RoBBlog

Want to hear a joke? Houston Texans. That's it. That's the punchline. Not so funny, is it?

The Texans once again managed to embarrass Houston. The home field loss to the marginally mediocre New York Jets was not only an embarrassment to the city, it was indisputable insult to the fans - particularly loyal season ticket / PSL holders.

As fans, we must realize the truth: we are enabling Bob McNair's addiction to predatory greed. As long as we keep giving money to him, he will keep taking it from us. Don't be fooled - Bob thinks nothing of it. He feels absolutely no sense of obligation to field a better team. He isn't spending your money on team improvement. Your money is going in his pocket. Case in point, the Texans have one of the lowest (if not lowest) paid non-player staffs in the NFL. Mr. McNair is not so bold as to blatantly cheat fans with bad players. He uses more deceptive means. He cuts corners in coaching, scouting and administration.

If Bob was really interested in winning, Bill Cowher would be head coach right now. Bill would have one of the most impressive coaching and scouting staffs in the NFL while McNair gladly paid for it. And the Texans would be a winning team.

But Bob isn't interested in winning. He is interested in greed.

It is time for fans to stop enabling Bob McNair.

Fans with PSLs should stop buying concessions at the game.

Fans with only season tickets should not renew their seats.

Fans without season tickets or PSLs shouldn't buy individual game tickets.

Lastly, no fan should buy Texans merchandise.

Once the money is gone, Bob McNair will have only two choices: 1) sell the team or 2) produce a winner.

So, a couple of months ago I purchased a netbook. A netbook is a small, lightweight computer that is only suitable for basic tasks such as web browsing, email, word processing, etc. The benefit is both the small form factor and long battery life. It is easier to carry around than a standard notebook. My notebook, which acts as desktop replacement when needed, is large and heavy - partially because of the extended battery - making it a hassle to carry everywhere. Because of my job, it is necessary to have a computer present 24/7.

Life since this purchase has been fantastic.

I throw this netbook in my car anytime I leave the house. It fits neatly and discreetly in the locked glove box. Should an urgent client issue arise while I'm out and about, all I have to do is find a hot spot or tether to my phone for an internet connection. The netbook is also a more suitable solution for catching up on news while sitting at Starbucks or favorite lunch spot. And because of the long battery life - mine gets approximately 6hrs - I can leave the a/c adapter at home without concern.

One last thing...the operating system. Most netbooks come with a stripped down version of Windows XP. This is necessary because Vista requires more power and resources than a netbook can provide. I used the Windows XP OS for about a month without any real issues. But in an effort to speed up the system and get even longer battery life, I installed Ubuntu. Ubuntu is a Linux based OS that works much like Windows or OSX. It is fantastically efficient and stable. And the best part - it's free! Ubuntu is an open source distribution that falls under GNU licensing. Which means, basically, it is owned by the public. Well, running this OS has made my little netbook shine - booting faster, running smoother and lasting longer. I love it.

So if you need basic web browsing and email capabilities or a more convenient mobile solution, try a netbook. With a starting price of just $199, it is hard to go wrong.

Well, 2 years of blogging has gone by. It is time for my annual rant.

Let's go over the ground rules:

Not everybody gets mentioned in RoBBlog. This is particularly true when it comes to dating. That part of my life is strictly off limits. Romantic interests, if any, are not for public consumption. Although, I admit to occasionally making vague references about certain friends. Bottom line is that women fall into only 3 categories: friends, family or wife. I am too old to have girlfriends. And, honestly, I loath dating. So, there is not much to tell.

Posts about activities are not fully representative of my life. I tend to blog about gatherings with friends and family. On occasion, I get on a soapbox regarding current events. Sometimes, quotes and facts are posted from books or articles I've read. But, all in all, it is just a small sliver of me.

Lastly, and as always: Just read the blog. Leave a comment. Don't complain.

So, a few weeks ago I posted a commentary targeting Facebook. In said post, I claimed that Facebook is the spawn of Satan. That opinion remains unchanged. Only the devil could think that distracting millions of people from work and family is a good thing. What has changed is my primary reason for participating in this hugely successful social network. My interest has clearly moved from professional to personal. This is not to say that I quit mining Facebook for marketing purposes - I still do. But, the enjoyment of connecting with friends, new and old, on a daily basis outweighs any marketing insight gained.

So, I offer this partial retraction. I love Facebook!

Reading the newspaper article, my stomach started to turn. A deep sinking feeling of utter despair consumed me. I could not comprehend the horrific details regarding the death of Baby Grace - nor did I want to. Nonetheless, I kept reading out of some strange sense of obligation. It was as if enduring the uncomfortable and painful details would somehow lessen the pain of a child already passed. Logically, it makes no sense. But spiritually, it is almost a mandate.

With every next sentence, I squirmed. My anger - even rage - towards the perpetrators of this disgusting crime started to boil. I wanted to see this man and women suffer for the pain they had caused. I wanted them to experience the same fear and helplessness of Baby Grace. Then came this sobering detail:

...Trenor told investigators how her daughter looked at her during the beating and said, “I love you.”

The hatred was instantly replaced by sadness. The tears came out. How could a child so badly abused vocalize such tender words. Some might say it was only an attempt to stop the beating. But, I say that Baby Grace's motives were entirely different. "I love you" was the question, "How can you do this if you love me like I love you?" In the hopelessness of the moment all the child could get out was three words. Simply, heartbreaking.

This brought me to a different place. No longer am I concerned with what happens to these monsters. God will take care of that. Baby Grace said words of love. So should I. My only concern is how to move forward. I must ask myself this question, "Are my actions consistent with how I feel?" If the answer is no, I must change. That is my obligation to victims like Baby Grace, but more importantly, to those I love.