Remember all proceeds benefit the Tony Stewart Foundation and their initiatives serving children, animals and injured drivers.

Anyway- today I got a little crazy and signed up for an online CROCHET-ALONG where  we will get weekly clues as to what to crochet and by the time it’s over we will have made a blanket. No problem right? I mean I know how to crochet.  I haven’t actually crocheted anything in over a year or maybe even more now that I think about it. But I have been wanting to pick up a hook again.  I mean why NOT?  So maybe I haven’t EVER made anything as big as an afghan before- there is always a first time for everything right?

Well that is what my crazy right-brain side of me is saying anyway.  The smart (albeit slightly anal) left-side brain is screaming things like DUDE ARE YOU SERIOUS? Another project? Really? It’s not like you don’t have FIVE different things you are currently writing (including this blog), and don’t you have THREE different photography assignments you are working on? And when do you plan to sleep?  Because this is actually the BUSY TIME of the year at work and they just included you on that new assignment that will probably be a lot of work.  CRAZY! YOU ARE CRAZY! Oh and did you not forget that you are going to races in October and November AND champions week in Vegas? When will you have the time? When??????

So yeah- I am slightly crazy and added another thing to my plate but this will be FUN! And an ADVENTURE!  Because not only have I not made anything as big as an afghan before BUT I also haven’t ever crocheted anything without a solid pattern (with pictures) before I started. So it will be odd.  Not knowing what it’s suppose to look like while I am actually making it…so it could all go really wrong.  I will keep you all updated on my progress.

In addition to doing the presention of the book bags, Tony Stewart will be signing 350 autographs for fans starting at 4:45 local time.  Wristbands are required for the autograph session and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis at the Piedmont Road Office Depot store in Atlanta, GA beginning at 8:00 a.m. local time on the day of the event only (Thursday, September 2). Fans with a wristband must be in line no later than 5:15 p.m. local time to receive an autograph.  There will also be an #14 Office Depot show car at the event.

These are great events- and very fun. I urge you to attend if you are in the Atlanta area.

1. Parking went from a plethora of available spots to a blood sport over over the weekend.
2. My call volume just went way up…so I may be kind of slammed this week workwise. I am prepared though so hopefully I can stay on top of it.
3. The kids are back…it makes life here much more exciting and usually much more enjoyable.

However it is not just the college kids (egads…did I just call college age students KIDS? I MUST be getting old). Kids of all ages EVERYWHERE are either back to school already or are soon to be back in session.

Some kids in Mirmar, Florida really got to start the year off in a fun and festive way today.  The students of Mirmar Elementary School were welcomed back to school by members of the Miami Heat basketball team!  HEAT players Pat Beverley, Kenny Hasbrouck, and Dexter Pittman helped distribute 900 backpacks filled with school supplies to children entering the school, courtesy of Office Depot.  The HEAT players also addressed the entire student body during morning announcements. The kids were also entertained by the The HEAT Dancers, Xtreme Team, and HEAT mascot Burnie.

And what’s even better? That Tony Stewart’s Back-To-School paint scheme Office Depot  show car was in attendance as well.

Miami HEAT guard Kenny Hasbrouck fires up the No. 14 Office Depot NASCAR race car during a Back to School event in Miramar, Florida. During the event, Miami HEAT players Patrick Beverley, Kenny Hasbrouck, and Dexter Pittman partnered with Office Depot to distribute 900 backpacks filled with school supplies to children during the first day of school in South Florida. (photo courtesy of Edelman)

That sounds like fun! This kind of thing never happened on the first day of school when I was a kid!

BRISTOL, TN - AUGUST 20: Tony Stewart, driver of the Old Spice/Office Depot Chevorlet, prepares to practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series IRWIN Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 20, 2010 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Then it all went to hell in a hand basket. First David Ragan spun. Tony slowed up on his sponsors advice as to not hit Ragan who was sitting in the middle of the track and sliding ever so slowly towards the infield. Ragan looked like a sitting duck. I was worried that it could get ugly for Ragan. Apparently he was not the one I needed to be worrying about as Stewart ended up with the worse of that deal when Tony Raines smacked him in the right rear as Stewart was slowing to avoid Ragan. It looked ugly- parts sticking out from the car. It took him two trips to pit road for the crew to fix up the damage but Stewart was able to stay on the lead lap- he was 25 or 26 but still on the lead lap (I am pretty sure that he was the last car on the lead lap actually).

BRISTOL, TN - AUGUST 20: Tony Stewart, driver of the Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet, stands on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series IRWIN Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 20, 2010 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by John Harrelson/Getty Images)

Understandably the car wasn’t handling as well as it was pre-accident…and what might have even been a salvageable evening for Stewart turned to crap when Stewart smacked the wall pretty hard because the car was looser than a caboose.   Then he had a tire start to go down and was forced to pit under green- and lost three laps changing only right side tires (Bristol is that small and the race leaders were running that fast).  He would not come up any farther and unfortunately finished 27th- 6 laps down.  Stewart would lose two positions in the points standing and is now 6th behind points leader Kevin Harvick. Race winner was Kyle Busch who completed the first ever trifecta- winning three series events in a single weekend.

Notes About Bristol:

• When Tony got the 4th starting position in qualifying, the StewartHaasRacing twitter account claimed it was his second consecutive STEWART POLE…that being the highest qualifying position not required to do after qualifying media.
• Speaking of media…what does Jeff Gluck have against Tony Stewart anyway? He made a snide twitter comment after Tony’s first incident at Bristol “Fortunately for Tony Stewart, he won’t have to visit the media center tonight. Fortunate for the media, too.” He always has something rude to say about Tony. It riles me up.
• Best National Anthem of the season so far. I am just saying…maybe they should get away from the weird acts and go for the kids more often.
• Pre hell in a handbasket radio was interesting. Tony instructed them to calm him down if he got riled up during the race during his pre-race peptalk.
• After the contact with Ragan but before he had a tire come apart on him Tony got riled up about something and Darian told him to “chill out.” That cracked me up because when I am ramped up and someone says that to me? It just riles me up more.
• Post hell in a handbasket radio was pretty depressing. Stewart didn’t say hardly anything. Neither did Darian…mostly it was his spotter Bob saying things like “Clear.” And “The x car has a hole if you need it.”
• Caption:

BRISTOL, TN - AUGUST 20: Tony Stewart, driver of the Old Spice/Office Depot Chevrolet, stands in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series IRWIN Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 20, 2010 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images)

Next weekend is an off weekend for the Cup Drivers.

BROOKLYN, MI - AUGUST 14: Tony Stewart, driver of the Office Depot / Old Spice Chevrolet, looks on during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series CARFAX 400 at Michigan International Speedway on August 14, 2010 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

BROOKLYN, MI - AUGUST 13: Tony Stewart, driver of the Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet, climbs out of his car after qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series CARFAX 400 at Michigan International Speedway on August 13, 2010 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

BROOKLYN, MI - AUGUST 15: Tony Stewart, driver of the Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet, rounds turn four ahead of Kevin Harvick, driver of the Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series CARFAX 400 at Michigan International Speedway on August 15, 2010 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Notes about Michigan:

• The Ryan Newman/Joey Logano dust up…my take? It was one of those racing deals. I don’t think Joey intentionally got into Ryan- he looked really loose to me.  They are out there to RACE and I don’t think that either one wanted to give in to the other- and you know what? That is RACING.  I think that Ryan has some frustrations that he took out on Joey after the race.  He is only human. Do I think that either of them should get fined? No. I think that they should call it good and let it go.  Now if we get to Bristol or something and there is some retaliation ON TRACK? Then we can talk about NASCAR getting involved.
• By far the best tweet of the race? Was right after Ryan spun from that aforementioned contact with Joey Logano when she said ” Thanks Joey Lagano….maybe I should go put my firesuit on!” (@KrissieNewman).
• Race winner was Kevin Harvick and he also locked his position in the chase. Congratulations Kevin.
• Bonus Caption Photo will be coming. I found a great one but I am waiting for permission to use it.

You could own this very firesuit from the Back-To-School paint scheme run by Tony at Chicagoland earlier this year. (Photo Credit: Action Sports Photography)

Or you might want to own one of the helmets from Chicagoland instead? (Photo Credit: Action Sports Photography)

Both items, auctioned separately, will be autographed by Tony Stewart himself.  Proceeds from the auction will go to support the Office Depot Foundation’s work in the National Backpack Program that provides backpacks full of school supplies to children in need across the county.  It’s a program that Stewart has been working with since his sponsorship with Office Depot began last year: 

“It was a lot of fun to have the special back-to-school paint scheme on my No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevy earlier this summer, and I’m very proud to partner with the Office Depot Foundation on its National Backpack Program,” Stewart said. “I can tell you from experience how rewarding it is to see the look on these kids’ faces when they get a new backpack – it’s an automatic boost of confidence for them and helps them feel ready to take on the new school year just like everybody else. I hope fans will help support this awesome program by participating in the online auction.”

The auction is only running from NOW until August 23rd, 2010 so get your bids in now by visiting the auction site at the Office Depot Racing website.