlZCYJ6d-9xqKY2iqU8/s1600/rooney.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 290px; height: 174px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYtZ9r1iznZhOLKKJjFSfpFUZyrhKWVHcHx84BF8U7jyulyy1IexIauYJQ9Gv2tJHkDKvzaGJIdSdv0vL0lv5SDRv-Q6bYFR8oevlI-VfcYRsm7BLKUrIhBa5lmlZCYJ6d-9xqKY2iqU8/s320/rooney.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616223329137590258" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Do you see a resemblance? I don't.Mr. McGoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754023282591632165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831642078667978669.post-50480419706270300892011-04-30T16:18:00.010-05:002011-04-30T17:20:31.574-05:00Anniversary Weekend<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioDLohPODtrIuilfEysLXaELbrXlZcxEhmi9XPU01XKw9rfiHT6rg_iFDWKc2f_-0ru72XWBX0n9hkOHNwbI-4QtZsHcegQo3XOEzEwb_pjYAUSXE-Jl8t_-wDwRp4QsJip47mFnXQMgI/s1600/2011-04-20+19.46.06.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioDLohPODtrIuilfEysLXaELbrXlZcxEhmi9XPU01XKw9rfiHT6rg_iFDWKc2f_-0ru72XWBX0n9hkOHNwbI-4QtZsHcegQo3XOEzEwb_pjYAUSXE-Jl8t_-wDwRp4QsJip47mFnXQMgI/s320/2011-04-20+19.46.06.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601495077766474386" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXIO0VYIQYoyeuT3gUqENDq-auA9eU1KBCwxtlNSEaYkvbQt0WWHAprccFmAW-ZY4yKwRb79Os8LnIjcFwSLfQFSbbpNgdxyucvBCjowVvK4S87s3ISUUxF1DX1zmyk04HxXGzUPvwPpM/s1600/2011-04-20+16.52.14.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXIO0VYIQYoyeuT3gUqENDq-auA9eU1KBCwxtlNSEaYkvbQt0WWHAprccFmAW-ZY4yKwRb79Os8LnIjcFwSLfQFSbbpNgdxyucvBCjowVvK4S87s3ISUUxF1DX1zmyk04HxXGzUPvwPpM/s320/2011-04-20+16.52.14.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601494958677702034" border="0" /></a><br />Last Wednesday Mrs. McGoo and I headed out for a late anniversary trip to St. Louis and Kansas City. Our actual anniversary is actually March 17, but with Mrs. McGoo and I both being in school, this past week presented the best time to get away for some fun times.<br /><br />We made our way up to St. Louis, only stopping to get some throw'd rolls at Lambert's in Sikeston, MO. I decided to check out priceline.com following a recommendation by a buddy of mine. It turned out we got a pretty good deal as we secured a $300 room at the Hyatt in downtown St. Louis for only $65 a night. Then we were upgraded to a corner suite when I told the lady we were there for our anniversary. Take a look at our room and view. Not too shabby.<br /><br />Once there we made our way to the Budweiser Brewery tour and then went to a Cards baseball game. Again, secured a great deal on tickets - 2 $93 seats for $32 total. We ended up right by the first baseline and I got to watch Albert Pujols knock one out of the part while my bride was trying to take pictures. This, unfortunately is not the picture she took. This was taken from the panoramic feature on my phone. Not too shabby either...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdi8MG1ExHMzEDCELftfHkQdXpTMXcI8Hppny2dTNvFPxiOpgF7auAUdVx6OdFict4IZYneG2m3ASnGO2yhBb-4y6EwkvKY1oo0rzG7dZOTko336v20N76GyVr5eoU4SvBmPR9BokCJEo/s1600/2011-04-21+14.13.49.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 484px; height: 123px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdi8MG1ExHMzEDCELftfHkQdXpTMXcI8Hppny2dTNvFPxiOpgF7auAUdVx6OdFict4IZYneG2m3ASnGO2yhBb-4y6EwkvKY1oo0rzG7dZOTko336v20N76GyVr5eoU4SvBmPR9BokCJEo/s400/2011-04-21+14.13.49.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601495318183422434" border="0" /></a><br /><br />After we enjoyed a good time in St. Louis, we headed over to Kansas City where most of my MILC's family lives. On our way over, we had some awful weather getting out of St. Louis. It wasn't until the next morning did I realize that we missed the tornado that hit the St. Louis airport by a few minutes or so. All that time I was blaming the bad tired on our car for the reason it felt like we were all over the road.<br /><br />Once we got in, we stayed with UILF and AILT for the visit. We got a good steady dose of Mrs. McGoo's cousin's kids. It's neat to see how fast they grow when you only see them once or twice a year. Clayton, the middle child, and I seem to hit it off every time I come in. Last year he had me watching the Backyardigans and this year he almost had me playing Thomas the Train with him. It would be encouraging to see that he can now call me Kelly and not Telly, but instead, he has learned the phrase, Smelly Kelly. Who could have taught him that, I don't know....<br /><br />Saturday night we had the whole family over for dinner and uFrank had been smoking some brisket for 24 hours or so on his new electric smoker. Unfortunately for him, the meat came out a little dry. This unfortunate happening just allowed us to lather the meat up more so with BBQ sauce than normal. I could tell he was a little bummed, but pushed through it. I think somewhere his son-in-law Dan put a curse on the meat since he referred to the electric grill as "cheating."<br /><br />The next morning we made our way to church for Easter service and then came back to the house for some grub before we hit the road. We were all set to be treated to a wonderful meal by aTerri when uFrank's string of bad luck on the grill continued. This time on a propane tank. I know...difficult right. Some where on one of the many shows he "Likes to watch" he saw that you can put greasy bacon on the grill and cook them. So he decided to give it a whirl. I don't know if 5 minutes went by before all the girls in the house start screaming. I am playing with uFrank's iPad at the time and asked what was going on. They're all now laughing and saying that uFrank has caught the grill on fire.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOcMt8KyYHK_UbX7yuZINlZgcXVI3Y5zDrZK06WpF_wuKib0NFK5eCwZFwXY-NZQFHfj5WAB0g2W_I3L-QVSXQ2KADf77EQshninjBcIY_43GxzmZpksP02p6Wev1qx-t6g7jpyLpFotQ/s1600/2011-04-24+10.45.13.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOcMt8KyYHK_UbX7yuZINlZgcXVI3Y5zDrZK06WpF_wuKib0NFK5eCwZFwXY-NZQFHfj5WAB0g2W_I3L-QVSXQ2KADf77EQshninjBcIY_43GxzmZpksP02p6Wev1qx-t6g7jpyLpFotQ/s400/2011-04-24+10.45.13.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601502579054169682" border="0" /></a><br />Knowing this is too good of a moment for me to pass up, I quickly grabbed my phone and went to take pictures of this kodak moment. Much to my delight, the flames were blazing about the time I got over there. Here, in all his glory is what happens when a bad grilling weekend comes to an end.<br /><br />After uFrank's Bacon Explosion (kind of funny since he once sent me a recipe called that) we headed back to M-town to try and get in at a reasonable time. It's always a tough place to leave. They treat me like one of their own and really do a great job of taking care of us while we're there.<br /><br />I know we're missed because we always get the same sad face when we leave.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJIeuqdSEFHRbHY-b__HoG4A3GYHNiGc6zB3ThTWWCWyKplpGg9kxteOgyjW4UEVvSevvnomYmObCFm1et3qYSKbBSUWxKEof_q4rjojGCredVYILqTWE2uwuG7k6_qP8mcH-HPbdfJA/s1600/Poor+Old+Sap.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJIeuqdSEFHRbHY-b__HoG4A3GYHNiGc6zB3ThTWWCWyKplpGg9kxteOgyjW4UEVvSevvnomYmObCFm1et3qYSKbBSUWxKEof_q4rjojGCredVYILqTWE2uwuG7k6_qP8mcH-HPbdfJA/s400/Poor+Old+Sap.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601504053234262610" border="0" /></a>Mr. McGoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754023282591632165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831642078667978669.post-92167914194607368242011-04-26T11:05:00.004-05:002011-04-26T11:39:48.119-05:00Jesus and the MartyrsLike most people, I struggle with my thoughts and my faith as I continue to try and pursue holiness. Yet, I continually fail when I let my selfish desires and worldly thoughts get the best of me. In doing so, I am constantly reminded that as strong as I am in who I am, I am nothing without the help I get from God and the sacrifice he made for me. <br /><br />All that said, I still wrestle with my faith and death and what comes next. My simple mind cannot fathom, on occasion, what eternity is. With Easter just recently in my mind, the conversation has come up a lot about Jesus's death. <br /><br />During that 11th hour, Jesus asks his Father to remove the weight from his shoulders and in that small moment, you see the humanity in Jesus. What exactly was the (Cup) weight he was referring to? I often wonder how the Son of God would struggle in the 11th hour with his impending death. After all, if he is the Son of God, shouldn't he know better? <br /><br />I read <a href="http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2011/04/21/jesus-and-the-martyrs/">this article</a> last week and continue to come back to it for the answers I seek. It's a pretty telling description of the 'Cup' that Jesus refers to and in doing so, explains why he was different from famous martyrs in comparing their deaths to his. <br /><br /><p style="font-family: times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;">"There are a couple things to say in response to this question. First, it’s reassuring that the Gospel writers tell us about Jesus’ agonized struggle before his death, because it demonstrates that they are honest writers. Who would ever make this stuff up?! There’s no reason to, and every reason <em>not </em>to. It’s a bit uncomfortable to have your God and Savior agonizing, praying not to go to the cross, sweating, and afraid. The fact that Luke reports Jesus’ emotional struggle in the passage above helps confirm that it really happened, that Luke is telling us the story straight.</span></p><span style="font-family: times new roman;font-size:100%;" > </span><p style="font-family: times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Second, Jesus’ agony makes sense when we realize that the death he died is radically different from the death of Socrates, the seven Jewish brothers, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. It’s not all that different on the physical level. While Jesus’ death by beating and crucifixion was a terrible physical ordeal, the physical agony of the seven Jewish brothers (for example) was perhaps equally great. What sets Jesus’ death apart from the death of any other person in the history of the world is the <em>spiritual </em>component of his suffering. We have an indication of that terrible spiritual reality in Luke 22:42: “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me.” To what “cup” is Jesus referring?"</span><br /></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />It's a pretty long article, so I'm not going to steal a hit away from the author, so take a look at the rest of the article on the link provided above.<br /><br />It reminds me that I don't deserve anything. There are times when I'd like a new car or new house or new clothes, because I think I've earned it and deserve it. Reading this helps keep me grounded in knowing that my life and debt has been paid for and I am nothing without Christ's redeeming love. <br /></span>Mr. McGoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754023282591632165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831642078667978669.post-15938298943134793472011-04-13T11:13:00.004-05:002011-04-13T12:26:13.328-05:00Fairweather FansOne of the things I love about being a fan of sports is that it gives people a chance to grow friendships. I absolutely detest meeting someone for the first time and being asked what I do. It is like they are sizing me up for how much I make or what kind of car I will drive. Annoying to say the least.<br /><br />However, I do like finding out who a person likes, or being asked what team I follow. It gives someone good insight into who they are, maybe where they are from, and what they like when you find out what team or sport they like. This can lead to good topical discussion and you don't feel like you're being sized up for how big your wallet is.<br /><br />In finding out who a person likes, it also opens them up for some good ribbing at their teams expense. That's the beauty of sports is that you cannot always have a good year in everything. Or can you?<br /><br />Back in the early 90's, I once had a friend that never seemed to have a down year in sports. His favorite team had a remarkable run of success. Who was his favorite team you ask? Well, good question...depended on the sport. Duke basketball, Florida St. football, Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bulls, and Atlanta Braves. Now, keep in mind this was in the 90's when all these teams were remarkably good and winning a ton.<br /><br />Now, I don't know where you come from, but my criteria for liking a team is as follows: You went to school there, you played there, you grew up there, your parents were fans, or MAYBE they were good when you were a kid. Oh, and the caveat for colleges is you MUST like all sports, not just one.<br /><br />For instance, if you are an Auburn fan, you can relish in the fact that your football team is really good, but fan-hood rules require you to suffer through basketball in order to level you out. Again, I am a UK and Memphis fan (Spent half my life in Lex and the other half in Memphis). Basketball fun is leveled out by football frustrations. The Yin and the Yang.<br /><br />I say all this to say 'fan-code' is being broken by a lot of people I'm around. I see a lot of people say they are UT football fans and Memphis basketball fans. Huh? That same guy that is rooting for Memphis basketball switches his allegiance to UT football in the fall. Sorry, I don't get it. Number one, they are rivals and number two, you should be a fan of the university not the team. I understand it isn't popular to be a fan of Memphis football or UT basketball (especially now), but that's the rules.<br /><br />Now that we've had the convo about 'fan-code' and what is expected, the world should be a better place. And I'll make fun of your team when you're down....say for instance when you keep losing to mid-majors in the tourney.Mr. McGoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754023282591632165noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831642078667978669.post-37110658918685059832011-03-28T12:52:00.003-05:002011-03-28T13:13:21.190-05:0013 Years Too LongThis weekend ended on a high note for me. My University of Kentucky Wildcats are going back to the Final Four for the first time in 13 years. Growing up in Lexington, we're use to success in basketball. However, after Tubby took over for Pitino and won a championship in 1998, we haven't seen the last weekend in college basketball in over 13 years. <br /><br />During that time, 'Cryin' Roy discovered two championships, Rat K won two championships, "Chowda" Jim won two championships, Billy 'The Kid" won two championships, and even Bill Self has won one. While I loved Tubby, he never had the desire to play the recruiting game and began to bring in talent that Auburn wouldn't want. Then, when he moved on, we took over a complete mistake in Billy Gillispie. Billy Clyde was in over his head in Lexington and just like some say in New York, got swallowed up by the pressure. <br /><br />Now, we finally got the guy that LOVES the pressure and thrives on it. <br /><br />What makes this run to the Final Four so remarkable is that last year's 'Draft Cats" had more talent and next's years incredible recruiting class is what everyone was looking forward to. This year was the year that we had low expectations and would be happy to make it to the second weekend of the tourney. <br /><br />Now we're back where we belong. So it's going to be a fun week. I'll get to listen to a ton of fans complain about Cal and how he's a cheater and can't coach and how UK can't win with one-and-done's and how UCONN is better and how everyone wants VCU, Butler, or UCONN to win. <br /><br />That's fine. The one thing I've learned about sports is that hate breeds stupidity. This team is legit and that's all that matters to me. I love watching them play.<br /><br />One other thing that would be nice if UK wins the Championship. I'd win my brackets and come home with a lot of cash. That would be especially nice considering I've got a certain KU fan that has beaten me two years in a row. <br /><br />GO CATSMr. McGoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754023282591632165noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831642078667978669.post-84488711852078781112011-03-17T09:11:00.004-05:002011-03-17T09:34:01.339-05:004 Years of Bliss<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiH3aXIcG2RN4Yzskto35hW8sSeCQ5WbSo5mcC1mGS069hSLJbx4gOBfTHrU9qi_s7eDx_kLA5Wc15x84MU5msexJOyDVs3I8bGBHjNc__VbeffxbIs6fx4_5btVS1D8dlspQT11LkiXI/s1600/wedding+day.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiH3aXIcG2RN4Yzskto35hW8sSeCQ5WbSo5mcC1mGS069hSLJbx4gOBfTHrU9qi_s7eDx_kLA5Wc15x84MU5msexJOyDVs3I8bGBHjNc__VbeffxbIs6fx4_5btVS1D8dlspQT11LkiXI/s400/wedding+day.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585056456000655138" border="0" /></a><br />Today marks 4 years that my wife, Mrs. McGoo, has had the fortunate blessing of being my wife. I completely take care of her by cooking, cleaning, keeping the house in order, and making tons of money to provide for her. Those are just a few intangibles that Mr. McGoo brings to the table.<br /><br />My SILR tells me every year on my birthday (we share a bday), "Congrats, for sharing a birthday with me." So I'll say, "Congrats Mrs. McGoo for being married to me for 4 years!"<br /><br /><br /><br />(Any if you believe any of what I just wrote, you probably think that today is Halloween because everyone is dressed in green.) <br /><br />The fact is, I'm incredibly blessed and lucky to call Mrs. McGoo my wife.<br /><br />Here's a really cool quote from Mark Driscoll:<br /><br />"In the opening pages of Genesis, we see that our Trinitarian God made everything “good.” The only thing that is not called “good” is that our first father, Adam, was alone. He had creation below him, and God above him, but no one alongside of him to walk as an equal. In this way, Adam was not able to show forth the Trinitarian community of God; Adam was alone on the earth and not in community. For this reason, among others, God said it was “not good” for the man to be alone. So, God made a woman, our first mother, Eve, to be Adam’s helper and bride. God then essentially walked her down the aisle and officiated the first wedding between the first man and first woman. Thus, God set the precedent that, though different, men and women are equal as his image-bearers, that marriage is a gift for one man and one woman to enjoy, and as a result called all of this “very good.” "<br /><br />If I can borrow from our Lord, our marriage has been <span style="font-weight: bold;">VERY GOOD</span>. And it is <span style="font-weight: bold;">ONLY</span> because we have continued to put our Lord and savior, Christ, in the center of it.<br /><br />I love you Mrs. McGoo!Mr. McGoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754023282591632165noreply@blogger.com3