Took Reed to Thanksgiving Dinner today at Traditions, a favorite Harrisonburg restaurant. And after our big snowfall yesterday you can't beat the view out my front window. (Actually my front window is about a mile to the left with the same basic view and maybe even a little better, but I found this pic already on the web.)

Played golf near here yesterday.

Reed got to play in his first college basketball game last night as EMU lost to Messiah College 70-65 in the finals of this tournament they had there. He played for about 5 minutes, had 2 points and 1 rebound. I'm hoping to get some video from the coach and if I do I'll post it here. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ So Coach Dean has posted the game on Krossover.com The entire game is here but you can jump to when Reed is in. He's in blue, number 0, and plays from about 9:00 minutes (59 minutes on the player) down to 4 1/2 minutes of the second half (68:45 on the player). His rebound comes just as he gets in and the basket is at 61:35 on the player. http://www.krossover.com/intelligence/shared/5472237d4f1af -----------------------------------------update------------------------------------------------------- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16YOTGc2Ucg&list=UU9wu1-8U3x_XUTOeBZYilkw ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Pics of the highlights

At 6 weeks post op Dr Ver wanted me to get some x-rays and send them to him. Got them today. How do I look?

OK so Saturday Ry sends me this poster about being an extra in a movie. I had done something like this before in 1981 for a movie that ended up being called ALL THE MARBLES with Peter Falk. It amounted to sitting around most of the day and then doing something for 15 minutes and then collecting your money. It was kinda fun (we were at the MGM Grand in Reno) boring (sat most of the day) interesting (got to see Peter Falk and a couple of hot babes) and you got $25 which was close to my daily wage as a change guy at Harrah's. So anyway, I emailed and got hired BUT they wanted me to be clean shaven and have a dark suit. Clean shaven - no problem but I needed a haircut. Dark suit – problem---I mean I am from Guam—What the hell is a dark suit. BUT I don't have to be there – Martinsburg -- until 2:30 on Monday. No problem!!! Martinsburg is an hour and a half away. So Monday morning I'm up bright and early and I'm off to Goodwill who just happens to have an ok blue suit that fits, shirt, tie, a PERIOD t-shirt all for $17. What a deal!! Take it home and throw it in a bag along with some other pants, etc that they told me to bring. By this time the barber is open so I get my $15 haircut and, after lunch, I'm off to Martinsburg. I get there about 1:00 and find the place which is just a large room in a shopping mall that they are using as a holding area. When they want you they put you in a van and bus you over to the filming location. I notice there are 20-30 guys dressed just like me. The girls running the place tell me to sit down and they'll get to me. Some paperwork...........and wait. After a couple hours one of the girls motions me to come with her to the hairdresser, but she's not quite ready yet so just sit right here and wait. 20 minutes later the hairdresser can't improve much on my new haircut so she just hardens it and back outside..... to wait. 20 minutes later to wardrobe and there the nice lady doesn't like my blue suit much but she does like my grey slacks which fit better 20 years ago. She gives me a better white shirt, a better tie, and a jacket, and conversation how she's been working for production companies for 20 years when she's not working at her family business in eastern Tennessee. And now dressed, back out..... to wait. I did find out though that I am officially “Reporter #1” which leads me to think “Hey! I might have a line or 2”. A few minutes later they give ma a script and WOW! Reporter #1 says “Frank, how are you feeling today....?” ---Now I forgot to mention that the movie is supposed to be a 5 part mini-series on the beginnings of the Mafia and organized crime. My line is said to Frank Costello before he goes in to testify before the Kefauver Committee (Look it up). Visions of a Best Supporting Oscar dance through my head. Who should I thank in my acceptance speech?? 20 minutes later after having thoroughly practiced my line I hear “Reporter #1 – Meyer on the bus.” and with 10 seconds to secure my bag and belongings I'm off. Now filming is in this vacant building in a room on the 3rd floor and it's cold. Temp outside that day was around 40 and now it's late in the afternoon and the sun is going down and they only have a couple space heaters going. Luckily I'd brought my coat. But it was still cold. I stood and watched as various scenes were being shot in this room which was supposed to be Senator Kefaufer's committee room. It seemed laughable to me that this small room could ever be taken as a Senate committee room but such is the magic of the movies. Then all of a sudden one of the guys said “We need everybody in the gallery” and then pointed to me to stand on a ledge behind other people in the gallery for Costello's testifying scene. The ledge was about 2 feet high so I grab part of the set to help myself up and since it wasn't secure--I knocked it over. We got it fixed. I was part of the gallery. We laughed appropriately as Costello fended off the Senator's questions—6 or 7 times and then the director called a wrap and began to thank all the extras and to shake their hands as we left. When my turn came I asked about “My Scene” and he told me they bagged it and that's why they put me in the gallery. No problem. I mean my scene had been cut from ALL THE MARBLES too. So downstairs to the bus...which just left so we had to wait until it got back. Then back to the holding area where we couldn't leave until we were called to wardrobe and turned in our stuff which took about 45 minutes for me. Then sign the paperwork and I realized it was $100 if you worked the 12 hour day that some of these people had been there. Mine was ….... let's see......3½ hours. Probably close to that 25 bucks I got 30 years ago. And then, of course the hour and a half drive back to Harrisonburg. Was I ever glad they didn't want me to come back Tuesday. It was supposed to be REALLY cold.

EMU won two games last night and tonight. They beat Ferrum 80 - 74 and then tonight they edged St Mary's 82-80. Reed didn't play but he made two pics from the pros taking them. A hot start wasn't enough for the Runnin Royals, as they had to sweat out an 80-74 season-opening win over Ferrum College in the EMU Tip-Off Classic Saturday evening in Harrisonburg. Eastern Mennonite takes on perennial power St. Mary's (Md.) to wrap up the classic Sunday afternoon at 4:00pm. The men looked as good as advertised from the opening tip, forcing Ferrum into nine turnovers and five missed shots to start the game. EMU scored the first 14 points, all in the first five minutes. But the Panthers regrouped and quickly cut the lead down to 24-18. The visitors kept coming and eventually tied the score at 35-35 on a jumper from Rashawn Speas with 1:46 to go in the half. The Royals scored the next three points and still clung to a 40-37 edge at the break. In the second, the margin stayed between two and six points until a 9-0 run pushed EMU up 67-53 with 5:41 remaining. The Panthers responded with a 14-6 streak, cutting the lead back down to 73-67 with 1:19 left. Put to the free throw line, the Royals made 5-of-6 tosses over the final 54 ticks to seal the six-point win. Both teams shot a shade better than 43%, but EMU got their needed advantage by forcing 20 turnovers. Marcel Crump (Richmond, Va./Highland Springs) was unstoppable, connecting for 22 points and 10 rebounds. The wing was also 8-8 from the free throw line. Ryan Yates (Alexandria, Va./T.C. Williams) was good for 15 points and seven rebounds, while David Falk (Madison, Va./Madison County) added 11 points, seven boards, three steals and three blocks. James Williams (Capitol Heights, Md./Archbishop Carroll) had a game high three assists. Jamal Pullen led Ferrum with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Marcus Huff had 13 points off the bench and Speas came in with 11. Eastern Mennonite has a tall task against the Seahawks on Sunday, who beat ODAC rival Bridgewater 76-58 in Saturday's first game. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Drama was plenty in Sunday's finale of the Loyal Royals Tip-Off Classic, where EMU's Runnin Royals got past St. Mary's (Md.) in the dogfight. Eastern Mennonite trailed by six late, but closed the game on an 11-3 run to earn an 82-80 win in front of the home crowd in Yoder Arena. The Royals led by as many as eight early in the game, but SMC used a 12-3 run for their first lead at 21-20. The streak build to 17-4 as the Seahawks had the lead at 26-21. EMU regrouped and the score was tied 42-42 at halftime. The teams traded leads in the second half with neither getting ahead by more than six. Royals nearly tied the score with eight minutes to go, but Kwa McDonald (Frederick, Md./Tuscarora) was whistled for a charge on a fastbreak shot. The call seemed to fuel St. Mary's as the visitors answered every EMU score and then pushed up a 77-71 cushion after a MacGyver Biniak layup with 3:11 to go. Ryan Yates (Alexandria, Va./T.C. Williams) missed the front end of a one-and-one on EMU's next possession, and the Seahawks looked to improve on their biggest lead of the contest. But a wild swing whipped the game's momentum in a 180-degree turn. Yates was called for holding on the defensive end, but SMC's Biniak threw the ball in response, earning a technical foul and exiting with his fifth foul. James Williams (Capitol Heights, Md./Archbishop Carroll) headed to the stripe for the two charity tosses, but after he hit one, the Seahawks' coach was tagged with another technical foul. As a result, Williams shot and swished four free throws, slicing the SMC lead to 77-75. The Royals took the gift and ran with it. The men got the ball after Williams' tosses, and David Falk (Madison, Va./Madison County) hit a jumper in the lane to tie the score at 77-77. Yates then picked off a pass and threw down a dunk to complete a shocking 8-0 run in the span of 37 seconds and vault EMU in front 79-77 with 2:08 to go. The teams traded a number of misses until Williams hit two more free throws with 16.6 showing, bumping the lead to 81-77. Tanner Brooks hit a quick three for SMC to trim the lead to one and Williams was sent back to the free throw line with 8.3 left. The senior hit the second of two tosses and Donya Jackson missed a contested jumper in the closing seconds to leave the Runnin Royals with the two-point win. EMU had a slight edge in shooting, 43.9% to 41.3%, and neither team shot well from outside. St. Mary's was 14-15 from the free throw line, but the Royals out-did them by sheer volume, going 20-38. The Seahawks also committed 15 turnovers to 11 for EMU. Yates led all players with 19 points to go with six rebounds and a game-high three steals. He was named the MVP of the Loyal Royals All-Tournament Team, averaging 17.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.5 assists. Falk came in with his first double double of the year at 15 points, 10 rebounds and six blocked shots. EMU's center was named the All-Tournament Team by averaging 13.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.5 blocks and 1.5 steals. Williams finished 8-9 from the free throw line and connected on 17 points. Blake Steele (Front Royal, Va./Warren County) added six points and six rebounds off the bench. Troy Spurrier led St. Mary's with 17 points while Brooks added 15 points and six rebounds. Jackson had 10 points and 13 rebounds. All-Region guard Nick Laguerre was held to eight points on 2-16 shooting, but had a game high five assists. Now 2-0 on the year, Eastern Mennonite has the week off as they prepare for the second of their four two-day tourneys this season. The Royals head to Grantham, Pa., for a tournament hosted by Messiah College, opening against NCAA qualifier DeSales on Friday at 4:00pm.

EMU basketball team had a scrimmage last night with Southern Virginia University. They played 3 20 minute games with the last being a running clock. EMU won all three games and played a fast nonstop offense and defense that was really fun to watch. Reed didn't get in until the last game and had 6 points including one 3-pointer, a smack in the mouth, a hit on his thigh, and he came out of the locker room with a bag of ice on his neck which has been bothering him lately. We've also started to make plans for his week off during Christmas vacation which looks like is going to be a ROAD TRIP to Florida. Reed will stay with sweetheart Jade and family and I'll go visit friends and family. Sounds like a plan.

And another

Reed is standing third from right.

Here's the EMU schedule.

Reed had a scrimmage on Saturday morning. Thought he played alright with 9 points including 1 3 pointer. I did manage to get a closeup with my camera of him waiting to come into the game.

So Reed and I spent the afternoon on Virginia's famous Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park. The first overlook was incredible but all the rest were pretty much the same thing-the Shenandoah Valley from 3000 feet up. Would have been better if it had been a little warmer too as the 40 degrees with wind blowing was a bit too brisk for the Guam boys.