Dena wrote an article that made the front page of a church newsletter! Regardless of personal beliefs, it's amazing to see how eloquently she can write. Someone was so moved by it that he contacted the church office to track her down as the anonymous author...
It Begins in the Ashes
Reflections on Lent
We all love the Easter season. Children wave palm branches on Palm Sunday. Adults look forward to hearing the Hallelujah Chorus. It’s a festive time with flowers, new Easter outfits, colored eggs and the anticipation of spring.
Many Christians worldwide participate in the start of the Easter season by observing Ash Wednesday, a day in which worshippers have ashes placed on their foreheads as a sign of humility before God. A symbol of mourning and sorrow at the death that sin has brought into our world, the ash also places the worshipper in a position to realize the consequences of sin. Ash Wednesday is a solemn day of reflection on what needs to change in our lives if we are to live fully in Christ.
At best, we tend to casually observe the time between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday, the Lenten season. We might give up something for Lent, such as meat, chocolate or alcohol. But at worst, we disregard the season entirely until the joyous celebration of Easter. What is the purpose of Lent, and why are so many of us hesitant to observe it with conviction?
Maybe it’s because we look at it as something the Roman Catholics do. Maybe it’s because we know deep down that Lent is more than just buying fish sandwiches at McDonald’s on Fridays or giving up lattes for a few weeks. We know there is greater potential for our relationship with God, but it must come with the acknowledgement
that our pride and sinful nature often get in the way. Lent is a time to place ourselves before God, humbled, bringing with us nothing that can be used to purchase our salvation. It is a way to confess our total inadequacy before God, strip away all pretenses to righteousness and come before Him in dust and ashes.
Ironically, Lent is one of the few times of the year when we can shift the focus off of others onto ourselves—sort of. Through prayer that gives up self, we seek to open ourselves up before God and again hear His call. We seek to place our needs,
our fears, our failures, our hopes and our very lives in God’s hands.
By abandoning ourselves in Jesus’ death to remember who God is, we allow His transforming grace to work in us, and in doing so, we come to worship on Easter Sunday with victory and a renewed hope that goes far beyond the new clothes, spring flowers and happy music.
How does Calvary celebrate Lent?
“Celebrate” is a seemingly strange word to describe how Calvary observes this time of year, but when we sincerely pour ourselves into soul-searching, introspection
and repentance, celebrate is exactly what we will do in the end. The daily observance
of Lent is truly a personal one, an opportunity for us to draw closer in our walk with God. The ways in which it can be practiced are as varied as the number of people at Calvary. However, the body of Christ at Calvary does observe this season in several ways.
Ash Wednesday is observed with a Love Feast, a gathering of believers who, in unity
and love, share rolls and tea or some other beverage, but it is not to be confused with Communion. A simple table grace is spoken, followed by consumption of the food and drink. The songs and hymns chosen for the Love Feast possess a theme of unity and are specific to the reason for the Love Feast. For Calvary, it’s Ash Wednesday, although it can be observed on various occasions. The service also includes prayer, scripture and the opportunity for those attending to talk briefly with one another about their spiritual journey. The event concludes with the placing of ashes on each person’s forehead. The prior year’s palm leaves are burned and the ashes are used for this service.
Calvary has offered small group studies during this time of year. Although
the topics vary, many of those offered have provided opportunity for self-examination
and focus in the participants’ faith walks.
Palm Sunday is celebrated with Calvary’s children filing into the Worship
Center waving palm leaves. Sunday school lessons and sermons are generally centered
on the events of this day.
The observance of Maundy Thursday is a long-standing Calvary tradition. This
is a somber service with reflective music, scripture, prayer and Communion—a time
to reflect on Christ’s death and sacrifice. The word “maundy” is derived from the
Latin “mandatum,” the first word of the phrase, “Mandatum novum do vobis ut
diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos” (“A new commandment I give unto you, that ye
love one another; as I have loved you” John 13:34). Jesus made this statement as He
explained to the Apostles the significance of washing their feet.
And finally, we celebrate on Easter Sunday! Beginning with a sunrise service,
the services that follow joyously celebrate the resurrection of Christ.
For forty days, we have the unique opportunity to strengthen our relationship
with God by remembering why Christ had to die for us in the first place. And it begins in the ashes.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Music, Lyrics and the Roof
"Come on, I want to show you the roof. It's upstairs!"
-- Cora Corman, pop diva from the movie "Music and Lyrics"
-- Cora Corman, pop diva from the movie "Music and Lyrics"
Pure Hustle 10: Part 1
My first step in prepping for the new fantasy baseball season is complete.
Each of the 12 teams has 21 players on it. Eighteen play full-time, and three are subs. The league allows you to rank 12 x 21 = 252 players. And out of the first 12 x 18 = 216 players, I make sure that there are at least 12 from each position.
Are some positions more important than others?
There are 10 categories, 5 apiece on offense and defense. That weights hitters and pitchers equally as a group, contributing 50%.
Within hitters, there are nine spots. So each hitter contributes 1/9 of the hitting points. That makes each hitter worth 50% x 1/9 = 1/18 = 5.6%
Pitchers are a different story. Roughly, I go with five starters and four relievers. Since there's an overall limit of 1,250 innings, I count on starters for 200 innings and relievers for 60 each. So each starter is worth 50% x 200 / 1250 = 8.0%, each reliever worth 2.4%.
The league is won by the team with 100 points, so I look to last year's league results as a benchmark. What stat was good for 10 points in each category?
Runs: 91
Home runs: 24
Runs batted in: 93
Stolen bases: 13
Batting average: .293
Wins: 14
Saves: 26
Strikeouts: 172
Earned run average: 3.64
Walks/hits per inning pitched: 1.25
Hitting stats are quoted per batter. Wins and strikeouts are quoted per equivalent starter (i.e. divided by 6), and saves per reliever (divided by 4).
Each of the 12 teams has 21 players on it. Eighteen play full-time, and three are subs. The league allows you to rank 12 x 21 = 252 players. And out of the first 12 x 18 = 216 players, I make sure that there are at least 12 from each position.
Are some positions more important than others?
There are 10 categories, 5 apiece on offense and defense. That weights hitters and pitchers equally as a group, contributing 50%.
Within hitters, there are nine spots. So each hitter contributes 1/9 of the hitting points. That makes each hitter worth 50% x 1/9 = 1/18 = 5.6%
Pitchers are a different story. Roughly, I go with five starters and four relievers. Since there's an overall limit of 1,250 innings, I count on starters for 200 innings and relievers for 60 each. So each starter is worth 50% x 200 / 1250 = 8.0%, each reliever worth 2.4%.
The league is won by the team with 100 points, so I look to last year's league results as a benchmark. What stat was good for 10 points in each category?
Runs: 91
Home runs: 24
Runs batted in: 93
Stolen bases: 13
Batting average: .293
Wins: 14
Saves: 26
Strikeouts: 172
Earned run average: 3.64
Walks/hits per inning pitched: 1.25
Hitting stats are quoted per batter. Wins and strikeouts are quoted per equivalent starter (i.e. divided by 6), and saves per reliever (divided by 4).
The Hawaii Chair
Who needs a rodeo when you have this?
http://ellen.warnerbros.com/2008/01/hawaii_chair.php
http://ellen.warnerbros.com/2008/01/hawaii_chair.php
Music, Lyrics and the Rest of Your Life
"If it's meant to be, it will be. It's destiny. Or not."
-- Cora Corman, pop diva from the movie "Music and Lyrics"
-- Cora Corman, pop diva from the movie "Music and Lyrics"
A Tax
As a tax department employee, I've learned that many Americans choose to use software to do their taxes rather than use their eyes and brains to read.
Count me in!
This year, I'll be doing not only our and Mom's taxes, but Jack's too.
Mom made good money in her mutual funds this year, though it was mostly in the form of capital gains that she didn't receive in hand. So it's time to cash in a few shares and give the government its piece. Also some of the proceeds will be shifted into an IRA contribution, since people her age can chip in up to $5,000.
TaxCut software makes things a snap. Key in the form information, print out the returns. In Mom's case, write the check. Easy as pie!
Count me in!
This year, I'll be doing not only our and Mom's taxes, but Jack's too.
Mom made good money in her mutual funds this year, though it was mostly in the form of capital gains that she didn't receive in hand. So it's time to cash in a few shares and give the government its piece. Also some of the proceeds will be shifted into an IRA contribution, since people her age can chip in up to $5,000.
TaxCut software makes things a snap. Key in the form information, print out the returns. In Mom's case, write the check. Easy as pie!
Back to Basics
On Sunday I tested out my back for the first time in months, stopping by the Four Seasons health club. The exercise was simple: squat under the basket with ball in hand, and jump up for a layup. 100 reps was enough; then I spent a half hour or so just shooting one-handed. One-handed shooting starts to develop the healthy habit of keeping the elbow straight and snapping the wrist toward the rim.
It typically takes two days for the stiffness of underworked muscles to set in. And here it is! Either that, or someone snuck into bed with me last night and beat the hell out of my calves...
It typically takes two days for the stiffness of underworked muscles to set in. And here it is! Either that, or someone snuck into bed with me last night and beat the hell out of my calves...
Sunday, February 24, 2008
One Thing You Can Be Certain Of
"Everything in life is uncertain." -- Joba Chamberlain, New York Yankees pitcher
Saturday, February 23, 2008
10th Anniversary Vacation
Here's the leading candidate at the moment!
http://www.vacationsbyrail.com/usa/amtrak_vacations/rails_to_rim/index.html#chicago
http://www.vacationsbyrail.com/usa/amtrak_vacations/rails_to_rim/index.html#chicago
Bundles of Brains
Passed to me from a friend:
"A successful company is not the one with the most brains, but the most brains working together."
"A successful company is not the one with the most brains, but the most brains working together."
More Cowbell!
Another favorite SNL skit:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6079672102041484130&q=cowbell+saturday+night+live+walken&total=21&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=9
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6079672102041484130&q=cowbell+saturday+night+live+walken&total=21&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=9
Jingleheimer Junction
What viewer rating do they assign to almost-curses?
http://www.jibjab.com/view/100203
http://www.jibjab.com/view/100203
Space: The Infinite Frontier
This one's right up there as one of my all-time favorite Saturday Night Live skits.
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=26740346
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=26740346
Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer
Jack asked me over lunch today what my favorite Saturday Night Live sketch was. Here you go:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3939962199551852407
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3939962199551852407
Superman Dunks
The creativity is back in the NBA All-Star dunk contest!
http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/204040/
http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/204040/
Spring Training - Fantasy Style
Every year in mid-February I look forward to my favorite magazine of the year.
The Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue comes to my door. And I couldn't care less. In fact, what makes me happiest about it is that I can pass it along to the boys in Iraq through the Military Affinity Group.
No, what I'm talking about are the wide selection of fantasy baseball previews. I prefer the CBS Sports version, with full paragraphs about each major league player that give me insight as to their health issues, their relationship to their manager, and whether or not their contract is about up. Further, it shows projected lineups, which help to tell how many at-bats each player can be expected to receive.
Passion is defined by the activities that you can do for hours and lose track of time. This year, team Pure Hustle 10 will mark my tenth year playing fantasy baseball against perfect strangers. Fantasy drafts can make or break a season, especially if a last minute flip-flop in ranking is the difference between landing an injury-slowed Ryan Howard and AL MVP Alex Rodriguez.
The temperature's hovering in the 30s, but summer never seemed so near!
The Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue comes to my door. And I couldn't care less. In fact, what makes me happiest about it is that I can pass it along to the boys in Iraq through the Military Affinity Group.
No, what I'm talking about are the wide selection of fantasy baseball previews. I prefer the CBS Sports version, with full paragraphs about each major league player that give me insight as to their health issues, their relationship to their manager, and whether or not their contract is about up. Further, it shows projected lineups, which help to tell how many at-bats each player can be expected to receive.
Passion is defined by the activities that you can do for hours and lose track of time. This year, team Pure Hustle 10 will mark my tenth year playing fantasy baseball against perfect strangers. Fantasy drafts can make or break a season, especially if a last minute flip-flop in ranking is the difference between landing an injury-slowed Ryan Howard and AL MVP Alex Rodriguez.
The temperature's hovering in the 30s, but summer never seemed so near!
MicroLeague Rises
Ah, we set up MicroLeague baseball on the old Commodore computer today. The entertainment of our youth relived. Only now we saw it up on a 42-inch screen. For whatever reason, the 1968 Tigers are nearly invincible, and we decided to take them on with the 1973 Oakland Athletics. Predictably we lost, as Denny McLain shut us out 5-0.
You know what though? We got over it immediately. The fun wasn't in the winning or the losing, but in the journey.
You know what though? We got over it immediately. The fun wasn't in the winning or the losing, but in the journey.
Jazz 2/23/08: Post-Game
Well, the message didn't completely get through.
We kept it close for the first half. In the second half their defensive pressure put us into an offensive drought, and we started shooting from the outside. In the 4th quarter two players fouled out, and another got his second technical foul in two weeks. So, I'll have to give some thought as to how to handle the fact that, regardless of the final score (which was about 51-25), we have to mature into good sports -- and fast.
We kept it close for the first half. In the second half their defensive pressure put us into an offensive drought, and we started shooting from the outside. In the 4th quarter two players fouled out, and another got his second technical foul in two weeks. So, I'll have to give some thought as to how to handle the fact that, regardless of the final score (which was about 51-25), we have to mature into good sports -- and fast.
Jazz 2/23/08: Pre-Game
Here are my thoughts on the pre-game speech to the troops, as I walk out the door:
It doesn't matter whether we play better. It matters whether we play tougher. Ignore the bad calls, the missed calls, the missed shots. Don't be drawn into the circus around you -- the other team's fancy warm-up drills, the screaming coaches/players, the large crowd. Focus on basketball. Focus on becoming a team. Focus on becoming better men.
At this point we're as prepared as we can be. It's time to get it on.
It doesn't matter whether we play better. It matters whether we play tougher. Ignore the bad calls, the missed calls, the missed shots. Don't be drawn into the circus around you -- the other team's fancy warm-up drills, the screaming coaches/players, the large crowd. Focus on basketball. Focus on becoming a team. Focus on becoming better men.
At this point we're as prepared as we can be. It's time to get it on.
Too Kind
In one of my volunteer organizations our communications chair went through a spell where meeting minutes failed to be distributed timely, and in some cases, failed to be distributed at all. As a result, there was frustration by several members who didn't get news of the dues increase, or of other key pieces of news. The chair was always very friendly, and in an unrelated matter, had a medical seizure that put him in the hospital for weeks which caused him to miss a meeting. Ironically, it was at that meeting when the subject of communication was planned for discussion.
The stand-in secretary noted in the minutes that the chair was doing a FINE job, and then summarized ideas for improvement. I wasn't sure that "fine" would satisfy people. Might it come across as defensive, or minimizing the issue? Was there another way to show kindness to the chair, yet present the issue squarely?
We went with something like "the work of the chair has been much appreciated." Hopefully we felt good about balancing the feelings of all parties that way.
The stand-in secretary noted in the minutes that the chair was doing a FINE job, and then summarized ideas for improvement. I wasn't sure that "fine" would satisfy people. Might it come across as defensive, or minimizing the issue? Was there another way to show kindness to the chair, yet present the issue squarely?
We went with something like "the work of the chair has been much appreciated." Hopefully we felt good about balancing the feelings of all parties that way.
Condo Deposit of the Century
The residents have been highly responsive to the deadline for the roof assessment! I sit here next to 58 checks totaling $63,573 (and so have asked Dena to refrain from torching the basement). The total owed was just over $67,000. I was expecting to have to work harder than this to collect. Only 5 have failed to pay out of 32 units. Just one more satisfying step in this major roofing project.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Jazz 2/20/2008
I sat down with our game film against the Sixers for about two hours. Much to my delight, I was able to learn all six plays that they ran against us.
We spent Wednesday's entire practice learning how to defend those plays.
The Sixers hand-pick their players, and they've played together undefeated for years. Our players get a new coach every year, and some are playing for the first time.
Now, things are a little more even.
The challenge of the last two weeks will be to focus on becoming better men, toughing out the misfortunes and distractions around us.
We spent Wednesday's entire practice learning how to defend those plays.
The Sixers hand-pick their players, and they've played together undefeated for years. Our players get a new coach every year, and some are playing for the first time.
Now, things are a little more even.
The challenge of the last two weeks will be to focus on becoming better men, toughing out the misfortunes and distractions around us.
Coach Jack
Jack met the Jazz on Monday, volunteering to be our 10th man during practice so that we could play five-on-five.
The bad news: Varun Gowda didn't show, so for much of the practice Jack's value was as a scorekeeper rather than a player.
The good news: He made a great impression! During one rebounding drill, he was supposed to miss every shot. He made half of them. I think he awed the boys with that. During Wednesday's practice, while Jack was away in Vegas for a three-day fun fest, the team said that he should be on the bench as a second coach. Amen to that!
The bad news: Varun Gowda didn't show, so for much of the practice Jack's value was as a scorekeeper rather than a player.
The good news: He made a great impression! During one rebounding drill, he was supposed to miss every shot. He made half of them. I think he awed the boys with that. During Wednesday's practice, while Jack was away in Vegas for a three-day fun fest, the team said that he should be on the bench as a second coach. Amen to that!
Slapshot and the Jazz
I saw the cult favorite movie Slapshot at Jack's place this week. It was both my first viewing of the movie, and the first item shown on his new 42-inch TV.
Those Hansen brothers remind me of the Concklin twins (Jeff and Jordan) that joined the Jazz after the YMCA basketball season started. Only a much more civilized version! Like the Hansens, the Concklins' arrival timed with the transformation of a losing team to a championship-bound one. With two games to go, let's hope that Hollywood repeats itself...
Those Hansen brothers remind me of the Concklin twins (Jeff and Jordan) that joined the Jazz after the YMCA basketball season started. Only a much more civilized version! Like the Hansens, the Concklins' arrival timed with the transformation of a losing team to a championship-bound one. With two games to go, let's hope that Hollywood repeats itself...
Baptizing the Microwave by Fire
So I get a gleaming white microwave, from grandma... literally, "used by old lady" just like the car salesman say, brand spanking new. The Magic Chef brand, so it matches in color and brand with all our kitchen furniture.
I decide to inaugurate it with a bag of popcorn. I set the timer to 3 1/2 minutes and headed downstairs to wait for the smells to waft down.
Soon, those smells drifted down to us and we smiled with anticipation.
That's when the fire alarm went off.
Our 15-year old microwave must have been really slow. 3:30 was way too long. The house filled with gray smoke. We threw open every window to let the 3 degree air in. Turned on every fan. Dena scrubbed the microwave clean. Deodorized the carpets.
The place still smells like smoke.
The microwave is sitting outside in the snow.
I decide to inaugurate it with a bag of popcorn. I set the timer to 3 1/2 minutes and headed downstairs to wait for the smells to waft down.
Soon, those smells drifted down to us and we smiled with anticipation.
That's when the fire alarm went off.
Our 15-year old microwave must have been really slow. 3:30 was way too long. The house filled with gray smoke. We threw open every window to let the 3 degree air in. Turned on every fan. Dena scrubbed the microwave clean. Deodorized the carpets.
The place still smells like smoke.
The microwave is sitting outside in the snow.
How to Change the World
From Lou Tice:
When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world.
I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation.
When I found I couldn't change the nation, I began to focus on my town.
I couldn't change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family.
Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town. Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world.
There is so much power for positive change in each of us. To help this world - the only home the human race will have for some time to come - achieve the potential we were born to fulfill, each of us needs to begin now. And begin at home, and let that positive impact radiate out.
Can we do it? If we believe we can, we will. And I believe we can.
When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world.
I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation.
When I found I couldn't change the nation, I began to focus on my town.
I couldn't change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family.
Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town. Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world.
There is so much power for positive change in each of us. To help this world - the only home the human race will have for some time to come - achieve the potential we were born to fulfill, each of us needs to begin now. And begin at home, and let that positive impact radiate out.
Can we do it? If we believe we can, we will. And I believe we can.
How to Lose 50 Pounds
While Jack and I were visiting Mom she sent us out for some ice-melting driveway salt. I ended up carrying the 50-pound bag back toward the car and, as competitors do, decided that I should try to outsprint Jack to the car. Not surprisingly he turned my 25-foot head start into a 50-foot deficit.
It got me wondering, what's the ongoing 50-pound bag in my life? That item that holds me back because I choose to carry it? At various times it could be frustration, or worry, a commitment, or something literal like the 2-3 bags I see so many people lug into the office each day.
We may not always have control, but we do always have choices. Whatever that 50-pound bag is holding us back from greater happiness, how about dropping it?
It got me wondering, what's the ongoing 50-pound bag in my life? That item that holds me back because I choose to carry it? At various times it could be frustration, or worry, a commitment, or something literal like the 2-3 bags I see so many people lug into the office each day.
We may not always have control, but we do always have choices. Whatever that 50-pound bag is holding us back from greater happiness, how about dropping it?
Hip to be Broken
My friend Sharon McCauley recently fell in her home, which broke her hip and sent her to the hospital for an extended stay. Sharon's one of those folks who defines selflessness and passion, starting a now-powerful support group for American soldiers from scratch.
When I visited her, she was replaying the event over and over in her head. "If only I'd done this, or not done this..."
As a person who's blogged before about my problem with replaying the past like this, I can offer the health benefits of accepting that things happen for a reason beyond our control. Dreading what's happened, and why, only cakes our arteries with plaque and wastes time. We turn setbacks into good memories by toughing it out, mentally moving on to the brighter future.
When I visited her, she was replaying the event over and over in her head. "If only I'd done this, or not done this..."
As a person who's blogged before about my problem with replaying the past like this, I can offer the health benefits of accepting that things happen for a reason beyond our control. Dreading what's happened, and why, only cakes our arteries with plaque and wastes time. We turn setbacks into good memories by toughing it out, mentally moving on to the brighter future.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Do Not Send Pessimistic E-mail!
I continue to learn that refraining from sending pessimistic e-mails is the way to go.
Our Leadership McLean County class was snowed out on February 1. Since then, the steering committee and liaison have taken no action to reschedule the day. The class has asked me for a new date so that they can get it onto their calendars. I hoped to get a date picked at the February committee meeting.
Unfortunately, the meeting date was moved to one such that I could not attend.
It turned out that no date was chosen at the meeting in my absence. Their only result was to point out the challenges of a date that I'd proposed.
Would I be justified to vent frustration? Probably. Would that be the best solution? I think not. I kept my remarks to the facts... of the "what's the next step" variety. And things moved along.
It goes back to observations by Ben Franklin, that what matters is not rights (such as the right to timely information), but usefulness (how do we succeed from here). Or of Lincoln, that we all make mistakes and should judge gracefully.
The mantra has served me well since I adopted it two years ago. When angry, it's best to focus on usefulness rather than venting. Once calm, then address how to prevent recurrence of the situation in the future.
Our Leadership McLean County class was snowed out on February 1. Since then, the steering committee and liaison have taken no action to reschedule the day. The class has asked me for a new date so that they can get it onto their calendars. I hoped to get a date picked at the February committee meeting.
Unfortunately, the meeting date was moved to one such that I could not attend.
It turned out that no date was chosen at the meeting in my absence. Their only result was to point out the challenges of a date that I'd proposed.
Would I be justified to vent frustration? Probably. Would that be the best solution? I think not. I kept my remarks to the facts... of the "what's the next step" variety. And things moved along.
It goes back to observations by Ben Franklin, that what matters is not rights (such as the right to timely information), but usefulness (how do we succeed from here). Or of Lincoln, that we all make mistakes and should judge gracefully.
The mantra has served me well since I adopted it two years ago. When angry, it's best to focus on usefulness rather than venting. Once calm, then address how to prevent recurrence of the situation in the future.
Kindness Defeats Complaints
The $2,600 assessment was due February 15. I received a letter from a 70-year old resident telling me that she would only pay $1,600 until we submit a bill for the exact amount. An "approximation" was not acceptable.
I wrote a reply thanking her for her input, explaining how we can to the amount, that assessments are necessarily estimates, and that since the item was put to a vote that I had to ask her to comply.
She called (and then wrote) me back, explaining various items that I had "chosen to ignore" and stating her main issue as our secret "changing of the rules" without consulting the neighborhood.
I read meeting minutes from recent months and realized that they were incomplete enough that she could have reached this conclusion. So I wrote a reply apologizing for the oversight, and hoping that this would make her comfortable enough to pay the remaining balance.
She wrote me a reply thanking me for my kindness, and enclosing a $1,000 check.
Kindness defeats complaints.
I wrote a reply thanking her for her input, explaining how we can to the amount, that assessments are necessarily estimates, and that since the item was put to a vote that I had to ask her to comply.
She called (and then wrote) me back, explaining various items that I had "chosen to ignore" and stating her main issue as our secret "changing of the rules" without consulting the neighborhood.
I read meeting minutes from recent months and realized that they were incomplete enough that she could have reached this conclusion. So I wrote a reply apologizing for the oversight, and hoping that this would make her comfortable enough to pay the remaining balance.
She wrote me a reply thanking me for my kindness, and enclosing a $1,000 check.
Kindness defeats complaints.
Sudafed Endorsement
I caught one of my annual colds. Popping Cold & Cough Sudafed every four hours seemed to greatly reduce the cold's length. It definitely had less severity. The customary morning "phlegm volcano" was absent.
Buy a supply of these orange pills today! And if you can, take the day off work and blitz yourself with orange juice.
Buy a supply of these orange pills today! And if you can, take the day off work and blitz yourself with orange juice.
Jazz 2/16/2008
The Jazz captured their fourth consecutive win and their first "score-settling" victory on Saturday, guaranteeing a shot at the league title in the process.
Five weeks ago the Nuggets faced a rookie coach and a skeleton crew of five players with a grand total of four hours of practice under their belts. Watching that game film on Saturday morning was a study in how far this team has come. The loss was fueled by 20 turnovers, including 17 steals, and an offense with nearly zero concept of moving the ball close to the basket before a shot. Players clustered around the ball, set random picks, and seemingly passed the ball to the other team in order to simulate success.
You should've seen 'em this time.
Moving to three hours of practice per week has paid huge dividends, as we get nearly an hour of full-court scrimmage time. We drill the pick-and-roll constantly, which was shoddy at first but this week worked about twenty times. I split our four eighth graders two-and-two, which keeps our poise and talent steady, and the repetition is helping them anticipate each other's moves. We have time to work on finer tuning such as switching on picks defensively. Our offensive spacing is resulting in some wide open jump shots. And you should have seen players coaching each other on the bench and the floor.
The team's excited and expects to win. The 24-point defeat was avenged with a 27-point win, 47-20. Our teamwork was the difference.
Five weeks ago the Nuggets faced a rookie coach and a skeleton crew of five players with a grand total of four hours of practice under their belts. Watching that game film on Saturday morning was a study in how far this team has come. The loss was fueled by 20 turnovers, including 17 steals, and an offense with nearly zero concept of moving the ball close to the basket before a shot. Players clustered around the ball, set random picks, and seemingly passed the ball to the other team in order to simulate success.
You should've seen 'em this time.
Moving to three hours of practice per week has paid huge dividends, as we get nearly an hour of full-court scrimmage time. We drill the pick-and-roll constantly, which was shoddy at first but this week worked about twenty times. I split our four eighth graders two-and-two, which keeps our poise and talent steady, and the repetition is helping them anticipate each other's moves. We have time to work on finer tuning such as switching on picks defensively. Our offensive spacing is resulting in some wide open jump shots. And you should have seen players coaching each other on the bench and the floor.
The team's excited and expects to win. The 24-point defeat was avenged with a 27-point win, 47-20. Our teamwork was the difference.
Diedrich Discovers Hidden Blog
My buddy John Diedrich stumbled upon Hidden Blog this week. He asked me what it means to "catch Country Joe." What a great chance to rejuvenate the mission!
An estimated 1,000 Joe McDonalds across the globe suffer the tyranny of rock singer Country Joe McDonald. His domination of Google Searches everywhere condemns the rest of his namesakes to unreachable depths (unless people are willing to click "view next ten searches" over ten times).
Hidden Blog is one Joe McDonald's journey to elevate the rest to a fair status. No one man can speak for the entire Joe McDonald nation. Yet each has the power to change the status quo. We're compelled to act.
Hidden Blog's goal is to rank ahead of Country Joe McDonald's blog on Google when searching "Joe McDonald."
An estimated 1,000 Joe McDonalds across the globe suffer the tyranny of rock singer Country Joe McDonald. His domination of Google Searches everywhere condemns the rest of his namesakes to unreachable depths (unless people are willing to click "view next ten searches" over ten times).
Hidden Blog is one Joe McDonald's journey to elevate the rest to a fair status. No one man can speak for the entire Joe McDonald nation. Yet each has the power to change the status quo. We're compelled to act.
Hidden Blog's goal is to rank ahead of Country Joe McDonald's blog on Google when searching "Joe McDonald."
Michaela
Nothing keeps the math degree cobwebs dust-free like doing trigonometric proofs!
Today Michaela Stephan sent me a fresh set of homework problems. This is one of those times when I realize a small piece of my purpose on earth. No one is better positioned to help her than me; I love to teach, I'm good at math, I have time on my hands, she needs help.
Today Michaela Stephan sent me a fresh set of homework problems. This is one of those times when I realize a small piece of my purpose on earth. No one is better positioned to help her than me; I love to teach, I'm good at math, I have time on my hands, she needs help.
Grandma's Move
Grandma has been in the more intensive care ward of the nursing home for a few months now. Today at noon, under gray skies and drizzly 40 degree temperatures covering an inch blanket of snow, we'll move her belongings out of her apartment and donate them to charity. The work should be quick, with a pair of dollies and the help of Jack and Uncle Don.
What use do we serve once we lose our mobility? I suppose it's whatever our senses allow. Technology gives us the ability to watch and hear news of the world around us. Our hands let us write to or otherwise touch those who might need it. With our ears we can be a source of comfort, letting someone release anxious thoughts bottled up. Our mind and tongue can share empathy or stories, or help someone find their way.
Until those days arrive, there's time to prepare, while still enjoying today.
What use do we serve once we lose our mobility? I suppose it's whatever our senses allow. Technology gives us the ability to watch and hear news of the world around us. Our hands let us write to or otherwise touch those who might need it. With our ears we can be a source of comfort, letting someone release anxious thoughts bottled up. Our mind and tongue can share empathy or stories, or help someone find their way.
Until those days arrive, there's time to prepare, while still enjoying today.
Americans Rank Lincoln as Top President
AOL
Far and away, Abraham Lincoln is ranked by Americans as the nation's greatest president, according to a poll conducted by Harris Interactive and released this week, just ahead of Presidents Day. What's surprising is that President George W. Bush, whose approval rating has plunged to just 30 percent, also sneaks into the top ten list.
The Harris poll points out that recent presidents tend to be listed more often as both the best and the worst. In a separate poll asking Americans to name the worst commander-in-chief since World War II, Bush won in a landslide, netting 34 percent of the vote.
The online survey posed this question to 2,302 adults in the U.S.: Which one of the following presidents do you think was the best overall president in our history?
The list of options people could choose from included all presidents since Franklin Roosevelt, along with some of the more famous from earlier in American history – George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and Calvin Coolidge.
Scores were tallied by adding the percentage of those who answered “best” and “second best” for each president. Among modern leaders, Ronald Reagan ranked highest, but even his cache could not compete with the mighty Abe Lincoln, who was named the top president by 20 percent of those surveyed.
Far and away, Abraham Lincoln is ranked by Americans as the nation's greatest president, according to a poll conducted by Harris Interactive and released this week, just ahead of Presidents Day. What's surprising is that President George W. Bush, whose approval rating has plunged to just 30 percent, also sneaks into the top ten list.
The Harris poll points out that recent presidents tend to be listed more often as both the best and the worst. In a separate poll asking Americans to name the worst commander-in-chief since World War II, Bush won in a landslide, netting 34 percent of the vote.
The online survey posed this question to 2,302 adults in the U.S.: Which one of the following presidents do you think was the best overall president in our history?
The list of options people could choose from included all presidents since Franklin Roosevelt, along with some of the more famous from earlier in American history – George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and Calvin Coolidge.
Scores were tallied by adding the percentage of those who answered “best” and “second best” for each president. Among modern leaders, Ronald Reagan ranked highest, but even his cache could not compete with the mighty Abe Lincoln, who was named the top president by 20 percent of those surveyed.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Back Jack
My little bro is back in town!
On Friday he moved into a sweet, spacious apartment behind Wal-Mart. After unpacking the van (my role: about 10 minutes of very light work), we met up with a couple of his buddies over at Maggie Miley's bar.
On Saturday he and a crew of friends (my role: nothing) drove back and forth to Chicago in a moving van and brought the rest of his possessions down here. I got there from my Jazz game just as they were finishing, and a few of us headed over to Lunker's bar.
Historical note: Two personal records were set in the process:
1. Most consecutive days entering a bar - 2
2. Most consecutive days eating burgers & fries - 3 including Dena and my trip to Bennigan's Thursday
Good times!
On Friday he moved into a sweet, spacious apartment behind Wal-Mart. After unpacking the van (my role: about 10 minutes of very light work), we met up with a couple of his buddies over at Maggie Miley's bar.
On Saturday he and a crew of friends (my role: nothing) drove back and forth to Chicago in a moving van and brought the rest of his possessions down here. I got there from my Jazz game just as they were finishing, and a few of us headed over to Lunker's bar.
Historical note: Two personal records were set in the process:
1. Most consecutive days entering a bar - 2
2. Most consecutive days eating burgers & fries - 3 including Dena and my trip to Bennigan's Thursday
Good times!
Jazz 2/9/2008
Oh man, this wasn't even funny.
Somehow a team of 5th graders was placed in this 6th-8th grade league. I haven't reviewed the video yet, but the final score was something like 85-25. In the second half we shuffled the lineup around so that forwards were playing point guard and vice versa to try to stem the tide.
So on a day of grim satisfaction, there were some pleasing signs of progress. Mainly, we discovered what turned out to be a dominant man-to-man defense in the 4th quarter. It was the first time we'd played that defense all season. More importantly, we ran the pick-and-roll about ten times, which is a tool we'll definitely need in the weeks to come.
There are three games left. First is a rematch against the Nuggets, who baptized us with a 44-22 loss in game 1. Then comes the league's top team the Sixers the following week, who we narrowly lost to in week 2, and who also returns several key missing players from that game. Should we win, I believe that we'll be in the championship game -- a third contest against the Sixers.
The team's feeling confident, and I'd guess overconfident. On Monday I'll remind them that we've played much younger teams recently, and also that we've come a long way ourselves. There's plenty of motivation to keep us sharp in practice the next three weeks to finish on a high note. Our goal is to become a great team, which is different from being a winning team. Win or lose, we must take pride in improving.
Somehow a team of 5th graders was placed in this 6th-8th grade league. I haven't reviewed the video yet, but the final score was something like 85-25. In the second half we shuffled the lineup around so that forwards were playing point guard and vice versa to try to stem the tide.
So on a day of grim satisfaction, there were some pleasing signs of progress. Mainly, we discovered what turned out to be a dominant man-to-man defense in the 4th quarter. It was the first time we'd played that defense all season. More importantly, we ran the pick-and-roll about ten times, which is a tool we'll definitely need in the weeks to come.
There are three games left. First is a rematch against the Nuggets, who baptized us with a 44-22 loss in game 1. Then comes the league's top team the Sixers the following week, who we narrowly lost to in week 2, and who also returns several key missing players from that game. Should we win, I believe that we'll be in the championship game -- a third contest against the Sixers.
The team's feeling confident, and I'd guess overconfident. On Monday I'll remind them that we've played much younger teams recently, and also that we've come a long way ourselves. There's plenty of motivation to keep us sharp in practice the next three weeks to finish on a high note. Our goal is to become a great team, which is different from being a winning team. Win or lose, we must take pride in improving.
How an Eclipse Saved Columbus
From Joe Rao:
On the night of Feb. 20, the full moon will pass into Earth's shadow in an event that will be visible across all of the United States and Canada.
The total lunar eclipse will be made even more striking by the presence of the nearby planet Saturn and the bright bluish star, Regulus.
Eclipses in the distant past often terrified viewers who took them as evil omens. Certain lunar eclipses had an overwhelming effect on historic events. One of the most famous examples is the trick pulled by Christopher Columbus.
Shipwrecked
On Oct. 12, 1492, as every schoolchild has been taught, Columbus came ashore on an island northeast of Cuba. He later named it San Salvador (Holy Savior). Over the next ten years Columbus would make three more voyages to the "New World," which only bolstered his belief that he reached the Far East by sailing West.
It was on his fourth and final voyage, while exploring the coast of Central America that Columbus found himself in dire straits. He left C�diz, Spain on May 11, 1502, with the ships Capitana, Gallega, Vizca�na and Santiago de Palos. Unfortunately, thanks to an epidemic of shipworms eating holes in the planking of his fleet, Columbus' was forced to abandon two of his ships and finally had to beach his last two caravels on the north coast of Jamaica on June 25, 1503.
Initially, the Jamaican natives welcomed the castaways, providing them with food and shelter, but as the days dragged into weeks, tensions mounted. Finally, after being stranded for more than six months, half of Columbus' crew mutinied, robbing and murdering some of the natives, who, themselves grew weary of supplying cassava, corn and fish in exchange for little tin whistles, trinkets, hawk's bells and other rubbishy goods.
With famine now threatening, Columbus formulated a desperate, albeit ingenious plan.
Almanac to the rescue
Coming to the Admiral's rescue was Johannes M�ller von K�nigsberg (1436-1476), known by his Latin pseudonym Regiomontanus. He was an important German mathematician, astronomer and astrologer.
Before his death, Regiomontanus published an almanac containing astronomical tables covering the years 1475-1506. Regiomontanus' almanac turned out to be of great value, for his astronomical tables provided detailed information about the sun, moon and planets, as well as the more important stars and constellations by which to navigate. After it was published, no sailor dared set out without a copy. With its help, explorers were able to leave their customary routes and venture out into the unknown seas in search of new frontiers.
Columbus, of course, had a copy of the Almanac with him when he was stranded on Jamaica. And he soon discovered from studying its tables that on the evening of Thursday, Feb. 29, 1504, a total eclipse of the moon would take place soon after the time of moonrise.
Armed with this knowledge, three days before the eclipse, Columbus asked for a meeting with the natives Cacique ("chief") and announced to him that his Christian god was angry with his people for no longer supplying Columbus and his men with food. Therefore, he was about to provide a clear sign of his displeasure: Three nights hence, he would all but obliterate the rising full moon, making it appear "inflamed with wrath," which would signify the evils that would soon be inflicted upon all of them.
Bad moon rising
On the appointed evening, as the Sun set in the West and the moon started emerging from beyond the eastern horizon, it was plainly obvious to all that something was terribly wrong. By the time the moon appeared in full view, its lower edge was missing!
And, just over an hour later, as full darkness descended, the moon indeed exhibited an eerily inflamed and "bloody" appearance: In place of the normally brilliant late winter full moon there now hung a dim red ball in the eastern sky.
According to Columbus' son, Ferdinand, the natives were terrified at this sight and ". . . with great howling and lamentation came running from every direction to the ships laden with provisions, praying to the Admiral to intercede with his god on their behalf." They promised that they would gladly cooperate with Columbus and his men if only he would restore the moon back to its normal self. The great explorer told the natives that he would have to retire to confer privately with his god. He then shut himself in his cabin for about fifty minutes.
"His god" was a sandglass that Columbus turned every half hour to time the various stages of the eclipse, based on the calculations provided by Regiomontanus' almanac.
Just moments before the end of the total phase Columbus reappeared, announcing to the natives that his god had pardoned them and would now allow the moon to gradually return. And at that moment, true to Columbus' word, the moon slowly began to reappear and as it emerged from the Earth's shadow, the grateful natives hurried away. They then kept Columbus and his men well supplied and well fed until a relief caravel from Hispaniola finally arrived on June 29, 1504. Columbus and his men returned to Spain on Nov. 7.
Another side to the story
In an interesting postscript to this story, in 1889, Mark Twain, likely influenced by the eclipse trick, wrote the novel, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. In it, his main character, Hank Morgan, used a gambit similar to Columbus'.
Morgan is about to be burned at the stake, so he "predicts" a solar eclipse he knows will occur, and in the process, claimed power over the sun. He gladly offers to return the sun to the sky in return for his freedom and a position as "perpetual minister and executive" to the king.
The only problem with this story is that on the date that Mark Twain quoted — June 21, 528 A.D. — no such eclipse took place. In fact, the moon was three days past full, a setup that can't generate an eclipse.
Perhaps he should have consulted an almanac!
On the night of Feb. 20, the full moon will pass into Earth's shadow in an event that will be visible across all of the United States and Canada.
The total lunar eclipse will be made even more striking by the presence of the nearby planet Saturn and the bright bluish star, Regulus.
Eclipses in the distant past often terrified viewers who took them as evil omens. Certain lunar eclipses had an overwhelming effect on historic events. One of the most famous examples is the trick pulled by Christopher Columbus.
Shipwrecked
On Oct. 12, 1492, as every schoolchild has been taught, Columbus came ashore on an island northeast of Cuba. He later named it San Salvador (Holy Savior). Over the next ten years Columbus would make three more voyages to the "New World," which only bolstered his belief that he reached the Far East by sailing West.
It was on his fourth and final voyage, while exploring the coast of Central America that Columbus found himself in dire straits. He left C�diz, Spain on May 11, 1502, with the ships Capitana, Gallega, Vizca�na and Santiago de Palos. Unfortunately, thanks to an epidemic of shipworms eating holes in the planking of his fleet, Columbus' was forced to abandon two of his ships and finally had to beach his last two caravels on the north coast of Jamaica on June 25, 1503.
Initially, the Jamaican natives welcomed the castaways, providing them with food and shelter, but as the days dragged into weeks, tensions mounted. Finally, after being stranded for more than six months, half of Columbus' crew mutinied, robbing and murdering some of the natives, who, themselves grew weary of supplying cassava, corn and fish in exchange for little tin whistles, trinkets, hawk's bells and other rubbishy goods.
With famine now threatening, Columbus formulated a desperate, albeit ingenious plan.
Almanac to the rescue
Coming to the Admiral's rescue was Johannes M�ller von K�nigsberg (1436-1476), known by his Latin pseudonym Regiomontanus. He was an important German mathematician, astronomer and astrologer.
Before his death, Regiomontanus published an almanac containing astronomical tables covering the years 1475-1506. Regiomontanus' almanac turned out to be of great value, for his astronomical tables provided detailed information about the sun, moon and planets, as well as the more important stars and constellations by which to navigate. After it was published, no sailor dared set out without a copy. With its help, explorers were able to leave their customary routes and venture out into the unknown seas in search of new frontiers.
Columbus, of course, had a copy of the Almanac with him when he was stranded on Jamaica. And he soon discovered from studying its tables that on the evening of Thursday, Feb. 29, 1504, a total eclipse of the moon would take place soon after the time of moonrise.
Armed with this knowledge, three days before the eclipse, Columbus asked for a meeting with the natives Cacique ("chief") and announced to him that his Christian god was angry with his people for no longer supplying Columbus and his men with food. Therefore, he was about to provide a clear sign of his displeasure: Three nights hence, he would all but obliterate the rising full moon, making it appear "inflamed with wrath," which would signify the evils that would soon be inflicted upon all of them.
Bad moon rising
On the appointed evening, as the Sun set in the West and the moon started emerging from beyond the eastern horizon, it was plainly obvious to all that something was terribly wrong. By the time the moon appeared in full view, its lower edge was missing!
And, just over an hour later, as full darkness descended, the moon indeed exhibited an eerily inflamed and "bloody" appearance: In place of the normally brilliant late winter full moon there now hung a dim red ball in the eastern sky.
According to Columbus' son, Ferdinand, the natives were terrified at this sight and ". . . with great howling and lamentation came running from every direction to the ships laden with provisions, praying to the Admiral to intercede with his god on their behalf." They promised that they would gladly cooperate with Columbus and his men if only he would restore the moon back to its normal self. The great explorer told the natives that he would have to retire to confer privately with his god. He then shut himself in his cabin for about fifty minutes.
"His god" was a sandglass that Columbus turned every half hour to time the various stages of the eclipse, based on the calculations provided by Regiomontanus' almanac.
Just moments before the end of the total phase Columbus reappeared, announcing to the natives that his god had pardoned them and would now allow the moon to gradually return. And at that moment, true to Columbus' word, the moon slowly began to reappear and as it emerged from the Earth's shadow, the grateful natives hurried away. They then kept Columbus and his men well supplied and well fed until a relief caravel from Hispaniola finally arrived on June 29, 1504. Columbus and his men returned to Spain on Nov. 7.
Another side to the story
In an interesting postscript to this story, in 1889, Mark Twain, likely influenced by the eclipse trick, wrote the novel, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. In it, his main character, Hank Morgan, used a gambit similar to Columbus'.
Morgan is about to be burned at the stake, so he "predicts" a solar eclipse he knows will occur, and in the process, claimed power over the sun. He gladly offers to return the sun to the sky in return for his freedom and a position as "perpetual minister and executive" to the king.
The only problem with this story is that on the date that Mark Twain quoted — June 21, 528 A.D. — no such eclipse took place. In fact, the moon was three days past full, a setup that can't generate an eclipse.
Perhaps he should have consulted an almanac!
Saturday, February 9, 2008
6 Greatest Super Bowls of All Time
By Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports:
Riding through Tempe in the cramped backseat of a bright yellow Mustang coupe last Saturday night, on the eve of what would turn out to be a truly memorable Super Bowl, I started talking about the classic game played a decade earlier a few hundred miles to the west.
"(Brett) Favre and the Packers going for their second straight, (John) Elway going for his first in four tries …"
"Oh," the driver interrupted, "you mean the game you called 'The Greatest Super Bowl Ever'?"
Right. That one.
The driver, my colleague Jason Cole, chortled heartily as the man in the passenger seat, Chicago Sun Times columnist extraordinaire Rick Telander, smiled at his sarcasm. They knew my history.
"Didn't you write that, like, three times in four years?" Cole asked.
"Three in five," I corrected. "And your point is?"
I'll spare you the rest of the conversation, but in the wake of the New York Giants' thrilling 17-14 upset of the previously undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, here's a more pertinent question:
Do I have the guts to make that declaration yet again?
Before I give you my top six Super Bowls, in order, let's be clear about what exactly is being rated.
I'm not merely ranking games on an aesthetic level. I don't care if you were bored in the second quarter or if there were a couple of dropped passes that derailed a scoring drive in the third. If the game unfolded in a compelling way and the outcome remained in doubt well into the final minutes, it gets strong consideration.
That said, this is not just a fantastic-finish contest. If the game lacked any redeeming value until a final, frantic climax, it's tough for me to give it a top-shelf rating.
When it comes to said finishes, I'm into lead changes, touchdowns and unfathomably clutch plays. I'm less moved by field goals, especially those of the tiebreaking variety. And I don't even want to hear about games that got close at the end, only to have the door slammed shut on the trailing team when it failed to recover an onside kick.
What else matters? I care about the significance of the game in the annals of NFL history, and which legendary figures were involved. Upsets get bonus points, as do signature moments.
Oh, and one other thing: Excluding the first six or seven Super Bowls (as I'm the same age as the game), how did the experience make me feel at the time?
It is, after all, my list:
6. Super Bowl XXV, 1991, New York Giants 20, Buffalo 19
A lot of people love this game because it began with Whitney Houston's wartime anthem and ended with Bills kicker Scott Norwood's infamous "wide right" field-goal attempt from 47 yards with eight seconds remaining. It was a marquee clash between the NFL's highest-scoring offense and the stingiest scoring defense. A shrewd game plan by Giants coach Bill Parcells and his brilliant defensive coordinator, Bill Belichick, limited Hall of Famer Jim Kelly and the Bills' no-huddle attack to 19 minutes, 27 seconds of possession. And, in the end, the underdog prevailed. Still, the Giants' winning points came on a 21-yard field goal (ecccch), and the climatic moment was Norwood's miss (double ecchhh). And neither Houston nor the Gulf War concept has aged particularly well.
5. Super Bowl XXXVI, 2002, New England 20, St. Louis 17
This was another contrast in styles in which a creative Belichick game plan derailed a high-flying offense – with a last-second field goal attempt and a huge upset to boot. Pass-happy Rams coach Mike Martz took Belichick's bait, choosing not to run against New England's nickel and dime defenses, and the Pats parlayed three turnovers (including Ty Law's 47-yard interception return for touchdown) into a two-touchdown lead. The Greatest Show on Turf – featuring Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt – sputtered until a furious fourth-quarter rally tied the score with 1:30 remaining. Then a kid named Tom Brady marched the Patriots 53 yards to set up Adam Vinatieri's walk-off 48-yard game-winner. This had a lot of the ingredients of a classic, but the game itself was choppy and weird, with a defensive holding penalty negating Tebucky Jones's apparent 90-plus-yard fumble recovery that would've given the Pats a 24-3 lead with 10 minutes remaining. And though Brady earned MVP honors, can anyone tell me one memorable moment that occurred during a Patriots offensive possession? I didn't think so.
4. Super Bowl XLII, 2008, New York Giants 17, New England 14
OK, here's your answer: Last Sunday's game was great, but it was not the greatest Super Bowl ever. Surely, the Giants' stunning upset of the only 18-0 team in NFL history carries major significance, and New York's impressive defensive effort against Brady, Randy Moss and the league's highest-scoring offense of all time is a bonus. This may have been the game that launched another Manning into stardom, and young Eli's great escape on third-and-5 from the Giants' 44 – and the amazing catch by David Tyree 32 yards downfield, one of the most sublime receptions by anyone, ever – is an indelible memory.
Brady's gritty touchdown drive to give New England a 14-10 lead, followed by the Manning-directed 83-yard march that ended with his 13-yard touchdown pass to prediction master Plaxico (23-17) Burress, was as good a one-two combo as we've seen in the closing minutes of a Super Bowl. But – and this is a big but – before the fourth quarter, it looked like we were watching mold form on old cheese. The Pats held a 7-3 lead that appeared as though it might stand up, and the game's only touchdown had come on a one-yard run by Laurence Maroney. The game's MVP after three quarters was … hell, Jordin Sparks? The final 15 minutes more than made up for it, of course, which is why this game rates in the Top 4.
3. Super Bowl XXIII, 1989, San Francisco 20, Cincinnati 16
I know what you're thinking – until its fantastic finish, this game wasn't all that special, either. No argument there, but here's the rebuttal: Joe Montana, the greatest quarterback of all time, threw for a then-Super Bowl record 357 yards. He took over trailing 16-13 from his own 8-yard-line with 3:20 remaining, famously pointing out comedian John Candy in the crowd to nervous offensive lineman Harris Barton, then pulled off the most incredible drive in Super Bowl history to win it on a gorgeous, 10-yard touchdown pass to John Taylor with 34 seconds to go. Oh, and for the first time in three Super Bowls, he wasn't named MVP; that honor went to Jerry Rice, the greatest receiver in history, who caught 11 passes for 215 yards. This was also the game in which Ronnie Lott smacked Ickey Woods so hard on a short-yardage play that the "Ickey Shuffle" was never the same.
The boring first half ended with the teams tied at 3-3, and it was 6-6 late in the third quarter when the Bengals went up 13-6 on Stanford Jennings's kickoff return. The Niners drove right back down to tie it on Montana's 14-yard pass to Rice. The Bengals got the late field goal to go ahead, and drama ensued. One of the 49ers' team photographers, Jeff Bayer, once gave me a blown-up photo taken of Montana just before he threw the pass to Taylor. It was shot from the back of the end zone, and Montana has a huge grin plastered on his face. Perhaps it was a competitive tick, like Michael Jordan's tongue sticking out before dunks, but I prefer to think that Montana knew he was about to cement his legend. By the way, this was Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh's last game on the sidelines.
2. Super Bowl XXXIV, 2000, St. Louis 23, Tennessee 16
I had a book deal with Warner riding on the outcome, so I was pretty thrilled when the Rams jumped out to a 16-0 halftime lead, then seemed to put away the Titans on Warner's 73-yard scoring bomb to Bruce – a split second before the quarterback was hit by star pass rusher Jevon (The Freak) Kearse – with just under two minutes remaining. But watching Steve McNair seemingly will the Titans down the field from his own 10 in the final 1:54, it was hard not to be inspired by Tennessee, which had already become the first team to come back from a 16-point deficit in the Super Bowl.
The play nobody will ever forget – and one that exceeded even Manning's Houdini act in terms of individual obstinacy – was when McNair, on third-and-5 from the Rams' 26, went nearly vertical while being pulled down by a pair of St. Louis defenders, only to somehow rise up and complete a 16-yard pass to Kevin Dyson. If McNair had gone down, only a Hail Mary could have saved Tennessee. Instead, the Titans called timeout with six seconds remaining, and thus unfolded the greatest Super Bowl finish of them all: McNair went back and hit Dyson underneath, and the fleet receiver seemed headed for a game-tying score. But Rams linebacker Mike Jones made a perfect tackle, stopping Dyson a half-yard short of the goal line. Though Warner threw for a Super Bowl-record 414 yards, Tennessee seemingly would have had the momentum if the game went into overtime. But because of Jones' great individual play, St. Louis celebrated, triggering coach Dick Vermeil's short-lived retirement. Thinking about the final two minutes of this game still gets my heart racing.
1. Super Bowl XXXII, 1998: Denver 31, Green Bay 24
OK, so how do we top these other games? Here's how: Elway laying waste to his unfortunate legacy of Super Bowl failure at the expense of Favre, who missed out on a chance to stamp himself as even more of a big-game dominator. Six ties and lead changes, the last occurring with 1:45 remaining. Terrell Davis, one of the great backs of his era, fighting off a gnarly migraine and returning to score his Super Bowl-record third rushing touchdown after the two-minute warning, cementing an MVP performance that included 157 yards. The AFC breaking what now seems like an unfathomable 13-year Super Bowl losing streak. This was an upset, and even though Elway's numbers weren't exceptional, there was no question who keyed it.
The moment we all remember, the "Helicopter Play," was a sign of his undying commitment: Late in the third quarter, with the score tied at 17-17, the 37-year-old quarterback dropped back to pass on third-and-6 from the Green Bay 12. Finding no receivers open, Elway darted to his right and was met near the first-down marker by Packers All-Pro safety LeRoy Butler, who ducked his helmet and prepared to unload. Elway took to the air, and Butler's hit spun him around in a circle. He came down feet forward while absorbing another hit from safety Mike Prior at the 4, and the Broncos scored two plays later. They got stronger and stronger as the game went on, though Favre, to his credit, rallied the Packers to the Denver 31 with 32 seconds remaining. Linebacker John Mobley lunged to break up Favre's fourth-down pass to tight end Mark Chmura, and Elway had prevailed in this classic battle between two of the game's best quarterbacks of all time.
Riding through Tempe in the cramped backseat of a bright yellow Mustang coupe last Saturday night, on the eve of what would turn out to be a truly memorable Super Bowl, I started talking about the classic game played a decade earlier a few hundred miles to the west.
"(Brett) Favre and the Packers going for their second straight, (John) Elway going for his first in four tries …"
"Oh," the driver interrupted, "you mean the game you called 'The Greatest Super Bowl Ever'?"
Right. That one.
The driver, my colleague Jason Cole, chortled heartily as the man in the passenger seat, Chicago Sun Times columnist extraordinaire Rick Telander, smiled at his sarcasm. They knew my history.
"Didn't you write that, like, three times in four years?" Cole asked.
"Three in five," I corrected. "And your point is?"
I'll spare you the rest of the conversation, but in the wake of the New York Giants' thrilling 17-14 upset of the previously undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, here's a more pertinent question:
Do I have the guts to make that declaration yet again?
Before I give you my top six Super Bowls, in order, let's be clear about what exactly is being rated.
I'm not merely ranking games on an aesthetic level. I don't care if you were bored in the second quarter or if there were a couple of dropped passes that derailed a scoring drive in the third. If the game unfolded in a compelling way and the outcome remained in doubt well into the final minutes, it gets strong consideration.
That said, this is not just a fantastic-finish contest. If the game lacked any redeeming value until a final, frantic climax, it's tough for me to give it a top-shelf rating.
When it comes to said finishes, I'm into lead changes, touchdowns and unfathomably clutch plays. I'm less moved by field goals, especially those of the tiebreaking variety. And I don't even want to hear about games that got close at the end, only to have the door slammed shut on the trailing team when it failed to recover an onside kick.
What else matters? I care about the significance of the game in the annals of NFL history, and which legendary figures were involved. Upsets get bonus points, as do signature moments.
Oh, and one other thing: Excluding the first six or seven Super Bowls (as I'm the same age as the game), how did the experience make me feel at the time?
It is, after all, my list:
6. Super Bowl XXV, 1991, New York Giants 20, Buffalo 19
A lot of people love this game because it began with Whitney Houston's wartime anthem and ended with Bills kicker Scott Norwood's infamous "wide right" field-goal attempt from 47 yards with eight seconds remaining. It was a marquee clash between the NFL's highest-scoring offense and the stingiest scoring defense. A shrewd game plan by Giants coach Bill Parcells and his brilliant defensive coordinator, Bill Belichick, limited Hall of Famer Jim Kelly and the Bills' no-huddle attack to 19 minutes, 27 seconds of possession. And, in the end, the underdog prevailed. Still, the Giants' winning points came on a 21-yard field goal (ecccch), and the climatic moment was Norwood's miss (double ecchhh). And neither Houston nor the Gulf War concept has aged particularly well.
5. Super Bowl XXXVI, 2002, New England 20, St. Louis 17
This was another contrast in styles in which a creative Belichick game plan derailed a high-flying offense – with a last-second field goal attempt and a huge upset to boot. Pass-happy Rams coach Mike Martz took Belichick's bait, choosing not to run against New England's nickel and dime defenses, and the Pats parlayed three turnovers (including Ty Law's 47-yard interception return for touchdown) into a two-touchdown lead. The Greatest Show on Turf – featuring Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt – sputtered until a furious fourth-quarter rally tied the score with 1:30 remaining. Then a kid named Tom Brady marched the Patriots 53 yards to set up Adam Vinatieri's walk-off 48-yard game-winner. This had a lot of the ingredients of a classic, but the game itself was choppy and weird, with a defensive holding penalty negating Tebucky Jones's apparent 90-plus-yard fumble recovery that would've given the Pats a 24-3 lead with 10 minutes remaining. And though Brady earned MVP honors, can anyone tell me one memorable moment that occurred during a Patriots offensive possession? I didn't think so.
4. Super Bowl XLII, 2008, New York Giants 17, New England 14
OK, here's your answer: Last Sunday's game was great, but it was not the greatest Super Bowl ever. Surely, the Giants' stunning upset of the only 18-0 team in NFL history carries major significance, and New York's impressive defensive effort against Brady, Randy Moss and the league's highest-scoring offense of all time is a bonus. This may have been the game that launched another Manning into stardom, and young Eli's great escape on third-and-5 from the Giants' 44 – and the amazing catch by David Tyree 32 yards downfield, one of the most sublime receptions by anyone, ever – is an indelible memory.
Brady's gritty touchdown drive to give New England a 14-10 lead, followed by the Manning-directed 83-yard march that ended with his 13-yard touchdown pass to prediction master Plaxico (23-17) Burress, was as good a one-two combo as we've seen in the closing minutes of a Super Bowl. But – and this is a big but – before the fourth quarter, it looked like we were watching mold form on old cheese. The Pats held a 7-3 lead that appeared as though it might stand up, and the game's only touchdown had come on a one-yard run by Laurence Maroney. The game's MVP after three quarters was … hell, Jordin Sparks? The final 15 minutes more than made up for it, of course, which is why this game rates in the Top 4.
3. Super Bowl XXIII, 1989, San Francisco 20, Cincinnati 16
I know what you're thinking – until its fantastic finish, this game wasn't all that special, either. No argument there, but here's the rebuttal: Joe Montana, the greatest quarterback of all time, threw for a then-Super Bowl record 357 yards. He took over trailing 16-13 from his own 8-yard-line with 3:20 remaining, famously pointing out comedian John Candy in the crowd to nervous offensive lineman Harris Barton, then pulled off the most incredible drive in Super Bowl history to win it on a gorgeous, 10-yard touchdown pass to John Taylor with 34 seconds to go. Oh, and for the first time in three Super Bowls, he wasn't named MVP; that honor went to Jerry Rice, the greatest receiver in history, who caught 11 passes for 215 yards. This was also the game in which Ronnie Lott smacked Ickey Woods so hard on a short-yardage play that the "Ickey Shuffle" was never the same.
The boring first half ended with the teams tied at 3-3, and it was 6-6 late in the third quarter when the Bengals went up 13-6 on Stanford Jennings's kickoff return. The Niners drove right back down to tie it on Montana's 14-yard pass to Rice. The Bengals got the late field goal to go ahead, and drama ensued. One of the 49ers' team photographers, Jeff Bayer, once gave me a blown-up photo taken of Montana just before he threw the pass to Taylor. It was shot from the back of the end zone, and Montana has a huge grin plastered on his face. Perhaps it was a competitive tick, like Michael Jordan's tongue sticking out before dunks, but I prefer to think that Montana knew he was about to cement his legend. By the way, this was Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh's last game on the sidelines.
2. Super Bowl XXXIV, 2000, St. Louis 23, Tennessee 16
I had a book deal with Warner riding on the outcome, so I was pretty thrilled when the Rams jumped out to a 16-0 halftime lead, then seemed to put away the Titans on Warner's 73-yard scoring bomb to Bruce – a split second before the quarterback was hit by star pass rusher Jevon (The Freak) Kearse – with just under two minutes remaining. But watching Steve McNair seemingly will the Titans down the field from his own 10 in the final 1:54, it was hard not to be inspired by Tennessee, which had already become the first team to come back from a 16-point deficit in the Super Bowl.
The play nobody will ever forget – and one that exceeded even Manning's Houdini act in terms of individual obstinacy – was when McNair, on third-and-5 from the Rams' 26, went nearly vertical while being pulled down by a pair of St. Louis defenders, only to somehow rise up and complete a 16-yard pass to Kevin Dyson. If McNair had gone down, only a Hail Mary could have saved Tennessee. Instead, the Titans called timeout with six seconds remaining, and thus unfolded the greatest Super Bowl finish of them all: McNair went back and hit Dyson underneath, and the fleet receiver seemed headed for a game-tying score. But Rams linebacker Mike Jones made a perfect tackle, stopping Dyson a half-yard short of the goal line. Though Warner threw for a Super Bowl-record 414 yards, Tennessee seemingly would have had the momentum if the game went into overtime. But because of Jones' great individual play, St. Louis celebrated, triggering coach Dick Vermeil's short-lived retirement. Thinking about the final two minutes of this game still gets my heart racing.
1. Super Bowl XXXII, 1998: Denver 31, Green Bay 24
OK, so how do we top these other games? Here's how: Elway laying waste to his unfortunate legacy of Super Bowl failure at the expense of Favre, who missed out on a chance to stamp himself as even more of a big-game dominator. Six ties and lead changes, the last occurring with 1:45 remaining. Terrell Davis, one of the great backs of his era, fighting off a gnarly migraine and returning to score his Super Bowl-record third rushing touchdown after the two-minute warning, cementing an MVP performance that included 157 yards. The AFC breaking what now seems like an unfathomable 13-year Super Bowl losing streak. This was an upset, and even though Elway's numbers weren't exceptional, there was no question who keyed it.
The moment we all remember, the "Helicopter Play," was a sign of his undying commitment: Late in the third quarter, with the score tied at 17-17, the 37-year-old quarterback dropped back to pass on third-and-6 from the Green Bay 12. Finding no receivers open, Elway darted to his right and was met near the first-down marker by Packers All-Pro safety LeRoy Butler, who ducked his helmet and prepared to unload. Elway took to the air, and Butler's hit spun him around in a circle. He came down feet forward while absorbing another hit from safety Mike Prior at the 4, and the Broncos scored two plays later. They got stronger and stronger as the game went on, though Favre, to his credit, rallied the Packers to the Denver 31 with 32 seconds remaining. Linebacker John Mobley lunged to break up Favre's fourth-down pass to tight end Mark Chmura, and Elway had prevailed in this classic battle between two of the game's best quarterbacks of all time.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Creating Happiness
From Lou Tice - 1/30/08
Everyone wants to be happy, but not everyone knows how. Today, I'll tell you about two ways to be happy, and one of them is guaranteed.
What does happiness mean to you? Some people think happiness is getting all or most of the things they want. They always have lists of new things they want or are about to get: cars, vacations, fancy clothes, new furniture for their houses, the latest electronic toys.
But often these people are deeply discontented, for no matter how much they acquire, they never seem to have enough. A new acquisition brings them pleasure, but only for a little while. Happiness is always in the future, always appearing, then disappearing.
Someone once said that there are two ways to be happy: the first is to have all the things that you want; the second is to have the wisdom to enjoy the things you have. When you practice the second way, you are able to appreciate the beauty that exists in the simplest elements of life. Even in hardship, you will find many reasons to feel joy on a daily basis.
Sure, you will feel good when you acquire something new. But your real and lasting happiness will be found in relationships, in simple pleasures, in nature, and in actions that show love.
If you remember that the time to be happy is now and the place to be happy is where you are, you will find a joy that no amount of money can buy.
Everyone wants to be happy, but not everyone knows how. Today, I'll tell you about two ways to be happy, and one of them is guaranteed.
What does happiness mean to you? Some people think happiness is getting all or most of the things they want. They always have lists of new things they want or are about to get: cars, vacations, fancy clothes, new furniture for their houses, the latest electronic toys.
But often these people are deeply discontented, for no matter how much they acquire, they never seem to have enough. A new acquisition brings them pleasure, but only for a little while. Happiness is always in the future, always appearing, then disappearing.
Someone once said that there are two ways to be happy: the first is to have all the things that you want; the second is to have the wisdom to enjoy the things you have. When you practice the second way, you are able to appreciate the beauty that exists in the simplest elements of life. Even in hardship, you will find many reasons to feel joy on a daily basis.
Sure, you will feel good when you acquire something new. But your real and lasting happiness will be found in relationships, in simple pleasures, in nature, and in actions that show love.
If you remember that the time to be happy is now and the place to be happy is where you are, you will find a joy that no amount of money can buy.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
A Legacy to Stand On
"The true measure of how well you did on your watch is the legacy you hand your successors." -- Captain Abrashoff
Legacy is a gift to others, rather than a measure of self-worth. What do you know today about your relatives from a hundred years ago?
Legacy is a gift to others, rather than a measure of self-worth. What do you know today about your relatives from a hundred years ago?
Stunted Speech
"I gave the shortest change-of-command speech in military history. It was five words long: 'You know how I feel.'" -- Captain Abrashoff
Think about it.
Think about it.
Crazy For You
"Giving our people the freedom to act a little crazy seemed to confirm that we really cared about them." -- Captain Abrashoff
In this case, it was a live karaoke concert on board a U.S. naval ship. In our department, it's the recent tradition of a certain employee singing Happy Birthday in an off-key, warbly high-pitched voice.
In a life where death is the only thing that's certain, we need something to balance it out. In the right doses, craziness is the fuel of happiness.
In this case, it was a live karaoke concert on board a U.S. naval ship. In our department, it's the recent tradition of a certain employee singing Happy Birthday in an off-key, warbly high-pitched voice.
In a life where death is the only thing that's certain, we need something to balance it out. In the right doses, craziness is the fuel of happiness.
Life vs. Work
I sat in a presentation which laid out the Baby Boom generation as a worth = work generation. The Gen Xers and Yers around me fell into a worth = life philosophy. Get the work done, then get on with the things that inspire!
Regardless of our birth date, we might put some validity behind Captain Abrashoff's observation:
"We are now permanently wired to our work, wherever we are. Even on vacation, we're tethered to pagers, cell phones, and laptops, so we can log in from the beach. This is okay, in moderation. In excess, it eats away at the inner reservior of spirit that people need to draw on when life gets tough."
With so little in our control beyond our attitude, we may find better health if we train ourselves that resting quietly is one of life's health remedies, and not the stain of slothfulness that some would have us believe.
Regardless of our birth date, we might put some validity behind Captain Abrashoff's observation:
"We are now permanently wired to our work, wherever we are. Even on vacation, we're tethered to pagers, cell phones, and laptops, so we can log in from the beach. This is okay, in moderation. In excess, it eats away at the inner reservior of spirit that people need to draw on when life gets tough."
With so little in our control beyond our attitude, we may find better health if we train ourselves that resting quietly is one of life's health remedies, and not the stain of slothfulness that some would have us believe.
Sometimes, Fans Aren't Cool
When I showed up for the Jazz game on Saturday, the parking lot was unusually full and there were two police cars. I hoped that the elementary school was hosting a safety course, but actually there had been a brawl among the fans during the 10:00 game and the cops were interviewing witnesses.
During our game, play was stopped at one point when two sets of parents got into an argument loud enough to require a YMCA employee to step in.
Later that night, we watched the Eureka Hornets basketball team lose a one-point lead in the final seconds after a player missed four consecutive free throws. The disbelief of the frustrated fans was evident in the post-game lobby. From their tone, you'd have thought that the player had simply overlooked the importance of the shots, talking on his cell phone and cracking jokes with his girlfriend while lobbing one-handed tosses in the general vicinity of the basket.
Does anyone else find it hard to keep condemning thoughts quiet? To set them off into a mellow, padded corner of the mind and let them dissolve while we turn our attention to other things? To allow others to vent if they must, and use it as an opportunity to teach ourselves and our children how ugly the disease of anger looks, rather than feeding off of it like some kind of healing drug?
I'm a fan of many things, and not all of them are sports. Sometimes I'm rooting for a project at work or a relationship. To win and to lose with grace, even optimism, is my hopeful route towards lasting satisfaction.
During our game, play was stopped at one point when two sets of parents got into an argument loud enough to require a YMCA employee to step in.
Later that night, we watched the Eureka Hornets basketball team lose a one-point lead in the final seconds after a player missed four consecutive free throws. The disbelief of the frustrated fans was evident in the post-game lobby. From their tone, you'd have thought that the player had simply overlooked the importance of the shots, talking on his cell phone and cracking jokes with his girlfriend while lobbing one-handed tosses in the general vicinity of the basket.
Does anyone else find it hard to keep condemning thoughts quiet? To set them off into a mellow, padded corner of the mind and let them dissolve while we turn our attention to other things? To allow others to vent if they must, and use it as an opportunity to teach ourselves and our children how ugly the disease of anger looks, rather than feeding off of it like some kind of healing drug?
I'm a fan of many things, and not all of them are sports. Sometimes I'm rooting for a project at work or a relationship. To win and to lose with grace, even optimism, is my hopeful route towards lasting satisfaction.
Guitar Hero
This is a good game. I suppose that's like pointing out that we're no longer a colony of Britain, but last night we had a Guitar Hero III party out in Goodfield with in-laws Troy and Dona, and their kids Kelsey and Lane.
Here's how it works: You start out as a garage band playing a gig at some run-down facility where the local cops are more interested in shaking their booty than preserving order. As you hold a guitar-shaped joystick in your hand, a series of notes cruises at you like squirrels on a highway. Your job is to hit each one by pressing a certain button on the joystick corresponding to the right note. On easy mode (our choice) there are only three buttons used, so it's more simple than playing an actual guitar.
After each gig, you make a little money, some of which is spent on things like replacing hotel walls you destroyed. Whether that's realistic or not is unimportant, like the fact that your lead singer sings exactly like Mick Jagger, Aerosmith's Joe Tyler, and every major lead since 1974 as you play over 30 years of famous music. Likewise the throngs of adoring, entirely caucasian fans are more synchronized than most marching bands, leaping and fist-pumping madly as if it were the only way to keep their hearts beating.
Of course the point is not to make money, but to advance to the ultimate stage, advancing through eight levels and four songs per level en route to the big time. Unfortunately, due to some technical difficulty (i.e. Lane pulling the memory card out of the game system) we made it only to level seven before turning into pumpkins at midnight.
This is a must-buy for the McDonald household!
Here's how it works: You start out as a garage band playing a gig at some run-down facility where the local cops are more interested in shaking their booty than preserving order. As you hold a guitar-shaped joystick in your hand, a series of notes cruises at you like squirrels on a highway. Your job is to hit each one by pressing a certain button on the joystick corresponding to the right note. On easy mode (our choice) there are only three buttons used, so it's more simple than playing an actual guitar.
After each gig, you make a little money, some of which is spent on things like replacing hotel walls you destroyed. Whether that's realistic or not is unimportant, like the fact that your lead singer sings exactly like Mick Jagger, Aerosmith's Joe Tyler, and every major lead since 1974 as you play over 30 years of famous music. Likewise the throngs of adoring, entirely caucasian fans are more synchronized than most marching bands, leaping and fist-pumping madly as if it were the only way to keep their hearts beating.
Of course the point is not to make money, but to advance to the ultimate stage, advancing through eight levels and four songs per level en route to the big time. Unfortunately, due to some technical difficulty (i.e. Lane pulling the memory card out of the game system) we made it only to level seven before turning into pumpkins at midnight.
This is a must-buy for the McDonald household!
Jazz 2/2/2008
Today was time for the next step in the team's progress. We knew that the Wolves were much weaker than the Clippers we beat last week. In fact, the Clippers had invoked the mercy rule against the Wolves.
I told the team that our challenge this week wasn't to win, but to show that last week's win was more than a fluke. In fact, I laid a clipboard in front of them pre-game and said that we were playing four games today, and our goal was to see how many of them we could win.
They responded!
1Q 27-6
2Q 18-0
3Q 10-2
4Q 14-2
Of course the 69-10 margin of victory was satisfying, even against a much weaker opponent. But there were extra-pleasing things that happened too.
1. We passed the ball inside, and even worked the pick-and-roll successfully a couple of times. In reviewing video from last week, we scored 50% of the time we got the ball inside, versus 20% otherwise. So this week our primary goal was to get the ball inside. I've not seen the stats yet, but we had several interior passes and a lot of easy baskets.
2. Bryan toughed out three quarters despite not feeling well.
3. Yacey played under control on offense. Last week I counted four "crazy shots," where he did what he usually does while playing one-on-one against his taller older brother -- an on-the-run off balance shot put toward the hoop. This week we worked on jump stopping, and he did exactly that. He must have scored a dozen points just by avoiding heavy traffic and using his short jumper.
4. Varun made his first basket of the year.
Another positive sign was Bryan's dad visiting with me before the game, and offering several good ideas for drills that we can run next week. They meet our needs -- getting the wings open, establishing position under the hoop, timing the pick and roll. In fact, he's going to do some individual work on Monday with our forwards, which will leave me time with the guards.
One of the parents brought chocolate chip cookies for the team and parents.
It was a good week!
I told the team that our challenge this week wasn't to win, but to show that last week's win was more than a fluke. In fact, I laid a clipboard in front of them pre-game and said that we were playing four games today, and our goal was to see how many of them we could win.
They responded!
1Q 27-6
2Q 18-0
3Q 10-2
4Q 14-2
Of course the 69-10 margin of victory was satisfying, even against a much weaker opponent. But there were extra-pleasing things that happened too.
1. We passed the ball inside, and even worked the pick-and-roll successfully a couple of times. In reviewing video from last week, we scored 50% of the time we got the ball inside, versus 20% otherwise. So this week our primary goal was to get the ball inside. I've not seen the stats yet, but we had several interior passes and a lot of easy baskets.
2. Bryan toughed out three quarters despite not feeling well.
3. Yacey played under control on offense. Last week I counted four "crazy shots," where he did what he usually does while playing one-on-one against his taller older brother -- an on-the-run off balance shot put toward the hoop. This week we worked on jump stopping, and he did exactly that. He must have scored a dozen points just by avoiding heavy traffic and using his short jumper.
4. Varun made his first basket of the year.
Another positive sign was Bryan's dad visiting with me before the game, and offering several good ideas for drills that we can run next week. They meet our needs -- getting the wings open, establishing position under the hoop, timing the pick and roll. In fact, he's going to do some individual work on Monday with our forwards, which will leave me time with the guards.
One of the parents brought chocolate chip cookies for the team and parents.
It was a good week!
Snow Day
Earlier this week one of my co-workers asked me if I thought I'd get bored in retirement someday.
Thursday's overnight forecast called for 6-12 inches of snow, meaning that there was a chance that my Leadership McLean County session might be cancelled. Now I'm as much of a morning person as Dracula is, but on this day I had no problem waking myself in time for the 6 a.m. school closing reports. And after hearing that LMC was indeed cancelled for the day, I had no problem staying awake and celebrating. A full day of Madden football, Law and Order, fantasy sports, and e-mail.
From time to time I look way down the line, to the days when my legs will be too weak to carry me, when the only person who visits me is the nurse. I pray that I'll still have my sight, voice, and hearing. And it'll be worthwhile to prepare for that as happy time. Sooner or later, we come to a stop. In the meantime, why not practice enjoying some times of rest?
Thursday's overnight forecast called for 6-12 inches of snow, meaning that there was a chance that my Leadership McLean County session might be cancelled. Now I'm as much of a morning person as Dracula is, but on this day I had no problem waking myself in time for the 6 a.m. school closing reports. And after hearing that LMC was indeed cancelled for the day, I had no problem staying awake and celebrating. A full day of Madden football, Law and Order, fantasy sports, and e-mail.
From time to time I look way down the line, to the days when my legs will be too weak to carry me, when the only person who visits me is the nurse. I pray that I'll still have my sight, voice, and hearing. And it'll be worthwhile to prepare for that as happy time. Sooner or later, we come to a stop. In the meantime, why not practice enjoying some times of rest?
Old Photo Helps Solve Drowning Mystery
From the Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - A treasured old photograph, a police investigator's long-shot appeal to the public and a retiree's sharp memory have combined to solve a 15-year-old drowning mystery.
State police in Somers, N.Y., tried for years to identify a body found in the Titicus Reservoir on June 13, 1993, carrying 38 pounds of rocks in a backpack. The man left no clues to his name and matched no local missing-persons reports.
The only lead was a black-and-white snapshot found on the body that showed a grandfatherly man holding a small boy in the crook of his arm, both wearing attire from the 1950s or early 1960s.
Police assumed the toddler was the drowning victim, but years of investigation produced only dead ends. Then, with a few remarkable coincidences last month, Andrew Bookless got back his name.
Bookless was eventually identified through dental records — though only after police seeking to identify the little boy wrongly guessed a vintage light fixture in the picture may have been in western Massachusetts.
When they circulated the photo in the Berkshires, retired teacher Terry Yacubich, who had moved to Pittsfield from Bellport, N.Y., recognized a building behind the man and little boy as one she had known from her days on Long Island.
Bookless' family, it turned out, once lived in the very spot the picture was taken.
"I'm not psychic or anything like that, but I think maybe Andrew worked through me to finally get some closure," Yacubich said.
Bookless disappeared from his family's lives years before that June day when police found him dead at 31. The snapshot was intact in a glass frame and close to his heart under layers of winter clothing.
Troopers searched for years to find someone who recognized the older man or features in the photo's background.
Investigator Joe Fiebich sent the picture to The Berkshire Eagle newspaper in January after learning the vintage street light in the background was similar to those installed throughout western Massachusetts decades ago.
It turned out they were common on Long Island's south shore, too.
But it wasn't the light fixture that grabbed Yacubich's attention when she saw the newspaper last weekend. She spotted the church auditorium in the village where she'd lived for 47 years.
"The moment I saw that picture, I knew exactly where it was," said Yacubich, 59, who had attended decades' worth of first Communion parties, church socials and funerals there.
Yacubich contacted friend Donald Mullins, a retired Suffolk County, N.Y., police detective and code enforcement officer in Bellport, a village in the town of Brookhaven. He trekked to the church's neighborhood and quickly found the spot: the front corner of a now-empty residential lot.
"I stood on that very spot and said, `This is it. This is exactly it,'" Mullins said.
He tracked the land's ownership history in town deeds until he found that the Bookless family had a house there before it was destroyed in a fire.
The Westchester County, N.Y., medical examiner's office confirmed Bookless' identity Jan. 25, and it was released this week after his four older siblings were notified.
They told police the man in the picture was Bookless' grandfather and that his parents, John and Marianna Bookless, had died in 1994 and 2004. Police said Bookless' family had him declared dead after his mother's death.
Police were trying to determine whether Bookless' death was a suicide, an accident or whether he met with foul play. Investigators believe Bookless fell through the ice in the winter of 1992-93, months before his body was found with the rock-laden pack strapped on his back.
New York State Police Senior Investigator Patrick Bosley, one of several troopers who reviewed the case over the years, tried unsuccessfully in the mid-1990s to have it featured on television's "Unsolved Mysteries."
"It was obvious to us all along that the picture was the best piece of information we had," Bosley said. "It was clear that evidently the older gentleman was someone very close to him — his father or grandfather, a favorite uncle, someone he cared a lot about."
Bookless' family said he often would disappear for months, part of the reason his mother did not report him missing until 1999 even though she had not heard from him in several years, police said.
They said Bookless' body was buried in New York as an unidentified person, but that his siblings would be able to move it if they wish.
"For me, the best end of the story would be to see that Andrew rests in peace," Yacubich said.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - A treasured old photograph, a police investigator's long-shot appeal to the public and a retiree's sharp memory have combined to solve a 15-year-old drowning mystery.
State police in Somers, N.Y., tried for years to identify a body found in the Titicus Reservoir on June 13, 1993, carrying 38 pounds of rocks in a backpack. The man left no clues to his name and matched no local missing-persons reports.
The only lead was a black-and-white snapshot found on the body that showed a grandfatherly man holding a small boy in the crook of his arm, both wearing attire from the 1950s or early 1960s.
Police assumed the toddler was the drowning victim, but years of investigation produced only dead ends. Then, with a few remarkable coincidences last month, Andrew Bookless got back his name.
Bookless was eventually identified through dental records — though only after police seeking to identify the little boy wrongly guessed a vintage light fixture in the picture may have been in western Massachusetts.
When they circulated the photo in the Berkshires, retired teacher Terry Yacubich, who had moved to Pittsfield from Bellport, N.Y., recognized a building behind the man and little boy as one she had known from her days on Long Island.
Bookless' family, it turned out, once lived in the very spot the picture was taken.
"I'm not psychic or anything like that, but I think maybe Andrew worked through me to finally get some closure," Yacubich said.
Bookless disappeared from his family's lives years before that June day when police found him dead at 31. The snapshot was intact in a glass frame and close to his heart under layers of winter clothing.
Troopers searched for years to find someone who recognized the older man or features in the photo's background.
Investigator Joe Fiebich sent the picture to The Berkshire Eagle newspaper in January after learning the vintage street light in the background was similar to those installed throughout western Massachusetts decades ago.
It turned out they were common on Long Island's south shore, too.
But it wasn't the light fixture that grabbed Yacubich's attention when she saw the newspaper last weekend. She spotted the church auditorium in the village where she'd lived for 47 years.
"The moment I saw that picture, I knew exactly where it was," said Yacubich, 59, who had attended decades' worth of first Communion parties, church socials and funerals there.
Yacubich contacted friend Donald Mullins, a retired Suffolk County, N.Y., police detective and code enforcement officer in Bellport, a village in the town of Brookhaven. He trekked to the church's neighborhood and quickly found the spot: the front corner of a now-empty residential lot.
"I stood on that very spot and said, `This is it. This is exactly it,'" Mullins said.
He tracked the land's ownership history in town deeds until he found that the Bookless family had a house there before it was destroyed in a fire.
The Westchester County, N.Y., medical examiner's office confirmed Bookless' identity Jan. 25, and it was released this week after his four older siblings were notified.
They told police the man in the picture was Bookless' grandfather and that his parents, John and Marianna Bookless, had died in 1994 and 2004. Police said Bookless' family had him declared dead after his mother's death.
Police were trying to determine whether Bookless' death was a suicide, an accident or whether he met with foul play. Investigators believe Bookless fell through the ice in the winter of 1992-93, months before his body was found with the rock-laden pack strapped on his back.
New York State Police Senior Investigator Patrick Bosley, one of several troopers who reviewed the case over the years, tried unsuccessfully in the mid-1990s to have it featured on television's "Unsolved Mysteries."
"It was obvious to us all along that the picture was the best piece of information we had," Bosley said. "It was clear that evidently the older gentleman was someone very close to him — his father or grandfather, a favorite uncle, someone he cared a lot about."
Bookless' family said he often would disappear for months, part of the reason his mother did not report him missing until 1999 even though she had not heard from him in several years, police said.
They said Bookless' body was buried in New York as an unidentified person, but that his siblings would be able to move it if they wish.
"For me, the best end of the story would be to see that Andrew rests in peace," Yacubich said.
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