"Selecting a role model nurtures qualities in yourself. Seek a mentor who makes you excited for your work or excels in your weak areas. Then mimic your mentor's moves until they become yours." - J. Richard Shell
The best role model I had for a supervisor was Rusty Schopp. The man worked hard, took a genuine interest in people, and had a sense of humor that was both side-splitting and respectful of others. These days I look around at great historical figures like Lincoln, or energetic young leaders in my own community. And maybe, in time, I pass along the best of all of these people to those I'm privileged to teach.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Running A Reality Check
"Every day I take a few minutes to mentally list the things in my life I value most... This renews my sense of purpose, takes me outside of myself, and reminds me why I do what I do." - Thomas Joiner, Ph.D.
I spend almost every day looking forward to some goal within the next two weeks. Even tonight, as I sit here in a productive late-night spurt blogging, doing finances and working through mail, I do it with a goal of being done by Friday. And Sundays are thank-you post day. Life is such a stream of exciting experiences, it's a pleasure to mentally sit on the bank and take it all in.
I spend almost every day looking forward to some goal within the next two weeks. Even tonight, as I sit here in a productive late-night spurt blogging, doing finances and working through mail, I do it with a goal of being done by Friday. And Sundays are thank-you post day. Life is such a stream of exciting experiences, it's a pleasure to mentally sit on the bank and take it all in.
Happy Meetiversary!
Dena and I met 19 years ago Tuesday at the Baptist Student Union fund-raising dinner theater. All these years later we remain committed to celebrating it with still-favorite Avanti's salad and spaghetti. We have different jobs and cars, a few more pounds, and a kitten. And I've never regretted for a moment the fate that brought us together. She still inspires me with her selflessness, cracks me up with her sense of humor, supports me eternally with her love. I do what I can to return it - a blog post is a decent start.
Happy meetiversary sweetie!
Happy meetiversary sweetie!
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Bye, Polar
I heard the phrase "polar vortex" again this morning - apparently we're in the midst of another one here this week with temps dipping into the hey-my-hands-hurt range.
You know what? That's fine. I'm kind of getting used to it. And I know that it will warm up as the year goes on. So spring and summer will feel especially well-earned, like people who run a marathon and then feel a sense of great accomplishment. And all I did was wear a thick coat!
Stay warm fellow Americans. We shall rise again!
You know what? That's fine. I'm kind of getting used to it. And I know that it will warm up as the year goes on. So spring and summer will feel especially well-earned, like people who run a marathon and then feel a sense of great accomplishment. And all I did was wear a thick coat!
Stay warm fellow Americans. We shall rise again!
Monday, February 24, 2014
Four Years Since Fat Ben
A great read from a relative of a friend, Ben Leake:
Four years ago this weekend, I decided to not look like this anymore:
I’m not writing this to inspire anyone to start working out, but if it does, great.
I’m not writing this to condemn or shame anyone that is overweight, and if it does, please know that this is not my intention.
I’m not writing this as a start to an online blog or anything like that, this is a one-time thing. Also, if you actually want to read something with genuine tact and literary candor you should head over to ericaboden.wordpress.com (seriously, check it out).
I’m writing this to share with those of you that didn’t know me four years ago the story of a decision I made, and a few things I learned in that process that I hope may help you when you’re considering undertaking anything (not just weight loss or the goal of some physical change). I’ve never really shared it outright in a manner like this out of a fear of coming off as some sort of narcissist, but I feel that now is as good of a time as any for two reasons:
1- Now that I’ve been living and making friends in Tuscaloosa, the majority of people that I interact with don’t really know the details of this, with a few exceptions. In fact, when I show people the picture of me above, some genuinely don’t believe it’s me. I feel like if someone knew this story, a lot of other things about me would make sense to them.
2- It’s been exactly four years so that’s a solid excuse. And hey, if you don’t like this post for any of the writing, at least you’re getting a pretty funny picture out of it.
Anyway, back to the story. Four years ago this weekend, I decided not to be fat anymore. And I don’t use “fat” loosely – I was an average-heighted, fourteen year-old high school freshman, and I was 210 pounds. My waist size was something like 38 inches. No body image distortion here, overweight is overweight.
The exact day (yea, I remember it) was Saturday, February 20th, 2010. There was no family intervention about eating literally all of the Thin Mints in our house, no great epiphany, no specific insult from someone that inspired me to change my ways out of spite. I just woke up that morning, and realized I didn’t have to be overweight. So I made the decision to stop. There honestly was no one stopping me from losing weight but myself, and whenever I envisioned myself in college, as an adult, etc., I didn’t see myself as overweight. And I realized that if I didn’t make a change now, when would I? Why not today?
So I went on a run.
The point is, I started that day. And I ran again the next day. And every day after that. I didn’t tell any of my friends or family- there was no reason to. I didn’t have a specific piece of motivation in my mind. I simply knew within me that what I was doing at the time was exactly what I was supposed to be doing.
Track started up a few weeks later, and, as usual, I was grouped with the throwers (because I was overweight, not because I was strong or anything like that. Apparently there’s a conception that fat mass transforms directly to muscle mass if you put a discus or shotput in someone’s hand). But I nervously went up to Coach Castleman a few days into that first week, and asked if I could run a workout with the long distance runners, and maybe start running in some distance events at the meets.
Now, no logical person would look at me and associate the word ‘running’, unless it involved the phrase “‘running’ through an entire sleeve of Oreos in one sitting”. His response was entirely unexpected, and completely unforgettable.
“Yea, of course.”
And so it was. I ran a few miles each day in track practice. But I understood that to achieve what I wanted to, a couple hours of practice would not be enough. So I stopped drinking pop (or soda, or Coke, or whatever you want to call it IT ALL MEANS THE SAME THING), stopped eating sweets, and switched out my usual fried foods in the cafeteria for chicken wraps (shout out to Miss Karen, those chicken wraps were dope).
And I ran. A lot. I’d come home from practice after running a long distance workout, then head out into Lexington’s country roads and pound away at the pavement for a few more miles. And then some more after dinner if I felt like it (which, if you haven’t realized by now that I kind of had a concrete resolve to change myself, I usually did feel like it).
I did this day after day through the spring of 2010, no take-it-easy days, no cheat meals or anything like that. That would have defeated the purpose of what I was trying to prove to myself that I could do.
11 weeks later, I had lost 45 pounds.
Yes, that may seem like an exaggerated figure. Nope. I promise. 11 weeks. 45 pounds. I realized that weight loss at that rate might be mildly excessive (in retrospect: duh), so I toned it down a bit and lost 10 more pounds over the next 4 weeks. Now I was a skinny punk of a 15 year-old, but that’s a different story.
I don’t have any secrets or huge confessions to offer you. It was a simple process. But I learned a lot from it, and I’d like to share these following thoughts with you. Although it’s framed in the context of weight loss, you could probably find a way to apply it to whatever decisions you may be facing now or in the future, so I hope this helps:
Do It. Now.
This hadn’t been the first time I had considered losing weight. I had made the plan a few times, but it always ended up the same way: I decided that it wasn’t the “right time”, that I should start next week, next month, or make a New Year’s resolution- and it remained an idea. But for anyone with an idea, waiting to put it into action is a death sentence. You’ll always find a way to justify procrastination.
It’s human nature. But I don’t know of anyone who is well-remembered for what they could have accomplished. So do it. Now.
Your Timing is Wrong. God’s Timing is Right.
This may seem contradictory to what I just posted above, but hear me out. After discovering I lost all this weight freshman year in high school, people often joke, “Dang, if you could’ve gone back and lost all that weight earlier, imagine what might have happened!” And yes, a lot might have happened. Maybe I would’ve invested myself completely in football instead of school. Maybe my dream job would be on a basketball court and not on stage with a band. But that didn’t happen. And that’s okay. I firmly believe that I was supposed to find all of these other things that I loved and develop who I was before I succeeded in losing weight, so that losing weight wouldn’t change what I loved or who I was. Know that where you are right this second in your life is exactly where you’re supposed to be.
The World Can Actually Be Pretty Dumb.
I had mentioned losing weight a number of times to friends and family, which was always met with the same panicked responses:
“Ben! Don’t say that! You’re not fat!”
“You don’t need to lose any weight!”
“You’re perfect the way you are! You don’t need to change!”
As well-meaning as these comments were, they were completely wrong and counterproductive. I wasn’t healthy. I was overweight. And I needed to change. This was primarily the reason I decided not to tell anyone that I had decided to lose weight- I would have been bombarded with these responses, and even worse, I probably would have believed them. My own friends/ family would have stopped me from doing something great for myself, and they would’ve been thinking that they were HELPING me!
But I absolutely do not blame them, I’ve been on both sides of this. Our culture is strangled by the misconception that it would be better to not hurt someone’s feelings when they’re trying to be honest with themselves rather than to encourage them to make a positive change.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with who you are, but there’s also nothing wrong with wanting to change who you are. Don’t let the world tell you differently- because sometimes, it can actually be pretty dumb.
The World Can Actually Be Pretty Awesome.
I absolutely don’t want to imply that I accomplished this all on my own. I was blessed with so many amazing people, opportunities, and circumstances that made this possible. For starters- Coach Castleman. What if he had given me a completely justified, logical “No” when I asked to run on that one specific day of practice? What if my sister wasn’t already an established runner on our high school team, and hadn’t provided that extra push of sibling rivalry when her overweight brother was (inexplicably) placed in the same workouts as her? Of the countless external factors that could have resulted in my failure, God lined everything up perfectly. The opportunities you need to succeed are out there. You just need to recognize them, and embrace them.
You Must Be Willing to Starve.
No, not literally. SERIOUSLY, not literally. One of the reasons I have no problem talking about losing weight or making jokes about “Fat Ben” is that what I did, I did honestly. I never found myself crouching over porcelain after a meal, or ignoring a growling stomach.
What I mean by “starving” is that if you plan something big, you will have to make sacrifices and embrace challenges in order to accomplish it. For me, those sacrifices were boxes of Wild Berry Pop Tarts, time spent playing Playstation in order to run, and large supreme pizzas from Fireside (RIP Fireside Pizza, you were mediocre but you were all we had in Lexington).
But if you’re doing what you’re doing for the right reasons, then the sacrifices you make will be worth it in the end. I promise.
You’ll Always Be Fat Ben.
Sometimes I like to joke with my friends that have known me since kindergarten that there are two types of friends that I have- those who knew Fat Ben, and those who have only known Skinny Ben. The latter are those who usually don’t believe that I’m the one in the picture above, and I honestly find that pretty entertaining. I have no problem acknowledging how I used to look or joking about it. I wouldn’t change anything about who I was or the journey from Skinny Ben to Fat Ben, because at the end of the day, I’m talking about the same kid. Fat Ben and Skinny Ben still will try to recognize that someone is better than them at something, from sports to school to whatever. Fat Ben and Skinny Ben still will talk to anyone and try to make whoever they’re talking to feel as comfortable as possible with them. Fat Ben and Skinny Ben still will have an unnatural obsession with cheesecake. It’s okay to have a past. We have to be willing to learn from it and accept it as a foundation of who we are today. You don’t have to change who you are to change who you are. (Think about it)
So, if you’ve made it all the way through this (congrats dude), thank you for letting me share my story, and I hope that it will have some sort of meaning to you.
Four years ago this weekend, I decided to not look like this anymore:
I’m not writing this to inspire anyone to start working out, but if it does, great.
I’m not writing this to condemn or shame anyone that is overweight, and if it does, please know that this is not my intention.
I’m not writing this as a start to an online blog or anything like that, this is a one-time thing. Also, if you actually want to read something with genuine tact and literary candor you should head over to ericaboden.wordpress.com (seriously, check it out).
I’m writing this to share with those of you that didn’t know me four years ago the story of a decision I made, and a few things I learned in that process that I hope may help you when you’re considering undertaking anything (not just weight loss or the goal of some physical change). I’ve never really shared it outright in a manner like this out of a fear of coming off as some sort of narcissist, but I feel that now is as good of a time as any for two reasons:
1- Now that I’ve been living and making friends in Tuscaloosa, the majority of people that I interact with don’t really know the details of this, with a few exceptions. In fact, when I show people the picture of me above, some genuinely don’t believe it’s me. I feel like if someone knew this story, a lot of other things about me would make sense to them.
2- It’s been exactly four years so that’s a solid excuse. And hey, if you don’t like this post for any of the writing, at least you’re getting a pretty funny picture out of it.
Anyway, back to the story. Four years ago this weekend, I decided not to be fat anymore. And I don’t use “fat” loosely – I was an average-heighted, fourteen year-old high school freshman, and I was 210 pounds. My waist size was something like 38 inches. No body image distortion here, overweight is overweight.
The exact day (yea, I remember it) was Saturday, February 20th, 2010. There was no family intervention about eating literally all of the Thin Mints in our house, no great epiphany, no specific insult from someone that inspired me to change my ways out of spite. I just woke up that morning, and realized I didn’t have to be overweight. So I made the decision to stop. There honestly was no one stopping me from losing weight but myself, and whenever I envisioned myself in college, as an adult, etc., I didn’t see myself as overweight. And I realized that if I didn’t make a change now, when would I? Why not today?
So I went on a run.
Well, more like a jog.
Okay, if you had seen it at the time I
don’t know what you would have described it as, but it was definitely
physical movement more strenuous than walking.
The point is, I started that day. And I ran again the next day. And every day after that. I didn’t tell any of my friends or family- there was no reason to. I didn’t have a specific piece of motivation in my mind. I simply knew within me that what I was doing at the time was exactly what I was supposed to be doing.
Track started up a few weeks later, and, as usual, I was grouped with the throwers (because I was overweight, not because I was strong or anything like that. Apparently there’s a conception that fat mass transforms directly to muscle mass if you put a discus or shotput in someone’s hand). But I nervously went up to Coach Castleman a few days into that first week, and asked if I could run a workout with the long distance runners, and maybe start running in some distance events at the meets.
Now, no logical person would look at me and associate the word ‘running’, unless it involved the phrase “‘running’ through an entire sleeve of Oreos in one sitting”. His response was entirely unexpected, and completely unforgettable.
“Yea, of course.”
And so it was. I ran a few miles each day in track practice. But I understood that to achieve what I wanted to, a couple hours of practice would not be enough. So I stopped drinking pop (or soda, or Coke, or whatever you want to call it IT ALL MEANS THE SAME THING), stopped eating sweets, and switched out my usual fried foods in the cafeteria for chicken wraps (shout out to Miss Karen, those chicken wraps were dope).
And I ran. A lot. I’d come home from practice after running a long distance workout, then head out into Lexington’s country roads and pound away at the pavement for a few more miles. And then some more after dinner if I felt like it (which, if you haven’t realized by now that I kind of had a concrete resolve to change myself, I usually did feel like it).
I did this day after day through the spring of 2010, no take-it-easy days, no cheat meals or anything like that. That would have defeated the purpose of what I was trying to prove to myself that I could do.
11 weeks later, I had lost 45 pounds.
Yes, that may seem like an exaggerated figure. Nope. I promise. 11 weeks. 45 pounds. I realized that weight loss at that rate might be mildly excessive (in retrospect: duh), so I toned it down a bit and lost 10 more pounds over the next 4 weeks. Now I was a skinny punk of a 15 year-old, but that’s a different story.
I don’t have any secrets or huge confessions to offer you. It was a simple process. But I learned a lot from it, and I’d like to share these following thoughts with you. Although it’s framed in the context of weight loss, you could probably find a way to apply it to whatever decisions you may be facing now or in the future, so I hope this helps:
Do It. Now.
This hadn’t been the first time I had considered losing weight. I had made the plan a few times, but it always ended up the same way: I decided that it wasn’t the “right time”, that I should start next week, next month, or make a New Year’s resolution- and it remained an idea. But for anyone with an idea, waiting to put it into action is a death sentence. You’ll always find a way to justify procrastination.
It’s human nature. But I don’t know of anyone who is well-remembered for what they could have accomplished. So do it. Now.
Your Timing is Wrong. God’s Timing is Right.
This may seem contradictory to what I just posted above, but hear me out. After discovering I lost all this weight freshman year in high school, people often joke, “Dang, if you could’ve gone back and lost all that weight earlier, imagine what might have happened!” And yes, a lot might have happened. Maybe I would’ve invested myself completely in football instead of school. Maybe my dream job would be on a basketball court and not on stage with a band. But that didn’t happen. And that’s okay. I firmly believe that I was supposed to find all of these other things that I loved and develop who I was before I succeeded in losing weight, so that losing weight wouldn’t change what I loved or who I was. Know that where you are right this second in your life is exactly where you’re supposed to be.
The World Can Actually Be Pretty Dumb.
I had mentioned losing weight a number of times to friends and family, which was always met with the same panicked responses:
“Ben! Don’t say that! You’re not fat!”
“You don’t need to lose any weight!”
“You’re perfect the way you are! You don’t need to change!”
As well-meaning as these comments were, they were completely wrong and counterproductive. I wasn’t healthy. I was overweight. And I needed to change. This was primarily the reason I decided not to tell anyone that I had decided to lose weight- I would have been bombarded with these responses, and even worse, I probably would have believed them. My own friends/ family would have stopped me from doing something great for myself, and they would’ve been thinking that they were HELPING me!
But I absolutely do not blame them, I’ve been on both sides of this. Our culture is strangled by the misconception that it would be better to not hurt someone’s feelings when they’re trying to be honest with themselves rather than to encourage them to make a positive change.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with who you are, but there’s also nothing wrong with wanting to change who you are. Don’t let the world tell you differently- because sometimes, it can actually be pretty dumb.
The World Can Actually Be Pretty Awesome.
I absolutely don’t want to imply that I accomplished this all on my own. I was blessed with so many amazing people, opportunities, and circumstances that made this possible. For starters- Coach Castleman. What if he had given me a completely justified, logical “No” when I asked to run on that one specific day of practice? What if my sister wasn’t already an established runner on our high school team, and hadn’t provided that extra push of sibling rivalry when her overweight brother was (inexplicably) placed in the same workouts as her? Of the countless external factors that could have resulted in my failure, God lined everything up perfectly. The opportunities you need to succeed are out there. You just need to recognize them, and embrace them.
You Must Be Willing to Starve.
No, not literally. SERIOUSLY, not literally. One of the reasons I have no problem talking about losing weight or making jokes about “Fat Ben” is that what I did, I did honestly. I never found myself crouching over porcelain after a meal, or ignoring a growling stomach.
What I mean by “starving” is that if you plan something big, you will have to make sacrifices and embrace challenges in order to accomplish it. For me, those sacrifices were boxes of Wild Berry Pop Tarts, time spent playing Playstation in order to run, and large supreme pizzas from Fireside (RIP Fireside Pizza, you were mediocre but you were all we had in Lexington).
But if you’re doing what you’re doing for the right reasons, then the sacrifices you make will be worth it in the end. I promise.
You’ll Always Be Fat Ben.
Sometimes I like to joke with my friends that have known me since kindergarten that there are two types of friends that I have- those who knew Fat Ben, and those who have only known Skinny Ben. The latter are those who usually don’t believe that I’m the one in the picture above, and I honestly find that pretty entertaining. I have no problem acknowledging how I used to look or joking about it. I wouldn’t change anything about who I was or the journey from Skinny Ben to Fat Ben, because at the end of the day, I’m talking about the same kid. Fat Ben and Skinny Ben still will try to recognize that someone is better than them at something, from sports to school to whatever. Fat Ben and Skinny Ben still will talk to anyone and try to make whoever they’re talking to feel as comfortable as possible with them. Fat Ben and Skinny Ben still will have an unnatural obsession with cheesecake. It’s okay to have a past. We have to be willing to learn from it and accept it as a foundation of who we are today. You don’t have to change who you are to change who you are. (Think about it)
So, if you’ve made it all the way through this (congrats dude), thank you for letting me share my story, and I hope that it will have some sort of meaning to you.
Sunday, February 23, 2014
23 And Counting: The Week In Thanks
It's only ten days until the state basketball tournament, the first round of which we'll host. Coming off a win, three winnable games next week. A 17-8 record is a good one, and if we dive for loose balls and out-tough other teams we'll have a few more victories to celebrate before the year is over.
I had a chance to promote the Leadership McLean County program. Waking up at 5:00am isn't part of my circadian rhythms, as they say, but it was fun to do a presentation for the first time in a while, and to team up for the first time with the energetic Amy O'Neal the alumni association chair.
I have 3 new students this week, raising the total to 23. Combined with Heartland we're up to 35 scheduled hours of tutoring per week. Once basketball season ends we should be breaking records. I also experimented with my first Skype-based tutoring, which could be an amazing opportunity if I can figure out how to master the technology.
Dena just redecorated our bedroom impressively. Hard to explain, but she hung several pictures with equal spacing. Combined with scented candles, fresh coffee, and repainted walls, she always manages to keep our home looking and feeling good. Meanwhile we had a neighbor who had a disastrous experience with leaking water that transformed it into an ice castle. We're lucky to have a sturdy, warm, well-cared-for home to relax in.
Random thanks for the stoplight at the corner of Grandview and College avenues. It's incredibly friendly to people approaching from Grandview, giving me speedy access to the library and Epiphany.
Also grateful for the calming effect that tossing a Snuggie on top of a cat has. Wildness turns to stillness in a matter of minutes.
Dena sent me a few jokes that got reposted this week. Sense of humor is so vital in a marriage! Tuesday is the 19th anniversary of our introduction.
A student asked me to help him with differential equations this week. I'd never taken the class, but by the time we were done he made a comment that when he saw me in the lab he knew he was going to be all right. Growing reputations are so affirming.
I've been impressed with the buzz surrounding Pope Francis. I'm glad that the Catholic Church is putting its eye on the times.
Finally, although I was sad to step away from the 9 to 5 musical, it's turned out to be a dramatically energy-saving move. My ability to help students has soared. I'm able to keep up with blogging and the finer little things in life. God nudged me in the right direction on that one!
Less than one month until spring, y'all!!
I had a chance to promote the Leadership McLean County program. Waking up at 5:00am isn't part of my circadian rhythms, as they say, but it was fun to do a presentation for the first time in a while, and to team up for the first time with the energetic Amy O'Neal the alumni association chair.
I have 3 new students this week, raising the total to 23. Combined with Heartland we're up to 35 scheduled hours of tutoring per week. Once basketball season ends we should be breaking records. I also experimented with my first Skype-based tutoring, which could be an amazing opportunity if I can figure out how to master the technology.
Dena just redecorated our bedroom impressively. Hard to explain, but she hung several pictures with equal spacing. Combined with scented candles, fresh coffee, and repainted walls, she always manages to keep our home looking and feeling good. Meanwhile we had a neighbor who had a disastrous experience with leaking water that transformed it into an ice castle. We're lucky to have a sturdy, warm, well-cared-for home to relax in.
Random thanks for the stoplight at the corner of Grandview and College avenues. It's incredibly friendly to people approaching from Grandview, giving me speedy access to the library and Epiphany.
Also grateful for the calming effect that tossing a Snuggie on top of a cat has. Wildness turns to stillness in a matter of minutes.
Dena sent me a few jokes that got reposted this week. Sense of humor is so vital in a marriage! Tuesday is the 19th anniversary of our introduction.
A student asked me to help him with differential equations this week. I'd never taken the class, but by the time we were done he made a comment that when he saw me in the lab he knew he was going to be all right. Growing reputations are so affirming.
I've been impressed with the buzz surrounding Pope Francis. I'm glad that the Catholic Church is putting its eye on the times.
Finally, although I was sad to step away from the 9 to 5 musical, it's turned out to be a dramatically energy-saving move. My ability to help students has soared. I'm able to keep up with blogging and the finer little things in life. God nudged me in the right direction on that one!
Less than one month until spring, y'all!!
Compassionate Thought
"One thing I've either read or heard over the years is that we need to treat people as if they're hurting. You never know what others are going through."
Love In Action
"Love is the deep sense of commitment that each player has for every other player; the feeling of commitment that each player has for every coach - and vice versa; and the feeling of commitment that each coach has for every other coach." - Jim Tressel
Interesting to view love as a synonym of commitment. Not necessarily connected with romance or sentimentality, from that point of view. When someone completely commits to you, supports you through all times, that's love.
Interesting to view love as a synonym of commitment. Not necessarily connected with romance or sentimentality, from that point of view. When someone completely commits to you, supports you through all times, that's love.
Debbie Melzer (Reese) Returns To Calvary United Methodist Church
Debbie Melzer, now Debbie Reese, will return to Calvary United Methodist Church as co-pastor alongside her husband Randy starting July 1.
"It's a happy move for those of us who were around during her last tour," said Joe McDonald, who married Dena at CUMC in 1998. "She was an energetic, upbeat and fun person who nearly officiated our wedding. To our friends who joined Calvary after her last move: You're in for a treat!"
The McDonald's, who Debbie provided with pre-marriage counseling, celebrate their 16th wedding anniversary on March 21st.
"It's a happy move for those of us who were around during her last tour," said Joe McDonald, who married Dena at CUMC in 1998. "She was an energetic, upbeat and fun person who nearly officiated our wedding. To our friends who joined Calvary after her last move: You're in for a treat!"
The McDonald's, who Debbie provided with pre-marriage counseling, celebrate their 16th wedding anniversary on March 21st.
Toughness Quote
"It's a much better basketball team now than it was at that time,"
Coach Ray Giacoletti said about nationally unbeaten Wichita State. "I've been doing this 29 years and have been around a
lot of great teams that try to outscore you and out-talent you. This
team tries to out-tough you in every single facet and really doesn't
care about the other stuff."
Saturday, February 22, 2014
The Greater Good
"Concern for man and his fate must form the chief interest of all technical endeavors... Never forget that in the midst of your diagrams and equations." - Albert Einstein
This week I visited with a friend about the possibility of volunteering administratively for the United Way, starting later this spring. I've been looking for ways to get my hands back more directly into the community, and there are some needs related to finance that may fit my skills. Exciting times!
This week I visited with a friend about the possibility of volunteering administratively for the United Way, starting later this spring. I've been looking for ways to get my hands back more directly into the community, and there are some needs related to finance that may fit my skills. Exciting times!
Easier Purse Strings Of Kindness
"Be kind to one another, because most of us are fighting a hard battle." - Ian MacLaren
I spent some time observing how an acquaintance of mine seemed to be constantly defensive, sensitive and negative. Later I learned that she had a history of spousal abuse at home.
Today, give someone the benefit of the doubt. Tomorrow, do the same.
I spent some time observing how an acquaintance of mine seemed to be constantly defensive, sensitive and negative. Later I learned that she had a history of spousal abuse at home.
Today, give someone the benefit of the doubt. Tomorrow, do the same.
Opportunity In Disguise
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it's dressed in overalls and looks like work." - Thomas Edison
I had my first video-conference attempted tutoring session this week. Not easy to do, but intriguing with possibilities of helping people anywhere in America!
I had my first video-conference attempted tutoring session this week. Not easy to do, but intriguing with possibilities of helping people anywhere in America!
Thursday, February 20, 2014
And Also, Could You Get Me A Glass Of Water?
Two fish are in a tank. One says to the other, “You know how to drive this thing?”
The Comment Really Bugged Him
A
grasshopper walks into a bar. The bartender says to him, "Hey, we have a
drink named after you." The grasshopper replies, "You have a drink
named Murray?"
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Mike Sweeney Provides Leadership In New Role
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Mike Sweeney, the Royals' new special assistant to
baseball operations, swept through the clubhouse on Monday with a
flurry of smiles, greetings and hugs.
The former Royals captain, first baseman, designated hitter and catcher, quickly settled onto a chair next to the current DH, Billy Butler.
"I was just catching up with an old friend and encouraging him to be the best he can be, both on and off the field. And that's part of my job here," Sweeney said.
He encouraged Butler to join teammates like Alex Gordon and James Shields in taking a more visible leadership role with the Royals.
"Challenged him to be a fountain, breathe life into these guys. I was sharing with Billy: In the big leagues, you look at guys and they're either a fountain or a drain, they're either sucking the life out or pouring life in," Sweeney said. "I was just challenging Billy: 'You're one of the best hitters on the planet, so be a fountain from Day 1.'"
Butler is one of only three players remaining from Sweeney's Royals days, which ended in 2007. The others are Gordon and Luke Hochevar.
"It's good to see him," said manager Ned Yost, "because he is very energetic, he is very positive and our guys in our locker room, the vast majority, are real positive and energetic, too. So he fits in real nice."
Sweeney will spend a week in camp, then return twice during March before the Royals head into the season.
"He'll give little tidbits of information to players that help them," Yost said. "Every player every day should be looking for something minute, something very small that's going to improve his game.
Because nobody at this level is going to find something great that's going to turn their game around -- it just doesn't happen. You start adding up the minute areas, try a little something here, a little something there, and all of a sudden, they start to become better players. That's what he and Jason Kendall and George Brett bring to the table."
Kendall, a former catcher, is in camp now in his continuing role as a part-time instructor. Hall of Famer Brett usually arrives when the infielders and outfielders report.
Sweeney, obviously, was delighted to be back.
"It feels like the first day of school," Sweeney said. "I was walking around, where am I supposed to go, who are the new teachers, who are the new students? And I'm one of them. But it's all about these players, this team has nothing to do with an old, broken-down guy like me. It has everything to do with them."
Sweeney once presided over the clubhouse as the team captain.
"Now I'm just a deck hand," he said with a smile.
The former Royals captain, first baseman, designated hitter and catcher, quickly settled onto a chair next to the current DH, Billy Butler.
"I was just catching up with an old friend and encouraging him to be the best he can be, both on and off the field. And that's part of my job here," Sweeney said.
He encouraged Butler to join teammates like Alex Gordon and James Shields in taking a more visible leadership role with the Royals.
"Challenged him to be a fountain, breathe life into these guys. I was sharing with Billy: In the big leagues, you look at guys and they're either a fountain or a drain, they're either sucking the life out or pouring life in," Sweeney said. "I was just challenging Billy: 'You're one of the best hitters on the planet, so be a fountain from Day 1.'"
Butler is one of only three players remaining from Sweeney's Royals days, which ended in 2007. The others are Gordon and Luke Hochevar.
"It's good to see him," said manager Ned Yost, "because he is very energetic, he is very positive and our guys in our locker room, the vast majority, are real positive and energetic, too. So he fits in real nice."
Sweeney will spend a week in camp, then return twice during March before the Royals head into the season.
"He'll give little tidbits of information to players that help them," Yost said. "Every player every day should be looking for something minute, something very small that's going to improve his game.
Because nobody at this level is going to find something great that's going to turn their game around -- it just doesn't happen. You start adding up the minute areas, try a little something here, a little something there, and all of a sudden, they start to become better players. That's what he and Jason Kendall and George Brett bring to the table."
Kendall, a former catcher, is in camp now in his continuing role as a part-time instructor. Hall of Famer Brett usually arrives when the infielders and outfielders report.
Sweeney, obviously, was delighted to be back.
"It feels like the first day of school," Sweeney said. "I was walking around, where am I supposed to go, who are the new teachers, who are the new students? And I'm one of them. But it's all about these players, this team has nothing to do with an old, broken-down guy like me. It has everything to do with them."
Sweeney once presided over the clubhouse as the team captain.
"Now I'm just a deck hand," he said with a smile.
Monday, February 17, 2014
A Rush Order Of Happiness
"Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present." - Alan Stein
We had a tough loss today on the basketball court. The sun will rise tomorrow, we will figure things out. Meanwhile, it's a good night to curl up in bed and watch detective shows with Dena for a long winter's nap.
We had a tough loss today on the basketball court. The sun will rise tomorrow, we will figure things out. Meanwhile, it's a good night to curl up in bed and watch detective shows with Dena for a long winter's nap.
Putting The Pieces Together
"Vision without action is daydream. Action without vision is nightmare." - Alan Stein
I got a text from a parent interested in tutoring by video conference. This can be an exciting possibility, opening up doors for national or even international tutoring if I can figure it out!
I got a text from a parent interested in tutoring by video conference. This can be an exciting possibility, opening up doors for national or even international tutoring if I can figure it out!
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Crying Icicles: The Week In Thanks
In the midst of this recently long and cold winter, the sight of icicles melting off toward extinction warms the hearts of we inside.
Adding to the good news is that physically, some ailments are showing gradual signs of improvement. My elbow has felt just a bit stronger, my eyes are finally seeing clearly thanks to my new optometrist McLean County Eye Center.
Despite all of the snowy roads, the Honda's been embracing them without complaint, steering me home fairly easily. The engine's standing up to the frigid temps, the heat keeping things de-iced.
I was fortunate to be in a Leadership McLean County steering committee meeting this week that was crackling with energy. My role as an informal advisor suited me incredibly well, and as a sort of utilityman I'll be co-delivering a promotional speech this week.
We're halfway into February and by the grace of God Dena and I have still avoided cold and flu season, a welcome relief as I manage the other health issues.
Today Shelby and I subbed in for Sean and Jennifer as the lead singers of the Epiphany Church LifeTeen band, and things went smoothly and fun. I'm realizing how much I enjoy the backup-lead role. About once every quarter I get a dream chance to pretend I'm leading a band, and the rest of the time I get to provide support and harmony in many ways. All the while composing thoughts for these weekly thankfulness posts.
Dena was approached by a friend about a job opening for a marketing/graphic design employee at the Bloomington Public Library. I happened to meet the lady who would be her boss, who was impressive and community-oriented. I think they'd make a great fit if the job matches up. She'll be applying this week.
I was approached by a student desperately cramming for her 5-week online accounting class final exam, who employed me for six hours this week. She enjoyed my tutoring so much that she recommended me to the teacher. As I learn how short-supplied accounting tutors are at Heartland, this becomes an exciting possible business opportunity.
It's always nice to get some historical perspective on gratitude. Last night we watched a documentary on the final 10 days of World War II, including the heroism that many displayed to end the Nazi regime. All Americans can appreciate what they have today, as a result of those brave citizens seventy years ago.
Cupcake continues to show signs of maturity. For the first time in about three weeks my hands are nearly scratch-free, in part due to my caution but also due to her apparent sensitivity to keep her claws retracted.
As I nodded off last night I noted how surprisingly productive I'd been. It was a Saturday featuring 5 hours of tutoring. I got a load of laundry and a load of dishes done. Filed a bunch of paperwork and tallied the condo association's fees. Got all my exercise and stretching done. Took a two-hour nap (which fueled my nighttime energy burst that carried me home). Caught up on a bunch of blogging, and started the "brick scraping" project in the basement. Watched a couple of documentaries. When God provides a burst of energy, it's a rush of adrenaline!
Less than three weeks until the basketball state tournament begins, the culmination of months of preparation and a sign that spring is just around the bend. The icicles yield to rain, grass and breeze. The next cycle of hope begins!
Adding to the good news is that physically, some ailments are showing gradual signs of improvement. My elbow has felt just a bit stronger, my eyes are finally seeing clearly thanks to my new optometrist McLean County Eye Center.
Despite all of the snowy roads, the Honda's been embracing them without complaint, steering me home fairly easily. The engine's standing up to the frigid temps, the heat keeping things de-iced.
I was fortunate to be in a Leadership McLean County steering committee meeting this week that was crackling with energy. My role as an informal advisor suited me incredibly well, and as a sort of utilityman I'll be co-delivering a promotional speech this week.
We're halfway into February and by the grace of God Dena and I have still avoided cold and flu season, a welcome relief as I manage the other health issues.
Today Shelby and I subbed in for Sean and Jennifer as the lead singers of the Epiphany Church LifeTeen band, and things went smoothly and fun. I'm realizing how much I enjoy the backup-lead role. About once every quarter I get a dream chance to pretend I'm leading a band, and the rest of the time I get to provide support and harmony in many ways. All the while composing thoughts for these weekly thankfulness posts.
Dena was approached by a friend about a job opening for a marketing/graphic design employee at the Bloomington Public Library. I happened to meet the lady who would be her boss, who was impressive and community-oriented. I think they'd make a great fit if the job matches up. She'll be applying this week.
I was approached by a student desperately cramming for her 5-week online accounting class final exam, who employed me for six hours this week. She enjoyed my tutoring so much that she recommended me to the teacher. As I learn how short-supplied accounting tutors are at Heartland, this becomes an exciting possible business opportunity.
It's always nice to get some historical perspective on gratitude. Last night we watched a documentary on the final 10 days of World War II, including the heroism that many displayed to end the Nazi regime. All Americans can appreciate what they have today, as a result of those brave citizens seventy years ago.
Cupcake continues to show signs of maturity. For the first time in about three weeks my hands are nearly scratch-free, in part due to my caution but also due to her apparent sensitivity to keep her claws retracted.
As I nodded off last night I noted how surprisingly productive I'd been. It was a Saturday featuring 5 hours of tutoring. I got a load of laundry and a load of dishes done. Filed a bunch of paperwork and tallied the condo association's fees. Got all my exercise and stretching done. Took a two-hour nap (which fueled my nighttime energy burst that carried me home). Caught up on a bunch of blogging, and started the "brick scraping" project in the basement. Watched a couple of documentaries. When God provides a burst of energy, it's a rush of adrenaline!
Less than three weeks until the basketball state tournament begins, the culmination of months of preparation and a sign that spring is just around the bend. The icicles yield to rain, grass and breeze. The next cycle of hope begins!
Success Formula
"Success is the intersection where dreams and hard work meet."
Summer is a teacher's dream. My ability to enjoy a three-month vacation grows with each student I help during the school year. The little things that require hard work, like thank-you notes and complimentary sweatshirts for long-term students, are an exciting pursuit.
Summer is a teacher's dream. My ability to enjoy a three-month vacation grows with each student I help during the school year. The little things that require hard work, like thank-you notes and complimentary sweatshirts for long-term students, are an exciting pursuit.
Planning To Be Blindsided
"Everyone has a plan until they are hit." - boxer Evander Holyfield
I love a good plan. Once I reached college I developed a taste for organization that helped me be a better student than I'd ever been, and that success has driven my nature in that direction ever since.
Trial and error have also taught me that perhaps at least as important as a plan, is a backup plan!
Case in point: I recently volunteered for a position of leadership in the community. I volunteered for it with an explanation that a certain vision of what the position could accomplish is what interested me. One of the representatives of the organization bought completely into it, so I set about diving eagerly into the details, bringing some life to the idea.
However, I had been careful to express my interest for the position with the caveat about the vision. In my mind, even as I worked hard on the concept and began sharing it with others for opinion, I was prepared for what eventually and disappointingly did become reality - the director of the organization spurned the idea. Due to the readiness for that response, cultivated by experience in volunteering with dozens of other organizations, it was an easy and relatively emotionless choice to withdraw my interest and move on to find a better fit for my volunteer hours.
I didn't feel that I'd wasted that time building the vision. During the work I'd actually developed a new skill - creating fill-in forms on Microsoft Word.
In some ways, planning ahead helps to live in the moment!
I love a good plan. Once I reached college I developed a taste for organization that helped me be a better student than I'd ever been, and that success has driven my nature in that direction ever since.
Trial and error have also taught me that perhaps at least as important as a plan, is a backup plan!
Case in point: I recently volunteered for a position of leadership in the community. I volunteered for it with an explanation that a certain vision of what the position could accomplish is what interested me. One of the representatives of the organization bought completely into it, so I set about diving eagerly into the details, bringing some life to the idea.
However, I had been careful to express my interest for the position with the caveat about the vision. In my mind, even as I worked hard on the concept and began sharing it with others for opinion, I was prepared for what eventually and disappointingly did become reality - the director of the organization spurned the idea. Due to the readiness for that response, cultivated by experience in volunteering with dozens of other organizations, it was an easy and relatively emotionless choice to withdraw my interest and move on to find a better fit for my volunteer hours.
I didn't feel that I'd wasted that time building the vision. During the work I'd actually developed a new skill - creating fill-in forms on Microsoft Word.
In some ways, planning ahead helps to live in the moment!
Thank Goodness He Didn't Give Up
Whenever the going gets tough, encourage yourself with the following example of persistence:
- He failed in business in '32.
- He ran for the state legislature in '32 and lost.
- He tried business again in '33 and failed.
- His sweetheart died in '35.
- He had a nervous breakdown in '36.
- He ran for state elector in '40, after he regained his health.
- He was defeated for Congress in '43, again in '48, again when he ran for Senate in '55, and for vice president of the United States in '56.
- He ran for the Senate again in '58 and lost.
Even after all his failures, this man refused to quit. He kept trying, until in 1860 he was elected president of the United States. By now you know that this man was Abraham Lincoln.
- He failed in business in '32.
- He ran for the state legislature in '32 and lost.
- He tried business again in '33 and failed.
- His sweetheart died in '35.
- He had a nervous breakdown in '36.
- He ran for state elector in '40, after he regained his health.
- He was defeated for Congress in '43, again in '48, again when he ran for Senate in '55, and for vice president of the United States in '56.
- He ran for the Senate again in '58 and lost.
Even after all his failures, this man refused to quit. He kept trying, until in 1860 he was elected president of the United States. By now you know that this man was Abraham Lincoln.
Saturday, February 15, 2014
A Great Journey Begins With A Single Scrape
"The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing." - Walt Disney
On my 2014 resolutions list is to scrape bubbling paint off of a basement wall that's been accumulating for many years. The way I figure it, one brick a day will have that wall clean by the time we reach summer.
Today I scraped my first brick!
On my 2014 resolutions list is to scrape bubbling paint off of a basement wall that's been accumulating for many years. The way I figure it, one brick a day will have that wall clean by the time we reach summer.
Today I scraped my first brick!
Failure Is Just An Event
"Whatever you do, do it passionately. Failure is an event, not a person. Every obstacle presents an opportunity... if you're looking for it. Relax! You only fail when you quit."
I work with a student who has ADHD. For the first month we worked together I learned a lot about how it feels to come away from a session with ill progress. To watch a student make the same mistake multiple times, at a speed that seemed almost incorrectible. But in time, as we've spent more time together, I've learned how to stop and restart her as she works so that we can correct, and then repeat again and again until she gets it right. I am blessed in this case with someone who, when she hurries, appears to be doing so out of a desire to please instead of indifference toward success. She's been more than willing to endure the repetition that it takes to get it right. So it's not only a lesson for me in the value of treating each failure to teach as a chance to improve as a teacher, but a chance to observe and admire the work ethic of someone who persists with material that is immensely difficult for her.
I work with a student who has ADHD. For the first month we worked together I learned a lot about how it feels to come away from a session with ill progress. To watch a student make the same mistake multiple times, at a speed that seemed almost incorrectible. But in time, as we've spent more time together, I've learned how to stop and restart her as she works so that we can correct, and then repeat again and again until she gets it right. I am blessed in this case with someone who, when she hurries, appears to be doing so out of a desire to please instead of indifference toward success. She's been more than willing to endure the repetition that it takes to get it right. So it's not only a lesson for me in the value of treating each failure to teach as a chance to improve as a teacher, but a chance to observe and admire the work ethic of someone who persists with material that is immensely difficult for her.
Heading Toward The Station
"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." - Will Rogers
Sometimes we don't know where we want to go. Sometimes we do. And sometimes, we act on it.
I had a great experience with Leadership McLean County this year. Now it's time for a new adventure. I'm not sure quite where I'll be serving the community, but now that the field's open, it's time to take a run. To make new acquaintances, to build memories. To reinvigorate!
Sometimes we don't know where we want to go. Sometimes we do. And sometimes, we act on it.
I had a great experience with Leadership McLean County this year. Now it's time for a new adventure. I'm not sure quite where I'll be serving the community, but now that the field's open, it's time to take a run. To make new acquaintances, to build memories. To reinvigorate!
Being Like Him
"My hope is that when people observe me - whether it's on the job, in the neighborhood, at church, or at the store - they'll see something they'd like to know more about." - Jim Tressel
It's a motivating way to roll... as a walking example for how a man might live. Like many, I've enjoyed opportunities to share any lessons I've learned from my many mistakes. Ideally, those conversations begin with action rather than words.
It's a motivating way to roll... as a walking example for how a man might live. Like many, I've enjoyed opportunities to share any lessons I've learned from my many mistakes. Ideally, those conversations begin with action rather than words.
Friday, February 14, 2014
Don't Be Boring: Your Presentation's Secret Ingredient
Written by Nancy Duarte:
Do you get the feeling that people aren’t connecting with your message on a personal level? Maybe you put a lot of time and hard work into your presentations, only to receive blank stares from a tuned-out audience.
Here’s my secret: The easiest way to get your audience to care is to add elements of emotional contrast.
Emotions have a tendency to pique our interest, and incorporating both positive and negative emotions into a presentation can transform a stagnant message into something stimulating. Here are some common mistakes people make when it comes to emotional content in presentations.
Mistake: Leaving out the human connection
Are you making an effort to add genuine feeling to your talks? An audience that doesn’t have any emotional attachment to a message will become disconnected, distracted, and, worst of all, bored. Evoking laughter, gasps of awe or fear, concerned looks, and even applause throughout your talk are all signals that you’ve triggered an emotional reaction in your audience. Audiences love these moments, but they require some additional effort from the presenter to both dream up and execute.
Mistake: Information is not enhanced with emotional appeal
The majority of presentations are purely analytical. They offer information but no human connection. The goal is to mix analytical content with emotional content, which creates contrast and therefore creates interest. Look at any of the analytical topics from the below list. By themselves, they don’t have any emotional charge to them—neither pain nor pleasure. Yet, they could all be presented in an emotional way.
For example, you could say that an acquisition took place. But that fact is neutral until you tell the story of the struggle it took to acquire the company or the heroics displayed by both parties to expedite it. Data is purely analytical until you explain why it matters.
Which type of content below do you tend to incorporate more into your presentations? How could you add an emotional element to it?
Mistake: Not building anticipation and emotional peaks
The best moviemakers in the industry understand that emotion is the secret to making sure audiences don’t get bored. In film, emotion is measured beats. Beats are the smallest structural element in a movie; there can be several in one scene. In fact, scenes are analyzed to make sure there is a shift of emotion in every single one. Screenwriters carefully ensure that the emotions are moving between pain and pleasure so that the audience remains engaged. Moving back and forth between analytical and emotional content works for presentation audiences as well. You should deliberately build emotional peaks in your talk, taking your listeners on a journey of tension and release.
Remember, contrast is critical for keeping the audience interested. You don’t need to get rid of your data-rich graphs or statistics, just find ways to sprinkle in some humor, suspense, or story. Inventory your slides, identify any content that can be transformed from analytical to emotional, and change it wherever appropriate.
Involving your listeners emotionally helps them form a relationship with you and your message. Your audience will thank you with their laughter, tears, applause, and attention.
Do you get the feeling that people aren’t connecting with your message on a personal level? Maybe you put a lot of time and hard work into your presentations, only to receive blank stares from a tuned-out audience.
Here’s my secret: The easiest way to get your audience to care is to add elements of emotional contrast.
Emotions have a tendency to pique our interest, and incorporating both positive and negative emotions into a presentation can transform a stagnant message into something stimulating. Here are some common mistakes people make when it comes to emotional content in presentations.
Mistake: Leaving out the human connection
Are you making an effort to add genuine feeling to your talks? An audience that doesn’t have any emotional attachment to a message will become disconnected, distracted, and, worst of all, bored. Evoking laughter, gasps of awe or fear, concerned looks, and even applause throughout your talk are all signals that you’ve triggered an emotional reaction in your audience. Audiences love these moments, but they require some additional effort from the presenter to both dream up and execute.
Mistake: Information is not enhanced with emotional appeal
The majority of presentations are purely analytical. They offer information but no human connection. The goal is to mix analytical content with emotional content, which creates contrast and therefore creates interest. Look at any of the analytical topics from the below list. By themselves, they don’t have any emotional charge to them—neither pain nor pleasure. Yet, they could all be presented in an emotional way.
For example, you could say that an acquisition took place. But that fact is neutral until you tell the story of the struggle it took to acquire the company or the heroics displayed by both parties to expedite it. Data is purely analytical until you explain why it matters.
Which type of content below do you tend to incorporate more into your presentations? How could you add an emotional element to it?
Mistake: Not building anticipation and emotional peaks
The best moviemakers in the industry understand that emotion is the secret to making sure audiences don’t get bored. In film, emotion is measured beats. Beats are the smallest structural element in a movie; there can be several in one scene. In fact, scenes are analyzed to make sure there is a shift of emotion in every single one. Screenwriters carefully ensure that the emotions are moving between pain and pleasure so that the audience remains engaged. Moving back and forth between analytical and emotional content works for presentation audiences as well. You should deliberately build emotional peaks in your talk, taking your listeners on a journey of tension and release.
Remember, contrast is critical for keeping the audience interested. You don’t need to get rid of your data-rich graphs or statistics, just find ways to sprinkle in some humor, suspense, or story. Inventory your slides, identify any content that can be transformed from analytical to emotional, and change it wherever appropriate.
Involving your listeners emotionally helps them form a relationship with you and your message. Your audience will thank you with their laughter, tears, applause, and attention.
Thursday, February 13, 2014
NRA Member's Valentine's Day Poem
You've been in my sights for all these years,
I'll always protect you from any fears.
Baby I love you in ways I can't say,
If you ever leave me, you're going to pay.
I'll always protect you from any fears.
Baby I love you in ways I can't say,
If you ever leave me, you're going to pay.
Coach's Valentine's Day Poem
Honey - I'll grab some happy meals on the way home from practice tonight. See you at 10!
Accountant's Valentine's Day Poem
You are my wife, and we are in love.
You are the one I often think of.
My smiles are too many to count (I have tried),
I'm going to be happy until you have died.
You are the one I often think of.
My smiles are too many to count (I have tried),
I'm going to be happy until you have died.
Why Stefon Always Cracked Up On SNL
It's
a definite no-no to laugh — or break — while performing a skit on
"Saturday Night Live." Former cast member Bill Hader seemed to abandon
that rule whenever he played Stefon, a club kid invited on to "Weekend
Update" to give his terrible and hilarious ideas for places to go in New
York City. Part of the giddiness was the character, Hader explained in
an interview. However, writer and friend John Mulaney also tried to make
him laugh with last-minute line changes. "Usually I start to break
towards the end and that's because John [Mulaney] has changed the words
or people are just laughing around me. Everyone's laughing and I just
can't keep it together," Hader told the comedy website Splitsider.
Mulaney's script surprises weren't just to mess with Hader's head. They
were to help him get out of his head, Hader explained in an interview
with Howard Stern last year. Stricken by stage fright behind the scenes,
Hader had a hard time calming down for performances. He told Playboy
that he suffered from "panic attacks and sweating. During my first two
seasons I wouldn't sleep on Friday night. I'd be up all night." He
added, "I kept thinking they were going to realize they'd made a mistake
by hiring me." In this Valentine's Day episode, watch Hader lose it as
he talks about the must-go clubs for lovers. He cracks up as he
describes a club "built on a dare by 90-year-old club promoter Fooji
Howser, M.D." And again he can't keep it together when he explains
"Jewpids" to Seth Meyers: "Jewish cupids ... 'I just want you to meet
someone nice and settle down.'" After about the third or fourth time
breaking character in a Stefon sketch, Hader recounted to NPR how he
apologized to Lorne Michaels, telling him he knew it wasn't
professional. "Bill," Hader recalled Michaels replying, "if what you're
saying isn't funny, then it's a problem. But what you're saying is
really funny." Michaels also helped put Hader at ease, telling the cast
member after about four seasons, "You know you can work here as long as
you want." Hader was on the show for eight gut-busting seasons of
comedy. As Stefon would say, that comedian had "everything."
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
When Is It Appropriate To Ask A Favor?
By Ivan Misner of Entrepreneur:
Most of us have been in situations where someone asked for a favor long before they built the social capital to make that kind of request, if they built any capital at all.
Building deep referral relationships is almost completely dependent upon the social capital you have built with someone. Social capital is similar to financial capital in a very important respect. To amass financial capital, you have to invest and grow your assets. You have to have money in the bank before you can make a withdrawal. Relationships are very much the same – referral relationships in particular.
Here’s a great example of someone who amassed quite a bit of social capital…from me.
Alex was what I would call a casual business associate, but from early on after our introduction, every time I spoke to him, he invested in the relationship. He gave me ideas, gave me his time, he even did some work on a website for me mostly as a favor. He invested…and invested…and invested.
I kept asking how I could help him, to return the favor and reciprocate for all the kindnesses and great help he’d been to me. His answer every time was, “I don’t need anything. I’m happy to do this.”
This went on for almost a year. Every couple of months, Alex would show up on my radar and do something for me.
Then, one time, he phoned me and said, “I have a favor to ask…” and I stopped him right there.
“Yes!” I said.
“But you didn’t even hear what the favor is!” laughed Alex.
I replied that I didn’t have to hear what the favor was. I told him I knew him well enough to know he was not going to ask me something impossible, and that he had invested so much into the relationship that I would do anything in my power to help.
When he told me what he needed, it was easy – a small promotion of one of his services. It was a big thing for Alex, and such an easy thing for me. I was happy to do it.
Throughout my career, I have had huge number of folks come to me and ask me to promote something for them. The thing is, the majority of those who contact me have never met me, never had a conversation at all. They’ve never invested in the relationship, yet they want a withdrawal from it!
Before you ask for a withdrawal, make sure to make an investment, and build a deep referral relationship. If you can answer “yes” to most or all of the following points about a person and his or her business, you would have a pretty deep referral relationship:
• You trust them to do a great job and take great care of your referred prospects.
• You have known each other for at least one year.
• You understand at least three major products or services within their business and feel comfortable explaining them to others.
• You know the names of their family members and have met them personally.
• You have both asked each other how you can help grow your respective businesses.
• You know several of their goals for the year, including personal and/or business goals.
• You could call them at 9 o’clock at night if you really needed something.
• You would not feel awkward asking them for help with either a personal or business challenge.
• You enjoy the time you spend together.
• You have regular appointments scheduled, both business and/or personal.
• You enjoy seeing them achieve success.
• They are “top of mind” regularly.
• You have open, honest talks about how you can help each other further.
You may be shocked at the level of personal knowledge required for a deep referral relationship, and you may want to argue that referrals should be all about business. I completely disagree. It takes a lot to develop this type of relationship, but those who do will certainly succeed at building a business from referrals.
Most of us have been in situations where someone asked for a favor long before they built the social capital to make that kind of request, if they built any capital at all.
Building deep referral relationships is almost completely dependent upon the social capital you have built with someone. Social capital is similar to financial capital in a very important respect. To amass financial capital, you have to invest and grow your assets. You have to have money in the bank before you can make a withdrawal. Relationships are very much the same – referral relationships in particular.
Here’s a great example of someone who amassed quite a bit of social capital…from me.
Alex was what I would call a casual business associate, but from early on after our introduction, every time I spoke to him, he invested in the relationship. He gave me ideas, gave me his time, he even did some work on a website for me mostly as a favor. He invested…and invested…and invested.
I kept asking how I could help him, to return the favor and reciprocate for all the kindnesses and great help he’d been to me. His answer every time was, “I don’t need anything. I’m happy to do this.”
This went on for almost a year. Every couple of months, Alex would show up on my radar and do something for me.
Then, one time, he phoned me and said, “I have a favor to ask…” and I stopped him right there.
“Yes!” I said.
“But you didn’t even hear what the favor is!” laughed Alex.
I replied that I didn’t have to hear what the favor was. I told him I knew him well enough to know he was not going to ask me something impossible, and that he had invested so much into the relationship that I would do anything in my power to help.
When he told me what he needed, it was easy – a small promotion of one of his services. It was a big thing for Alex, and such an easy thing for me. I was happy to do it.
Throughout my career, I have had huge number of folks come to me and ask me to promote something for them. The thing is, the majority of those who contact me have never met me, never had a conversation at all. They’ve never invested in the relationship, yet they want a withdrawal from it!
Before you ask for a withdrawal, make sure to make an investment, and build a deep referral relationship. If you can answer “yes” to most or all of the following points about a person and his or her business, you would have a pretty deep referral relationship:
• You trust them to do a great job and take great care of your referred prospects.
• You have known each other for at least one year.
• You understand at least three major products or services within their business and feel comfortable explaining them to others.
• You know the names of their family members and have met them personally.
• You have both asked each other how you can help grow your respective businesses.
• You know several of their goals for the year, including personal and/or business goals.
• You could call them at 9 o’clock at night if you really needed something.
• You would not feel awkward asking them for help with either a personal or business challenge.
• You enjoy the time you spend together.
• You have regular appointments scheduled, both business and/or personal.
• You enjoy seeing them achieve success.
• They are “top of mind” regularly.
• You have open, honest talks about how you can help each other further.
You may be shocked at the level of personal knowledge required for a deep referral relationship, and you may want to argue that referrals should be all about business. I completely disagree. It takes a lot to develop this type of relationship, but those who do will certainly succeed at building a business from referrals.
She Leaped At Me
There's an old Christian song "He Leadeth Me" with a refrain that runs through my head (with different words) whenever I'm walking up the stairs as Cupcake attacks me over and over again like a starved cougar terrorizing an antelope, if antelopes could climb stairs.
She leaped at me,
She leaped at me,
With her foreclaws,
She leaped at me.
How scraped and slashed up I will be,
For with her paws she leaped at me!
She leaped at me,
She leaped at me,
With her foreclaws,
She leaped at me.
How scraped and slashed up I will be,
For with her paws she leaped at me!
Community Service Reboot
I counted up my weekly hours spent volunteering this fall and winter. In all I'm averaging 15-20 hours a week with four organizations. I'm looking forward to dropping two of these organizations and using the freed-up 15 hours a week for new adventures. What other volunteer opportunities are out there? Maybe I'll just float around, looking for random quick needs to fill. Get a perspective on many agencies and organizations in town, use it to meet my "new acquaintances" resolution. Team up with Dena for some or more. It's an exciting phase to enter.
Tutoring Celebrations And Challenges
By my count I have 18 students right now, with conversations ongoing for another two. Five of those students are in college - a personal high. Two of them are taking accounting, another record.
I do have a student with a learning disability. This has been the best kind of challenge, since I am slowly learning more about how the mind works for different types of students.
I was glad to give away a long-sleeved T-shirt as a gift to a student who's been with me for a long time.
Withdrawing from the play is allowing me to use the extra time to meet some students' scheduling challenges. I am so thankful that God guided me to that decision!
I do have a student with a learning disability. This has been the best kind of challenge, since I am slowly learning more about how the mind works for different types of students.
I was glad to give away a long-sleeved T-shirt as a gift to a student who's been with me for a long time.
Withdrawing from the play is allowing me to use the extra time to meet some students' scheduling challenges. I am so thankful that God guided me to that decision!
Dry Sense Of Relief
Last night one of my neighbors had a water pipe burst upstairs while she was out of the house. By the time she got home, all three levels of her condo had standing inches of water, and two of them had holes worn through the floor.
I hate the misfortunes of others, but am grateful that we've never had to experience that in nearly 20 years of home ownership. And also, on her behalf, for the value of insurance!
I hate the misfortunes of others, but am grateful that we've never had to experience that in nearly 20 years of home ownership. And also, on her behalf, for the value of insurance!
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Ironmen Too Tall A Task For Maroons
From Quad Cities Online:
NORMAL – Saturday night high-school boys' basketball games should come with warning labels following emotional Friday night victories.
Moline found that out all too quickly in a nonconference road game against Normal Community, getting manhandled 68-36 by the Ironmen.
"I'm proud of our guys for winning Friday," Moline coach Jeff Schimmel said of the Maroons' one-point thriller over Galesburg in Western Big 6 Conference play. "But we needed to put that out of our mind. This is what you get when you don't do that against a very good team."
It was 12-0 Ironmen before the Maroons knew what had hit them. It was 18-4 at the end of the first quarter and 29-11 at halftime. The Ironmen had runs of 9-0 and 8-2 to start the final two quarters.
"I'm disappointed that, at this stage of the season, we are not mentally tough enough to forget about Friday and worry about the next game."
The talent level of the 16-6 Ironmen had a lot to do with that. Normal Community's starting lineup ranged from 6-foot-2 to a pair of 6-7s, meaning an 11-inch differential compared to Moline's starters.
Plus, one of the 6-7s, junior Tyler Seibring, did a lot of his handiwork from the perimeter. Seibring is almost a full foot taller than either of the Moline guards, Sean Hanley and Tyler Biscontine. Seibring hit 5-of-7 3-pointers en route to a game-high 23 points.
The Ironmen's Zac Thompson, at 6-4, was 5-of-10 beyond the arc for 15 points. He also had seven rebounds.
Also of note, four of NC's starting five are juniors, and there are only three seniors on the team.
A tall task for the Maroons (15-10) indeed, "but we knew that coming in,'' said Schimmel. "I'm just disappointed to get embarrassed in every phase of the game. I at least want us to compete, and we didn't compete from the start."
Rebounding was another big issue. The Ironmen doubled Moline's output there, 32-16. All but three of Moline's boards went to Tanner Logan (8) and Brandon Vice (5).
Moline's scoring was similarly pointing toward the direction of a few -- in fact, one. Hanley had a big night with 21 points, hitting 5-of-11 3-pointers. Beyond that, Tyler Biscontine and Vice had 5 points apiece, but combined to shoot 4-of-20. No other Maroon scored more than two.
"They are a team that matched up well with our big guys," Schimmel said, with Vice at 6-7 and Logan at 6-8. "Their big guys tracked down the long rebounds as well."
Now Moline must put its Saturday night behind it and focus on Friday, playing Alleman at Augustana's Carver Center.
"You have to know how to forget about a win and you've got to learn to forget about a loss," Schimmel summarized in dealing with the highs and lows of this weekend.
NORMAL – Saturday night high-school boys' basketball games should come with warning labels following emotional Friday night victories.
Moline found that out all too quickly in a nonconference road game against Normal Community, getting manhandled 68-36 by the Ironmen.
"I'm proud of our guys for winning Friday," Moline coach Jeff Schimmel said of the Maroons' one-point thriller over Galesburg in Western Big 6 Conference play. "But we needed to put that out of our mind. This is what you get when you don't do that against a very good team."
It was 12-0 Ironmen before the Maroons knew what had hit them. It was 18-4 at the end of the first quarter and 29-11 at halftime. The Ironmen had runs of 9-0 and 8-2 to start the final two quarters.
"I'm disappointed that, at this stage of the season, we are not mentally tough enough to forget about Friday and worry about the next game."
The talent level of the 16-6 Ironmen had a lot to do with that. Normal Community's starting lineup ranged from 6-foot-2 to a pair of 6-7s, meaning an 11-inch differential compared to Moline's starters.
Plus, one of the 6-7s, junior Tyler Seibring, did a lot of his handiwork from the perimeter. Seibring is almost a full foot taller than either of the Moline guards, Sean Hanley and Tyler Biscontine. Seibring hit 5-of-7 3-pointers en route to a game-high 23 points.
The Ironmen's Zac Thompson, at 6-4, was 5-of-10 beyond the arc for 15 points. He also had seven rebounds.
Also of note, four of NC's starting five are juniors, and there are only three seniors on the team.
A tall task for the Maroons (15-10) indeed, "but we knew that coming in,'' said Schimmel. "I'm just disappointed to get embarrassed in every phase of the game. I at least want us to compete, and we didn't compete from the start."
Rebounding was another big issue. The Ironmen doubled Moline's output there, 32-16. All but three of Moline's boards went to Tanner Logan (8) and Brandon Vice (5).
Moline's scoring was similarly pointing toward the direction of a few -- in fact, one. Hanley had a big night with 21 points, hitting 5-of-11 3-pointers. Beyond that, Tyler Biscontine and Vice had 5 points apiece, but combined to shoot 4-of-20. No other Maroon scored more than two.
"They are a team that matched up well with our big guys," Schimmel said, with Vice at 6-7 and Logan at 6-8. "Their big guys tracked down the long rebounds as well."
Now Moline must put its Saturday night behind it and focus on Friday, playing Alleman at Augustana's Carver Center.
"You have to know how to forget about a win and you've got to learn to forget about a loss," Schimmel summarized in dealing with the highs and lows of this weekend.
Young Boy Risks Life To Save Baby Deer
By David Strege:
A young boy in Bangladesh risked his life in a surging river to rescue a drowning baby deer, prompting cheers from locals who weren’t sure whether Belal would reach the other side or be swept away.
Wildlife photographer Hasibul Wahab captured the heroic moments in photos from Noakhali, Bangladesh, where torrential rain caused fast-rising floods, causing the deer to be separated from its family, according to Caters News Agency and the U.K. MailOnline.
Belal, as you can see in the photos (which tell the whole story), grabbed the baby deer by its legs with one hand and held it high over his head as he trudged through the water, sometimes with his head fully submerged.
It was during those tense moments that onlookers believed the boy might perish. But the young teen persevered.
“He was such a brave boy—the river was so full of water and it was high tide so we thought he might drown,” Wahab told MailOnline. “My friend was even ready to jump into the river to save the boy. But he made it, and when he returned, we thanked the boy.”
Only about seven people witnessed the act of bravery and kindness, according to Wahab.
“It was a phenomenal sight,” he said.
Wahab told MailOnline that locals lose a lot of deer during the rainy season and are forced to do all they can to protect them, such as going to extreme measures like a young teenaged boy named Belal did.
A young boy in Bangladesh risked his life in a surging river to rescue a drowning baby deer, prompting cheers from locals who weren’t sure whether Belal would reach the other side or be swept away.
The boy and the baby deer; photo courtesy of Caters News Agency
Wildlife photographer Hasibul Wahab captured the heroic moments in photos from Noakhali, Bangladesh, where torrential rain caused fast-rising floods, causing the deer to be separated from its family, according to Caters News Agency and the U.K. MailOnline.
Belal, as you can see in the photos (which tell the whole story), grabbed the baby deer by its legs with one hand and held it high over his head as he trudged through the water, sometimes with his head fully submerged.
It was during those tense moments that onlookers believed the boy might perish. But the young teen persevered.
“He was such a brave boy—the river was so full of water and it was high tide so we thought he might drown,” Wahab told MailOnline. “My friend was even ready to jump into the river to save the boy. But he made it, and when he returned, we thanked the boy.”
Only about seven people witnessed the act of bravery and kindness, according to Wahab.
“It was a phenomenal sight,” he said.
Wahab told MailOnline that locals lose a lot of deer during the rainy season and are forced to do all they can to protect them, such as going to extreme measures like a young teenaged boy named Belal did.
Locals
worried that the young teen in Bangladesh might be swept away by the
water as he trudged across a surging river to reunite the baby deer with
its family. Photo by Caters News Agency
Locals cheered when the boy made it to the other side with the baby deer; photo by Caters News Agency
The boy named Belal released the baby deer on the other side of the rushing river; photo by Caters News Agency
Soon the frightened baby deer was reunited with its family; photo by Caters News Agency
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Pressing Questions: The Chicago Cubs
By Andy Behrens:
When the Chicago Cubs
last won the World Series, the U.S. had only 46 states. Russia was
ruled by a czar. No human had yet reached the north pole. Or the south
pole. Frank "Home Run" Baker had not yet hit his first home run. The
list of major league mascots back then included the Doves, Naps,
Highlanders, Browns and Superbas. Harry Caray had not yet been born, nor had Mel Allen, Ernie Harwell or Jack Brickhouse.
What I'm saying is this: It's
been a long damn time since the Chicago National League Ball Club won a
title. And when the team last claimed a championship, in 1908, the final
game of the Series drew a record-low 6,210 fans. So there were
remarkably few witnesses to an event that now exists outside living
memory.
But hey, the present-day Cubs
front office has a plan. Fans may not be thrilled with the timeline of
the current plan, but it exists. Jed Hoyer and Theo Epstein have built a
stellar farm system atop the smoking ruins of Jim Hendry's former
empire. At every level of this organization, we find high-quality
talent. Chicago spent next to nothin' on the major league roster this
offseason, avoiding the big-name domestic free agents (Cano, Ellsbury,
Choo, Granderson, et al) — a reasonable course of action, because those
guys are all 30-somethings. The team pursued 25-year-old Masahiro
Tanaka, but the Yankees pursued harder.
Ultimately, the biggest offseason additions were Justin Ruggiano and a pantsless bear. Sigh.
And this, at last, brings us to the only Cubs question that's truly pressing...
Q: When will any of these kids arrive in the big leagues? Are any of them draft-worthy in mixed fantasy leagues this season?
A: There it is, the big one. The zillion-dollar question. It's the only topic worth discussing if you plan to actually attend a game at Wrigley over the next two seasons. Because really, this franchise's major league roster is weapons-grade boring. Just look at that mess over on the right.
Hendricks is a good bet to arrive this season, perhaps early. The 24-year-old righty went 13-4 across two levels last season, finishing at Triple-A Iowa. His ratios were solid — 2.00 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 6.9 K/9 — and he issued just 34 walks in 166.1 innings, allowing only five home runs. Hendricks isn't projected as a top-of-rotation sort of starter, however, and he's not a particularly hard-thrower (89/90-ish). Thus, he's not yet a pitcher of interest for mixed league players. Arodys Vizcaino, 23, is a flame-thrower who's had a few elbow repairs over the past two years, but he's reportedly thrown well in recent months. He's a darkhorse saves candidate, a guy with a closing-quality arm. It's not as if the Cubs' bullpen is full of lights-out relievers. (Details below.)
Of all the notable prospects in this system, Baez and Bryant are the two who should be of greatest interest to the fantasy community in the season ahead (and beyond). Baez was simply a monster last year, hitting 17 bombs in half a season at Daytona, then another 20 in 54 games at Double-A. His final stat line across two levels was eye-popping: 98 R, 37 HR, 111 RBIs, 20 SB, .282/.341/.578. He actually improved after making the leap to the Southern League, too. Strikeouts are a concern with Baez (147 Ks, 40 BBs last season), but his power is elite. His bat-speed is unnatural. He had a four-homer game for Daytona, and you might recall that he homered three times on three consecutive swings last spring. He's legit. Barring injury or unexpected collapse, we'll almost certainly see Baez in the majors by the end of the season. It's reasonable to hope for a mid-year arrival if he continues to produce at or near his 2013 pace. It's no lock that he'll stick at short, but his bat will play anywhere.
Bryant destroyed pitching at every stop in 2013, winning both the Golden Spikes Award for his collegiate work (31 HR, .820 SLG) and the Arizona Fall League MVP. Like Baez, he's an exceptional power-hitting prospect, a player who may not be forced to make any significant adjustments until he reaches Wrigley Field. The hope here is that we'll see him in September. He's certainly not blocked by anything interesting.
Q: So Mike Olt doesn't even rate a mention?
A: Well, Olt is not in Bryant's class in terms of potential, and this system is so stacked with hitters that it's easy to overlook him. But yeah, the 25-year-old Olt is still in the mix, hoping to rebound from a miserable season. (Last year's troubles were the result of vision problems, now presumably behind him.) It's worth noting that Olt is just a season removed from a 28-homer campaign at Double-A Frisco. If he has a strong spring, he has a clear shot to claim a big league job.
Q: While we're discussing bounce-back candidates, what's the forecast for Starlin Castro and Anthony Rizzo? Those two were surprisingly not helpful last year.
A: The short
answer is that I'm substantially more interested in Rizzo, fantasy-wise.
He was a disappointment last season, no doubt, hitting just
.233/.323/.419, with a relatively modest 23 home runs. Those numbers
really don't pay the fantasy bills, not at first base. But there were a
few encouraging signs for Rizzo, including improvements in his BB-rate
and his swinging-strike percentage. He also had little luck on
balls-in-play, posting a .258 BABIP.
The
big concern here — and this is no small thing — is that Rizzo has been
consistently terrible against left-handed pitching at the major league
level. For his career, he's hitting .194/.270/.347 against lefties and
.257/.346/.439 versus right-handers. Last year, the split was
.189/.282/.342 vs. LHPs and .252/.342/.454 vs. RHPs. If you invest in
Rizzo in fantasy (in any format), you have to consider finding a platoon
partner.
Still, Rizzo's power potential is
clear enough, and his home park tends to favor hitters (although it's
really two different parks, depending on wind and temps. But you already
knew that.) He should be available at a discount this year. I'm
definitely interested.
As for Castro, well ... meh.
Even if his batting average jumps back into the neighborhood of .300 —
which, for the record, would be a 55-point leap — he's given us no
reason to believe that he'll hit for significant power. We know he
possesses 20-steal potential, but his speed isn't exceptional by the
standards of his position. He's nothing special in the field, either.
And he's prone to bouts of boneheadedness.
A responsible projection for
Castro would be something like this: 70-12-60-12-.275. If you're
expecting more, then you're just wishing.
Q: Who's the closer for this team? Is it really Jose Veras?
A: Looks that
way, yup. And yes, he's a dice roll. Nothing special. No magic here.
Veras is a guy with a career 1.31 WHIP and an ERA of 3.84. He'll be one
of the last closers taken in fantasy drafts, because he's a sketchy
pitcher on a team that may only win 65-70 games. But this is a bullpen
full of bad ideas, so the job appears to be his, at least initially.
Pedro Strop and the aforementioned Vizcaino will enter the discussion
when Veras stumbles. And he will stumble, because c'mon.
Donnor Cibble Leads Nation Over Urbana
Donnor Cibble, the 6 foot, 7 inch man-child and captain of Dibble Nation, rocked Urbana with a typical array of rim-shattering dunks that launched Nation to an eventual win.
After tipping the opening jump ball into the net for a quick 3-point lead, he waved teammates away in a 1-man full court press, hawking the inbounds pass, running down a ball handler at half court from behind for a strip, and punctuating it with a 1-on-5 windmill jam.
Cibble called it a night after racking up 48 first-quarter points.
"Now Urbana knows my name," Cibble tweeted after the game.
After tipping the opening jump ball into the net for a quick 3-point lead, he waved teammates away in a 1-man full court press, hawking the inbounds pass, running down a ball handler at half court from behind for a strip, and punctuating it with a 1-on-5 windmill jam.
Cibble called it a night after racking up 48 first-quarter points.
"Now Urbana knows my name," Cibble tweeted after the game.
Need You Now (Plumb)
This one's been in my head a lot the last week. From our band's playlist, a reminder to be hopeful in tough times.
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Removing The Label
"I believe we're called to do what is Christlike rather than say, 'I'm a Christian'... I don't really care about labels." - Jim Tressel
Earth's been populated with so much diversity. Beyond that, the universe. Is it a stretch to think that God is pretty open to the approach we take toward the way we gratefully carry out this gift of life? Or is even orchestrating it?
Earth's been populated with so much diversity. Beyond that, the universe. Is it a stretch to think that God is pretty open to the approach we take toward the way we gratefully carry out this gift of life? Or is even orchestrating it?
Faith In Darkness
"Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the days is still dark." - Rabindranath Tagore
Today has been a slow day awakening - snow day outside with school cancelled is surely a factor. With spring on the horizon, even as the future is hazy at the moment, faith that things will rise to life is enough to bring a smile to my face.
Today has been a slow day awakening - snow day outside with school cancelled is surely a factor. With spring on the horizon, even as the future is hazy at the moment, faith that things will rise to life is enough to bring a smile to my face.
Winter Dreaming
"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." - Eleanor Roosevelt
Sunday, February 2, 2014
What 3 Words Would Others Use To Compliment You?
While attending a speech about self-mastery, the speaker asked us to jot down three words which others would say best describes you from among all the positive ones that might.
Here's what I jotted down quickly without much time to overanalyze:
1. Creative. I am blessed with some intelligence, if not so much quick-thinking or common sense; some musical ability, if not refined; it fuels my love for creating paragraphs, scenes, songs, visions, and plan designs from nothing or chaos, and people repeatedly return that love as a reflection that it's working.
2. Calm. At least externally. It certainly has some root in the slow-thinking, a little bit in the Irish temper; nothing reveals a fool as quickly as an excitable tongue. Thoughtful response, and God's quiet confidence that everything will be all right has served me well as a leader and teacher. Even the shyest students seem to come out of their shell with me; it's a ministry I'm honored to have.
3. Optimistic. Like a heartbeat, this needs exercise in order not to fade. Happy living is my most prized value. Hugs and smiles. Gratefulness.
How about you?
Here's what I jotted down quickly without much time to overanalyze:
1. Creative. I am blessed with some intelligence, if not so much quick-thinking or common sense; some musical ability, if not refined; it fuels my love for creating paragraphs, scenes, songs, visions, and plan designs from nothing or chaos, and people repeatedly return that love as a reflection that it's working.
2. Calm. At least externally. It certainly has some root in the slow-thinking, a little bit in the Irish temper; nothing reveals a fool as quickly as an excitable tongue. Thoughtful response, and God's quiet confidence that everything will be all right has served me well as a leader and teacher. Even the shyest students seem to come out of their shell with me; it's a ministry I'm honored to have.
3. Optimistic. Like a heartbeat, this needs exercise in order not to fade. Happy living is my most prized value. Hugs and smiles. Gratefulness.
How about you?
Glorious Days: The Week In Thanks
I hadn't gone into much of any detail about the end of the road for the trusty Saturn. It's probably worth its own separate blog post, but it's too cold outside for me to be wandering around taking photos of the new Honda Civic. So we'll keep it to a paragraph:
After getting the water pump replaced for $400, the brakes and trunk latch went bad. It was 14.5 years old and I wanted to go for 15, but the trade-in value turned out to be (a surprisingly-high!) $300, and it was time to put it to rest. Thus ends my 20-year run as a Saturn owner; the old girl gave me 8,000 miles a year on terrific gas mileage with very few problems. Her heating/cooling gave out two years ago, but she got the job done. Rest in peace; you outlasted my State Farm career which is a noble and fitting tribute to you since the motivation for my red Saturns was out of allegiance to that red-and-white logo. God was watching out for me: I had no idea when I picked up the Honda that we were less than a week from a savage polar vortex. By comparison I'm in absolute luxury these days. Power windows, locks and seats; cruise control, CD player, working heat/AC. She's been tough against snowy conditions. I'm a fortunate guy.
Speaking of snow, last midnight while Dena and I were watching movies with Cupcake and snuggled up under blankets, we heard our snow plow guy grinding away in the drive. I'm not sure that I've shoveled snow this millenium; haven't mowed a lawn in decades; these are blessings.
It's been sort of a techie week for me. I solved a glitch in the Leadership McLean County blog that had been obscuring text, and developed a fill-in form using Microsoft Word for my LMC Alumni Association role. Google provided just what I needed to figure this stuff out. Meanwhile, some recent trauma to Dena's e-mail account reminds me how good I have it with my own... free from spam, hacking, and in her case complete shutdown with nightmarish customer service rep experiences to boot.
I've surged to second place in the fantasy basketball standings (thank you very much Kevin Durant). And with the turn of the calendar to February come oodles of fantasy baseball magazines to kick off the juicy research preseason.
With each passing winter day I'm more thankful that I've been cold/flu free the entire school year. An arsenal of exercise, Zicam and diligent hand-washing are surely contributing. Of course, it might also be that I love my tutoring business and so have more natural energy and resilience than a year ago.
The basketball team rebounded (pun intended) well in their last hoops game after losing two consecutive heartbreakers. A 14-6 record would be welcomed by almost any team in the state. We still have 9 more games to cram into the next 30 days, so there's plenty of time to get onto a roll.
Random thank-you for the invention of razors. My Neanderthal unshaven look would not have been a good one. The other tribesmen would probably have fed me right to the Tyrannosaurs.
I'm really enjoying the water bottle that Jack and Kate got me for Christmas. 24 ouncer with sippy straw for spill-prone adults, helping me chug 80+ cleansing ounces a day. And after leaving it at the gym twice this week, I'm thankful to have had just enough presence of mind to remember when I got home, call the gym, and recover it. I now have a mini back-up bottle for gym use, so the gift should be safely nested at home going forward.
When you don't have cable T.V., you feel comforted by the fact that the Super Bowl was a blowout!
Finally, on a musical note (more intended pun), I continue to be amazed at the warm, occasionally borderline rowdy reception of applause that the Catholics give us in the band at the end of our contemporary service on Sundays. The Protestants got nothing on them; it's a reaffirmation that the mission is making a difference.
This song has been on my mind all week, so I share it once again with you all while wishing the warmest of weeks, whether it's 70s in L.A. or 30s in Illinois.
After getting the water pump replaced for $400, the brakes and trunk latch went bad. It was 14.5 years old and I wanted to go for 15, but the trade-in value turned out to be (a surprisingly-high!) $300, and it was time to put it to rest. Thus ends my 20-year run as a Saturn owner; the old girl gave me 8,000 miles a year on terrific gas mileage with very few problems. Her heating/cooling gave out two years ago, but she got the job done. Rest in peace; you outlasted my State Farm career which is a noble and fitting tribute to you since the motivation for my red Saturns was out of allegiance to that red-and-white logo. God was watching out for me: I had no idea when I picked up the Honda that we were less than a week from a savage polar vortex. By comparison I'm in absolute luxury these days. Power windows, locks and seats; cruise control, CD player, working heat/AC. She's been tough against snowy conditions. I'm a fortunate guy.
Speaking of snow, last midnight while Dena and I were watching movies with Cupcake and snuggled up under blankets, we heard our snow plow guy grinding away in the drive. I'm not sure that I've shoveled snow this millenium; haven't mowed a lawn in decades; these are blessings.
It's been sort of a techie week for me. I solved a glitch in the Leadership McLean County blog that had been obscuring text, and developed a fill-in form using Microsoft Word for my LMC Alumni Association role. Google provided just what I needed to figure this stuff out. Meanwhile, some recent trauma to Dena's e-mail account reminds me how good I have it with my own... free from spam, hacking, and in her case complete shutdown with nightmarish customer service rep experiences to boot.
I've surged to second place in the fantasy basketball standings (thank you very much Kevin Durant). And with the turn of the calendar to February come oodles of fantasy baseball magazines to kick off the juicy research preseason.
With each passing winter day I'm more thankful that I've been cold/flu free the entire school year. An arsenal of exercise, Zicam and diligent hand-washing are surely contributing. Of course, it might also be that I love my tutoring business and so have more natural energy and resilience than a year ago.
The basketball team rebounded (pun intended) well in their last hoops game after losing two consecutive heartbreakers. A 14-6 record would be welcomed by almost any team in the state. We still have 9 more games to cram into the next 30 days, so there's plenty of time to get onto a roll.
Random thank-you for the invention of razors. My Neanderthal unshaven look would not have been a good one. The other tribesmen would probably have fed me right to the Tyrannosaurs.
I'm really enjoying the water bottle that Jack and Kate got me for Christmas. 24 ouncer with sippy straw for spill-prone adults, helping me chug 80+ cleansing ounces a day. And after leaving it at the gym twice this week, I'm thankful to have had just enough presence of mind to remember when I got home, call the gym, and recover it. I now have a mini back-up bottle for gym use, so the gift should be safely nested at home going forward.
When you don't have cable T.V., you feel comforted by the fact that the Super Bowl was a blowout!
Finally, on a musical note (more intended pun), I continue to be amazed at the warm, occasionally borderline rowdy reception of applause that the Catholics give us in the band at the end of our contemporary service on Sundays. The Protestants got nothing on them; it's a reaffirmation that the mission is making a difference.
This song has been on my mind all week, so I share it once again with you all while wishing the warmest of weeks, whether it's 70s in L.A. or 30s in Illinois.
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